Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - How Iowa's offense will fare vs the Indiana Hoosiers

Episode Date: September 3, 2021

The Iowa football team is taking on Indiana in two days, and we are here to analyze what to expect for performances from the Iowa football team on the offensive side of the ball alongside Big Ten Ben Stevens. Will Spencer Petras throw an interception? Will Tyler Goodson break 100 yards rushing? And will Tyrone Tracy exceed 100 yards receiving for the second time in his career? We answer all of those questions here.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!SweatBlockGet it today for 20% off at SweatBlock.com with promo code LockedOn, or at Amazon and CVS.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Oh buddy, what a freaking fantastic episode we got for you today. I am joined by Ben Stevens, formerly known as Big Ten Ben of Locked On Big Ten Podcast. No longer. He is now with Sports Grid. But I'm your host, Andrew Wade, and we are joined for an episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes Podcast.

And Ben is doing a lot of betting stuff, so we are here to bet on pretty much any line you can bet on. Will Caleb Shudock kick more than two field goals? Will Spencer Petras throw one interception? Who knows? Anyways, though, before we get into any of that, Ben, how are you doing, man? What are you up to these days? I mean, how can you say formerly known as Big Ten Ben, as you see on the graphic here? Who's the only other guy you know with a Big Ten hat like this? Only me. I'm still Big Ten Ben, although I do no longer work for the Locked On Podcast Network. I do not host Locked On Big Ten, which Andrew Wade

was on constantly. Regardless, it is a beautiful thing to be here with you, talking about Big Ten football for week one of the college football season. Iowa-Indiana, the game that was promised last year for Big Ten Champions Week, the real two versus two. It never happened. At least we get it this time to start off

the Big Ten football season. I am doing well. I am working for SportsGrid, like you mentioned. Still a college football guy through and through, all from a betting perspective, but just a way of breaking down games. And that's what we'll do today for the Hawkeyes and the Hoosiers. What is better, Andrew Wade? Honestly, nothing. I cannot wait. I'm going to get so drunk watching Iowa versus Indiana on Saturday and hopefully win some money. And it is going to be, and I apologize if anyone's offended by me getting too drunk, but it's going to be a blast. I am absolutely pumped. But yeah,

I thought it was going to be fun to have you on. Then I realized you're probably getting asked. I saw you're on the lockdown Badgers podcast as well. I feel like it's just a college football season just feels wrong to start it without having you on the show. So I appreciate you coming on before we get into anything though. The show is brought to you by rock outer.com. Amazing selection, reliably low prices,

all the parts your car will ever need. Visit rockauto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Ben, have you ever used Rock Auto? Oh, all the time. You know I used to use Rock Auto all the time. You know I used to sing the jingle all the time. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need.

Rock Auto. I haven't done that in a while. Actually, I did it for the Locked On Badgers podcast, but good to do it again. Yeah, Asher brought that up, and I was like, I will never, ever sing this jingle. Ever. Not a chance. That is not me at all. But, Ben, we do have a ton of lines.

So I went through and custom picked a ton of lines for fun. We're obviously going to get to the easy ones that you can actually bet on at betonline.ag. The money line, bet, the spread, the over-under. But I want to get into the details here. If we were able to make some bets on our own, how many interceptions is Michael Penix Jr. going to throw? How many interceptions is Spencer Petras going to throw? How many yards is Torrey Taylor going to average punting? We're going to talk about all that today. Also, I want to add, last year, you and I went back and forth on Indiana. I was never

a fan of Indiana. I thought their defense was overrated. You, my friend, were the complete opposite. We are going to find out, though, which defense is better, and I cannot wait. Before we get into the lines, what are your initial thoughts on this game? Well, I think the game is just going to be beautiful. Like I mentioned, it was a game that I hoped for last year when Iowa had rattled off six great wins heading into Big Ten Champions Week. Indiana had its sights set on a New Year's Six Bowl. I was so excited for this matchup. I am continuously excited for this matchup as it stands right now. I think both of these teams being ranked preseason inside the top 20 is very adequate for where they both stand right now. Indiana, a lot of people look at them this year and say, can they do it once again?

