Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football Press Conference News & Notes from Kirk Ferentz, Hawkeye Football Over/Unders

Episode Date: August 31, 2022

Trent Condon is back for the latest edition of the Locked on Hawkeyes Podcast. Trent opens the show with a look back at the important parts from the Kirk Ferentz press conference as the Hawkeyes get ready for their first game against South Dakota State.Some talk on the quarterback position and how big the gap was in the competition between Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla, true freshman that have a chance to play this season, where the running back spot is and of course the injuries to the wide receiver spot.Then it's time to preview this South Dakota State team and look at where the Jackrabbits are concerning for the Hawkeyes and areas that they can be exploited.Trent wraps up with some Hawkeye football over/unders and prop bets for the players in the upcoming season.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at Linkedin.com/lockedoncollege Terms and conditions apply.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's game week on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. We get ready for the matchup with South Dakota State. Press conference news and notes. Hawkeye football over-unders. We have some fun with some numbers today, and we preview the Jackrabbits all coming up on today's Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. You are Locked On Hawkeyes,

your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Trey Connett with you once again. It's the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. Available wherever you find podcasts. And you can also find the video stream on YouTube.

Just search Locked On Hawkeyes and give us a follow there each and every day. We will be with you throughout the week. Instant reaction over the weekend as we have made it. Game week is here. A solo edition today coming up tomorrow. Jace will stop by for our Degenerate Hawkeyes podcast. We will talk plenty of gambling and get Jace's thoughts on the opener coming up then Friday. LaShawn will be back with us as we will preview the matchup with South Dakota State

and get ready for it making their way to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. Thanks for joining us again here today. Glad to have you aboard with us. And with that, let's get into some news and notes from over the last day. Yesterday, it was the press conference for Kirk Ferentz as he talked to the assembled media in Iowa City. Also got to hear from a number of players. And with Kirk, you always have to be filtering a little bit, right? You have to kind of read between the lines, figure out exactly what he's saying. And there's times that Kirk Ferentz, he's ready to go. He's got a bone to pick. There's

something that's frustrated him. He has a talking point that he wants to get out there and he can get from the get-go. You can know from the get-go that he is ready to go with that. This first one of the season, though, not one of those cases, but I thought a whole lot of interesting nuggets that we were able to kind of dig out of there. And that's what you have to do. It's still coach speak. It's still Kirk Ferentz. He's not going to.

This isn't Hayden, right? We're not going to see him show up in bib overalls and a straw hat. He's not going to be doing some of the fun things or maybe the not so fun things that we saw from Hayden in the past. He is his own guy and he's a different kind of guy and he does it this way. Hayden in the past. He is his own guy and he's a different kind of guy and he does it this way. So as we read through, go through the transcript, listening to the interviews with both him and the players from yesterday, some things that I dug out of there that I think are pretty important as we get ready for Saturday in the matchup with South Dakota State. First of all, he was talking about, of course, the stars, the guys that are going to be there. And he said that the linebackers,

that's a given, they're going to be out there. Riley Moss, Kayvon Merriweather, they're going to be out there. And then he said, Laporte at tight end, no surprise. And this is how he finished. Quote, Petras as our quarterback. Those things are set in stone right now. Unquote. Those things are set in stone right now.

I think it goes to show you that this was not a real quarterback competition. Spencer Peaches was going to have to completely fall on his face for him not to be the starter. They love his arm. They love his intangibles. And there is very, very little that is going to get them to change from what it is. We've talked about the reasons.

We have been having this conversation for a long time. We're ready to football and to see if it is different. I don't believe it will be. After two seasons of seeing Spencer Petras as a starter, offensive line was a struggle. Wide receiver is going to be an excuse this year. What I continue to come back to, though, is the pocket presence and the ability to move around.

You don't have to be Lamar Jackson. You don't have to be Drew Tate. But having some kind of ability of a pocket presence, Spencer Petras has never shown that ability, and I don't know if that's something that can be coached. I don't know if that's something different. I know he looks great with the red shirt on. When he can't be touched in practice, he can sling it all around.

He can make all the throws because he knows that he's not going to be sacked. When the lights are on, when the bullets are flying in a football game, he is a different guy. Great practice player. That does not surprise me one bit. You don't get to wear a red jersey. At least if you're a Hawkeye out there during game week. We'll see.

It could be different. I could be dead wrong on this one. I would be shocked if that's the case. And hey, there's also an excuse. If he plays poorly again, you have the wide receiver excuse. We'll get into that a little bit more. Some more news and notes from the press conference, and let's go to the injury front. First of all, news that we already knew, Jackson Ritter, the walk-on wide receiver, along with Justin Britt, offensive guard, both those guys will be

out for the season. We did know that was going to be the case, and Kirk mentioned that again during the press conference yesterday. The other one that he mentioned is David Davidoff, something that we have speculated about plenty here. He was not on the two deep after being there earlier this summer, right before Big Ten Football Media Days. That was the last depth chart that we received. He was on there at that time, not going to be there.

