Hey guys, another Cyclone fan here. Thought I'd drop off my two cents about the big game on Friday. The Husky run game is really good, and it seems like it's thanks to the experienced offensive line you guys have. Todman was great, but your new guy McCombs is still on pace for a 1500 yard season as a freshman. While Iowa hangs their hat on their offensive line and their running game, I think UConn presents a bigger challenge for the Cyclone defense on the ground.
That's the good news for you. The bad news is that the odds of a significant passing threat being developed against the Cyclones seem slim. In addition to the less than average QB play that you guys are talking about, Iowa State's secondary is pretty good. In fact, I would go as far as to say they have a chance to be one of the best secondaries in the Big XII this year. Cornerbacks Jeremy Reeves and Leonard Johnson are really good in man coverage (Fun Fact: Paul Rhoads was the defensive coordinator at Pitt when Darrelle Revis was there, so he has some idea what good cover corners look like), Ter'Ran Benton brings versatility to the Strong Safety position after having played corner and nickel in the past, and Jacques Washington is a play maker at Free Safety. This means that our defensive strength should disrupt your offensive weakness, leaving the Huskies to survive on their ground game for most of the day, having to handle the likes of stud linebackers Jake Knott and A.J. Klein and a decent defensive line. If you're seeing 3rd and 5+ too often, you're going to have a long night.
On the other side of the ball, your defense is really experienced, stingy, and opportunistic, while Iowa State is -5 in turnovers on the year. As you guys have been saying, this is the key to a Husky victory. I like your defense to make some big plays against this inexperienced Cyclone offense, especially early, on their first road trip of the year and Steele Jantz's first trip to a hostile environment wearing Cardinal and Gold. However, one aspect that works in our favor is our stable of running backs. Shontrelle Johnson, James White, and Jeff Woody will all get carries, challenging the Husky defense to stop all of their unique running styles. It might be difficult given the shortened week. Throw in the legs and the arm of Steele Jantz, and the Cyclones have a variety of effective ways to attack on offense. Steele Jantz is a smart player who is going to buy enough time to find which of those options is best and make it happen.
I know nothing about UConn's special teams, but Iowa State has return and punting units that typically result in Iowa State having the advantage in field position. Punter Kirby Van Der Kamp is averaging 51.3 yards per punt, while Josh Lenz is averaging 25 yards per kick return. People typically don't kick to our other guy Shontrelle Johnson, but when Iowa did last week, he got 40 yards.
On game day, the Cyclones are likely going to come out a little flat at the beginning of the game. Going to a different time zone to play football in a hostile environment is bound to affect the execution to start with. Jantz made some big mistakes against UNI simply because it was his first D1 game. Eventually, defending the versatility of Iowa State's offense is going to be a real challenge for UConn. Harder yet is the task of running the ball for more points than Iowa State can put up. My heart says a bigger gap than this, but my mind is telling me 27-13 Cyclones. In the event of a close game, Jantz is the obvious favorite in making plays in the clutch. This is college football, though, so who knows what will happen? There are certainly more ways than I've mentioned for UConn to come out on top of this one, and that's why they play the game. Best of luck to you guys, I'll be around for the week.
