Iowa and Iowa State close out their home schedules on Saturday. The Hawkeyes take a 6-4 record into a matchup against Michigan. The Hawks need to find a way to contain Michigan quarterback Devon Gardner who had a big day in the Wolverines 42-17 victory last season. “The issue for us is we are not a big blitz team…we’ve got to get there with our front four and that is are that we need to improve upon, so it’s going to be a challenge,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says.
He says the defensive line will need to stay in its rush lanes, something they did well against Northwestern quarterback Kain Coulter. Ferentz says they have been fairly disciplined this season and they will hopefully be that was again. This will be the final game in Kinnick Stadium for a senior class that helped the Hawks bounce back from a disappointing 2012 season.
“This group has been fun to work with since last November,” Ferentz says. He says they have a lot of challenges ahead, but hopefully they will have a record they can be proud of.
The Cyclones take on Kansas and coach Paul Rhoads hopes the seniors can taste victory in their final home game. “You’re talking about some guys who have been a great part of things in this program over time, and this will be a special game for them,” Rhoads says.
Rhoads says “senior day” is always emotional. “So much work — 300 plus days a year – that they are committed to these given Saturdays, these given moments, and it’s their last one,” Rhoads says. He says they use the phrase “give it up” in the program and these seniors have done just that.
Iowa State is 1-9.