The following is an excerpt from the DI’s Pregame Podcast.

Jordan Hansen, football reporter: I took away that Iowa has a plan for how they want to use their running backs. LeShun had 26 carries for 123 yards … I also think Kirk wants to get Canzeri into open space and use his speed; he had 4 receptions for 90 yards, too.

Ian Murphy, Sports editor: I took away the willingness to do something different. We saw it on the first drive … go for it on fourth and 2, leads to a quarterback draw as your first touchdown of the year, 0:37 seconds left. Last year, they would have taken a knee, and this year they threw it down the field.

Payne: For me, it was C.J. Beathard. We knew he had a quick release, but we hadn’t really seen it in action. Ryan, you stole my words a bit, but cautiously optimistic is what I would say.

Rodriguez: Cautiously optimistic is the theme for the entire season with this team.
This is the first time since being here that I really don’t know what’s going to happen.

Hansen: I’d take that a step further and say it about the games. I don’t know what’s going to happen game in and game out.

Payne: What are you guys most cautious about?

Rodriguez: Seeing how they are once they play a team that’s not an FCS team. Stuff you do well against Illinois State won’t always work well against Wisconsin or Minnesota.

Hansen: The linebackers still.

Payne: Let’s move on to Iowa State. So guys, what are our thoughts?

Murphy: I think a interesting matchup to watch will be Jake Campos, highly touted tackle against Drew Ott.

Hansen: Two words: Allen Lazard. I think he’s one of the best wide receivers in the Big 12. He’s 6-5, and he’s fast.

Rodriguez: I just think the story lines going into this game are just so much bigger and more expansive than they have been the past few years. You feel like there’s a lot riding on this game.

Is there any coach in the Big 12 — or even in the Power-5 conferences — on more of a hot seat than Paul Rhoads?

Hansen: No.

Rodriguez: And I mean, let’s face it; for Iowa State, this is their Super Bowl. I wanna see how Rhoads approaches this game.

Hansen: I’d also jump into Rhoad’s presser just to listen.

Payne: The biggest thing I’m looking for is, if you will, is the chess match between Rhoads and Kirk.

Rodriguez: The pressure on Paul Rhoads to succeed is a lot more than on Kirk in this current situation. But, that said, if the Hawkeyes lose, it reflects way worse on them.

Listen to the DI’s Pregame Podcast, which comes out every Wednesday.