My take on Iowa

[BCfanatic2020]

I have a lot of respect for what ferentz does and for what they do in a locale similar to west Lafayette.. probably worse in the sense that they aren’t 2 hours from Chicago and one hour from indy.

what we are missing in terms of line of scrimmage play on offense, they have always been missing in terms of imaginative play calling and alignments. That’s why we have a chance.

our offense vs their defense

approach 1 (more likely) - they play our run with four down lineman and maybe 2 LBs playing cleanup or one spying the run. They are content to give up 100 rushing yards like Minnesota did if it allows them to back their coverage up and not get beat by the deep throws brohm has beat them with for four years.

approach 2 (more scary) - they play up close, try to take away short routes and bring horrific pressure to Oconnell. Oconnell actually had one play where he saw a corner blitz coming and wanted to go to a hot route to the WR but the WR never saw the ball. That showed me how far good college passing games are from the NFL.

either way, points will be tough to come by. If the OL made any progress, I think we can get 27 if we play well

their offense vs our D - they’ve got a problem. Petras. Petras is probably more physically gifted than plummer, but the game happens pretty slow for him and he’s not an accurate passer. George is a world beater both ways. Far superior to any penn state DL. That makes running the ball and therefore play action difficult … because the other three linemen are stout.

Petras will have to pass on us straight up to win this game. In previous seasons I’d say “okay, he can hit the TE. But when your coverage team is gonna he brown, Mackey and Graham across the WRs/TE, I’m not anticipating busted coverages or gimmes.

I respect Iowa a lot and I think they have superior football players across their 85, and yeah.. we may have some things to terribly wrong (bad turnovers on offense), but if we can avoid those things I think we have a shot in this game. Should be a good one. Or a bad one if we throw a couple pick sixes

 

[Level 42]

I think the game will be tight for a bit as our defense is pretty good but will tire because the offense isn't. I fully expect this to open up, in a bad way for us, in the second half and Iowa wins by at least two touchdowns.

For us and taking the remaining schedule in to consideration, if we come out of the game with no one hurt, then that would be a 'win' for us all things considered.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

I think the game will be tight for a bit as our defense is pretty good but will tire because the offense isn't. I fully expect this to open up, in a bad way for us, in the second half and Iowa wins by at least two touchdowns.

For us and taking the remaining schedule in to consideration, if we come out of the game with no one hurt, then that would be a 'win' for us all things considered.

If the matchup wasn’t so far in brohms favor I’d agree. He’s 3-1 when I bet if you took majority predictions each year it would have come back 0-4.

we will get routed if we get sloppy on offense though

 

[spradecki]

13 pts won't be enough. the mighty boilers probably won't score more than that on offense so maybe the defense can get a couple td's to help the cause. i keep looking for that to happen.... this could be the week

 

[FirstDownB]

I'm not sure if it is going to be this week, but Iowa is going to come back down to Earth soon. They are playing solid football, and my hat is off to their great 6-0 start. They do a good job of not making big mistakes and forcing opponents to beat themselves. And with the way our offense has been playing, that might be plenty. But they simply aren't a #2 team. With an extra bye week to prepare, against a team/coach Brohm has had success against, this is not an impossible challenge like it would be against a #2 team with #2 talent like Bama or OSU.

Putting some numbers to this.. FPI has Iowa at #13 currently. They actually finished #12 by this metric last year. So I am not convinced this year's Iowa team is significantly different than last year's. I get that Iowa fans would probably say that they just got off to a slow start last year, but if you look at the last 4 years, Iowa had some of their worst performances in 3 of those 4 seasons against Purdue. That isn't coincidence. And the year they won it was far from their best game.

I see a close, competitive game. Throw out the rankings. I'll ride the trend until it gets bucked.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

I'm not sure if it is going to be this week, but Iowa is going to come back down to Earth soon. They are playing solid football, and my hat is off to their great 6-0 start. They do a good job of not making big mistakes and forcing opponents to beat themselves. And with the way our offense has been playing, that might be plenty. But they simply aren't a #2 team. With an extra bye week to prepare, against a team/coach Brohm has had success against, this is not an impossible challenge like it would be against a #2 team with #2 talent like Bama or OSU.

