Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa's PHYSICAL Ground Game Targets Oregon's VULNERABLE Linebackers | Will Moulton Break Through?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Playoff implications in Iowa City, Ducks, Hawkeyes, in a battle for aerial supremacy. Here is how it gets decided. You are Locked on College crossover, part of the Lopped On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Yes, it is that time once again for a crossover edition of Locked On. Ducks. I'm Spencer McLaughlin and Lockheyes. He is Trent Condon. It is part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you all so much for making this your first listen or your first view every day. We will have you so unbelievably prepared for what is now justifiably

Starting point is 00:00:46 a ranked matchup. It wasn't when the week began unless you look at Spencer's poll over on Lockdown College football, in which case it's always been a ranked matchup. The committee got that part right. And this episode is brought to you by our friends at Fandul right now. New customer can bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app, download the Fandul app today. So Trent, coming into this season when I was evaluating Oregon's schedule, Iowa was easily a top five most difficult game for the Ducks entering this year. It's on the road later in the year. There will be some elements in all likelihood that both teams will have to deal with. That'll be a second straight game for Oregon after the rain and windstorm they had

Starting point is 00:01:27 at Austin against Wisconsin. But I still feel good about Oregon's chances to win this game. I definitely feel less confident than I did before the season because Iowa has been playing some good ball. Yeah, the defense has taken such a huge step forward. And I know when a lot of people and certainly on the crossover with the Oregon fans, think of Iowa football. I think of a defense and atrocious offense. And that's what has been for the better part of the last six seasons. this defense, though, in the first month of the year, was not very good. The first half against Rutgers, Rutgers was doing whatever they wanted. I don't know what happened at the locker room, what defensive coordinator, Phil Parker said,

Starting point is 00:02:04 or more importantly, what he did. He was dialing up a lot more pressure after that, and that's been the team we've seen here in the last month. But, you know, Spencer, when we did our Big Ten talks throughout the course of the summertime, I told you this was always the one that I had circled because Iowa coming into the year, had two top ten teams coming to Kinnick Stadium and coming into the year. I thought, well, Penn State, I mean, that's going to be impossible. So this is the more likely of the two that I was going to pull off the upset. Here we are.

Starting point is 00:02:31 Now we know what happened to Penn State as we. Yeah, they got broken by Oregon. You're welcome. You're welcome. That aside. We'll take the victory anyway that we can get it. But here we are again. And, you know, there's very little matchup-wise we'll talk about some of, I think, the elements

Starting point is 00:02:48 that I was going to have to do to pull off this upset here. There isn't anything stylistically that you pull off. to you and say, oh, yeah, this is the reason I was going to pull off the upset. And I can see here and look at all the hair on my chest and say, look at me, I was going to pull the opposite because there's really nothing definitive that you can point to. I like to live in reality. I don't like the fan boy part of we're just going to say it to say it. I have to have reasons to really believe.

Starting point is 00:03:15 There aren't a ton of reasons to believe that Iowa can do it when you're just looking schematically, you know, what's going to happen the way it goes. The way that Iowa pulls these off, though, they ugly it up. You don't know how they do it, but they do it. And they've done it so many times throughout the years. That's what gives, I think, Hawkeye fans the most hope going into Saturday. Thanks for giving us all the chest hair visual trend. We were waiting for that.

Starting point is 00:03:37 I know that Oregon fans are delighted. Yes. Yeah, I know they're delighted to have that in their minds now. But I think for Iowa in this spot, you talked about, you know, muddying it up, make it ugly, low scoring, all that. This is the second straight game where Oregon is going to have to think, or at least I think fans should be conscious of the fact that it might not be the easiest conditions for offense.

Starting point is 00:04:05 I think that favors the hot guys. You got to go out and find a way to win. Oregon did against Wisconsin in some truly awful conditions by the, I think it was, the 740 mark of the second quarter. Winds were over 20 miles an hour and it was raining. and it was not raining a little. There's a mantra. I'm sure you don't know this, Trent.

