The Hawkeyes are coming off a satisfying win over Minnesota in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale, but will Iowa football have a hangover in Bloomington?
Ask many Iowa football fans and they’ll tell you, this season has actually gone as expected up to this point, which has been a rarity in the Kirk Ferentz era. The Hawkeyes are sitting comfortably at 4-1 with their lone loss at home in a close game with Wisconsin.
Last week’s offensive explosion against Minnesota is just what the doctor ordered as Nate Stanley threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in the Hawkeyes 48-31 win over the Golden Gophers. Two players who noticeably stepped up were true freshmen cornerbacks Riley Moss and Julius Brents, who recorded three interceptions between the two.
Indiana has seen quite a bit of success to start year two in the Tom Allen era in Bloomington with a 4-2 record. Even though Ohio State did end up hanging 49 points on them, Indiana was very much in the game, at one point leading 17-14 in the second quarter. Peyton Ramsey looked sensational against the Buckeyes completing 26 of 49 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. It’s also, clear the Indiana defense, while much improved under Tom Allen, still has a lot of work to do if they want to make it to a bowl game.
Here’s where to watch this Big Ten showdown on Saturday afternoon:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 13
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Venue: Memorial Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
There is one key statistic that Iowa has carried since the 2015 season, that is losing only two games when the team rushes for over 100 yards. Running the football sets everything up for the Iowa offense, which may make it a little tougher if running back Ivory Kelly-Martin is unable to go on Saturday. The defensive backfield must also be more solid than they were last week, look for Riley Moss and Julius Brents to be more comfortable in their roles at cornerback with their second career starts.
For Indiana, their offense will have to keep up the good play they had in the first half of the Ohio State game. Peyton Ramsey will have to stay away from turnovers as well as the Hawkeyes make a living off of turnovers, forcing eight turnovers on the year. Indiana’s defense will need to batten down the hatches against an Iowa offense that has shown that it can be very explosive, especially with the play of Nate Stanley.
Betting Odds
Line: Iowa -5.5
Over/under: 53
Prediction
This game could be a tricky one for the Hawkeyes, throughout Kirk Ferentz’s tenure, Iowa has rarely lost to Indiana, but the Hoosiers always seem to hang around and cause issues for the Hawkeyes. Recent match-ups like the improbable Iowa comeback in 2009 and Indiana being a dropped pass away from winning 2010 come to mind. This game will be no different, Indiana has the talent to hang around, but in the end, Iowa will pull away and get win number five on the year.
Prediction: Iowa 31, Indiana 24