Putting some numbers to this.. FPI has Iowa at #13 currently. They actually finished #12 by this metric last year. So I am not convinced this year's Iowa team is significantly different than last year's. I get that Iowa fans would probably say that they just got off to a slow start last year, but if you look at the last 4 years, Iowa had some of their worst performances in 3 of those 4 seasons against Purdue. That isn't coincidence. And the year they won it was far from their best game.

I see a close, competitive game. Throw out the rankings. I'll ride the trend until it gets bucked.

I mean they could destroy us. We have to play smart to have a chance to hit some shots.

the thing is.. if we pull this off we’d have to stumble backwards not to have a good 6 win season

 

[Level 42]

we will get routed if we get sloppy on offense though

Which we have been all year and Iowa is legit. I think we will compete, but sooner or later the defense will tire out.

I think if Brohm can somehow figure out the offensive line and not run, at all, we might have a chance. But the line doesn't give me much confidence.

 

[MilwaukeeBoilerFan]

I think the game will be tight for a bit as our defense is pretty good but will tire because the offense isn't. I fully expect this to open up, in a bad way for us, in the second half and Iowa wins by at least two touchdowns.

For us and taking the remaining schedule in to consideration, if we come out of the game with no one hurt, then that would be a 'win' for us all things considered.

That script is the same for Iowa. Very good defense, not good on offense. It should be a very interesting game, and I like our chances.

As you indicate, hope Purdue comes out of it healthy for a 2nd half run.

 

[MilwaukeeBoilerFan]

All the pressure is on Iowa. They are coming off an emotional win, Purdue is struggling offensively, yet Purdue is 3-1 under Brohm against Iowa. This should be a fun game that our team should be AMPED to play.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Which we have been all year and Iowa is legit. I think we will compete, but sooner or later the defense will tire out.

I think if Brohm can somehow figure out the offensive line and not run, at all, we might have a chance. But the line doesn't give me much confidence.

Oh we will probably run.. and some will think what they thought about Minnesota. “Oh 95 yards for Doerue”… if it comes at the cost of taking away huge areas of the field in the passing game, it’s as bad as not running at all if Iowa is allowing honest pass coverage

 

[BCfanatic2020]

That script is the same for Iowa. Very good defense, not good on offense. It should be a very interesting game, and I like our chances.

As you indicate, hope Purdue comes out of it healthy for a 2nd half run.

Agreed. All you have to do is listen to Iowa fans about petras …

 

[FirstDownB]

I mean they could destroy us. We have to play smart to have a chance to hit some shots.

the thing is.. if we pull this off we’d have to stumble backwards not to have a good 6 win season

I see potential for all possible outcomes in this game except for Purdue winning big. And that 'upset a good Iowa team and then stumble backwards' scenario is exactly what happened last season and in 2018. So that could happen, too.

 

[mediaexpert]

The key point is staying healthy. We did last game and another big advantage to having the extra week is that hopefully the assorted injuries that our OL has played through will be healed and they can rebound and play up to their potential. I would also like to see Zander pull off a Willis Reed moment and pull out a lead block to give O'Connell more time or to spring Doerue.

Of course that moment would be more dramatic if it was at home and on the 2nd play Zander runs on the field with everyone in the stands standing and clapping. Maybe yelling, Rudy Rudy - okay I know I went too far - lol.

 

[finkchem]

Early momentum is an absolute and we can't survive with more than 2 turnovers if we don't get any for ourselves. We have a rare opportunity to ruin Iowa's chances at the playoffs. If we can get some early momentum and sustain the effort throughout, we have a chance. IMO we need to have a 2 score lead at halftime to keep the crowd out of it and suppress their confidence. PSU couldn't pass the ball after Clifford was hurt and that is where we can expose them. We'll have the best receiver corp they will have faced all season. The longer we put pressure and stay in the game or ahead, the more pressure they will feel.