Can Tom Allen sustain this level of success that he has built for his program in Bloomington? Of course, I am a believer of it, but what does success mean for IU this year? Is it a 9-3, 10-2 year competing with Ohio State for the top spot in the Big Ten East, or based on how difficult the schedule is, is it an eight-win football season for Indiana? And is that considered a success? I think first and foremost, Tom Allen would tell you they want to get back to a big-time bowl game. They want to win that bowl game because for all that the Hoosiers have done under Tom Allen, they have yet to win a bowl game. On the other side for Iowa, it's a return to the top of the Big Ten West division, I should say, because they want to be up there rivaling Wisconsin

in that game Halloween weekend that I know all Iowa fans have already looked forward to and have already circled will decide the Big Ten West division, in my opinion. So I think it's a return to what Iowa is best at, which is establishing a run with guys like Tyler Goodson, having the Hog Mollies up front, and hopefully Spencer Petras can be a little bit more accurate this year. The defense under Phil Parker, I think, is going to be fantastic. You have told me all about how good the secondary can be this year on the spring football tour. I agree with you. And then Torrey Taylor's campaign for the Heisman trophy begins on Saturday against the Hoosiers. I cannot wait for all of this game, really from both sides. Dude, couldn't agree more. Just one quick note. Did you know that I interviewed Torrey Taylor a couple months ago? No, I did not. That's

pretty awesome. Torrey's a good good guy he is a lot of fun uh i asked him about gas station pizza and he was so upset about even asking about gas station pizza he's like why would i ever eat pizza from a gas station this is absolutely absurd and then i asked him what is your favorite like food in america what is your favorite restaurant and he said cereal cereal is his favorite food he said they don't get that kind of cereal in in australia and so and like without costing like 15 bucks for like a little jar of cereal and so he absolutely loved cereal i think uh specifically it was cinnamon toast crunch is his favorite did you ask him did you specify casey's general store pizza though

which is one of your favorites? I did. He still wanted none of it? Yeah, and I said, well, when I come to Iowa City, I'm bringing you a Casey's pizza. I'm going to bring you a whole pizza. It's on me. I don't care. And he said, I'm not eating it.

And I was like, well, that's your freaking problem. I'm going to eat it myself then. I don't know, man. Now I'm not sure I can be so trusting of his Heisman campaign. You know, I'm the founder and president of the Michael Penix Jr. for Heisman Fan Club. I was ready to jump on for Torrey Taylor. I'm not sure I could be so trusting of his Heisman campaign. You know, I'm the founder and president of the Michael Penix Jr. for Heisman Fan Club. I was ready to jump on for Torrey Taylor. I'm not sure I can anymore.

I agree. I mean, Torrey Taylor could be a Heisman candidate, but will he be if he doesn't eat Casey's pizza? We will never know. Speaking of Torrey Taylor, one of the lines that I created for today, Torrey Taylor, over under 44.1 yard punting average in this game against Indiana. What are you taking? I'm taking the over, mainly because this is is a big 10 tweet and we need to talk about Tori Taylor punting the ball as far as possible. The question is how many opportunities will Tori Taylor have to punt on Saturday in Iowa

City? You hope that Iowa continues to move the football against a really good Indiana defense. So how many opportunities will he have? But if the average is 44.1, is that what it is? The line over under 44.1? I'm going to take the over. I think we saw a great display from Blake Hayes, the 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year for Illinois this past weekend against Nebraska. I think Torrey Taylor saw that, wants to one-up it. I think he will try to do that against the Hoosiers on Saturday. So over Torrey Taylor, 44.1 yards per punt. Yeah, former Australian Blake Hayes as well. You better believe Torrey Taylor wants to beat him out on that. I also take in the 44.1.

I think what we forget is that Torrey Taylor punted in November and December in Iowa, and that is not easy to kick a cold football. I'm excited to watch him punt. Sticking with the specialists, we have Caleb Shudock, who most people are like, who's kicking for Iowa now? But anyone who's been around the Iowa program knows that Caleb was neck and neck with Keith Duncan, who is arguably the GOAT. And Keith Duncan, over the last two years, averaged two field goals per game. Caleb Shudock, over under two field goals in a tightly contested Big Ten battle.

