The Lions' Pride

Todd,

you've been awesome thank you!!!

Yeah, Texas fans have definitely passed along their frustration with some of his tendencies when he was in Austin. It'll be interesting to see how he adjusts to being at Iowa, as opposed to Texas, as he won't have access to the same level of talent that he did in Austin.

Great work, Todd. Keep it up!

Todd, I was a Scout subscriber for years, so needless to say I formed my own opinions about Iowa fans from that tool you have over there doing videos from his Mom's basement on the Hawkeye site. So to quote Dumb and Dumber....you go and do something like this and totally redeem yourself!!!!

Thanks, this was a cool segment.

What does the Iowa secondary look like? Who are the key players for you guys there? Do you think they will be able to stop PSU's receivers (both TEs and WRs)?

According to Ferentz in today's press conference, BJ Lowery is probable this week. Assuming he regains his starting role at corner, Iowa's two corners (him and Micah Hyde) are pretty good. I think the weakness of the secondary is the safeties. Not that they're awful by any means, but I don't think they're physical or explosive enough against the run, and they aren't sure enough tackles. Within Iowa's scheme, they're both decent in coverage.

With all that being said, it all comes back to the passrush. Lowery and Hyde have struggled at times this season, but the opposing quarterback has 10 minutes to sit in the pocket, so it's impossible to cover for that long. In short, I don't think Iowa's secondary will lose the game for them, and they've got enough talent to make some big plays to possibly win the game for Iowa, but it all depends on the passrush.

Thanks - been fun so far!

Who is Iowa's best offenseive lineman?

That's a tough one. I'd say the best run blocker is left tackle Brandon Scherff, but he's several notches below 2012 first round draft pick Riley Reiff when it comes to pass protection. I'd probably say the best overall offensive lineman is James Ferentz, the center. I wasn't that high on him last year, but he's improved both his footwork and explosiveness this year as a senior, and is playing at a consistently high level right now. That being said, I think left tackle is much more difficult of a position physically than center is, so it's all relative.

How has Iowa's recruiting been over the year? How many 4-5 stars on average would you say you guys get? I ask because obviously PSU is under sanctions and I understand depth is a concern, but if Iowa has been as consistently good as they have been over the years with lesser talent out of high school (like Boise St, Wisconsin to an extent, etc.), that gives me some hope.

Bad timing to ask this, as Iowa just lost what I thought was the best player in the 2013 class, as David Kenney decommitted on Sunday. Without him, the class overall definitely takes a few steps back. It's up to the Hawkeyes to find someone else that can be just as good.

In the 2012 class, Iowa signed three four-stars, which is probably either typical or slightly on the high end.

One thing I think Kirk Ferentz and his staff deserve a lot of credit for is the ability to take less talented players and develop them into outstanding players, and then getting them to buy into the program and play as a team. Considering the recruiting obstacles a program like Iowa faces, the Hawkeyes shouldn't be able to compete with and beat some of the teams that they do. Some of the secrets to Iowa's success in that regard are having one of the best strength coaches in all of football - college or pro - and great coaching stability. So Iowa is able to maximize each kid's ability, and the kid's growth as a player isn't stunted by changes in the system.

Strength coaches are always extremely important to any college program, but that's only magnified now at Penn State. With less scholarships available, Penn State has much less margin for error when it comes to missing on recruits. Virtually each one needs to realize his full potential, and a lot of that lays on the shoulders of the strength coach.

You rang?

Tough question, to say the least. I think these are two very evenly matched teams, and am expecting a close game no matter who wins. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Penn State win, but I think Iowa wins a nailbiter, something along the lines of 19-17. It'll be an electric atmosphere at Kinnick, and Iowa's kicker has been automatic and extremely clutch lately. With everything else close to equal, I think those two factors benefit the Hawkeyes in a down-to-the-wire game.