Opponent Perspective Q&A: Michigan State vs. Iowa
SpartanMag caught up with long-time Hawkeye Report beat writer Tom Kakert to get an insider look at what Michigan State is up against this weekend in a night game at Iowa. Both teams are coming off of losses in their respective Big Ten openers, and each is hungry to get a win.
Continue below for our Opponent Perspective Q&A:
SPARTANMAG: What’s the vibe coming off the Penn State loss? What do coaches and players say has to be different to put a better product on the field against Michigan State this weekend?
TK: Unfortunately for Iowa fans, they are becoming more familiar with this feeling. Seems like every year there’s one game that really gets away from Iowa and it leads to a one-sided defeat.
In talking with the Iowa players, head coach Kirk Ferentz, and defensive coordinator and former Spartan, Phil Parker, they all seem to be moving forward in a proper manner. Iowa has a 24 hour rule, win or lose. You have 24 hours to celebrate or sulk and then it’s time to move on. Parker spoke to the media on Wednesday and he said they have had a very good week of practice.
From a defensive standpoint, Parker said that the little things need to be cleaned up on defense. Last week against Penn State it wasn’t giving up explosive plays, but not getting off the field on third down plays. He said that is the key.
On the offensive side of the ball, Ferentz said that they need to execute at a higher level. Against Penn State, Iowa only ran 34 plays and had the ball for under 15 minutes in the entire game. They have to find a way to generate more drives and that’s easier said than done with this offense.
SPARTANMAG: Give me an overall assessment of the offense. Who are the guys that Michigan State fans should know about and what do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the unit?
TK: The Iowa offense is struggling. The contract of Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz is well documented. He has to see Iowa win seven games and average 25 points per game to get a new two-year deal at the old salary level. That doesn’t mean he will be fired, but it would be hard to see him returning.
It seemed like the offense was taking a bit of a step in the right direction until last week when Penn State held them to four first downs and 76 yards of total offense. Iowa is ranked 129th out of 130 D1 football programs. They are only five yards ahead of Eastern Michigan this season.
When your offense is that poor, it’s hard to find a lot of strengths. I guess you could say the tight ends, but they just lost their best one in Luke Lachey, who is done for the year. Erick All is playing well at tight end. Former Michigan QB Cade McNamara injured his quad in the middle of August and hasn’t been right. Iowa will be without arguably their best two running backs on Saturday in Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson. But, Leshon Williams is playing pretty well and Kamari Moulton is a freshman that is showing promise.
Iowa’s wide receivers only have 14 catches and 35 targets this year. Nico Ragaini leads that group, but also keep an eye on Seth Anderson and Diante Vines.
SPARTANMAG: Give me a thumbnail sketch of Iowa on defense. Who are the guys that make the defense go and in what ways is this defense different than last year’s model?
TK: Iowa’s defense has been solid. Even after giving up 31 points last week they are still a strong unit. They are allowing just 17 points per game, but their rushing yardage took a beating this past week as Penn State rushed for over 200 yards.
The top players on defense as far as tackles are Jay Higgins and graduate transfer Nick Jackson. Higgins has 50 stops and Jackson is at 36 tackles. Cooper DeJean was a preseason All American at cornerback and is a dangerous player in the punt return game. Up front, Joe Evans is a max effort guy who leads the team in pressures. One interesting stat is that Iowa only has three quarterback sacks and just two interceptions this year. That’s well below their usual numbers. Deontae Craig is another potential impact player off the edge on defense.
SPARTANMAG: If you were the Michigan State offensive coordinator, how would you attack an Iowa defense?
TK: I would just plug in the Penn State tape and run that. Iowa is pretty good at limiting explosive plays. What Penn State did was just drive the ball. They did it over and over again. 10,12, 15 play drives and they just chip away at the yards. In an ideal world, that’s what the Iowa offense wants to do.
What Iowa wants you to do is try to take big bites. That leads to mistakes and turnovers. But, if you grind on them, there are yards to be made. That’s the best way to attack them, but most aren’t patient enough to do that.
SPARTANMAG: Are there any injuries of note that could have an impact on this game?
TK: Mentioned earlier that Iowa will be without their two best running backs. Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson are out with ankle injuries. The hope is both players return next week. Cade McNamara will be ready to go, but somewhat limited on running plays. Obviously the loss to Luke Lachey is a huge deal for the Iowa passing game.
SPARTANMAG: How do you see this game playing out? Score and prediction.
TK: I will be really surprised if this game gets into the 30’s for a total. Both teams are struggling on offense, so it’s going to be a sloggy game and the punters and field goal kickers will get a good amount of work.
I do expect Iowa to have a much better effort and I wouldn’t be surprised if they threw the ball around a bit more. Also, it’s a black out game with total black uniforms for Iowa, so that will add some juice to their performance. But, I just don’t see a whole lot of points. Look for Iowa to win by around 17-6.
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