Listen, I think you are a great odds maker by trade because that is a great line. Had you given me one and a half, I'd take the over without a doubt. But to go over two means three field goals. And I still think I lean the over because there might be some opportunities early on in this game where Iowa is unable to convert, maybe down inside the red zone, maybe just outside the red zone, and they settle for a field goal with Caleb Shudock. So I didn't know who was kicking for Iowa. Of course, we remember Keith Duncan for all that he instilled during his wonderful time in Iowa City. But I

think I'm going to go over two field goals. The line is set very well, though. I think it also could be a push. But if you're asking me over or under, I'm going to say over. Yeah, I'm going to take over as well on this. I don't want to continue to agree with you the entire day. I'm sure we're going to probably disagree on the rest of these. But I'm taking the over as well. I think Iowa is going to play a little bit conservative. Their offense in general doesn't do as well in the first game of the season. So I expect them to get maybe into the 20 and the 30 and just settle for a field goal, especially in a game where you do need to have points. The final special teams thing I want to talk about is Charlie Jones over under one

touchdown. No, that's a bad line over Over under half a touchdown return. So basically, is he going to get zero touchdowns returning or one touchdown kicking and punting to return? He is both the returners for Iowa this year. What are your thoughts on Charlie Jones? Just as I complimented your odds-making ability, you set a terrible line for a punt or kick return touchdown in the opening game of the year against Indiana. If you give me the hook at 0.5, I'm still going to take the under. Although I think Charlie Jones is special. I do not believe there will be a special teams touchdown on a punt or kick return on Saturday, really from either side, but I will say an under here for Charlie

Jones. Yeah, this is a good one. If I actually made these lines, I think Iowa fans would definitely get onto that over and plus probably like 400 and lose a lot of money, which is fantastic. Not the Iowa fans lose money, but if I'm the odds maker, I want to win money. And unfortunately, I think both special teams are very strong. They're not going to want to punt to Charlie Jones. I just don't. They're going to want to avoid him at all costs. They're going to try to kick the ball out of the end zone.

So to me, it just makes sense. He's not going to have the opportunities to even return the ball. So that'll be interesting there. Coming up on segment two, we're going to get into some of the offensive lines, some good ones with Spencer Petras and Michael Penix Jr. I do want to tell you about rockauto.com though, with ever increasing numbers, your hand motion threw me off there, with ever increasing numbers of makes and models, it is now impossible for your local chain auto parts store to stock all the parts you need. Why endure often pointless or seemingly intimidating questioning and wait while the person behind the counter orders the

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reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Rockauto.com You have no chance of doing that. Getting into segment two, so you have no chance of talking about rockauto.com. Ben, Michael Penix Jr., you were the Heisman Trophy fan club president, whatever you want to call it,

about Michael Penix Jr. last year. Did you know that he averaged more interceptions per game than Spencer Petras? I did not know that, frankly, about Michael Penix Jr., which is rather surprising because Spencer Petras, at times, maybe not turning the ball over, but definitely more inconsistent and inaccurate than Michael Penix Jr.

What was the completion percentage between those two guys? Do you know? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. The point is that Michael Penix Jr. threw more interceptions per game than Spencer Petras. Completion percentage, we'll get to that, but it doesn't matter for today. So Michael Penix Jr. over under one interception.

Oh, shoot, I screwed that one up too. Half an interception. Over under half of an interception for Michael Pen screwed that one up too half an interception over under half of an interception for michael pennings jr i don't think one's a terrible line i thought that was pretty good you're either saying he's going to go under one not throw one maybe a push at one i don't think he throws two so right now i'm still gonna say under although for all the reasons that you can highlight the hoosiers defense last year and their ability to take the ball away which is something that Tom Allen preaches new defensive coordinator coordinator Charlton Warren preaches last year's defensive coordinator Kane Womack preaches Iowa was also pretty much up there in terms of takeaways per game for any defense in college

football Indiana ranked fourth behind three Pac-12 teams, so a smaller sample size on a per-game basis. Iowa was seventh with 2.2 takeaways per game, so Iowa's secondary also very good under Phil Parker, but I don't think Michael Penix Jr. turns the ball over throwing an interception on Saturday. How can I say that he would as the founder and president of the Michael Penix Jr. for Heisman Fan Club? So I'm going to say under half an interception on Saturday against Iowa. I appreciate that. And the reason why I changed it from one to 0.5 is that Michael Penix Jr. only throw two interceptions one time last year. And I feel like that's just not a line you try to bite on. I'm taking one interception. So I'm taking the over on that one. I think Michael Penix Jr. and what Indiana's offense does, they like to throw

