In an Iowa Q&A with SB Nation, we discussed the Hawkeye’s two losses in 2023.
One was a loss to Michigan and the other was a loss to Penn State.
There is a passage from that conversation that I find interesting and relevant to the upcoming game.
Instead of paraphrasing, I’ll post it here.3.) All kidding aside, Iowa’s losses this season were the only two times they allowed their opponent to score 20 or more points.
What’s going on there, is it just a coincidence or does it have more to do with the two games against Penn State and Michigan?
We need to talk about Iowa’s top two scoring teams all year.
The real answer is clear. But the two games played out very differently, and if Iowa had had some offensive momentum, neither team would have topped 20 points.
PSU did exactly what Phil Parker never wanted anyone to do.
They never tried to hold their breath throughout the game.
They averaged 4.5 yards per attempt in the passing game, with their longest play of the day going 19 yards.
But Iowa’s offense was so frustrating that they couldn’t put anything together to give the D some rest, and the Nittany Lions ended up using 99 offensive plays to score 31 points and four Hawkeye fumbles ( one of which was the offensive of a PSU). . . red area).
Michigan did nothing to beat Iowa’s defense.
They scored 26 points (well below their regular season average) but allowed just 213 yards of total offense, the fewest in a decade.
Anyone who watched the Big Ten championship game will know that it centered around two plays that gave Michigan 14 of 26 points.
One was a one-time punt return that put the Wolverines up by 5, and the other was an incomplete pass ruled invalid on the field, but ultimately gave Michigan the ball back inside the 10 as a Wolverine player ran over it after Play.
I picked up the dead ball and returned it to the umpire.
If Tennessee wants to score on Monday, that will be the model for PSU to emulate.
Iowans said the best way to beat the Hokies was to stick to the Penn State road map, so I figured I’d watch as many Iowa/Penn State games as possible.
The team with the fewest mistakes wins.First of all, I apologize for the video quality.
The program I use only plays video at 25 frames per second and I need at least 60 frames to avoid lag.
And for two years I’ve been looking for someone to replace him. It was a big headache.
Anyway, I’m sorry. When in doubt, listen to General Neyland.
Against State, Iowa State had six turnovers and four turnovers.
As you can see in the video, two came via pressure on the quarterback, one came on a special teams play, and the other was a quarterback putting his helmet on the ball.
This year, the Hawkeyes ranked 76th in the nation with an average of 1.5 turnovers per game.
For context, the Vols average one turnover per game, ranking 16th in the country. This is a potential advantage for Tennessee.
Some necessary context: State was the best in the nation when it came to getting to QBs this season, averaging more than four sacks per game, while UT ranked 26th with an average of 2.6 sacks per year.
Iowa ranks 69th (most) with two sacks per game.
Now, it’s not Cade McNamara playing QB tomorrow, but if the line gets to Deacon Hill and causes confusion, the Vols will have a chance to get an extra possession or two for the offense.
Penn State recorded 13 pressures, three sacks, six tackles and four hurries. To be fair, the Nittany Lions fell further behind Iowa than the Hokies.
I think Tim Banks will be aggressive early on to beat the Hill defense through the air.
2023 All-SEC edge rusher James Pierce and sophomore Joshua Josephs should destroy the edge, while Omari Thomas, Elijah Simmons, Omar-Norman Lott and Bryson Eason will eat up blockers inside.
With Tyler Baron gone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Tyree West at DE, with Josephs talking the pass and true freshman Davin Hobbs filling in when extra weight is needed on the front line.
However, if UT wants to win, it will need to commit some turnovers and limit key offensive mistakes.
Get the ball to the tight endIn the Penn State game, Nittany Lion TEs scored all four of State’s touchdowns. I have not finished yet…