 

[purduepat1969]

I'm not sure if it is going to be this week, but Iowa is going to come back down to Earth soon. They are playing solid football, and my hat is off to their great 6-0 start. They do a good job of not making big mistakes and forcing opponents to beat themselves. And with the way our offense has been playing, that might be plenty. But they simply aren't a #2 team. With an extra bye week to prepare, against a team/coach Brohm has had success against, this is not an impossible challenge like it would be against a #2 team with #2 talent like Bama or OSU.

Putting some numbers to this.. FPI has Iowa at #13 currently. They actually finished #12 by this metric last year. So I am not convinced this year's Iowa team is significantly different than last year's. I get that Iowa fans would probably say that they just got off to a slow start last year, but if you look at the last 4 years, Iowa had some of their worst performances in 3 of those 4 seasons against Purdue. That isn't coincidence. And the year they won it was far from their best game.

I see a close, competitive game. Throw out the rankings. I'll ride the trend until it gets bucked.

When you do the eye test, Iowa is better than #12. They beat Penn State, the same team that also beat Auburn and shut out Indiana. This is a solid, fundamentally sound team. They may not be a #2 team. But they are easily a top 5 team.

If you watched Alabama on Saturday night, you'd notice they have a lot of talent. But their defense stinks this year. They're not really even close to a #5 team right now and were only #1 because of reputation. Georgia is clearly #1.

The way Iowa is playing D, especially in the secondary, Purdue will have a VERY difficult time getting any type of offensive rhythm going. O'Connell has a tendency to throw interceptions under pressure. And Iowa is EXTREMELY good at forcing interceptions. It's a terrible combination.

I don't think Purdue scores more than 6 points in this game and never scores a touchdown. I hope I'm wrong. But the offense I saw playing against Illinois and Minnesota was just plain bad.

 

[purduepat1969]

Early momentum is an absolute and we can't survive with more than 2 turnovers if we don't get any for ourselves. We have a rare opportunity to ruin Iowa's chances at the playoffs. If we can get some early momentum and sustain the effort throughout, we have a chance. IMO we need to have a 2 score lead at halftime to keep the crowd out of it and suppress their confidence. PSU couldn't pass the ball after Clifford was hurt and that is where we can expose them. We'll have the best receiver corp they will have faced all season. The longer we put pressure and stay in the game or ahead, the more pressure they will feel.

Penn State's Dodson (considered one of the best receivers in the nation) was literally shut down on Saturday night (he had 48 yards). I get some of that was Roberson. But if you watched the game, Iowa's secondary kept Dodson in check all night. I don't think Iowa's going to be intimidated by Purdue's receivers...

 

[FLAG HUNTER]

When you do the eye test, Iowa is better than #12. They beat Penn State, the same team that also beat Auburn and shut out Indiana. This is a solid, fundamentally sound team. They may not be a #2 team. But they are easily a top 5 team.

If you watched Alabama on Saturday night, you'd notice they have a lot of talent. But their defense stinks this year. They're not really even close to a #5 team right now and were only #1 because of reputation. Georgia is clearly #1.

The way Iowa is playing D, especially in the secondary, Purdue will have a VERY difficult time getting any type of offensive rhythm going. O'Connell has a tendency to throw interceptions under pressure. And Iowa is EXTREMELY good at forcing interceptions. It's a terrible combination.

I don't think Purdue scores more than 6 points in this game and never scores a touchdown. I hope I'm wrong. But the offense I saw playing against Illinois and Minnesota was just plain bad.

Penn St would have won if QB wouldn’t have got hurt

 

[TheGunner]

When you do the eye test, Iowa is better than #12. They beat Penn State, the same team that also beat Auburn and shut out Indiana. This is a solid, fundamentally sound team. They may not be a #2 team. But they are easily a top 5 team.