the ball deep. They like to take shots down the field. Iowa, they are very adamant that no one gets past them. The only team that's gotten past them in the last four years is Iowa State twice in a ridiculous game where they ultimately won, and then every single play, Purdue and David Bell. Outside of that, Iowa does a fantastic job of keeping teams in front of them. They have a ball-hawking safety duo in Jack Kerner and Kayvon Merriweather. They have two phenomenal corners, Dane Belton, and theyavier williams who's a guy who's not even on the two deeps and he was going to look at playing in the nfl last year decided to transfer to iowa

i think iowa gets the at least one interception if not two interceptions against michael pennix jr now spencer petrus i have this at half an interception as well last year he averaged 0.625 interceptions per game five interceptions out of eight games. Indiana averaged 2.1 interceptions per game. What are you taking on this one? I'm going to take the over for Spencer Petras on Saturday. I think there will be a ball that is intercepted by the Indiana defense. You highlighted all these studs in the Iowa secondary, and rightfully so.

Jack Kerner might be one of the best defensive backs in all of the Big Ten Conference, as is one of the safeties for Indiana in Tywin Mullin. He was a first-team All-Big Ten defensive player a year ago. I think he will be right back up there this year. He might be one of the best defensive backs, not just in the Big Ten, in all of the country. I think Spencer Petras will throw one interception on Saturday against Indiana. Could it be a game-changing interception? That remains to be seen, but I'm going to take the over of the.5 interceptions for Spencer Petras.

I love Matt. I'm going to agree with you on this one. I hope I'm wrong. People usually forget about this, but Ricky Stanzi had this general mantra of throwing an interception, not a mantra, a general, I can't even think of the word. He threw an interception in almost every game he played in. And in the big game.

Yeah, it was a trend. That's what it is. Trending towards, God, I can't say words. He threw an interception in almost every game that really mattered for Iowa. Yeah, he always came back and fought back. I think Spencer Petras is going to be a little bit nervous. I think he's going to throw an interception early on in the game. And then we're going to see Spencer Petras circa Wisconsin second half come out,

and he is going to blow up and have a fantastic game. That's what I'm hoping. I'm going to try to speak it into existence. Sticking on the offensive side of the ball, running backs. Indiana has struggled running the ball, at least last year they did. They lose Stevie Scott. They replace him with former five-star running back Stephen Carr. Iowa's defensive line is pretty much all brand new, but traditionally they have been a very stout run defense team. So last year they allowed only 2.8 yards per carry. Stevie Scott averaged 3.6 yards per carry behind a pretty bad Indiana offensive line. And Stephen Carr has averaged 5 yards per carry in his career.

Over under 3.8 yards per carry. 3.8 yards per carry. An interesting line set by Andrew Wade here, the host of Locked On Hawkeyes over under 3.8 yards per carry I'm going to lean slightly under for Stephen Carr specifically or Indiana as a team Stephen Carr I don't want to get with the whole Michael Penix Jr. and him probably getting a 70 yard touchdown run yeah right and there might be some other backfield duos we're not highlighting yet of Indiana. I'm going to lean the under for Stephen Carr.

It's his first game in an Indiana uniform, the transfer from USC, one of the most highly recruited running backs in the country. I think when he came out, he was along the likes of like Anaji Harris, like he was up there in that echelon of his recruiting rank when he left, but he's a little bit older. I believe this is his fifth year in collegiate football.

That's going to be a detriment to him right now, but I'd still maybe just go under here. Although talk to me about Iowa's defensive front. Who do they return in the front seven? The only starter they return is Zach Van Valkenburg. So over the last three years, Iowa has lost at least three starting defensive linemen every single year. Zach Van Valkenburg returns.

He is a guy who was an all big 10 player last year so that is phenomenal um inside they got noah shannon a guy who i think some people ignorantly make a comparison to davian nixon i've even done it before i think it's just easy to see a guy who has shown pass rush success in the past who has limited snaps and has a good frame i'm a little bit quick i think it's easy to compare him to Davian Nixon, but Davian Nixon was a one of a kind type of player last year. Noah Shannon, though, supposed to be the big guy up in the middle.

And then why a black, a huge mammoth kid. Who's I think gained 50 or something pounds since joining the Iowa football team, just a beast of a player, but has not played hardly at all. And then on the edge, we have John Wagner, a former four-star recruit out of West Des Moines Valley.

