Previewing Michigan vs. Iowa with a Hawkeye insider
TheWolverine.com caught up with Kennington Lloyd Smith III of the Des Moines Register to get some insight on the Iowa Hawkeyes before their Big Ten championship game matchup with Michigan.
Smith broke down Iowa’s strengths and weaknesses, provided a final score prediction and more.
RELATED
• Keys to the game: Michigan football vs. Iowa
Projected Iowa Starters On Offense
• Junior QB Spencer Petras — He started the first nine games before dealing with a shoulder injury that held him out of two contests. The 6-5, 233-pounder came in off the bench last week against Nebraska, completing 7 of his 13 pass attempts for 102 yards and rushing for one touchdown en route to victory. For the season, he’s completing 58.1 percent of his passes for 1,532 yards and nine touchdowns with six interceptions.
• Junior RB Tyler Goodson — He leads the team with 1,101 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 238 carries while averaging 4.6 yards per rush. He’s added 25 receptions for 219 yards and a score.
• Junior FB Monte Pottebaum — His 51.0 Pro Football Focus (PFF) run-blocking rating is considered below average. He’s rushed 15 times for 76 yards and a score.
• Freshman WR Keagan Johnson — He’s hauled in 17 receptions for 339 yards (second on team) and two touchdowns, with his 19.9 yards per catch average leading the Hawkeyes.
• Junior TE Sam LaPorta — The 6-4, 249-pounder tops the team with 40 receptions for 486 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 40.5 yards per game. His 52.9 PFF run-blocking grade is the lowest among players on the team with over 300 snaps.
• Junior LT Jack Plumb — The 6-7, 296-pounder has started seven career contests and has a 67.8 overall PFF rating. He’s allowed two sacks and 14 pressures on 171 pass-blocking snaps.
• Senior LG Kyler Schott — The 6-2, 294-pounder has opened 16 career games. He’s registered an 83.2 overall PFF grade and 87.5 run-blocking mark, which rank second and third on the team, respectively. He’s yielded nine pressures and no sacks this season.
• Redshirt junior C Tyler Linderbaum — The Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year has started 33 career contests. His 95.3 overall PFF rating slots second among the country’s offensive linemen, and his 96.3 run-blocking grade leads the nation. He’s given up just three pressures and no sacks this year.
• Freshman RG Connor Colby — The 6-6, 298-pounder has started nine games during his first collegiate season, yielding one sack and 11 pressures. His 72.4 PFF rating ranks third among the team’s starting offensive linemen.
• Redshirt sophomore RT Nick DeJong — The first-year starter has opened nine contests this season. His 63.2 overall PFF mark slots fifth among the squad’s starting offensive linemen, and he’s given up five sacks and 24 pressures on the season.
Projected Iowa Starters On Defense
• Redshirt junior DT Noah Shannon — He’s posted 39 tackles, one sack and three quarterback hurries, with 10 pressures.
• Redshirt sophomore DT Logan Lee — He’s recorded 40 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry, with six pressures.
• Redshirt junior DE John Waggoner — He’s made 23 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hurries and three pass breakups, while adding 19 pressures (fourth on team).
• Senior DE Zach VanValkenburg — The second-team All-Big Ten selection and Hillsdale College transfer is fifth on the squad with 48 tackles, and has a team-best 11.5 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks. His eight hurries also lead the team, and he’s generated pressure on 32 pass-rushing downs.
• Junior LB Jack Campbell — The first-team All-Big Ten pick is second in the Big Ten with 124 tackles, and has compiled 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, six pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, one interception and one forced fumble.
• Redshirt junior LB Seth Benson — He’s second on the team with 89 tackles, while also tallying 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, six quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and one interception.
• Junior LB/NB Dane Belton — The 6-1, 205-pounder leads the team with five interceptions, and has added 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, seven pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. He’s been targeted 55 times in coverage, allowing 33 receptions for 291 yards and four touchdowns.
• Redshirt sophomore CB Jermari Harris — He’s produced two interceptions, two pass breakups and 25 tackles. In coverage, he’s given up 16 receptions for 225 yards and no touchdowns on 31 challenges.