Starting point is 00:04:25 I don't know why you would. But Don Essig, the longtime PA announcer for Oregon Athletics, I don't even remember the exact origin. I have to look it up to be sure. Always says it never rains at Otton Stadium. I heard some Indiana buddies that were out of the game. They said they heard that, and they said that was a lie at that game. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:04:46 No, I've been there. I've been there when it rains. it can physically rate metaphorically never reigns at at ottson stadium but i do think that's a notable point we don't know how bad exactly it is going to get but if these two teams have to rely on defense run game and special teams i think organ's incredibly capable in that regard don't get me wrong because i love the way they've run the ball special teams have been solid james ferguson reynolds has been a weapon at punter i know i have to bring his name up on uh on an iowa show here. Yeah, he's, he's been, he's been great. He was a spring portal edition. He has been

Starting point is 00:05:24 absolutely phenomenal. I think Oregon can do that. I think it is still fair to point out that if it does become hindering to offenses with the rain and win, then I think that helps Iowa a little bit more. You know, and it's been funny. And there's another social media debate. I want to talk to you maybe a little bit later on with Phil Parker and how upset some Oregon fans got about a very innocuous comment that he made but we'll get to that later on but this debate that's also happening with some of our friends in the online community going back and forth about the weather there's nobody in Iowa that is trying to say or at least I hope very few people they're trying to say that you guys don't deal with conditions out there you guys are not USC or Arizona state coming here to 40 degree

Starting point is 00:06:09 weather it's the Pacific Northwest of course yes you guys deal with rain but I think Spencer you laid it out very well it's not that you guys aren't used to it or anything like that that it's when you have elements like that, it closes the gap, right? And we go back to kind of my original point. How does Iowa continue to win these kind of games? How do you look historically, how Iowa pulls these upsets, you get them pulled down in the muck, you ugly it up, and in bad conditions, that's another recipe to make that happen.

Starting point is 00:06:38 You know, another reason that I liked Iowa during the summertime, and this week I'm kind of going the other way. I don't feel nearly as confident as I did when I was making those grandias little comments was it's because you go back to a year ago, a very bad Wisconsin team, you guys went out there and just, it was one of those ugly games. And it looked so much like an Iowa game, that's what kind of gave me hope. That Oregon team was flying high. They were playing at an incredibly high level, and that bad Wisconsin team was able to ugly

Starting point is 00:07:05 it up and have a chance in the fourth quarter. That is, I think, the hope and the recipe, certainly for this Iowa team. And yes, the bad weather, that's going to help, I believe, the Hawkeyes. I never actually felt like Oregon had a chance to lose the Wisconsin game because I knew Wisconsin was not going to score. Bradlock. Yeah, they weren't going to score two possessions in the game earlier this year. But it definitely was not the sort of offensive game.

Starting point is 00:07:30 Oregon should have had in the first quarter. It was sunny and it was fine. And Oregon did not play well. I've talked about that a lot. But one other thing that, frankly, I did not anticipate coming into this season, Trent was the playoff ramifications for Iowa. For Oregon, it's very real. And I want your thoughts on this because Oregon comes in at number nine, Iowa at number 20. The Hawkeyes should be ranked and they are good for the committee for getting right what the AP voters got very,

Starting point is 00:07:55 very wrong coming off their blowout win against Minnesota a couple weeks ago. So for Oregon, you know, the CFP committee chair talked about how, yep, we think Oregon's really good team. They're great up front and they've had some solid wins, but you know, they don't have the strongest resume and I understand that if you don't view Penn State as the win that it was and you look at it now and where things have gone like okay I get that still though the stakes are higher for Iowa when you're talking about the playoff because they have to win every game from here on out if they do they're probably in the college football playoff Oregon could lose this game but when you have your first playoff rankings and the CFP committee chair says a resume is not

Starting point is 00:08:39 that good. When you're playing a ranked team on the road, it is very important for the perception of Oregon's schedule that the ducks win this football game. Well, and you said it, if they're on the table, you think they're, no, they're a lock. Iowa 10 and 2 is getting into the college football play. There is not a scenario out there that they are not amongst the 12 teams selected. The resume will be better than almost anybody else that you can put up there at 10 and 2, realistically outside of a couple SEC teams. And we know that's a conversation for a different day in a different show when we're talking about that. The ramifications are real.

Starting point is 00:09:12 And, you know, with this Iowa team, the disappointment of what happened at Ames, obviously Indiana had them beat. Your backup quarterback completes a screen pass. You got a chip shot field goal to win with the second left in the ball game. It's game over. And Iowa walks out of their victory 16, 13 against Indiana. Alas, here we are. And now your backs are against the wall.

