Hello fellow 7-0 Hawkeye fans! Iowa gets back to action after a well deserved week off. It gave Iowa time to get some of the aches and pains suffered by key personnel time to mend and get better. Several dinged up and injured players got needed rest. Will the week off help the Hawkeyes or will they be hurt by it? A somewhat down and out Maryland team is making their first ever visit to Kinnick Stadium. Needless to say, they have heard about, but not experience, Iowa's pink visiting locker room. Will this have an effect on them? Hard to say, especially with a mid-season replacement at the head coaching position. If Iowa can jump to an early lead, it just might take something away from Maryland, although the lead Iowa had last year did not hold. That was a different Iowa team than what Iowa has this year. Leadership on this team will keep them focused. Weather may be a factor in this game with what I have heard about the possibility of rain. With the way Maryland's defense is ranked in the B1G, Iowa SHOULD have no problem moving the ball on the ground and in the air. The questions will come when Maryland has the ball as their offense has 'found itself' the last couple weeks, but the Iowa defense is back to what we remember as 'Bullies of the Big Ten'. As for special teams, it could be a battle of punt returners. Will Iowa kick away from the newly crowned B1G single game return yardage king or will Iowa's King be the punt returner of the day. Not knowing anything about Maryland coin toss selections, will they defer or take the ball to start the game. I see this as being a close game for the first half with Iowa exerting themselves on Maryland in the second half. In the end, Iowa scores 31-38 points and Maryland scores 13-20 points. Iowa ends up 8-0 after this one is over. GO HAWKS!!!
