Utah State's defense gave up an average of yards of total utah state vs iowa state prediction last season which is a number that is going to need to improve against an. College football picks, predictions, odds: Iowa-Utah State, Oregon State-San Jose State among best Week 1 bets · Week 1 picks · Northwestern at. Saturday's matchup will be the third meeting between the Hawkeyes and Utah State. Iowa has won each of the first two games by an average margin. Assuming Cade McNamara does play, can the Hawkeyes ensure he does not need to do too much? As of Wednesday evening, Kirk Ferentz was optimistic.
What is Iowa State University ranked? Rankings. Iowa State University is ranked #263 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
How good is Utah State football? Defensively, Utah State is second in the MW and 56th in the nation in tackles for loss with 58 (5.8 pg), sixth in the MW and 59th in the nation in passing efficiency defense (131.3), sixth in the MW and 71st in the nation in passing defense (230.3 ypg), sixth in the MW and 74th in the nation in sacks with 20 (2.0 pg), ...
Legas, who was thrust into the starting role after Logan Bonner got hurt, didn't put up eye-popping numbers last season. He threw for a Utah State does lose top running back Calvin Tyler, but Robert Briggs averaged more yards per carry and only had a slightly worse PFF rushing grade on 74 totes, so there shouldn't be a drop-off in the backfield.
However, there's a lot of inexperience across the Aggies' offensive line, which is going to be a big problem against the Hawkeyes. The Aggies had a pretty strong defense last year, especially against the run. They do return four starters in their front seven and added some JUCO transfers to help fill the void, so there really shouldn't be a massive drop-off.
The biggest question mark in this game is the status of McNamara. At the time of writing, Ferentz has said he's medically cleared to play, but there remain questions about whether or not he'll start. Not proclaiming he will start. At this point, it's becoming more unclear how effective McNamara can be if he does play.
This means Iowa's backup quarterback, Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill, may start instead. McNamara is an immediate upgrade at quarterback over Hill, but Iowa will still have better skill-position players than it did last season. The level of improvement on the offensive line will also be a key factor for the Hawkeyes.
Last season, Iowa was very inexperienced, and it fielded one of the worst offensive lines in Ferentz's tenure as head coach. Iowa finished th in PFF pass-blocking grade and 54th in PFF run-blocking grade, when normally Iowa is among the nation's elite at developing offensive linemen. When McNamara was the starter at Michigan in , he wasn't a quarterback when facing pressure, so it's paramount for the Iowa offensive line to keep him upright.
The Hawkeyes brought in Virginia middle linebacker Nick Jackson, who has compiled over tackles in his career. And in the secondary, Cooper DeJean and Quinn Schulte are back, and five-star recruit Xavier Nwankpa will now be a full-time starter following his pick-six in Iowa's shutout bowl win over Kentucky. Xavier Nwankpa. Iowa's defense may not put up historic defensive numbers like last season, but it will be an elite unit and a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.
McNamara's unknown status — both in terms of if he plays and how effective he can be — is a reason to back off the Hawkeyes. Iowa's inexperienced offensive line was poor last season, and there's nowhere to go but up. Utah state vs iowa state prediction However, it's also unclear how much better this key unit can get. Utah State has talent returning in its front seven, so we may see Iowa's offensive line issues continue.
Iowa's offense isn't going to magically go from being one of the nation's worst to being above average because Brian Ferentz remains the offensive coordinator. I only have Iowa projected as a This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page.
The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. Although the Hawkeyes start the season ranked 25 and went in the Big Ten last season, a glaring issue with the team is that they did not score many points.
Iowa averaged just Even though Iowa should win this game, covering a Therefore, for our Utah State vs. Iowa predictions will lean towards taking the Aggies. Both of these teams will be eager to start their season on the right foot, especially an Iowa team that is looking to justify its 25 ranking.
Overall, Utah State had a middling season last year but was able to play in a bowl game. However, if the Aggies are able to find the end zone even just once, that should still be enough to see them cover this Iowa predictions. Below are the latest odds and lines for Utah State vs. Iowa, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and its partners may receive compensation for links to products and services on this website.
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