Starting point is 00:09:29 But Iwa does have to run the table. And this is just kind of the first step in the process. Now, the following week, if Iowa does pull it off this weekend, and maybe this is a reason that my excitement isn't quite at the highest level is because I know it waits. It's Iowa going on the road to the West Coast that has been a disaster. Well, I'm 45 for basically all of my years. Anytime that I was gone out there, it has been a disaster.

Starting point is 00:09:52 It doesn't matter if it's a Rose Bowl, a regular season game. It has been awful outside of an holiday bowl against USC six, seven years ago. That's been about the only time that it's gone well. So that's what still awaits them. Still, in their front, having it here. and getting to November with this real opportunity. Spencer, you remember a year ago. You know, Iowa came into the season, preseason top 25 for most everybody.

Starting point is 00:10:14 They were kind of one of those dark horse teams coming into the year. Cade McNamara got broken again. He stunk. The offense stunk again. Though the ground game was awesome with Caleb Johnson, and they lost a couple of early games. So we didn't have even the buildup now that we have. If it happens, you get another week of it, another week of that excitement.

Starting point is 00:10:32 Look, I was programs at a different place than Oregon. you guys are talking about competing. You know, not just getting into the playoff, but making a run when he get into the playoff. We're searching for that. We've never been in the college football playoff. We were an inch away from doing it back in 2015 and lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game.

Starting point is 00:10:50 But that's what's in front. And that's why this week and with the bi-week kind of on top of it, it's been a lot of fun, but we know. Ramifications, this is just what a four for the Hawkeyes. How does this game get decided? We will each question each other, get the math. matchups, get the predictions here on this crossover edition of locked on ducks and locked on Hawkeyes.

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Starting point is 00:11:50 lower prices, and a dedicated support line. Visit Supplyhouse.com to sign it for free and use promo code SH College 5 for 5% off your first order. That's supplyhouse.com. Real people, real service. All right, Spencer, 2.30 Central, 12.30 Pacific. Yes, no early body clock game for you guys this week, so you don't have to worry about that part. I do have to ask, though, before we get into deep into the X's and O's, why were Oregon fans so upset about Phil Parker saying after three straight sentences, glowing terms, another four sentences of glowing terms, take that they're well funded. Why do they take that as such a negative? Because is it a lie? No. No, it's it's not. But Oregon fans, I think, are tired. I think you have to differentiate between two different reactions that likely came from that particular comment. One was more of a

Starting point is 00:12:51 turn it into a positive because of what Oregon fans see on Ducks versus them and the motivation that other coaches have given Dan Lanning over the years and the way that's gone for him. It hasn't on particularly well. Colorado poked the bear, 42 to 6. Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. I don't think his comment was actually as targeted at Oregon or meant to be as much of a jab or whatever you want to call it as as Parker's was. And that was said to the team before the game 69 to 3. So I think it came off to some fans as like, really? You're going to go say that? You're going to give Delaney and feel? Okay, great. For those that do get a little bit more upset by it, it's been a multi-year process of mostly fans of other teams, some media folks as well. I'm not accusing you of this, of course, like that paint Oregon in, oh, you're just Nike. Like that's it. There's nothing else to the program. It's all flash. It's no substance. It's just Nike money, which anyone who knows,

Starting point is 00:14:02 knows literally anything about football, knows isn't true. It is flat out completely untrue. Is Oregon a tier one spending an NIL school? Yes, which is great. It's phenomenal. I'm here for it. I'm a Mariners fan.

Starting point is 00:14:18 I got a blazer shirt on today. Like I have watched my teams and franchises not invest to the maximum all the time. And that part stinks. So I love that Oregon does it. But I think what Oregon fans get annoyed with is the perception that gets fed. And this was just kind of tapping into that of Oregon's just Nike and money and

Starting point is 00:14:38 flash and uniforms. And they're nothing else. And that's just flat out not true. So that's what I think happened there. And, you know, I remember the beginning of the era. You know, Rich Brooks and I remember when they came to Kinnick and 89 and kicked crap out of the Hawkeyes. And those years in the early 90s.

