Iowa

Trump-Biden challengers seize on Iowa as case to stop rematch

Published

11 months ago

January 18, 2024

Trump-Biden challengers seize on Iowa as case to stop rematch

Insurgent presidential hopefuls Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dean Phillips are seizing on former President Trump’s blowout victory in Iowa to bolster their case to an electorate that is overwhelmingly against another Biden-Trump race.

Nonconformist aspirants see Trump and Biden as flawed choices for millions of disgruntled Americans, with Monday’s caucus results previewing what many dread could come later this year. With Trump’s closest rivals trailing him and the first contest in the books, candidates eyeing New Hampshire are sharpening their candidacies accordingly.

Kennedy, an independent who inherited his family’s legacy political brand, and Phillips, a moderate House Democrat, are hoping to build outsider momentum around Trump’s emphatic Hawkeye State win.

“It’s clearly shaping up to a three-man race. Trump, Biden and Kennedy,” said one anti-establishment Kennedy backer and political activist based in New Hampshire, which holds its primary Tuesday. “They will be two of historically least popular major nominees in modern history. Plenty of room for Bobby to siphon support from both camps.”

Kennedy has stood out to Biden and Trump allies for his switch last fall to an independent bid, widespread recognition, and good polling metrics that have punctuated his unpredictable White House campaign.

Previously a Democrat, the 70-year-old lawyer didn’t take off against the well-funded incumbent president who occupies the party’s establishment lane. But after several months of consistency in polls with important constituencies, he’s become a figure worthy of Bidenworld’s attention. Meanwhile, some former and current Trump confidants speculate whether he will promote or demote the surging front-runner, now caucus-winner, in the race.

Both parties see a possible Hail Mary that Kennedy may not qualify for the ballot in enough states to shape the election’s trajectory in the fall. Following Trump’s Iowa success, however, he has publicly touted his ballot effort with more urgency. On Tuesday, his campaign noted that supporters have filed paperwork for his 2024 bid in six states, aiming to show traction in large places such as California and Texas, as well as Mississippi, North Carolina, Delaware and Hawaii after the cycle’s first contest this week.

“I’m inspired by how enthusiastic people are to collect signatures, cast ballots, create new political parties, and attend rallies,” Kennedy said in a statement. “That kind of energy is what will get us onto the ballot in every state and fuel our voter registration and GOTV operation as we head toward election day.”

“Democracy is a lot more than voting,” he added.

Kennedy’s independent posture means that for now, he doesn’t have to worry about New Hampshire next week, the first time Biden’s Democratic challengers will be put to the test at the ballot box. Registered independents are able to vote in either primary, making it all the more consequential for both sides.

Biden’s decision to move the South Carolina primary to first on the calendar — and effectively forfeit his name on the Granite State ballot other than as a write-in — has injected new life into Democratic rivals Phillips and Marianne Williamson, a national spiritual author and speaker, who are angling for the nontraditional vote.

“It’s like we’re watching a car crash in slow motion, the [Democratic National Committee] actively suppressing any candidacy but Biden’s with the smug conviction that their political calculations are somehow superior to robust democratic debate,” Williamson told The Hill when asked about how Trump’s win in Iowa could influence her own strategy.

“Offering the American people nothing more inspiring than a rerun of 2020 is strategically disastrous,” Williamson said. “They act like ‘We got this,’ but their playbook is the same as 2016 and likely to produce the same result,” she predicted, echoing a fear among progressives and other Democrats who are looking ahead to another potentially turbulent Trump term.

Biden’s opponents talk about holding two desires simultaneously: knocking out the current president and warning about a resurgence of the former one, which was crystallized after Iowa. “I see the struggle Democratic voters are going through,” Williamson added, “knowing in their hearts we need to offer voters something [far] more exciting than Joe Biden, yet loath to break the codependent cord with the masters of the universe at the DNC.”

The caucus results for Trump make Biden’s public enthusiasm troubles even more pronounced, as the insurgents seek to show voters another way to blunt Trump from becoming the nominee again to go up against Biden. A poll released just before the Iowa caucus found the 81-year-old president dropping to a stark, 15-year low approval rating for any president, earning just 33 percent of support among registered voters, according to a survey by ABC News/Ipsos.

“The Biden strategy in Iowa was to cancel the caucus. So, now they get no press coverage for Democrats and wall-to-wall coverage of Republicans. That’s terrible strategy,” said Cenk Uygur, a progressive media host who is also challenging Biden from the left.

“The main talking point of their surrogates was to point out that Trump is going to win the nomination. Everyone already knows that,” Uygur said. “And Biden is still losing to Trump in nearly every swing state. When are they going to realize that the voters dislike Biden more than they dislike Trump?”

