By Jordan Hansen and Blake Dowson | [email protected]
There are a lot of Bison in Iowa City this weekend.
The North Dakota State fans travel well, and a trip to Kinnick Stadium does not seem to have fazed the group at all. There has been a tweet going around that Iowa expects more Bison fans for this game than it did Iowa State fans for last week’s game.
Fargo-to-Iowa City is 537 miles. Ames is only 129. Get it together, Cyclone fans.
The game is expected to reach sellout status and should be exciting. North Dakota State is a football team, Iowa is a football team, and there will be football played. Oh, did you know the Bison won the last five Football Championship Subdivision championships? Feel like that had to be mentioned here because it’s been mentioned in basically every other article in relation to this game.
Which, hey, the Bison proud of it. Can’t fault them too much for that. And it’s an interesting aside to this game.
Hawkeye Elvis does not like North Dakota State
Now this, this was funny.
@HawkeyeNation Picture taken on the north Iowa border. Wonder how many NDSU fans will be there tomorrow? WOKE ME UP😈 pic.twitter.com/6UiOgt6jyx
— Austin Chesney (@B1GFANOFYEAR) September 16, 2016
And then:
It's cool everybody. I took care of it. Thanks for the assist @Annieclam @You_had_1_Job_ pic.twitter.com/u6Becyh8KO
— Hawkeye Elvis (@HawkeyeElvis) September 16, 2016
Don’t mess with Iowa signs, Bison fans.
Predictions:
Jordan—
I see this as a game that’s close through the first quarter and a half, but then gets slowly out of hand after that. As I’ve said in previous weeks, it’s important for the Hawkeyes to come out early and score. The Iowa defense plays really well with a lead, and getting the running game early gives the team a good deal of confidence.
North Dakota State is a dangerous team, yes, but so is Iowa. Very few offenses have been as efficient as the Hawkeyes’ this year, and there’s no reason to think that changes now. The Bison have had some penalty troubles and perhaps aren’t the most disciplined team in the world.
The Bison, of course, absolutely could win this game. It would be very Hawkeye-like to blow a game such as this one early in the year in a season they were supposed to be very good. But I don’t think they do.
Iowa 35, Dakota 20
Blake—
Today’s game against North Dakota State is a unique situation.
Games against FCS opponents, especially when they occur a week before the conference season starts, are almost always considered “trap games.”
But this is not a trap game for Iowa. For one, North Dakota State is the best team the Hawkeyes will play in the nonconference. The five-straight FCS national titles and five-straight wins against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents speak for themselves.
Second, the Bison play the same style of football as many of the teams in the Big Ten. This game isn’t against some gimmicky offense that is a pain to scout one week out of the season. For that reason, the Hawkeyes look at North Dakota State as the non-official start to Big Ten play.
This isn’t going to be one of those crazy 42-3 FCS vs. FBS scores that are typical during the nonconference portion of the season. The Bison the talent and the coaching staff to compete in Power 5 games, and I think that will show up today.
But the Bison haven’t played against a team as physical as the Hawkeyes during their five-game winning streak against FBS schools. Minnesota, Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado State, and Iowa State don’t have the talent the Hawkeyes do, either. The 2016 version of Iowa is the best team North Dakota State has played, and that will show up.
Look for Iowa to run the ball early and often to try to beat down the Bison defense and for Beathard to pick a couple spots to take shots downfield.
Iowa 37, North Dakota State 17
Players to watch
Jordan—
Running back Lance Dunn, Dakota — A sophomore from Waterloo, Dunn probably has a bone to pick with Iowa about being overlooked during recruiting. He’s the team leader in rushing yardage and also has 4 catches this season. He’s dangerous. At 5-9, he reminds me of a bit of a bigger Jordan Canzeri (Dunn weighs in a 207).
Desmond King, Iowa — King has yet to nab an interception this year. I think that changes today. The Bison seem to have a whole bunch of confidence in quarterback Easton Stick and might be willing to throw at King a little. The senior cornerback has also been great in the return game and perhaps today is finally the day he manages to take one to the house.
Blake—
Sophomore defensive end Parker Hesse is coming off a lower body injury that kept him out of the Iowa State game, and his physical presence on the defensive line will be key for Iowa.
The Bison often use more than five down linemen in power running sets, so all of the defensive line will have an important job to do. Hesse is paramount in that, as he typically holds his own in both passing and rushing situations.
On the offensive side of the ball for the Hawkeyes, the wide-receiver unit is still looking for somebody to step up and have a big game other than Matt VandeBerg. Jerminic Smith has been solid the first two weeks of the season, but he’s yet to explode for a 100-yard game.
Smith will be the most elite athlete in the matchup between the Hawkeye receiving unit and the Bison secondary, and today might be the day Smith goes off and catches a couple deep balls from C.J. Beathard.