Starting point is 00:14:53 I was not alive. I didn't, I know. You're much younger than me, but I remember those times. So I know that it's not just about the Nike money. Yes, you're well funded, and that's a part of it too. And I would love to trade places with that. I will tell you, every Hawkeye fan would sign up for that and to have that kind of financial backing. Alas, that's not the case.

Starting point is 00:15:11 But I don't know, it was just odd. But when you explained it, I think for the Hawkeye fans that are listening, I think that will at least make a little bit more sense. But, man, stop being so soft skin about things like that. All right, let's get into the game, Spencer. Yeah. What are the areas you talked about with special teams? You talked about your punter, told you I started salivating at that.

Starting point is 00:15:28 I was punty game has not been good this year. So Reese Dakin, another. Whoa, whoa, whoa. We're 104th in the country in that penny. Oh. It's unacceptable. Absolutely. Not only that, Drew Stevens, one of the strongest legs in college football.

Starting point is 00:15:44 He saw the field goal block as he tried a 67-yarder against Penn State at the end of the half. That was not his fault. That was the left side of the line just decided not to block apparently on that play. But he's also had struggles. They have a new long snapper that came in. It has not gone well on field goals. They've had a bunch of misses. You look at the misses that he had against Indiana.

Starting point is 00:16:04 The laces were in on that kick. You got to sound like Oregon State over there. Goodness gracious. We've had issues in the kicking game this year. However, we also have Cade Weegean, who is the best returner in the country. When you're being compared to Tim Dwight, that says some things again, probably too old of a reference for you, Spencer. But here we are.

Starting point is 00:16:23 It is. I was trying to go back in my encyclopedia and my brain. And I was like, nope, don't have it, don't have it. Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons return a kick against the rocket. Yeah, okay. Anyway, so, special teams. You talked about it. What about coverage units?

Starting point is 00:16:39 What about return game? We think of Oregon. We think of speed. So you talked about good things about your putter. All right, that's a little bit concerning. What about special teams? Because if this is a game, rainy, cold, and so it's little special teams plays. People wonder how Iowa pulls off these upsets.

Starting point is 00:16:55 Here's another example. How are the ducks looking? Yeah, I think the Oregon special teams unit is good. Field goal kicker, fine, not bad. Attica Sappington is solid, not exceptional. Yeah, I do not feel good about the idea of Oregon kicking a long field goal. Basically anything over 40 yards, 50, 50 at best. Inside of 40 yards, you know, Sappington missed one against Penn State.

Starting point is 00:17:25 and I think that sat in fans' minds a little bit more than it should have. And it was, oh, it's sapping to 90. Like, go look at his record, the track record, the last couple of seasons. Inside of 40 yards, I feel just in Indiana was the other one. He missed a 36 yarder, but, or the, sorry, the Penn State one was, I believe, 44, maybe 42. The Indiana one was 36. I believe that was only his first or second miss inside of 40, and this is his second season with the ducks. And at a game where points can be in a premium because of the weather and Iowa's defense, yeah, special teams matter a whole heck of a lot.

Starting point is 00:18:00 The interesting thing about Oregon's punting game this year, and maybe Dan Lannings got another fake up his sleeve with special teams coach Joe Lourig. There have been several. They've executed really well over the last couple of seasons. They should have had a touchdown against Wisconsin. It got called back because of a hold on Mateo O'Young-Lay. It was a hold, but that just kind of stunk. but the interesting you mentioned the return game and how important that could be I feel really good about Oregon's defense going into this game whether the weather's good

Starting point is 00:18:28 or not because their defense has been great all year and I don't think that the run defense is as bad as it has felt at times and I know their past defense is elite I don't think this is going to be the week that Grinowski goes for 200 yards I don't think this is going to be that that breakthrough moment so limiting return yards is key but the interesting thing about Ferguson Reynolds Oregon's punter James Ferguson Reynolds is his full name, he doesn't really go for hang time. He's kind of mastered the Australian, which he is, kind of rugby-style punt where he runs out and he hits it on the ground and rolls it.

Starting point is 00:19:03 He waits to kick it as long as he possibly can to give his coverage team time to get down the field. They've been really good at that this season, and that's why they have limited return yards so much. So we just haven't seen return opportunities because he gets the ball on the ground quickly and makes a return man go, I don't want to make a big mistake. I don't want to get a weird bounce.

