1. Repeat offensive performance

The most shocking aspect of Iowa’s 22-0 win wasn’t the Hawkeye defense’s first shutout, but rather the offensive resurgence. Just a week removed from putting up just 10 points and 169 yards against a mediocre Northwestern defense, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz called his best game of the season.

No three-and-outs, 402 yards of offense, and a 50 percent conversion rate on first down; all against a Rutgers defense that currently ranks 13th in the nation in total defense. Such a performance could simply be an exception or could be the spark to a late-season revamping that fuels a run to the Big Ten Championship, and perhaps being competitive in that postseason matchup. 

Against an Illinois defense that ranks in the bottom third of the conference in rushing and passing defense, Saturday is the perfect opportunity to sustain such success. A turnover-free game from quarterback Deacon Hill, as well as a minimum of 175 yards from Iowa’s group of running backs, will be the keys to doing so. 

2. Countersuing the law firm 

To many Iowa women’s basketball fans’ dismay, the Fighting Illini have their own version of The Law Firm situated on the defensive line. The partners: defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. The pair were named Athlon 2023 preseason All-Americans, with Newton on the first team and Randolph on the third. Randolph is the bigger of the two, measuring out at  6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, and his 5.1 tackles per game rank third in the Power Five at his position. Meanwhile, Newton is what Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz calls a “rare talent” whose skill and athleticism allow him to play on both the right and left sides of the D-Line. 

“It’s tough to block him, tough to get in on him,” Kirk Ferentz said of Newton, who leads all Power Five players at his position in QB pressures and snaps. “And if you do, you’re not going to stay in there long.” 

The Law Firm led the nation in tackles for loss and QB pressures among D-Line duos last season, and such success has continued this season. Running up the middle and utilizing the QB sneak will be no easy task for Iowa, so how much it adjusts with play-action will be interesting to see. 

3. Filling Cooper DeJean’s void 

Just when everything finally seemed to be going Iowa’s way, disaster struck once again, as star cornerback Cooper DeJean suffered a season-ending lower leg injury at practice on Wednesday. The loss of the 2023 AP midseason first-team All-American in the secondary will be quite the challenge for the Hawkeyes. Taking DeJean’s spot on the depth chart is redshirt freshman Deshaun Lee, who has missed three games this season due to injury but returned to action two weeks ago against Northwestern. Lee started the Hawkeyes’ first two games of the season in place of the then-suspended Jermari Harris. Hailing from Belleville, Michigan, Lee racked up 15 tackles and two pass defenses in those contests. 

Both Lee and Harris will need to be on their toes against Illinois’ top wideout, Isaiah Williams, who has the most grabs and yards after catch in the Big Ten this season. 

4. Illini QB situation

While many Hawkeye fans were pleased with Hill’s 223 passing yards against Rutgers, they should be floored by the 507 passing yards of Illinois QB Josh Paddock in his first start for the Illini this season. Yet even after setting an all-time single-game passing yards record for Illinois’ Memorial Stadium, Paddock finds himself on the bench for the matchup against the Hawkeyes. Instead, taking the reins is Ole Miss transfer Luke Altmyer, who has started the Illini’s first nine games before missing the duel against Indiana with a concussion. 

Measuring at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Altmyer has tossed for 1,883 yards and 13 touchdowns to the tune of a 64.8 completion percentage. However, the quarterback is also susceptible to negative plays, taking 34 sacks and throwing 10 interceptions this season. Given his backup’s historic performance last week, it will be interesting to see how long Altmyer’s leash is, especially against a high-ranked Iowa defense on the road. 

5. Kicking accuracy 

Similar to what I said about Tory Taylor last week, this is not meant to be a knock on Iowa kicker Drew Stevens. The second-year kicker accounted for 10 of Iowa’s points last week and delivered the game-winner the week prior to that against Northwestern. With that being said, these accomplishments do a good job of overshadowing that Stevens has actually missed two field goals in back-to-back weeks. One of these was from 50-plus, which is understandable, but the one against Rutgers was from 47 yards.  

Newton is tied for first place in the FBS with three blocked kicks, all coming against conference opponents, so there’s some danger potential. Now, I don’t think a blocked or missed kick will make the difference in this one, but it’s worth noticing, especially if Iowa wants to stay competitive in the postseason, where every point will matter more.