If you watched Alabama on Saturday night, you'd notice they have a lot of talent. But their defense stinks this year. They're not really even close to a #5 team right now and were only #1 because of reputation. Georgia is clearly #1.

The way Iowa is playing D, especially in the secondary, Purdue will have a VERY difficult time getting any type of offensive rhythm going. O'Connell has a tendency to throw interceptions under pressure. And Iowa is EXTREMELY good at forcing interceptions. It's a terrible combination.

I don't think Purdue scores more than 6 points in this game and never scores a touchdown. I hope I'm wrong. But the offense I saw playing against Illinois and Minnesota was just plain bad.

They played Penn State without their starting QB for the last 2 1/2 Qtrs. If Clifford plays, Iowa loses by at least 7, more likely 10+

 

[BigTimeAt69]

Purdue absolutely has a chance in this game, even most Iowa fans will tell you that. I think it is vital to get a touchdown scored on the first drive.... I see this game in the 20's like last year.

Could Purdue get blown out... of course they could. But I think it will be pretty close as long as we aren't turning the ball over like crazy. We're Purdue, there's a chance we can get blown out in pretty much any game against a good opponent. Luckily that doesn't happen often.

I saw an Iowa poster make a pretty interesting point... he thinks we should start Plummer over O'Connell. Because all the gunslingers QBs so far have done horrible against Iowa. Of course O'Connell did beat them last year

 

[BCfanatic2020]

I see potential for all possible outcomes in this game except for Purdue winning big. And that 'upset a good Iowa team and then stumble backwards' scenario is exactly what happened last season and in 2018. So that could happen, too.

If we beat Iowa we could get to 6-6 by beating northwestern and Indiana.. that looks doable in a bad scenario

 

[FirstDownB]

Penn St would have won if QB wouldn’t have got hurt

17 points in 17.5 minutes with Clifford.
3 points in 42.5 minutes with Roberson.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Early momentum is an absolute and we can't survive with more than 2 turnovers if we don't get any for ourselves. We have a rare opportunity to ruin Iowa's chances at the playoffs. If we can get some early momentum and sustain the effort throughout, we have a chance. IMO we need to have a 2 score lead at halftime to keep the crowd out of it and suppress their confidence. PSU couldn't pass the ball after Clifford was hurt and that is where we can expose them. We'll have the best receiver corp they will have faced all season. The longer we put pressure and stay in the game or ahead, the more pressure they will feel.

We can’t lose the turnover battle. However I think Iowa is going to find that running the ball is not so easy and Petras is going to have to beat us straight up.. and he will get hit doing so

 

[FirstDownB]

Purdue absolutely has a chance in this game, even most Iowa fans will tell you that. I think it is vital to get a touchdown scored on the first drive.... I see this game in the 20's like last year.

Could Purdue get blown out... of course they could. But I think it will be pretty close as long as we aren't turning the ball over like crazy. We're Purdue, there's a chance we can get blown out in pretty much any game against a good opponent. Luckily that doesn't happen often.

I saw an Iowa poster make a pretty interesting point... he thinks we should start Plummer over O'Connell. Because all the gunslingers QBs so far have done horrible against Iowa. Of course O'Connell did beat them last year

If I'm Brohm I'm using these 2 weeks to develop the Burton red zone package. Let Aidan spread the field and move the ball between the 20's. If the offense stalls in the red zone, spring the Burton package. I want to see something that goes against the scouting report like a rollout Burton pass inside the 10.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Penn State's Dodson (considered one of the best receivers in the nation) was literally shut down on Saturday night (he had 48 yards). I get some of that was Roberson. But if you watched the game, Iowa's secondary kept Dodson in check all night. I don't think Iowa's going to be intimidated by Purdue's receivers...

David bell is, independent of the talent around him, the best wide receiver in America

 

[BCfanatic2020]

If I'm Brohm I'm using these 2 weeks to develop the Burton red zone package. Let Aidan spread the field and move the ball between the 20's. If the offense stalls in the red zone, spring the Burton package. I want to see something that goes against the scouting report like a rollout Burton pass inside the 10.