And we have Joe Evans and you're going to love this, a walk-on quarterback turned walk-on linebacker turned walk-on defensive end turned scholarship defensive end, who has the ability to drop back and really allows Phil Parker to do several different things with his defensive line. So he has the ability to drop back into coverage because he's athletic enough, because he's also only 245 pounds, which is the size of our linebackers. And he also has the ability to take on offensive tackles with his speed. So that is the defensive line. I trust in Kelvin Bell, but it is definitely an inexperienced defensive line nonetheless.

That is good information for me to know as I start to handicap Iowa and Indiana for this weekend. Thank you very much, Andrew Wayne. You're welcome. I'm just doing your job for you. You're welcome for that, as always. The last offensive line I want to get to is Tyler Goodson. Will he go over 100 yards rushing? Tyler Goodson looks like a beast.

If you see any pictures of him, he just looks jacked. It is going to be awesome. Last year, 50% of his games, he went over 100 yards while splitting carries. Indiana last year only allowed two 100-yard rushers in eight games. Iowa really not returning a lot on the offensive line, especially with Kyler Schott being out. They lose two or three tackles, actually, one to retirement, two to the NFL. That makes it tough.

Cole Bamwert was playing on the Titans. He's going to probably be on the practice squad. That's a lot of offensive linemen to lose. Does Tyler Goodson go over 100 yards rushing against an Indiana defensive line that has seen a lot of changes? But who does Iowa have back on the offense? Tyler Linderbaum. Thank you.

Have you heard about his shuttle? It's very, very fast. And his 10-yard split in the 40? Very, very fast. Tyler Linderbaum, I agree, is a great anchor of that offensive line. And because Tyler Goodson's mom, Felicia, liked one of my tweets last year during a Big Ten football game, Tyler Goodson will go over 100 yards rushing against Indiana.

I actually do believe in that, though. I think Tyler Goodson can go over 100 yards. I think he is going to be in strong contention for Big Ten running back of the year. He is absolutely incredible. His vision and how he bursts through holes, he is literally everybody that you need in one single running back. His ability to be shifty, his ability to be powerful and go downhill. I love what I've seen out of Tyler Goodson during his time in an Iowa Hawkeye uniform. I will say he goes over 100 yards, not just because of his skill set and versatility, but also because his mother is a Twitter fan. So boom, Tyler Goodson, over 100 yards, not just because of his skill set and versatility, but also because his mother is a Twitter fan.

So boom, Tyler Goodson, over 100 yards. I like the lack of sports substance in that, but Felicia Goodson is a phenomenal follow. If you are not following her, you have to do so. She loves watching her son play football, and she is such a great follow, such a great, honestly, an advocate for the Iowa football program and parents everywhere love following her. I agree, though.

I think Tyler Goodson goes over 100 yards. I think when you look at Indiana last year, their defensive line was solid. They lost a lot of guys. Iowa's offensive line does return the most important piece, and that's Tyler Linderbaum. And they have a lot of young guys who can fit the bill to be a top offensive lineman in the future. Tyler Goodson, though, behind the blocking Imani Potterbaum is going to be freaking awesome, and I'm pumped for that. I'm going Tyler Goodson over 100 yards as well. Yeah, so we are back at betonline.ag.

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BetOnline.ag, your online sportsbook experts. Use that promo code LOCKEDON, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N. Again, BetOnline.ag, your online sportsbook experts. So that put definitely a damper on trying to figure out how to edit this show considering it's my third YouTube show ever, but we are going to get back into it, talking Iowa football. We're getting on the defensive side of the ball. Actually, let's go one more offensive line. Will Tyrone Tracy Jr. go over 100 yards receiving? Indiana,

despite having a pretty good passing defense last year, allowed six wide receivers to go over 100 yards. Tyrone Tracy only has one 100-yard receiving game in his career. What are your thoughts on this, yes or no? Tyrone Tracy is one of my-yard receiving game in his career. What are your thoughts on this, yes or no? Tyrone Tracy is one of my favorite guys in the Big Ten Conference. Tyrone Tracy gave one of the best quotes of all of spring practice when he mentioned that Spencer Petras last year sucked, but this year he's actually delivering the ball where it needs to be. However, that being said, I think that Tyrone Tracy has a good game