“That can break your heart,” he added, “but if you don’t come to terms with that reality now, you’re going to come to terms with it in November when we get clobbered.”

Phillips, the Minnesota congressman, has arguably garnered the most attention within the small Democratic primary. He’s barnstorming New Hampshire, arguing that retail politics still matters, despite the president’s decision to skip the state after downgrading the Iowa caucus alongside the Democratic National Committee this year. While Phillips eased his own expectations for a possible lower place finish, he’s also shown a desire to pull from unexpected corners to keep Biden and Trump out of office.

This week, he participated in a conversation on X, previously Twitter, with owner Elon Musk and billionaire financier Bill Ackman, who recently donated $1 million to support his campaign against Biden.

“The voters of Iowa have demonstrated President Trump’s dominating popularity in the Republican Party, and it’s time for everyone to revisit the reality of President Biden’s falling poll numbers and fading popularity,” said Cullen Tiernan, a labor advocate based in Concord, N.H., who is sympathetic to outside candidates.

Tiernan is part of several voting blocs who are discontent with the president’s handling of foreign and domestic policies, particularly in the latter half of his tenure, with multiple wars in particular escalating existing tensions around inflation.

“The elephant in the room is that no one has an answer for how Biden can possibly rebound. Does anyone think the situation in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen or even Iraq will improve soon?” Tiernan said. “Will the cost of food and basic life necessities improve for working people improve soon? Will stagnant wages, the $7.25 minimum wage, improve soon?”

“Any honest person will tell you no to all these questions,” he added. “This reality creates real room for rival Democratic and independent candidates to reach out to more and more voters. To summon some Shakespeare, beware the warnings of January.”

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Iowa

Mizzou Football: Iowa Hawkeyes Preview

Published

2 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

The last time Missouri played Iowa, future NFL 1st round quarterback Blaine Gabbert was driving Missouri late in the game until he threw game-sealing pick six to future Buffalo Bill Micah Hyde.

It’s been 14 years since the Tigers played Missouri’s Hat, and during that time Iowa has been fairly consistent if not uninspiring: some of the worst offenses you’ve ever seen paired with the most effective defenses on the planet. All they do is beat teams they should beat and play the most boring brand of football you can think of. But, hey, it works!

And now, Missouri – minus its best athlete and lineman on offense – goes up against yet another elite-tier Iowa defense and a lackluster offense that struggles to do even the most basic stuff consistently well. Should be…fun?

When Missouri Has the Ball

Missouri’s Offense vs. Iowa’s Defense

When a defense is 6th in the nation in SP+ there’s very few things that they struggle with. And, in particular with the Hawkeyes, they are the most basic bitch defense you can think of: no big plays allowed, mediocre havoc, one of the most accurate tacklers in the country, and one of the more effective scoring defenses out there. It’s going to be zero fun watching an underwhelming Mizzou offense with several weeks off try to restart the offense against these eleven defenders.

Run the Ball

Usually, Iowa has supremely stout run defenses but that isn’t the case this year. The Hawkeyes rank a shocking 106th in rushing success rate allowed, as well as 119th in opponent’s opportunity rate. We all know that Mizzou would prefer to run the ball 50 times per game and this is the group that will let them do it. The Tigers should shoot for at least a 48% rushing success rate.

Keep Up with the Chains

Iowa’s defense in standard downs: 74th. Iowa’s defense in passing downs: 42nd. But considering that Iowa pass defense ranks 30th overall it would be best to avoid all obvious passing down situations and keep the Hawkeyes guessing. A 45% standard downs success rate should suffice.

Finish Your Dang Drives

This will be the second straight stingy scoring defense Missouri will see, and Mizzou was able to crack open Arkansas’ stranglehold inside the 40 in their matchup this year. Iowa, on the other hand, comes into this game with a mere 3.7 points allowed per opportunity, almost right where Arkansas was. Missouri has scored at least 20 points in every victory this year and Iowa has allowed at least 20 points in every loss so let’s start there: 6 scoring opportunities at 3.5 points per opportunity for a total of 21.

When Iowa Has the Ball

With two quarterbacks and one of the best running backs in the country missing this game, Iowa’s already anemic offense will be sputtering with backups at the key positions on offense. Missouri hasn’t been nearly as stout defensively as the year has gone on but should see a renaissance against a bad unit with backups.

Keyword: should.

Stop the Run

Iowa isn’t very good at running the ball but they are 5th in the nation in run rates on standard downs with a 73% chance of running the ball in that situation. They also rank 52 in running the ball in passing downs (35%). Stop the run -> make them pass -> profit. I’d like to see Iowa’s rushing success at 40% or less.

Turnovers!