He said, I'm sorry to say, he won't be able to play. That's kind of where our roster is right now, speaking of David Davidoff. So there is hope that maybe he's going to be able to make it back. This was a highly regarded guy coming out of high school. This is a guy that had big-time hope. Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, the big boys were after him, and Iowa won out.

Certainly hope, obviously, he's going to get that opportunity to play and that he is going to be ready to go, hopefully by next season, and wearing the black and gold. We continue with the questions on the injury front. Gigan Johnson, we know he slowed down. We've talked about it. We speculated about it. It's been a conversation piece seemingly since January.

He said, Kirk Ferentz said this, it's been touch and go. Like I said, we had a lot of guys in and out of the lineup with injuries, that type of thing. That's always frustrated. Nobody gets more frustrated than the players involved. He's got a chance, and we'll see where it goes. A chance to play, the question was? Yeah, chance to play.

There's a chance. Now, I think that goes to show you also that what we have talked about here is coming to fruition, that Keegan Johnson certainly is not close. He is not close to being 100%. And even if he's able to go against South Dakota State, I think anticipate we're looking at more a limited snap count. He's going to be out there 15, 20, 25 plays, something like that. To anticipate if Iowa runs 70 plays on Saturday that he's out there even 50, I think that's highly questionable. For you to anticipate, that's going to be the case. Get them ready for Iowa State.

If that's even realistic, is it going to be a little bit later? We will see. But that wide receiver group, it is incredibly scary right now just how limited they appear. We continue with the news and notes from the press conference here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Another one that we've questioned about, not a injury question, but about

kicker. The surprise is the depth chart we talked about on Monday after that came out saying Aaron Blom listed not with an either or by his name, but listed as the outright starter with the freshman Drew Stevens behind him. The response from Kirk Ferentz says that

we're both going to let it play out. A possibility that one will do the kickoff duties. The other will be the field goal kicker. And in question, who will be the first one out there? Who will get the first kicking opportunity? Kirk Ferentz said this. I'll tell you on Saturday. I don't know right now.

All right. Fair enough. Still got questions. And it's going to be an incredibly tight race. The good news is at least you can look at it this way. I don't think we're talking about going back to the Zach Brommer days. This is not some limitations with leg strength or anything like that. Both these guys, certainly for a college kicker, both of them already have adequate legs,

where you're not worried about that. You're not worried about a guy that struggles anything outside of 35 yards, 40 yards, something like that. That's not the concern with either of these guys. I think it's close. And I think if one of them does falter, whoever proves to get the job, I think they are confident that the other guy will also have an opportunity. I very well could be

eating my words there. I also believe in the coaching that they get in special teams and also the mental coaching that these kickers have had throughout the years in Iowa football. It's been a very, very strong, strong aspect with this program. Some more news and notes. Let's go to the freshmen anticipate we're going to see this year.

Both Xavier Wampa and TJ Hall, both those guys are going to be on special teams. They're going to be playing and playing the whole season. Kirk Ferentz said that. So throw those two freshmen in the mix. Anticipate that's going to be the case. Though Aaron Graves is not listed on the depth chart, I think everybody speculates and assumes that he is going to be out there

and he is going to be part of that rotation group out of that defensive line as deep of a defensive line as they have had. And then we'll see. The freshmen, maybe Caleb Johnson, that running back spot, I think either Johnson or Patterson, one of those guys, is going to see a carry on Saturday, and I would anticipate one will redshirt ultimately, one will play more than four games.

And remember, the rules are different than they were in the past, where once you played a game, your redshirt was burned, and then you get into medical redshirts and everything else. They changed that rule a couple years back in college football. You can play up to four games and still maintain your red shirt status. I would anticipate we'll see both of those guys out there, but something to keep an eye on. A couple more things I wanted to get to here.

One we talked about earlier this week, also Jennings Dunker, the big, now up to 325, he said in his press conference earlier this week, also Jennings Dunker, the big, now up to 325, he said, in his press conference earlier this week. He was first team guard back at Kids Day, was not listed on the depth chart, and that gave a surprise to Kirk Ferentz. He said, he's on the depth chart, and the media said, no, he's not. And Kirk responded, put him on there. He's in the mix, top eight, ten guys right now. So that is at least a little bit of insight. Also, about that depth chart.

