Iowa linebacker James Morris says the Hawkeye defense needs to play smarter with a lead. The Hawks gave up two late touchdowns in last week’s win at Iowa State which turned a lopsided victory into a close one. “When you look at a situation like that, you can’t bits and play zero coverage man-to-man when you have a lead like that, the risk is just not worth the reward,” Morriss says.

Morris says the Hawks can’t afford to give up big plays when protecting a lead. “The way we decided to play is the way you should play — nobody’s questioning that — we just need to be smarter,” he says.

The Hawkeyes host Western Michigan on Saturday.