Iowa hosts Iowa State in the 56th meeting in the series. Iowa’s offense has looked good in a 2-0 start but coach Kirk Ferentz says they will need to handle the pressure that the Cyclone defense will bring. Ferentz says the runningbacks will have to do a good job of picking up the blitzes, and the quarterbacks and receivers will have to be on the same page.
Ferentz says Cyclone quarterbacks Austen Arnaud and Phillip Bates compliment one another, as both can and will throw the ball. Ferentz says statistically Bates has a little edge when it comes to running, but he says the odds are there won’t be many sacks on either one.
Ferentz says the Cyclones are much improved in Gene Chizik’s second year. He says the first year is always a transition, and it didn’t seem to affect them last year as they beat Iowa after coming in 0-2. But this year he says they’re 2-0 and clearly better coming in.
The Iowa defense has yet to give up a touchdown but Ferentz says a young secondary will face a big challenge against the Cyclones. He they haven’t really been tested yet and will be tested much more this week.
Iowa State coach Gene Chizik says the Cyclones look forward to the matchup, saying it’s very important because it is a state rivalry. Chizik says to have a chance the Cyclones must do a better job of stopping the run. He says their front 7 has not been very good against the run in the first couple of games and Iowa has a very good running game.
Chizik says they are excited about the opportunity. "If you can’t get fired up for this as a player right now, check your pulse," Chizik says. He says his players know they will have to play a near perfect game to beat Iowa in Iowa City.
Chizik says they will have a good idea about how far they have come when the game is over. He says these games are really fun for everyone involved, from the fans to the players. In the bigger picture he says it will tell them what direction the team is going.
Kickoff in Kinnick Stadium is 11 o’ clock.