• Senior CB Riley Moss — The Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year has four interceptions, five pass breakups, one quarterback hurry and two tackles for loss to go along with his 31 stops. He’s yielded 17 catches for 279 yards and no touchdowns on 32 targets.
• Redshirt junior S Kaevon Merriweather — He’s notched 33 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups, while giving up 12 receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown on 18 targets in coverage.
• Fifth-year senior S Jack Koerner — The former walk-on is third on the team with 76 tackles, while also tallying three stops for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups. He’s given up 16 grabs for 216 yards and one touchdown on 29 challenges in coverage.
Iowa Specialists
• Sophomore punter Tory Taylor — The Australian and 2020 Big Ten Punter of the Year has booted it away 69 times this season with an average of 45.8 yards per punt and 33 pins inside the 20-yard line.
• Sixth-year senior kicker Caleb Shudak — He’s nailed 22 of his 25 field goal attempts on the year, and had 39 touchbacks on 66 kickoffs.
Top Strength Of Hawkeye Offense
Iowa’s offensive statistics don’t jump off the page, with the team ranking 87th with 25.7 points per game and 121st with 299.3 yards per outing. But the Hawkeyes have been opportunistic, Smith explained.
“The cliche ‘a good offense is a strong defense’ certainty applies here,” he began. “Iowa’s calling card on offense this year has been taking advantage of opportunities. At one point this year they converted 14 forced turnovers by the defense into 83 offensive points. They usually capitalize on opportunities given to them by the defense in favorable field position.
“However, the rush offense has picked up in November as running back Tyler Goodson has been averaging 122 yards per game with 5.4 yards per carry. Last Friday they outgained Nebraska’s offense, which is no small feat, so they’re picking up momentum at the right time.”
Biggest Weakness Of Hawkeye Offense
Iowa’s offense is headlined by one of the top offensive linemen in the sport, but the group up front hasn’t been as steady overall as many might expect out of a Hawkeye club.
“Ironically, the offensive line, which is a staple of Kirk Ferentz-coached teams,” Smith said when asked for the biggest weakness of the unit. “Tyler Linderbaum is fantastic and worthy of every national award, but at times this year it’s been chaos around him. They’ve had several players in and out of the lineup with injuries, and that’s a big part of why they were ranked at the bottom of the conference in total offense.
“The weakest point is at the tackle position, which creates a nightmare scenario against Michigan’s front. The good news for Iowa: the line’s gotten healthy recently and it seems they’re turning the corner.”
Top Strength Of Hawkeye Defense
Iowa is plus-14 in turnover margin and, in addition to being able to get stops, has created takeaways on a consistent basis.
“I’d say Iowa’s secondary,” Smith said of the best aspect of the defense. “The most notable statistic is 22 interceptions on the year, which is the most in the country. They came into the year with nearly 70 combined starts, so this is an experienced group, and that factors greatly into how fast they play and why they seem to be in positions to create turnovers.
“For the fifth time in 10 years they have the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in Riley Moss, and every other member of the unit except one was All-Big Ten in some capacity.”
Biggest Weakness Of Hawkeye Defense
The line of scrimmage has held up for the most part, with the Hawkeyes slotting 14th nationally in rushing defense, but they’ve struggled at times as well. Michigan’s offensive line, which just played a gem of a game against Ohio State, could pose some issues for Iowa’s front-seven.
“When Iowa’s defense has had trouble this year it’s been because the opposing offensive line imposed their will,” Smith explained. “Most times it’s been against teams with large offensive lines, most notably Wisconsin and Minnesota. Prior to this season it was an inexperienced group, and overall, they’re known to have lighter defensive lines in weight. Execution is huge for this group: if they play with leverage then they’ll find success, if not things will go awry.”
Smith’s Final Score Prediction
“I think it’ll be a very competitive game,” Smith began. “Both teams are coming into this weekend with a lot of motivation and I think it’ll be a classic, physical Big Ten matchup. I think Michigan ultimately wins and is just a little bit better down the stretch of the game.”
Prediction: Michigan 17, Iowa 10