The Burton stuff helps but the only way to break through is to be able to run with our backs

 

[purduepat1969]

David bell is, independent of the talent around him, the best wide receiver in America

I love Bell. He's being wasted, IMHO by a crappy O-line and mediocre QB play. But right now what matters is the performance on the field. And based solely on that he's not vs other top WRs. If he were at Ohio St or other school he'd be a beast.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Purdue absolutely has a chance in this game, even most Iowa fans will tell you that. I think it is vital to get a touchdown scored on the first drive.... I see this game in the 20's like last year.

Could Purdue get blown out... of course they could. But I think it will be pretty close as long as we aren't turning the ball over like crazy. We're Purdue, there's a chance we can get blown out in pretty much any game against a good opponent. Luckily that doesn't happen often.

I saw an Iowa poster make a pretty interesting point... he thinks we should start Plummer over O'Connell. Because all the gunslingers QBs so far have done horrible against Iowa. Of course O'Connell did beat them last year

Oconnell isn’t a gun slinger. A gun slinger can’t make all the simple fundamental throws and therefore tries to overcompensate with big money throws that other teams start to take away. The slinger earns his reputation by then throwing into triple coverage all the time a la Rex gross man

Oconnell is a game manager who has a fast mind and therefore can get deep into his reads. He can hit tj sheffield on a pass that’s what the defense is giving him vs ND. Plummer needs to see that route come wide open for a solid second then he can make the throw

 

[BCfanatic2020]

I love Bell. He's being wasted, IMHO by a crappy O-line and mediocre QB play. But right now what matters is the performance on the field. And based solely on that he's not vs other top WRs. If he were at Ohio St or other school he'd be a beast.

He can be taken away for the reasons you listed, but he still has to be taken away. Oconnell is good enough that if you play bell straight up, he’ll make you famous.

the problem is, if we had the OL we did in 2018, which wasn’t even that great, we could run for 220 on Iowa if they took bell and deep stuff to Wright away, even with doerue.

what we have is an OL who is possibly the worst since tiller was hired, which could make it the worst in my lifetime, since I don’t think Coletto Akers etc struggled to bring O linemen here

 

[FirstDownB]

The Burton stuff helps but the only way to break through is to be able to run with our backs

Run or not, crappy oline play or not, through 5 games this team has not struggled to move the ball overall.

Total yards per game
Purdue 414.8 (6th in B1G)
Iowa 317.5 (14th in B1G)

But when Purdue has the ball there is a 30 foot high brick wall that spans the field somewhere between the opponent's 20 and 40 yard line.

Points per game
Iowa 31.5 (5th in B1G)
Purdue 23.6 (11th in B1G)

The red zone is where a difference maker is needed. I just don't see this team suddenly having much success running the ball by traditional means on a compressed field. And the passing windows are extremely tight down there against a good defense like Iowa. The play calling must bring some creativity whether it is wildcat, roll outs, trick plays, whatever.

 

[SDBoiler1]

When you do the eye test, Iowa is better than #12. They beat Penn State, the same team that also beat Auburn and shut out Indiana. This is a solid, fundamentally sound team. They may not be a #2 team. But they are easily a top 5 team.

If you watched Alabama on Saturday night, you'd notice they have a lot of talent. But their defense stinks this year. They're not really even close to a #5 team right now and were only #1 because of reputation. Georgia is clearly #1.

The way Iowa is playing D, especially in the secondary, Purdue will have a VERY difficult time getting any type of offensive rhythm going. O'Connell has a tendency to throw interceptions under pressure. And Iowa is EXTREMELY good at forcing interceptions. It's a terrible combination.

I don't think Purdue scores more than 6 points in this game and never scores a touchdown. I hope I'm wrong. But the offense I saw playing against Illinois and Minnesota was just plain bad.

