Johnny Dixon was someone I heard a lot about all offseason, and it’s carried into the season as the starter opposite King. Kalen King has stepped into the role of a shutdown corner. It’s an elite group, even after losing CB Joey Porter Jr. ![]() Snyder: So much has been talked said and written about Allar and the offense, but you’re right about the defense. What makes this year’s version different from those in the past? Speaking of which, from what I’ve seen, Penn State might have the best defense in the country. I think this defense will become one of the nation’s 10 best by season’s end, but they still have work to do. He’s a high-level cover corner and a special player if he touches the ball. No Big Ten team has more first-team all-conference DBs than Iowa since 2009, and DeJean is the best of the bunch. They’re so disciplined that when quarterbacks try to do too much, that’s when the interceptions happen. What Iowa does best on the back end is play zone with eyes always on the quarterback. But they are deep up front and have talent, so that will come in time. Their first three opponents have opted for quick passing games to negate the pass rush, and that has prevented them from getting sacks. Losing first-rounders like Jack Campbell and Lukas Van Ness along with NFL players Riley Moss and Kaevon Merriweather has the Hawkeyes working through a few issues. This is a quality defense right now, but it’s still a little off from last year’s elite-level unit. Three were on passing plays of 50-plus yards, and three were in the final two minutes of action in garbage time. How has he looked overall and what happened last week at Illinois?ĭochterman: Organically grown, Penn State-Iowa has become the Big Ten's best rivalry that's not a rivalryĭochterman: The Hawkeyes have won eight of their last nine games and allowed 10 total touchdowns. It’s certainly no thing of beauty, but it’s the outcome that matters, right? On that note, I’ve been fascinated to watch Drew Allar’s growth from elite prospect to starter. But I’ve seen more pedestrian Iowa offenses work through these conditions, provided they take care of the ball. The Hawkeyes finally have an ascending offensive line, but I know what they face this week, so at best it may be a stalemate. Injuries to Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson will limit the running game, although Iowa has one more upper-level runner in Leshon Williams. ![]() Not to be hyperbolic, but junior Luke Lachey was playing as well as any Iowa tight end I’ve seen and is definitely in the same grouping as T.J. Iowa is capable of playing that Rocky Balboa to Penn State’s Apollo Creed type of game, but the injuries on offense make it much more difficult to pull it off. Can Iowa do that, given the current health of its roster?ĭochterman: Great question, Audrey. Penn State expects this to be one of those grind-it-out kind of games. But James Franklin said Tuesday that we all know Iowa and what kind of game this could be. The big question here is starting wide receiver Harrison Wallace III, who warmed up but didn’t play against Illinois. Penn State is mostly healthy at this point. I’m not sure they’ll be that cheeky, but I would do it.īecause injuries - perceived or otherwise - are now on our minds, I wanted to ask you about what Iowa does without its top running backs. ![]() Penn State has a real opportunity Saturday night during to lean into this and play Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” during warmups. Snyder: It’s the White Out game with lots of bad blood mixed in thanks to injury-gate. Which ones were the most memorable?ĭochterman: So, Audrey, here we are two years after “Scuba” and “Turtle.” It almost seems like this matchup deserves a “gate” moniker of some sorts.
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