Given the amount of fumbles and types of passes batted around, Iowa should have turned the ball over 10.7 times and, in reality, they’ve had 11 turnovers, so they’re right on track. But Iowa’s defense should have had 19.6 turnovers while in reality they’ve grabbed 24. So the Hawkeye’s have benefited from a little bit of luck and an opportunistic defense…and Mizzou’s defense is going to need to flip the script. Mizzou’s defense has been good at taking advantage when the opportunity presents itself and they need to ride that to a +2 in the turnover department.

Conclusion

Iowa is a more extreme version of Missouri which means this game could go very quick and be very boring. Mizzou’s penchant for waiting until the 4th quarter to score points would be a very bad idea against this type of opponent, but Iowa’s offense could be so ineffective that it might not matter. Hopefully we’re pleasantly surprised by an entertaining game because this has all the makings of a snoozer of a low-scoring result.

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Iowa

How to watch and listen to Miami vs Iowa State 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl game: Live stream, TV channel, and start time | Goal.com US

Published

10 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

How to watch and listen to Miami vs Iowa State 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl game: Live stream, TV channel, and start time | Goal.com US

Everything you need to know on how to watch Miami vs Iowa State 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl game – team news, livestream, TV channel, and start time.

Two teams just shy of a College Football Playoff berth are set to clash in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, aiming to end their seasons on a high note.

Listen to the play-by-play of the game on SiriusXM

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Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch and listen to the Miami (FL) vs Iowa State 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl game, plus plenty more.

Miami vs Iowa State 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl game: Date and kick-off time

The Hurricanes will take on the Cyclones in a highly anticipated 2024 Fenway Bowl game on Saturday, December 28, 2024, at 3:30 pm ET/ 12:30 pm PT, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

How to watch Miami vs Iowa State 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl game on TV & stream live online

TV channel: ABC

Broadcasters: Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color) and Cole Cubelic (color analyst) are on the game call.

Streaming service: FuboTV

Streaming the game with a VPN

Unable to watch this game due to broadcast restrictions? A VPN could be the answer to your problems.

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How to listen to live play-by-play commentary of Miami (FL) vs Iowa State 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl game

Audio Stream: Away: 198 (CAR), 952 (NE) | Home: 84 (CAR), 84 (NE) | National: 80 (CAR), 80 (NE)

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Miami vs Iowa State team news & key players

Miami Hurricanes team news

Miami boasts the top-ranked offense in the country, averaging an eye-popping 44.2 points and 538.3 total yards per game during the regular season.

Cam Ward, a transfer from Washington State, has shattered numerous school records this season, amassing 4,123 passing yards and 36 touchdowns with a 67.4% completion rate and only seven interceptions. His primary target, All-American Xavier Restrepo, has yet to confirm his participation in the bowl, while senior running back Damien Martinez, a future NFL draft pick, has announced he will play.

Iowa State Cyclones team news

On the other side, the Iowa State Cyclones come into this game with a 10-3 record (7-2 in conference play) after a tough 45-19 loss to Arizona State in their last outing. The Cyclones were tied 10-10 in the second quarter before conceding 35 unanswered points. They were outgained 467-341 in total yardage, turned the ball over three times, and converted just 7-of-14 third downs. Rocco Becht threw for 214 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, while Jayden Higgins hauled in seven catches for 115 yards.

The Cyclones have also suffered defeats to Kansas and Texas Tech but secured victories over North Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas State, Houston, Baylor, West Virginia, UCF, Cincinnati, Utah, and Kansas State. Iowa State’s offense has averaged 31.2 points per game with 254.6 passing yards and 161.7 rushing yards per contest, while their defense has allowed just 21.5 points per game. Rocco Becht has completed 59.3% of his passes for 3,235 yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine interceptions this season, with Carson Hansen contributing 670 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns to their ground game.

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Iowa

Storm Tracker Podcast – Scouting the Opponent – Iowa State

Published

18 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Storm Tracker Podcast – Scouting the Opponent – Iowa State

Marcus Benjamin, publisher of CanesCounty.com, is joined by Bill Seals, publisher of CycloneReport.com, to discuss the matchup between Miami and Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

First, Seals shares his thoughts on the feel of the Iowa State program going into Saturday’s game (2:07) and what the Cyclone is looking to prove in Orlando (4:08).

Next, Seals talks about the strengths and weaknesses of Iowa State and whether they were exposed against Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game (7:00).

Seals describes the type of offense Iowa State runs and the looks to expect on defense (10:03). He also shares thoughts on the matchups to watch between the Hurricanes and Cyclones (13:37).

Next, Seals shares his thoughts on ISU QB Rocco Becht and what makes him dangerous (14:51).

Benjamin and Seals discuss key players who will not play in the bowl game (16:20) and share predictions of the outcome (19:53).

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