So every game is the same? Brohm didn’t do anything with the break to self-scout and prepare more for Iowa? Brohm isn’t 3-1 vs Iowa?

PSU gave him something of a script to beat Iowa. If PSU’s starting QB doesn’t get hurt, they win that game. PSU’s back-up was terrible. We cannot have TOs. We need to shut down their running game and force Petras to beat us.

 

[SDBoiler1]

Penn State's Dodson (considered one of the best receivers in the nation) was literally shut down on Saturday night (he had 48 yards). I get some of that was Roberson. But if you watched the game, Iowa's secondary kept Dodson in check all night. I don't think Iowa's going to be intimidated by Purdue's receivers...

Iowa also lost their best DB, Riley Moss in the PSU game.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

Run or not, crappy oline play or not, through 5 games this team has not struggled to move the ball overall.

Total yards per game
Purdue 414.8 (6th in B1G)
Iowa 317.5 (14th in B1G)

But when Purdue has the ball there is a 30 foot high brick wall that spans the field somewhere between the opponent's 20 and 40 yard line.

Points per game
Iowa 31.5 (5th in B1G)
Purdue 23.6 (11th in B1G)

The red zone is where a difference maker is needed. I just don't see this team suddenly having much success running the ball by traditional means on a compressed field. And the passing windows are extremely tight down there against a good defense like Iowa. The play calling must bring some creativity whether it is wildcat, roll outs, trick plays, whatever.

They haven’t.. but .. Fred McGriff

 

[BigAssTurkeyLeg]

They played Penn State without their starting QB for the last 2 1/2 Qtrs. If Clifford plays, Iowa loses by at least 7, more likely 10+

I agree it would have been harder for us to come back. HOWEVER, Clifford is the 5th out of 6 QBs we've faced that has either been benched or knocked out of the game with an injury. He also threw 2 interceptions in the first quarter and we were starting to make them one dimensional. Penn State might have won, but we were starting to rattle him and got 4 hard hits on him in the 1st quarter before our LB eventually shot the gap on a blitz and broke his ribs on a clean hit.

 

[theiacowtipper]

I'm not sure if it is going to be this week, but Iowa is going to come back down to Earth soon. They are playing solid football, and my hat is off to their great 6-0 start. They do a good job of not making big mistakes and forcing opponents to beat themselves. And with the way our offense has been playing, that might be plenty. But they simply aren't a #2 team. With an extra bye week to prepare, against a team/coach Brohm has had success against, this is not an impossible challenge like it would be against a #2 team with #2 talent like Bama or OSU.

Putting some numbers to this.. FPI has Iowa at #13 currently. They actually finished #12 by this metric last year. So I am not convinced this year's Iowa team is significantly different than last year's. I get that Iowa fans would probably say that they just got off to a slow start last year, but if you look at the last 4 years, Iowa had some of their worst performances in 3 of those 4 seasons against Purdue. That isn't coincidence. And the year they won it was far from their best game.

I see a close, competitive game. Throw out the rankings. I'll ride the trend until it gets bucked.

Iowa defense is legit. Absolutely legit. I believe one quarterback has made it through the Iowa game with most being pulled for ineffectiveness.

The offense is, shall we say, vanilla. They will run at the teeth of a defense with the intent of setting something up for later. They will punt for field position realizing the defense is likely to hold.

One thing, I don’t think the team will be flat as they lost to Purdue last year. I do think the crowd will be flat. Just the way of the world. You’re not getting the same crowd that was there for penn state.

 

[purduepat1969]

So every game is the same? Brohm didn’t do anything with the break to self-scout and prepare more for Iowa? Brohm isn’t 3-1 vs Iowa?

PSU gave him something of a script to beat Iowa. If PSU’s starting QB doesn’t get hurt, they win that game. PSU’s back-up was terrible. We cannot have TOs. We need to shut down their running game and force Petras to beat us.

Every week you say the same thing. And every week the offense looks worse than it did the week prior. I truly hope I'm wrong and Brohm shows he can change things with 2 weeks prep.

