The Other Side of the Wall: Iowa

Troy has just one win against Big Ten opponents, ever. Fortunately, it was the most recent matchup.

It was also Troy’s first win in five tries against Nebraska, and two tries post-Larry Blakeney. The GOAT went 0-4 against the current strongest conference in college football (yeah I said it).

The only other game was the 2015 loss to Wisconsin—Neal Brown’s third game as a head coach. The similarities with Saturday probably won’t end there.

Team	Iowa (1-1)
Time, Network	3 pm, FS1
2023 Record	10-4 (7-2)
Troy’s Record	First Matchup
Last Matchup	N/A
Preseason Conf. Rank	5th Big Ten
FPI Rank	37
FPI Win% (Troy)	16.2%
Spread	Iowa -22

In 2023, Troy held opponents to 106.6 rushing yards per game, and balanced that out with an undefeated record each time it picked up 100 yards rushing. Iowa held its opponents to 111 yards rushing, and the Hawkeyes also won every game it rushed for 100+ yards… except its bowl game.

Troy was the No. 10 team in the country for scoring defense, allowing just 17.1 points per game. The Big Ten took the top four spots, and at No. 4 was Iowa, who only allowed 14.8 points per game.

We’re not here to talk about the Trojans’ defensive evaporation though. We’re here to learn about Iowa, specifically the 2024 incarnation.

For that, we’ve reached out to David Eickholt of 247 Sports and CBS Sports.

Describe this season’s expectations like a movie trailer.
Man, you’re really testing me early with the hard questions. I’m more of a music guy and stay locked into sports, but let’s see if we can get creative here. Let’s go with the Pursuit of Happiness.
The Hawkeyes entered the past couple of seasons with high aspirations, including this season. But post-COVID year— the offense made Iowa lose everything.
Now, the Hawkeyes must start from the bottom of the bottom and reach for the stars to rebuild the legacy and the future of the program. The father and son connection certainly doesn’t hurt either…
As a fellow music guy, I think you nailed it. I start with big-picture and that gives us the context of where this team is. Also, yeah, it’s clear that Iowa is very family-oriented.

What’s your favorite play to run with Iowa in College Football 25?
This is going to be a cop out answer, but four verticals.
After covering Iowa’s offense for the past couple of seasons, it’s nice to be able to open up the playbook and see some vertical passing game. It may result in a few interceptions, but it’s fun to play with an aggressive style of offense.
We haven’t seen much of that at Iowa through the last couple of seasons.
To be fair to them, new offensive coordinator Tim Lester is doing a solid job of changing things schematically. But Iowa doesn’t have a QB with the arm strength to push the ball downfield.
That’s not a copout answer, though. I will absolutely audible to a deep pass if I see one safety back. That’s just a basic read.

Which archetype is Coach Ferentz strongest – Recruiting, Motivation or Scheme?
It’s got to be motivation. Iowa’s recruiting has gotten better over the past couple of years, but it’s still not at the level of being a blue-blood.
Despite that, the best version of Kirk Ferentz is when the team’s back is against the wall and he fires them up. Ferentz knows how to keep a strong locker room culture together and truly get everyone to buy into the system along with the leadership.
I think it speaks volumes to Iowa that they have continued to win games at a high rate despite having one of the worst offenses in power-five football history. There wasn’t any finger pointing and a number of moments last season where the defense and special teams publicly backed the offense.
Ferentz has thrived on defense and special teams, but because the offense hasn’t been even mediocre— it couldn’t be scheme.
It’s amazing how far just motivation will get you. We know that all too well, having had solid recruiters the past decade or so. Finding all three is like winning the lottery.

What game are fans now looking forward to most? Why?
That’s a really good question. After the Iowa State loss, the fan base is pretty discouraged at the moment about what the team can accomplish this season.
I don’t think there are too many people excited about going to Ohio State and facing that juggernaut of a team.
I do think that there will be a lot of people excited about next week’s game against Minnesota— especially after the ‘invalid signal’ fair catch, which only one person in the entire stadium thought was actually an invalid signal.
(Context is here. He’s right. That’s an awful call, and we know bad calls.)
Of course, the season finale against Nebraska always raises the heart rate quite a bit. It’s a nice hangover cure post-Thanksgiving.