Starting point is 00:19:23 This is not a soccer ball. It's a football. And he's been really good down and punts inside the 10-yard line as well. All right. I got one more for you. And this is about the ground game. We, again, rain, wind,

Starting point is 00:19:35 not going to probably see a whole lot of throwing. You mentioned Grinowski. I don't think this is going to be the game either for him. It's going to be kind of that ground and pound, hold him to a field goal. Bend, but don't break. You get down inside the 30 and start to hold down. I think it's going to be if it has a chance to be that one.

Starting point is 00:19:49 I saw this number, these numbers, on the Oregon run game, and you got to help me out here. So you go through, all you got your four guys all with 250 yards or more rushing this year. I want to throw these numbers out to you. Hill, 7.4 per carry. I know that's not the real number. Just let me finish. Davison, 3.9 per carry. Whittington, 3.8 per carry, lowar, 3.8 per carry.

Starting point is 00:20:12 Those are yards, not per carry, after contact. That's how many each of these guys are getting after contact. So is it just, these guys are just, I mean, running with their head through a wall? How are you able to have, not just one, not your battering ram guy that's doing that, four different guys that are able to do this and get so many yards after contact? Yeah, we'll see if Jay and Lamar is back this week off of injury, but he is Oregon's fourth best running back. And frankly, I don't think should be a major part of the rotation.

Starting point is 00:20:39 Deer Hill and Jordan Davison are true freshmen, and they have been revelations this year. They have literally surprised the staff, I think. You know, they brought Mackay Hughes from Tulane, who's going to transfer because he's not seeing the field. It's not because he isn't good. I've been told that they do think he's good. He's capable. He's a really good kid. He's just not as good as the other guys.

Starting point is 00:21:00 And Jordan Davison is looking more and more like a superstar. And Deer Hill and Noah Whittington are as strong a compliments as you can have. Both guys Hill and Whittington have broken explosive runs this season. That's been their M.O. Davidson began as a short yardage guy. His game has evolved. I think he's Oregon's best overall running back right now. That can change in any given week.

Starting point is 00:21:20 You know, it's very much a hot hand sort of situation, and I'm okay with any of those guys leading Oregon and carries if they're running the ball well and it's working. But if you're going to talk about, you know, a physical ground and pound, keep it between the tackles sort of guy, that's Jordan Davison. And the way that they have run this year, keeping them fresh, you're not going to see any of these guys get to 20 carries, Trent.

Starting point is 00:21:41 Even if Oregon runs the ball a lot because they have to or because they want, want to. You're not going to see any of them get to 20. You might not see any get to 15. They spread it out really, really well. And the run game's been effective. And sometimes they haven't featured it enough. I felt like this year. And so in this game in particular, you've got the second best rushing offense in the big 10 with Oregon, the best rushing defense in the big 10 in Iowa. That's going to be a huge matchup. But each back is a little bit different. And that's what makes it, I think, tough for defenses to defend. And an interesting chess match between Will Stein. the Oregon offensive coordinator and play caller and Phil Parker,

Starting point is 00:22:18 the Iowa defensive coordinator. Awesome. Well, I answered a lot of the questions that I have quickly. Injuries, you mentioned a couple of them throughout the course of this one. By week, you know, Iowa heard a couple of players on Tuesday during the player press conference to say, I think they would have liked to play just how well they were playing last week. How about Oregon injury-wise and just with the by week?

Starting point is 00:22:39 Yeah, Dante Moore left the Wisconsin game, got hit in the nose. He could have returned is what Dan Lannning said after. that game i don't think it's anything he might have broken his nose he you know was bleeding pretty heavily uh after he got popped on yeah he it was a busted play he runs and a guy's forearm just clashed through or crashed through his face mask and gave him a whack and they could have put him back in the game is what landing said but they didn't didn't feel like they needed to they weren't really doing much with the quarterback except handing the ball off and they trusted brock thomas their backup and he got the job done so i i think

Starting point is 00:23:15 Conte Moore is expected to be just fine and elsewhere. I don't want to say it because I don't want to be the one who jinxed it. Oh, they're so healthy. The ducks are so healthy. I'll say it. Trent said it. Trent said it. Not, not me.

