The Iowa football team has a lot to play for this Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
It’s senior day, as numerous Hawkeyes will play in front of the home fans for one final time. It’s always a bittersweet day for the players, coaching staff, and fanbase as they say goodbye to some all-time great players. And this year’s Senior Day opponent should give the Hawkeyes even more juice.
On the surface, a matchup with 3-7 Michigan State doesn’t scream juice, especially since the Spartans are winless in Big Ten play this year. But Iowa has revenge on the mind. Last year, in East Lansing, the Hawkeyes lost to Michigan State 32-20 in one of the worst games in recent memory for Phil Parker’s defense. They have up 32 points and 468 yards of offense to the Sprtans. And now they get their chance to enact some revenge.
While the Spartans have had a truly awful year on and off the field, there’s still some talent on this roster, and head coach Jonathan Smith is coaching for his job. The Hawkeyes will get their best. Here’s what Iowa needs to do to secure a victory on Senior Day.
Contain Nick Marsh
On an offense devoid of much talent, sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh gives the Spartans their best chance at an explosive play. This year, he has 48 receptions for 559 yards and five touchdowns despite getting subpar quarterback play. The Detroit, Michigan native killed the Hawkeyes as a freshman last season, catching eight passes for 113 yards in that 32-20 win.
It’s not going to be easy to stop Marsh, especially with TJ Hall’s status up in the air. If Hall can’t go, the Marsh assignment will probably fall to Deshaun Lee, who’s played some really good football over the past month. But don’t be surprised if Phil Parker switches up some coverages to try and confuse whichever quarterback is out there for the Spartans. The pass rush getting home and causing havoc in the backfield will also help the secondary slow down Marsh. Iowa can’t let Marsh wreck this game.
Run the football
This isn’t the week for offensive coordinator Tim Lester to get cute with the game plan. Run the football. Iowa is the fifth-best team in the Big Ten on the ground, rushing for 176.6 yards per game as a team. Michigan State is the sixth-worst team at stopping the run in the Big Ten, giving up 153.9 yards per game. This is a match made in heaven for Iowa’s veteran offensive line and deep stable of running backs.
The Hawkeyes have been a run-first team all season long, and that shouldn’t change on Saturday. While it’s tempting to see a Spartan defense that hasn’t defended the pass well either, and want to chuck it all over the yard, that shouldn’t be the approach. The only way Michigan State hangs around in this game is by forcing some turnovers, and putting the ball in the air could lead to that. Trust the offensive line, run the ball down the Spartans’ throats, and Iowa walks out of Kinnick with a win.
Feed off emotions
A lot of the time, coaches will tell their players not to let their emotions get the best of them on the field. But in this case, I think it could be beneficial for the Hawkeyes to use their emotions to their advantage. There’s going to be a lot going on inside those players’ heads on Saturday. There will be anger from losing the last two games in the fashion they lost them. There will be some sadness and nostalgia, especially for the seniors playing at home one last time. And there will be some revenge on the mind from last year’s debacle in East Lansing.
The Hawkeyes should use those emotions to their advantage on Saturday. Michigan State is looking for a reason to quit, and Iowa can give them that reason early in this game. If the Hawkeyes can come out and throw the first few punches, it’s hard to imagine the Spartans launching a big comeback since there’s really nothing for them to play for this season. Iowa, striking early and often, feeding off of all those emotions, is a dangerous thing for the Spartans.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football vs. Michigan State: Three keys to victory
Reporting by Zach Hiney, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