What happened in the Iowa State game?
Have you ever heard of the movie ‘How to lose a guy in 10 days?’ This was the football spin-off titled ‘How to lose a football game in one half.’
The Hawkeyes were in full control of the game and had multiple opportunities to run away with it in the first half. They had two drives that resulted in first-and-goal from the one-yard line and from the three-yard line.
Iowa managed to score six total points on those two drives.
Kirk Ferentz made several questionable coaching decisions, but of course, it’s easy to play ‘Captain Hindsight’ and say what we would have done differently. But ultimately— Iowa didn’t get what it needed to from its goal line offense and from the quarterback position.
Sounds a lot like Gerad Parker. Troy has been in the position twice where a touchdown on fourth-and-goal would have been worth the gamble.

What are three names on defense Troy fans should pay attention to? Why?
Everything starts with all-American linebacker Jay Higgins. He patiently waited behind current Detroit Lion Jack Campbell for a number of years before getting the opportunity that he earned.
Higgins had 171 tackles last season and is an impact player both the run and pass game. He forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and had double-digit tackles against Iowa State. He’s the definition of a playmaker.
Defensive tackle Yahya Black is a big-time name to know as well. Black doesn’t have the stats that fellow DT Aaron Graves has (three sacks), but Black is a massive body in the trenches that will absorb multiple offensive linemen.
He is the reason Graves, Higgins and several others are able to get plays. Black had a legitimate NFL decision to make last season and he is earning himself some big-time money with his play through the first couple of games.
If there’s a big play that happens in the backfield, Black might not get the tackle, but he’s the reason the play worked.
CASH Sebastian Castro is the other player to know. He might be the hardest-hitter in the Big Ten conference.
He might be Iowa’s hardest hitter since the great Bob Sanders. Castro didn’t have his best game against Iowa State, so I venture that he’ll be coming out with a vengeance.
I picked Castro as my breakout player in the Big Ten this year and it’s his ‘prove it’ year for the NFL. He can do everything on the football field, so keep an extra close eye on number 29.
Let it be known that friend of the blog and fellow Troy alum Colin Cahill also mentioned Castro in our conversations this week.

When Iowa snaps the ball, what is most likely to happen?
Your guess is as good as mine. Iowa hasn’t been able to put together a full game yet this season. The Hawkeyes only scored six points in the first half against Illinois State before putting up 34 in the second half.
Iowa also couldn’t move the football in the second half against Iowa State. The Hawkeyes only had 23 total yards on their final six offensive drives of the game.
Expect Iowa to throw to tight end Luke Lachey, who is one of the best in the country, but didn’t have a catch last week against Iowa State.
It’s also fair to expect that Iowa will be relying a lot of Kaleb Johnson, who is fourth in the nation in rushing yards (304) and has four rushing touchdowns in six quarters of play. Johnson was suspended for the first half against Illinois State.
More on Kaleb Johnson below. This is hope for Troy here, but that’s getting ahead of myself.

If we wake up Sunday and the underdog wins, what happened the day before?
Iowa’s passing game falters once again. The Hawkeyes only had 27 passing yards in the final three quarters against Iowa State.
This would also tell me that Troy pulled off a couple of big trick plays to shock the Kinnick faithful. One of the biggest challenges that Troy will have is stopping Kaleb Johnson, who is on a war path through two games this year.
I don’t think Troy will be able to out-Iowa Iowa. They’ll have to strike first and throw everything on the table.
The Hawkeyes don’t excel at playing from behind and with the state of the passing offense right now, that’s what they would rely on. The Trojans have to be aggressive, rattle Cade McNamara, score first and force a couple turnovers.
If that happens— well— we just saw Northern Illinois beat Notre Dame last week.
Be aggressive, rattle the QB and force some turnovers. We’ll come back to that too.