Starting point is 00:23:32 Trent is going to answer my questions when we get back. First, this episode brought to you by our friends at Fandwell. The NBA is back, and there is no better place to get it on the action than Fandwell. The official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand, Fandwell has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger

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Starting point is 00:24:31 $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So head to fandle.com to sign up and play your game with Fandle, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, Trent, now I want you answer some of the biggest questions that I think Oregon fans will have going into this Iowa game. And I want to start with the offense because one of the reasons that the Hawkeyes have turned some heads, mine included, is, hey, look, they put up 41 on a Minnesota team that isn't great, but is respectable. You know, solid team in the middle of the Big Ten.

Starting point is 00:25:01 You look up, rivalry game, 41 to three. Whoa, wait, 30 points went. 30 points again? Anybody can score 30 or more points on Rutgers, of course. but talk about what you have seen from this Iowa offense this year and how you feel about them going against an Oregon defense that I think has been great this year and the numbers back that up. You know, and it's kind of funny to me, obviously being much closer to the situation

Starting point is 00:25:24 because a year ago, the narrative probably should have shifted. You know, Iowa averaged 29 points per game a year ago. It's not 40. It's not 45. But for Iowa, averaging 29, that's pretty good. That's really good compared to the 16 that they averaged under. the previous offensive coordinator of Ryan parents. Tim Lester took them a year ago with woeful quarterback play from Cade McNamara to Deakin Hill. Some of the worst quarterbacks you'll see at any level of college football.

Starting point is 00:25:52 And he took them and drug them and had those guys that were out there doing. I mean, they go to UCLA a year ago. Sullivan gets hurt. Brendan Sullivan, who's now a two lane, the Northwestern transfer, who is fun to watch because he could move around. They bring in this guy Shaggy. Nobody heard of him. Nobody knew. He was four of 18.

Starting point is 00:26:09 Jackson Stratton. He was four of 18 at Colorado State in his career, and he made him at least adequate. He's the guy that beat Nebraska and made the pass, the swing pass out to Caleb Johnson, that ultimately beat them in the Black Friday game a year ago. They're still not clicking in the past. It's still not there. But Mark Grinowski has added a dynamic element to the ground game. It is not just running, but running with physicality, designed runs.

Starting point is 00:26:35 And a guy that is big lumbering as he dealt with the big injury, that he had at the end of the Indiana game, and yet he just finds a way. Having that kind of physicality is a lot different than what we've seen in the past from a guy like Brendan Sullivan going back, you know, some other running quarterbacks that they have had because it is designed and coupled with what they do with the offensive line that is amongst the best in college football, they can run the ball against most everybody. And it's not just running the ball to run the ball. They've added more elements to it.

Starting point is 00:27:06 You know, for years and years under Kirk Ferrence, it was, you know, they're going to going to run outside zone and outside zone and outside zone and that's going to be it. Well, now there's actually counters. Yes, there's actually motion. There's actually misdirection from time to time. There are different elements to this ground game. And that's where the excitement goes because, yes, this offense, it's not a league. I'm not going to try to sell you a bell of goods.

Starting point is 00:27:28 The passing game still has a long, long ways to go. However, when it comes to the running game, there are multiple reasons that it's been good again this year. hearing you say there there are counters there is motion in in a run game our previous offense coordinator had some issues okay yeah i i know i know it just it's like hearing a chef talk about his kitchen and he's saying you know we've made some major upgrades this year oh really yeah we have a stove we have salt and pepper salt and pepper in the kitchen i've even put in a special a request for some paprika and chili powder to spice things up. Anyway, for Iowa running the football this year, I want to go into that more.

Starting point is 00:28:14 Biggest question I have about Oregon or concern, you could say, the linebacking play has been the weakest of the three units for Oregon defensively. Now, as I've said, it's a relative weakness. These guys have not played poorly. They haven't been bad, atrocious, anything like that. But when you compare to the level of the defensive line or secondary you're playing at, they've been the worst of the three and they've had some moments where it's oh this doesn't look exactly how we would like it to how do you feel like iowa is prepared to try and attack

Starting point is 00:28:45 oregon's linebackers in the run game and maybe in the passing game as well i think they're a lot stronger defending the past than they are in the run game where they've gotten pushed around at times this year so one thing another thing that people i think about with iowa football is tight ends right you go through and you look at the nfl and you got eight starting tight ends that are from there and some of the best in the game. That's not the case this year. Their starter coming into the season, Addison Estrega, he got hurt early in the Iowa State game.