We talked about that earlier this week, right? The depth chart, it's something to have fun. It's something to take a look at. But ultimately, we will see. Ultimately, we're going to see what this team is going to look like. We're going to talk about the opponent, South Dakota State. We've got to get into that as well. Talk about the Jackrabbits and this squad, what they're going to look like here on game week and get to have some fun with some Hawkeye football over unders. That's right. If

you're a better like I am, you're going to understand this. I'm going to throw some numbers out with you can play along at home over under Spencer Petras, touchdown passes, rushing yards from a running back who leads the team in receptions out of the wide receiver position. Some prop bets, if you will, as we continue on the lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Speaking of betting bet online.net, your number one source for all your pro and college football betting needs and

sports info. This season, find all the latest football league developments, game matchups. They have news, number one source for all your pro and college football betting needs and sports info this season. Find all the latest football league developments, game matchups, they have news, podcasts, and this week's opening games. BetOnline is also your continued source for all your wagering information with live betting, esports, and scores. Head to the website today or hop on your phone and learn more about the trends and action.

BetOnline, where the game starts. So the Hawkeyes have been installed the early line, 15.5 here on the local front. Nothing quite yet on that. Still looking for that first point spread here in the state of Iowa, a stateside, if you will, but we'll continue to keep you up to date with that. We'll make some picks brought to you by BetOnline coming up on tomorrow's Locked On podcast with myself and Biz, and then on Friday, we'll do the same with myself and LaShawn. But let's talk a little bit about this South Dakota State team,

an incredibly good program. They have built themselves up. Are they at the level of North Dakota State? Not quite, but they're a level above now Northern Iowa. And we know how good UNI has been. The scares that the Panthers obviously have thrown into Iowa, have thrown into Iowa State recently. We know how good that UNI program is.

And South Dakota State, they're better. They have a national championship to their credit during the shortened 22 spring season, 2020 spring season, a national championship there. Last year in what was a disappointing year for their program, they still got to the FCS semifinal game. It shows you what this program is and certainly what the anticipation level is for them each and every year.

So got to be ready. They're going to do it differently. They're going to, this is kind of a motion type of team, if you will. Your eyes will play tricks on you. You got motion going all over the place. I've watched this team a couple of different times in the past against you and I and a couple other of their matchups. They do it differently. They're going to

have a new quarterback this year. It was actually their quarterback of the championship season, though. So Chris Oladukun comes in, started his career at South Florida, was at Fordham, then ends up for one year at South Dakota State last year, throws for over 3,000 yards. He runs for over 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns, and he's drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But the guy that led them to that national championship, he is back now. That shows you just how good this team is in Gronowski. He was excellent that season. They got an All-American tight end, Tucker Kraft, who had six touchdowns last year, nearly 800 yards. A really good receiver in Janke that went over 1,000 yards last season. They lose an NFL running back, and what do they do? Oh, they got depth and a whole lot of depth there. Pierce strong off to the NFL, but you got Isaiah Davis, who ran for over 700 yards last year. You look at those rushing totals, too, and they're going to

spread you out. It's going to be sideline, too, and they're going to spread you out. It's going to be sideline to sideline. They're going to try to beat you to the edge. You know, it reminds me a lot of what you saw out of the Maryland offense, and I know how well it went last year against Maryland. I get that. Say, oh, this will be easy then. Don't go there.

They're going to go. Now, the good news is, even against this great Iowa defense, I think they're going to move the ball a little bit. They're going to have some success, and I think offensively they're good. This is not as strong of a South Dakota State team defensively, though. Last year, they were in the 70th in the country at the FCS level as it pertains to pass defense. They gave up 21 touchdowns a year ago, also gave up 17 sacks.

So a couple of other nuggets to bite on. Remember, we saw Colorado State last year. South Dakota State went on the road and beat them 42-23. That was a struggle for the Iowa team. And they were able to go on the road and really dominate that football game. So this is a team that's going to be good once again. They throw it. They go up and down the field.

You can get to them, though. You can move the football on this team. And this is a good, good one to jump off the season with, right, where you get that opportunity to go out there a team. This is not a tomato can. This is not a team that you're just going to show up and name the score against. This is a real opponent that you're going to have to be ready for.

I was going to be ready. I don't think there's any doubt about that. FS1 will have a 219 if you have DirecTV. The Hawkeyes installed as a 15-5 point favorite. The over-under is 44.5. A couple of trends also with South Dakota State. They are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games. The total has gone over in six of the last seven games with South Dakota State. So just a couple of other nuggets to keep your eye on with South Dakota State as we get ready for the Jackrabbits and a team that comes in. They're going to be ready to go.

Their linebacker played at Solon. They got 12 Iowans on the roster. So you know they're going to be ready. They're going to be excited to play in Kinnick Stadium and the Hawkeyes need to be ready. We don't need anything like 2016, right? When North Dakota State came down and got that victory. Let's stay away from that. Get off to a good start and let's get ready for the Cyclones.

