The Badgers are coming off a tough road-loss to a powerful Ohio State team, but the schedule does them no favors, as the upstart Iowa Hawkeyes ready themselves for a trip to Camp Randall.?
Iowa is ranked no.11 in the AP poll, largely due to a huge win in Happy Valley earlier in the year. The Hawkeyes have been tough to figure out though, considering they squeaked by Northern Iowa and Arkansas State. Some close calls may have many second-guessing Iowa, but overall, this is a tough football team that plays a physical brand of football.
Here is my scouting report on the Hawkeyes.
Offense:?
Shonn Greene’s departure left a huge whole in the Iowa offense, and many in Iowa wondered if backup running back Jewel Hampton could handle the load. Well, when Hampton went down with a new injury in camp, Hawkeye nation went into panic mode. Adam Robinson, a redshirt freshman, was the next man in line and he has done a fine job. He may be?inexperienced, but?Robinson is a powerful runner who has yet to fumble.
Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has benefited from the solid rushing attack, but the Junior has been inconsistent all year. Stanzi has thrown a lot of interceptions and he tends to be very hot and cold. To his credit however, he continues to find ways to win.?
Defense:
Iowa has an abundance of playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, and they have been making their presence know all year.
Adrian Clayborn leads an aggressive defensive line that has been outstanding against the run. Despite losses due to graduation, Iowa’s d-line just always reloads.?
As far as linebackers go, its hard to find one who has been more productive than Pat Angerer. The senior linebacker is always around the ball and he leads the team with 59 tackles.?
In the secondary, opposing offenses always have to be aware of safety Tyler Sash. It seems like he records an interception every week as the sophomore already has five picks on the year.?