 

[MilwaukeeBoilerFan]

Agreed. All you have to do is listen to Iowa fans about petras …

My wife's relatives are from Iowa and are die hard Hawkeye fans. Immediately after their win, they texted me and said "Our Offense Sucks" & Purdue has our number. They are a bit nervous about this game.
It could be a blow out either way or a nail biter that one team will be heartbroken.
This is why I love our chances. Trick or Treat Iowa! 🎃

 

[theiacowtipper]

Penn St would have won if QB wouldn’t have got hurt

Maybe. Maybe not. It’s not like they were being blown out. The 17-3 number is thrown out, but when he didn’t come back in it was 17-10. Hardly insurmountable. Petras started playing much better.

 

[FirstDownB]

I agree it would have been harder for us to come back. HOWEVER, Clifford is the 5th out of 6 QBs we've faced that has either been benched or knocked out of the game with an injury. He also threw 2 interceptions in the first quarter and we were starting to make them one dimensional. Penn State might have won, but we were starting to rattle him and got 4 hard hits on him in the 1st quarter before our LB eventually shot the gap on a blitz and broke his ribs on a clean hit.

Joke's on Iowa. The Purdue starting QB will both struggle and get knocked out! Opening the door for the backup. Ha!

 

[naturalbornhawk]

I respect Iowa a lot and I think they have superior football players across their 85, and yeah.. we may have some things to terribly wrong (bad turnovers on offense), but if we can avoid those things I think we have a shot in this game. Should be a good one. Or a bad one if we throw a couple pick sixes

Iowa fan here, thanks for the write-up! I would like to start out by saying I respect Purdue's football team. You've had our number the last couple meetings. 3-4 weeks ago there was a thread on the Iowa boards that asked what remaining team on our schedule is Iowa most likely to lose to and I picked Purdue.

I would like to ask you and the Purdue fans, how is your special teams play? Our special teams has played very well this season and is a big reason for our success. Our punter, kicker, return, and coverage has been on point all year. I can't be over stated how crucial it has been to have a punter like ours make up for offensive issues. If we don't convert on a 3rd down, the feeling is yes it's a downer, but all is not lost because now you're going to have to deal with Tory Taylor....and then our Defense. Colorado State and Penn State had a kicker / punter that rivaled or maybe even bested our P / K game. Those two teams erased that clear advantage we had with our other opponents like Indy and ISU and made things seemingly much more difficult for us. Kicking the ball out of the back of the end zone or a good boomer or strategically placed punt erases our somewhat dangerous return game and makes our somewhat at times stagnant offense work more which can cause problems for us.

Good luck Saturday!

 

[purduepat1969]

Iowa fan here, thanks for the write-up! I would like to start out by saying I respect Purdue's football team. You've had our number the last couple meetings. 3-4 weeks ago there was a thread on the Iowa boards that asked what remaining team on our schedule is Iowa most likely to lose to and I picked Purdue.

I would like to ask you and the Purdue fans, how is your special teams play? Our special teams has played very well this season and is a big reason for our success. Our punter, kicker, return, and coverage has been on point all year. I can't be over stated how crucial it has been to have a punter like ours make up for offensive issues. If we don't convert on a 3rd down, the feeling is yes it's a downer, but all is not lost because now you're going to have to deal with Tory Taylor. Colorado State and Penn State had a kicker / punter that rivaled or maybe even bested our P / K game. Those two teams erased that clear advantage we had with our other opponents like Indy and ISU and made things seemingly much more difficult for us. Kicking the ball out of the back of the end zone or a good boomer or strategically placed punt erases our somewhat dangerous return game and makes our somewhat at times stagnant offense work more which can cause problems for us.

Good luck Saturday!

Our special teams hasn't been special, but they've not put us in a hole. The punter hasn't been good. But the placekicker has been pretty solid. The punt return and kick return teams haven't provided great returns, but they also haven't lost games for us. Iowa definitely has the advantage on special teams, IMHO...