where he can get about 80 to 85 yards, but I still think he goes under that 100-yard margin. I think a lot of the focus for Iowa on Saturday, and correct me if I'm wrong here, Andrew, but in that opening game when you have the consistency under center with Spencer Petras will still rely even more so, though, in that pro-style offense on Tyler Goodson in establishing the ground game against an Indiana defense that struggles a little bit more up front as they do in the secondary. So I'm going to say that the ground game is the focus because of that Tyrone Tracy can still have a very good game, but I think

he goes under a hundred yards receiving. I couldn't agree more. I think the way I was going to play this is they are going to ugly fly the hell out of this game. They are going to make it the nastiest looking game. They are going to pound the ball. They're going to run the ball as much as they can for a couple reasons. A, as you said, Indiana's defensive line, not the strongest point of their team, arguably the weakest part of their entire team, and especially on their defensive side. Iowa's running game is going to be the strength. Spencer Petras, you do not want to put too much pressure on him. We saw what happened against Purdue and Northwestern. Now, granted, that was when he had limited time to get ready. As Tyrone Tracy so eloquently put, he has gotten better at actually putting the ball where it needs to be. So that is exciting, but I think

they're going to try to take some of that pressure off of Spencer Petras, rely on the running game. And if the running game is working, why go away from it when you don't need to? All right. So we talked about completion percentages. Will Spencer Petras complete more than 60% of his passes? This is surprising to you probably, but three out of eight games last year, he did complete over 60% of his passes. Indiana allowed a 60% completion percentage, 50% of the time. What happens? Yes or no? Will Spencer go over 60%? 60% of the time, 50% of the time. That's an interesting stat right there. You like that one? 60% of the time, 50% of the time. That's an interesting stat right there. If you were going to set this line, yes, no, I still think although Spencer Petras did struggle last year,

the yes would have the minus money. The yes would have the juice at minus 126 or so for Spencer Petras to have a 60% completion percentage or better. So I'm going to agree with the minus money side, the juice here, and say that yes, Spencer Petras will throw for 60% completion percentage or better on Saturday against IU. Yeah. And I, I'd agreed that as we talked about Spencer has gotten more accurate. It seems like this off season, he has more time to develop that chemistry with his wide receivers, which I think

last year, yes, he was inaccurate. He couldn't hit the deep ball very often, but I think a lot of it also was the fact that he didn't have that chemistry with his wide receivers, and that made it very difficult for him. You could tell he would throw the ball, and it just wasn't where they were expecting it. Amir Smith-Marset looked very frustrated at times. So did Brandon Smith. This year I think it's going to be a little bit different.

I also think Iowa is going to play a little bit more of a horizontal passing game in this game to try to keep the ball getting out of the ball getting up, getting out of his hands quickly. I also think Spencer Petras is trying to be better at checking down. So I think he's going to look for Tyler Goodson or Ivory Kelly Martin out of the backfield a little bit more often than he was last year, where he was trying to force feed Sam Laporta in the middle the entire time or throw deep to Amir Seth Marset. All right. One defensive line before we get into the money line bet,

who will lead Iowa in tackles? I have five options for you. Seth Benson, Jack Kerner, Jack Campbell, Dane Belton, and other. Who would be the favorite out of those four, would you say? Who would have the shortest odds there? Seth Benson. Seth Benson last year finished second on the team in tackles. He's the weak side linebacker. He's going to be freed up to go get to the quarterback,

go get to the running back on the edge. Jack Campbell has probably the second best odds, in my opinion, as the middle linebacker. Again, Iowa's defensive line is predicated on handling the gaps and allowing linebackers to roam free. Jack Kerner is probably third on that because he is just a phenomenal tackling free safety. And then Dane Belton, kind of an oddball pick there,

but he plays close to the line, and they're going to use him in a variety of different ways. Other stuff. I would say other probably is the third best odds. So probably Seth, Jack, other, Jack, and Dane. All right. I'm going to go with the first Jack, Jack Campbell. And I will say that the middle linebacker,

the anchor of Phil Parker's defense, will have the most tackles on Saturday against Indiana. What would you say the odds are? Is it plus money for Jack Campbell? If you have Seth Benson, you said, correct? Seth Benson as the favorite. He's probably minus money or at least plus 115 or so. Let's say then that Jack Campbell is plus 140.

