BrewHawk
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If Iowa wants to have a reasonable outcome in this game, these are the players not everyone is aware of who I think will need to have their name called more than once on Monday.
1. Joe Evans (#13)- the relatively small DE who might spend a decent amount of time in your backfield.
2. Xavier Nwankpa (#1)- Safety who has been playing with a broken thumb, but now healthy. Only a true sophomore, but highly regarded recruit.
3. Aaron Graves (#95)- At DT, another young player (true soph) who has tremendous upside. Iowa goes 2-deep across the DL, so no depth issues there.
4. Seth Anderson (#6)- WR who is the son of Willie "Flipper" Anderson. Transferred in from Charleston Southern. Just waiting for him to have a breakout game.
5. Kaden Wetjen (#21)- Iowa will likely need a special teams play this game to have a chance. This kid is the one to make the play if it happens. Also, a jet sweep if he's in the game on offense.
I'm still not very optimistic about our chances, but hope springs eternal. Iowa's defense really flies to the ball as a group, so if they're feeling stressed by UT's speed, I could see you guys running a few misdirected trick plays to take advantage of over-pursuit. The backside player will likely be in position, but not able to make the play if there's too much open space. Iowa has to make the first tackle on the WRs/RBs. Too many broken tackles will be an indicator that we're outmatched.
Our OL has shown improvement in run-blocking, but the jury is still out on pass protection. IF we can get any semblance of a run game going, we'll have a good chance. Not sure that can happen, as I expect Tennessee to load up the LOS. One of my criticisms of Brian Ferentz is that he gives up on the run game too quickly and gets pass happy. I like to think of offensive balance to consist of being able to do both depending on what your opponent's defense allows. His idea of balance is an equal number of running and passing attempts. Drives me nuts.
1. Joe Evans (#13)- the relatively small DE who might spend a decent amount of time in your backfield.
2. Xavier Nwankpa (#1)- Safety who has been playing with a broken thumb, but now healthy. Only a true sophomore, but highly regarded recruit.
3. Aaron Graves (#95)- At DT, another young player (true soph) who has tremendous upside. Iowa goes 2-deep across the DL, so no depth issues there.
4. Seth Anderson (#6)- WR who is the son of Willie "Flipper" Anderson. Transferred in from Charleston Southern. Just waiting for him to have a breakout game.
5. Kaden Wetjen (#21)- Iowa will likely need a special teams play this game to have a chance. This kid is the one to make the play if it happens. Also, a jet sweep if he's in the game on offense.
I'm still not very optimistic about our chances, but hope springs eternal. Iowa's defense really flies to the ball as a group, so if they're feeling stressed by UT's speed, I could see you guys running a few misdirected trick plays to take advantage of over-pursuit. The backside player will likely be in position, but not able to make the play if there's too much open space. Iowa has to make the first tackle on the WRs/RBs. Too many broken tackles will be an indicator that we're outmatched.
Our OL has shown improvement in run-blocking, but the jury is still out on pass protection. IF we can get any semblance of a run game going, we'll have a good chance. Not sure that can happen, as I expect Tennessee to load up the LOS. One of my criticisms of Brian Ferentz is that he gives up on the run game too quickly and gets pass happy. I like to think of offensive balance to consist of being able to do both depending on what your opponent's defense allows. His idea of balance is an equal number of running and passing attempts. Drives me nuts.
