Nevada Football: First Look At The Iowa Hawkeyes

The Wolf Pack will do battle with the Iowa Hawkeyes in non-conference motion this September.

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The Nevada Wolf Pack will shut out their four-game non-conference schedule with a highway journey to the Midwest to face the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 3.

Iowa, in fact, will hardly ever blow you away and as an alternative choke the life out of you with stellar protection and particular groups, a recipe they rode as soon as in opposition to final 12 months to nice success. Will that change in any respect in 2022, or do the Hawkeyes have the items in place to push that envelope farther and problem for a Massive Ten title?

Location: Iowa Metropolis, Iowa

Convention: Massive Ten

Collection Historical past: This would be the first assembly between Nevada and Iowa.

2021 Report: 10-4 (7-3 Massive Ten)

Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz (twenty fourth 12 months at Iowa; 178-110 with Hawkeyes, 190-131 general). Ferentz’s Hawkeyes simply saved on rolling in 2021, profitable ten video games for the second time in three seasons and securing the Massive Ten West division title for the primary time since 2015. Whereas their convention championship recreation battle with Michigan wasn’t fairly, they have been in any other case more than pleased to lean on their success and composure in shut contests (4-0 in video games determined by eight or fewer factors), beat rival Iowa State for the sixth time in a row and a top-five Penn State group, all of which enabled Ferentz to signal a contract extension again in January.

Key Gamers

Sam LaPorta, TE

LaPorta is sort of sure to be the subsequent Hawkeyes tight finish to seek out his method into the NFL, however for proper now he’s on the shortlist of one of the best gamers at his place wherever within the nation. Final season, he set profession highs with 53 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns, so the 6-foot-4 and 249-pound Highland, Illinois native will likely be a giant element of the Iowa assault in 2022.

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Riley Moss, CB

Protection is the place Iowa makes its greatest affect and Moss is kind of merely top-of-the-line cornerbacks wherever within the nation. Final 12 months, he was a first-team all-conference choice for the primary time after making 39 whole tackles, together with three tackles for loss, and breaking apart 5 passes to go together with 4 interceptions. His PFF general grade of 80.1 ranked fourth amongst qualifying Massive Ten cornerbacks final 12 months, so he might change the tenor of the sport with one Nevada mistake.

Jack Campbell, LB

Campbell, like Moss, is just top-of-the-line defenders wherever within the Massive Ten. He led your entire nation final 12 months with 143 whole tackles and knew the right way to create havoc as well, with 3.5 tackles for loss, six passes defended, and two interceptions. Chances are high when the Wolf Pack offense takes the sphere, you’ll hear his identify early and sometimes.

Tory Taylor, P

It’s virtually a prerequisite to speak about punting when discussing Iowa soccer, particularly when (once more) the Hawkeyes boast one of many nation’s finest on the place. The Australian was a Ray Man Award semifinalist in 2021 after ending thirteenth within the nation with a mean of 46.1 yards per punt and pinning practically half of his punts (39-of-80) contained in the opponent’s 20-yard line, enabling the protection to do what it does finest from a place of energy.

Spencer Petras, QB

Petras isn’t the flashiest quarterback within the Massive Ten, however he provides the Iowa offense precisely what it wants. In 2021, he accomplished 57.3% of his throws for a mean of 6.5 yards per try and ten touchdowns, however one potential space of enchancment is in taking higher care of the soccer since he additionally had an interception fee of three.1%, too excessive for a ball management offense.

Overview:

Offense

Iowa’s offense is rather a lot like San Diego State in that underwhelming numbers like those put up in 2021 — 4.67 yards per play (a hundred and twentieth in FBS), 1.75 factors per drive (104th), 39.7% of accessible yards earned per drive (one hundred and fifth) — aren’t essentially an enormous concern to Ferentz and his son Brian, the Hawkeyes offensive coordinator. You would possibly learn tales about optimism that issues will enhance however, even when they don’t, it’s largely labored out in years previous.

An enormous step ahead from Petras would assist, particularly since Iowa’s high three move catchers return from final 12 months, too: LaPorta and large receivers Keagan Johnson, who’s working his method again from damage, and Nico Ragaini. Discovering a technique to exchange Tyler Goodson’s manufacturing at operating again would assist much more, however the Hawkeyes have a secure of kids who might take up that mantle like sophomores Gavin Williams (65 carries, 305 speeding yards) and LeShon Williams, in addition to true freshman Kaleb Johnson.

The offensive line wants some new faces to step up, too, following the departures of veterans like Tyler Linderbaum, a first-round NFL Draft decide this previous spring. It’s a unit that would skew younger with a trio of returning starters that embody two sophomores, Mason Richman and Connor Colby, set to carry issues down at left deal with and middle, respectively.

Protection

There’s no two methods about it: Iowa’s protection was elite in 2021. The Hawkeyes completed seventh within the nation by permitting simply 4.72 yards per play, ninth in factors per drive allowed, and fourth in accessible yards share allowed, and so they return nearly all of that manufacturing with seven starters again for this season.

Up entrance, Zach VanValkenburg received’t be simple to interchange, however Lukas Van Ness was a Freshman All-American after selecting up seven sacks and eight.5 tackles for loss and John Waggoner (3.5 TFLs, two sacks) was a stable finish piece, as effectively. Behind them, Campbell and Seth Benson (105 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks) will patrol the center with assist from Jestin Jacobs.

Within the secondary, Moss is the veteran chief however the unit isn’t with out expertise in any other case. Sturdy security Kaevon Merriweather (42 tackles, 4 passes defended) made seven stars final 12 months whereas cornerback Jermari Harris (34 tackles, 4 INTs) made six. Higher but, the long run could also be now in Iowa Metropolis with true freshman like Xavier Nwankpa additionally within the combine to carve out a job.

It doesn’t appear probably that the Wolf Pack will likely be overrun by an Iowa group that’s more than pleased to take a seat and look ahead to breaks to return their method, but it surely additionally doesn’t appear clear that they’ll have sufficient solutions on offense to get one of the best of what seems like, on paper, certainly one of faculty soccer’s finest defenses.

Iowa 24, Nevada 9

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Story initially appeared on Mountain West Wire