If we’re in town, where should we go eat?
If you’re feeling a bit more upscale— go to The Vue Rooftop. It’s got a great mix of cocktails and a fancier menu than most of downtown Iowa City. It’s one of my favorite places in Iowa City.
The other couple of places I would seriously look at is Iowa Athletic Club (great pizza, drink specials and a TON of TVs) along with Monicas. The latter has about everything you could ask for on a menu and I have yet to have a bad experience or dish there. It’s closer to Kinnick Stadium and it’s still a close drive to downtown if you want to hit the bars after.

What’s one question you have for us about Troy, if you have one (we’ll answer in the article)?
I think it’s got to be what do you think Troy will throw at Iowa? Will this be a game where they unleash the playbook and try a few tricks against an Iowa defense— or is it going to be business as usual.
How would Troy fans classify this game as a success? Win? Close loss? Progress made on a certain side of the ball?
Those are two questions, and I’ll let it slide since you gave the best answers I’ve had in a long time.
Troy hasn’t shown any propensity to be aggressive, but this has to be the game to do it. Whether Goose or Caldwell is under center, you have a big guy with a strong arm and a plethora of deep threats.
I know Iowa’s defense is all-world, but this offensive-minded coach has yet to truly go for a deep play.
The problem is the offensive line doesn’t hold long enough to get something like that going, and Iowa’s defensive line might be the biggest yet. There are ways around that, and I hope an offensive coordinator can figure that out.
Short answer: I expect business as usual, and I expect a big loss (spoiler for my prediction) but Troy has been in “get-right” mode since week 1.
A close loss would absolutely be a success, because the offense has been statistically sound. It’s rushed for more than 100 yards, passed for 150 each game, and prevented mistakes against Nevada.
It’s only lost one fumble to Memphis.
I need to see the defense get to the ball faster, the big guys win in the trenches and skill positions make explosive plays.

Let’s get more into that.

In its FBS games so far, Iowa has allowed 20 points.

That’s misleading. Iowa has only played one FBS team, its rival Iowa State.

So let me clarify.

Iowa gave up 20 points to a team that only managed 89 yards rushing. The Hawkeyes lost to a team that went 2-for-14 on third down.

It’s not like Iowa stopped playing defense, because nine of ISU’s 15 drives ended in a punt.

The Cyclones made halftime adjustments, though. ISU only punted four times on eight second-half drives.

It also started shutting down the run.

Kaleb Johnson, the No. 4 rusher in the country, picked up 187 yards on Saturday. After a 54-yard explosion on his first touch of the second half, the Cyclones held him to 38 yards the rest of the game.

Given how Memphis gassed Troy’s defense with the run, I’m not expecting a similar outcome. Think Quinshon Judkins in 2022.

On the other side, Iowa’s defense and special teams are the big dogs, and I don’t know if Troy’s line can handle them. The trenches are the midwest’s plaything, and this Trojan unit hasn’t shown a sense of connection yet.

But what did David say? Be aggressive, rattle the QB and force some turnovers.

Troy’s longest play is a 33-yard pass, it has 3 QB hurries all year, and it’s forced one fumble… with no returns or interceptions.

The pass game could keep Troy in it for a while.

I need to see a clean pocket before I can believe in that, but Troy does have some untapped weapons. Maybe this is the game they figure it out?

Another Colin Cahill tidbit: “Cade McNamara throws off his back foot so much, even when he has time.”

Troy has the defensive monsters to put pressure on him. We have to see Trojans in the backfield.

That leads to mistakes. Mistakes lead to turnovers. Turnovers lead to suffering.

Troy has to come out aggressive to win, on both sides of the ball. That’s been true before this week, and it’s the clear key to victory on Saturday.

Ultimately, I don’t see this being as bad as the Memphis game. The Tigers are a more complete team.

That said, Iowa’s strengths are far greater. For instance, the Hawkeyes will run the ball well, and Troy’s given up 211 and 214 yards on the ground respectively.

Troy needs about 250 yards passing, at least one turnover and fewer sacks to win.

I just don’t see the team from last week making a dent in Iowa’s stout defense.

Iowa 28, Troy 3.

See what I did there? It’s the 2015 Wisconsin—yeah, you knew.

Special thanks to David Eickholt. You can follow him on Twitter here.