Iowa at Iowa State 9/14/19 – College Football Pick
The battle of Iowa is set to take place Saturday afternoon at Jack Trice Stadium. However, the game is one that shows the Cyclones coming in after taking a triple overtime game to win a game over Northern Iowa to end August. What is even worse for the Cyclones is the victory margin was only 3 points and definitely not a great showing for the Cyclones offense nor their defense. The Hawkeyes, from Iowa, are coming in as an unbeaten team already and coming off of a very strong defensive showing in the second game. The Hawkeyes were able to take down the Rutgers squad in a shutout victory, but the offense of the Hawkeyes came up big in the game by putting in 30 points in the game.
Iowa Hawkeyes Preview
With the Hawkeyes the team has been able to average a total of 34 points a game. The passing attack for the Hawkeyes has been able to get a total of 248 yards. When the Hawkeyes ran the ball they have been able to grind out an average of 203.5 yards a game. Nate Staley is back at quarterback for the Hawkeyes and has went 37-58 on the year with 488 yards and thrown 6 touchdowns. Mekhi Sargent is the leading rusher with 27 carries for 150 yards and a score. Ihmir Smith-Marsette is the favorite target this year with 8 catches for 148 yard and 3 touchdowns.
Defensively the Hawkeyes gave up a total of 7 points a game on the season. What else is playing into the hands of the Hawkeyes is the defense has given up only 116.5 yards a game in the air and the rushing defense has allowed only 68.5 yards a game. Kristian Welch is the leading tackler for the Hawkeyes from his linebacker spot with 16 tackles. A.J. Epensea has ended up getting a sack on the year with a 9 yard loss. Michael Ojemudia has managed to snag a couple of picks on the year.
Iowa State Cyclones Preview
Iowa State has had their fair of struggles already on the year and are coming into this game scoring only 29 points a game. The offense has been able to average out to 278 yards a game in the air, but the rushing offense has managed to pound out 185 yards a game. Brock Purdy has went 30-41 for 278 yards on the season with 2 touchdowns. Johnnie Lang has carried the ball 14 times 60 yards, but Sheldon Croney Jr. has carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards and a score. Deshaunte Jones ended up getting 14 catches on the year with 126 yards in the game.
The defense for the Cyclones has allowed 26 points a game on the season. The defense has allowed only 228 yards a game in the air, but the rushing defense against Northern Iowa did amazing allowing only 34 yards on the ground. Marcel Spears Jr. leads the Cyclones in tackles with 9 on the season. O’Rein Vance was a sack machine in the opening game with 2 sacks for 6 yards lost.
Hawkeyes vs Cyclones Line: Iowa -2 O/U 42 ML – Iowa -130
My Free College Football Pick: Iowa Hawkeyes -2
The Hawkeyes are a little bit banged up and are facing a Cyclones team that has a decent passing attack, but the difference is the fact that the Hawkeyes have an offense that can keep the game moving in the right direction. The downside is the Hawkeyes have to rely heavily on the passing of Staley to do it in this game as the Cyclones do have a rushing defense that shows up really well and should continue to fill the holes properly. Look for the Cyclones to have a good showing against the rushing attack, but when it comes to the offense the Cyclones struggle to find rhythm in the game as the Hawkeyes defense continues to be disruptive and locks down the win. Final Score, Iowa Hawkeyes win and cover the spread, 34-14.