I'll take the plus 140 with Jack Campbell to be the leading tackler for Iowa on Saturday. I'd agree with that. I think anytime you have something like that where it's really very dependent on play calling and a lot more things other than just who's going to get the ball, right? When you have a quarterback, you know they're going to throw the ball 18, 20, 25 times a game. Tyler Goodson, you know, is going to get 20, 25 carries a game. I think from a tackle perspective, you've got to take the little bit better odds there. Take Jack Campbell when you have a plus or take the worst

odds. Jack Campbell plus 140 gets you a little bit money, a little bit more bang for your buck. All right. Over under 45 and a half. Right now the over is minus 105. The under is minus 115. How are you handling this game? 44 and a half. What draws to mind? 45 and a half.

45 and a half? Yep. Okay. What comes to mind right now, and Iowa fans, please close your ears, is that week two game against Northwestern last year that ended at 21-20. I could see both defenses standing very tall in this game, and I think Indiana's defense will get the credit that it rightfully deserves after Saturday. And if Iowa tries to control time of possession and slow things down with Tyler Goodson, I'm not sure it gives Michael Penix Jr. and Ty Fryfogle the ability to go off as much as they might later this season. So with that being said, 45.5 for a college football game week number one is actually a pretty small total in comparison to a lot of games. Even Penn State Wisconsin is 49.5. So at 45.5, I am going to say the under prevails in Iowa City on Saturday.

I love it, man. I hate betting on unders that are this low. Iowa, it's traditionally going to be pretty good, though, when you have an under like this because their defense does do such a good job of holding people to such a low amount of points compared to what they typically are scoring. Iowa not going to be putting up a ton of points at any given time. They're not Ohio State.

They're not explosive. I'm going to stay away from this line, but what I would do is put it in a teaser, add plus six to it, make that 51.5, and then I would put that and bet on that as well. So that's my thoughts on the game. All right. I like that. Let me pull this up right now because there's a great site called teamrankings.com where you can find trends for college football every year if you want it.

You can go even later in the time. So let's see what Iowa did last year over under in terms of what they hit last year. 62 and a half percent of their games last year hit to the under for Iowa. That's not exactly surprising, but don't forget that Iowa started playing Big Ten football in the month of December. Let's see since 2003 how many times Iowa plays to the under. This is going to be fascinating. I'm excited. Iowa to the under since 2003. Oh, not as many as you would think. 52.4% of Iowa's games since 2003.

If a sampling of, if I do the math very quickly, 217 games, I believe. 52.4% of those games have hit to the under for Iowa. There's a lot of teams up there. Wow. That's interesting. Yeah, that is interesting. I was not anticipating 52.4%. I think last year, 62% makes sense.

Yeah. I would love to just see some of the anomalies of that. Maybe take out some of the group of five teams and see how many times they hit that under. But interesting stuff. I appreciate that. All right. You're welcome. Always bringing the knowledge here.

Iowa, minus 3.5 at minus 102. Are you taking Iowa to cover the spread or Indiana? Let me just say, kudos to all the bookmakers out there because this is a perfect number. And I think because Iowa is on the wrong side of the hook, as it is known, when you have key numbers in football, although key numbers in college football do not relate as much as they do to the NFL. By key numbers, I mean that key number of three being a field goal and the key number of seven being a touchdown.

When you are on the wrong side of the hook, that means that the favor, the three and a half, is to Indiana. That if they were to lose by a field goal, Indiana covers that three and a half. So the hook would work against Iowa here. Because of that, I think the number is fantastic. I think it is a very fair number. I'm not sure there's a large enough edge between these two teams. So I think that Iowa wins on Saturday in Iowa City, but I believe that Indiana covers. That is my thought process for it right now. It is not the strongest handicap I have at the moment. I have not dove through the numbers as much as I would like to, to come to that conclusion for a week one football game between Iowa and Indiana.