We'll take our final timeout. Continuing on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast, I mentioned we got some over-unders. We're going to get into those in a moment. Over-unders for your squad, no doubt about it. We're going to have some fun ones here, and we'll play along. We'll see what you do

and grade yourself at the end of the season here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Wrapping up on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast, and let's get into some of those over-unders here for the season that I've been talking about and teasing with you here a little bit. So I just typed out a few, just a few ideas and trying to figure out the numbers that

make sense. Now, if you believe Spencer Petras is going to be the quarterback all season long and he's going to be healthy, this one should be easy. Over under 2,200 passing yards. We're talking regular season, 12 games only. That is still averaging less than 200 yards through the era game. If he can't get over that and he is your starter all season long, this thing's going to get scary.

But the over-under, 12 and a half touchdowns. What do you think? Spencer Petras, is he going to have 13 or more touchdowns or 12 or less this season? Also put that number of interceptions at five and a half. Also that plays in, I think, to what you're going to see. So go to the running back spot here and some over-unders.

I believe Gavin Williams ultimately will be the leading rusher for this team, but I didn't put it overly high. I don't see Gavin Williams getting to 1,000 yards this year, and the reason for that, I think it's going to be running back by committee. You're going to see LaShawn Williams out there a whole lot this season. I think you're going to see Caleb Johnson out there, the freshman. I think you're also going to see a little Patterson out there. They're excited about this running game. I think it's going to be spread around a little bit. I put the number Gavin Williams over under 650

rushing yards this season. Here's a prop though, that I think would be fun to bet it. You can bet it here on the kind of casino. All right, hit me up with the comments on YouTube. Give us a click over there and hit the subscribe button and leave it in the comments. Do more than three Hawkeyes, well, we'll say two and a half. How about that? Two and a half is the over-under. Over 300 yards rushing this year. Gavin, LaShawn, Caleb Johnson. I'd take the over on this one. I think the Hawkeyes do get to three, at least three guys that get over 300 yards in the regular season. Here's a fun one at the wide receiver position.

It has dominated our conversations over the last two weeks. We're taking tight end out of this because ultimately, I think Sam Laporta is going to be your guy that is going to lead the team in receptions this season. This is only wide receiver. Who has the most catches from wide receiver? We're going to do it this way. This is like a horse race, right? We're going to put betting odds on it.

Your betting favorite is still Keegan Johnson. Kirk says he's got a chance to play. We're going to install him as the favorite at 3-1. Your second betting choice is Arlen Bruce right behind him at 4-1. The third choice, the walk-on, Alec Wick. We'll put Wick at 8-1. Brody Brecht, hopefully out there, 12-1. The third choice, the walk-on, Alec Wick. We'll put Wick at 8-1. Brody Brecht, hopefully out there, 12-1. And also put the freshman, Jacob

Bostic, at 15-1. Didn't last list Jack Johnson in there. Probably should have. He'd probably be also in that 12-15 range to do it. But have some fun with that one. Keegan, we know if healthy, he should lead the team. And I love Arlen Bruce and what he's done. And a lot of good reports about Arlen Bruce and how good he has looked throughout this camp another

nugget speaking of Arlen Bruce in the return game the question was posed to Kirk if with all the limitations obviously with this wide receiver group and all the injuries are they a little concerned a little nervous about putting Arlen Bruce back there in the return game said absolutely not if he's one of our best and gives us the best shot, they're going to do that. And that is good to see. How about the most sacks this year? Lucas Van Ness. Let's put it at nine and a half.

Had seven and a half a year ago. He's going to play a ton. He'll play inside. He'll play outside. And more than likely, Lucas Van Ness is going to be out there in pretty much every passing down situation. A lot of third and longs. He's got a chance to get to double digits. Does he get there? Well, that's why I put the over-under at

nine and a half. Jack Campbell, obviously he's going to lead the team in tackles. I put 120 at the number over-under on that. And finally, interceptions on the year. Riley Moss, the All-American. I dropped it down to three and a half. I think there are going to be teams that might be a little more shy throwing it Riley Moss' way. And Xavier Wampa, does he get to two this year? I put it at one and a half interceptions. So have some fun with that. Hit us up in the comments on YouTube, Locked on Hawkeyes,

and let us know where you're going to be playing at the Cotta Casino with your bets on Hawkeye over-unders. Hey, thanks again for making Locked on Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. Now, for your second listen, go check out the ultimate pro football preview 2022. It's an eight-episode extravaganza to get you ready for the NFL season.

The local team of experts on the Lockdown Podcast Network plus betting angles from Lee Sterling on Lockdown Bets all combining into one Ultimate NFL Preview. Search for Ultimate Pro Football Preview 2022 on your Odyssey app, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts. We're back with you again tomorrow. Jace will stop by.

We'll make some bets. We'll have some fun. More Iowa football. Then on Friday, it'll be LaShawn Daniels as we roll through. Welcome to game week. Thanks for joining us. This has been the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Go Hawks!