But on this locked on Hawkeyes podcast right now, I will say Iowa prevails week number one, but Indiana covers that three and a half point spread because of the hook. I can appreciate that. Yeah. I mean, when you have a three, a seven,

those are kind of things you want to watch out for. I think, and this is just me being a homer because I hate the idea of betting on a team that I want to win and betting on them to not cover the spread. I already put a hundred dollars in Iowa minus three and a half. So I'm ready to roll. I have predicted them at 24 to 17 or 24 to 14, something in that range. I think Iowa's defense is going to really shock some people who didn't realize how good it

was last year. I know Indiana's offense has some very talented folks. Ty Fryfogle, a guy you have to watch out for. Michael Penix Jr. could give Iowa some troubles. We saw it happen with Penn State with Trace McSorley and Sean Clifford. Guys who can run the ball at quarterback position is tough for Iowa to handle because they do play their assignments so well. When they break containment, it becomes kind of chaos. Now, all that being said, I think Iowa's secondary is truly going to lock down Ty Freifogel. I think what we're missing with Indiana is that although it was a very productive

offense, it was a very inconsistent offense that relied very much on big plays, which Iowa does a phenomenal job at stopping. So I think Iowa's going to be able to handle this game. I think they're going to win by 7 or 10, and they're going to cover that line. This is it, man. That's it. So I think you're taking the money line as well. Iowa would get that money line.

Yeah, but I don't like minus 172 of juice. Oh, yeah, I'm never going to bet on 172. Yeah, screw that. Right. I love it. So no. Well, Ben, I appreciate you, man. Thank you for coming on. Thank don't know. I'm never going to bet on one. Yeah. Screw that. Right. I love it. So no. Well, Ben, I appreciate you, man. Thank you for coming on.

Thank you very much. Even though you roasted me in the graphic calling me formerly known as big 10, Ben, I still had a lovely time here back on the locked on Hawkeyes podcast. I think this is only my second appearance. And I hosted locked on big 10 for like a year and a half, or maybe just a little bit less than that. And I only made two appearances on locked on Hawkeyes. One of them after I was no longer a member

of the great Locked On Podcast Network's Big Ten community. The only other one when we were sad about Oregon and Iowa and the NCAA tournament. I think to be fair though, you have to actually look at the positive side of this. I never had you on except for when I really needed you. Like I needed you for that Oregon game. I physically couldn't get through that game.

I honestly, my wife after that game, she looked at me and she's like, are you okay? I'm like, no, I'm not. She's like, but you're not even like angry. I'm like, I'm past anger. I've entered sadness forest and I'm not leaving here for weeks. She's like, this is scaring me

because you're really, really quiet. I'm like, yes, I know. And I had to have you on to help me get through that game. Today, my third episode ever on YouTube, my first time ever having a guest which clearly we had some issues guy to go get my charger couldn't figure out the graphic and here we are today so you know what i needed you and you showed up and i appreciate that ben i'm always here for you andrew wayne never never forget that okay okay where can the folks find you man because

you're doing some awesome stuff with sports grid thank you very much for saying that you can find me at ben scott stevens on. Follow me all through social media. I still love college football the most, so I talk mostly about college football and Big Ten football. And then on SportsGrid, it's called The Morning After. It's our morning show every weekday, 9 a.m. to noon Eastern. You can find it on YouTube. You can find it on SportsGrid.com.

You can listen on SiriusXM Channel 204. Depending on where you are in the country, you can find it syndicated on your television. There is a station in Des Moines, you good Iowans, that we are now syndicated as a part of. I'm not entirely sure what the affiliate is, but I know it is out there in Des Moines.

Find me anywhere. Mainly YouTube is a great way of watching. WQAD, man. That is where it's at. Hold on a second. Let me check it. Let me check it. Let me check it.

No, keep talking. I think it's WQAD. I think it's WQAD. I think it's WQAD. I'll tell you what the affiliate is. Time filler. Oh, your affiliate, not my affiliate. No, yeah. I'm trying to figure it out for... Oh, I don't know

where this went. I think it's WQAD. I lost it. Oh, no. No, no, no. Is your fire alarm going off? Yeah, my fire alarm's going off. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Is your fire alarm going off? Yeah, yeah. It's just chaos right now. No, WHO. WHO. Who? 13.2.

Oh, Channel 13. Yeah. Channel 13.2. It's on one of the digit channels there. Channel 13.2, 9 a.m., noon Eastern, 8 a.m., 11 a.m., central time, out in the good state of Iowa. That was my fire alarm going off. I got to go see what's happening in the kitchen.

Andrew Wade. I have no idea what's going on. Ben got to go see what's happening in the kitchen. Andrew Wade. I have no idea what's going on. Ben, appreciate it as always. Hawkeye Nation, join me every single Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Have a fantastic Thursday and let's go Hawks.