Starting point is 00:29:13 They had a walk-on redshirt freshman that started before he got hurt a couple of games back in bottom A, though he'll be back of this week. They're just not dynamic at the tight end position in a place that you think with linebackers that are struggling, maybe you could exploit. But the power run game, as we talked about a little bit ago, if that's something where they're able to shed, be able to get that defense line off there and get to that second level with the blocking, the zone blocking schemes that they have, that gets pretty exciting for Iowa.

Starting point is 00:29:41 Because, again, it's not, they don't have a running back room that there's going to be a bunch of guys like you guys ripping off, find that seam and get a 70-yarder. That's not the case. But you get that seam and what should be a 4-yarder turns into 12, that's when Iowa starts to move. And when you get to that second level, and if there's some concerns at the linebacker, I think it gets good. One thing that I do want to mention, though, with Iowa going up against linebackers,

Starting point is 00:30:04 There's been now, I don't know, a half dozen times where their starter. Camari Moulton has been tackled by a shoestring. I mean, that linebacker as he's coming through the hole, just getting a piece of him, a safety as he's looking to bust through and getting a 50-yard touchdown. There's been so many of those this year. Those linebackers are struggling a little bit. Maybe this is the time that Moulton busts off one of those big runs.

Starting point is 00:30:25 And instead of it being a 15-yarder turns into a 50-yard. Last thing before we make our score predictions in this game, I want Oregon's offense to, yes, be able to establish the run. That's important. Won't be easy against this Iowa front seven, never is. But the other thing I talked about during the by week is Decorian Moore and Kenyon Sadiq are your two best pass catchers. They are explosive guys that have made big plays for your offense.

Starting point is 00:30:50 And at times, they have been underutilized. They have not been completely minimized or taken away. But there are times where I don't feel like they get enough of attention. for Oregon offensively, how do you feel Iowa is equipped to handle those two? What of these stories year after year for Iowa football? Kirk Ference loves to talk about leadership. I know all coaches do. Kirk Ferrence takes it to another level, though, the way that he talks about it.

Starting point is 00:31:17 He talks about another thing is those guys making their leaps in the senior year. T.J. Hall, for his first three years on campus, was nothing short of awful. He was terrible when he was there at cornerback. He was thrust into duty way too early as a freshman, and he got burned two times for touchdowns. Last season, even as a junior, being a full-time starter for the first time, he got beat by Devante Ross, so he found out of Penn State. Well, that was back when he was at Troy, and he made a Troy wide receiver look like an All-American. And now, this year, I don't want to say lockdown, that is maybe a little hyperbolic, but he's playing at a really

Starting point is 00:31:48 high level. And as a whole, this defensive backfield, another guy in his senior year, Zaver Wampa. He was one of the few five stars that we got to make their way to Iowa City. He's looking finally like a five-star. Zach Lutmer, you'll Like Cooper to Jean, you like Riley Moss. Here's your next one. Zach Lutmer is an absolute stud. He plays the cash position, kind of that inside corner slot. He'll move back to safety.

Starting point is 00:32:11 He'll be all over the field. The defensive backfield's playing at a high level. So when you go through and you look at the big plays, that was a problem for Iowa a year ago. Phil Parker here over this last month, he has ratcheted up. And those big plays, well, they haven't been very prevalent for anybody to this point. Let's close the show with our predictions, Trent. I'll start.

Starting point is 00:32:30 I don't think there are a ton of points in this game. I like both defenses. I'm taking Oregon 24 to 13. They're favored by six and a half, according to our friends at Fandu. I think they'll find a way to muster up a touchdown drive. But I like the way this Oregon defense is playing. Brandon Finney, the true freshman, is a superstar in the making. If he isn't there already at the cornerback spot,

Starting point is 00:32:54 that'll make throwing the ball even harder for this Hawkeyes team. The whole secondary has played well. I think the Oregon defensive line has to have a good game here against a really good Iowa front four. But I think 24, you know what, just for fun, 25. I'll go 25, 13. Oregon goes for two on one of their touchdowns and finds a way to get this one done in Iowa City

Starting point is 00:33:16 and stabilize their resume in the eyes of the college football world. You kind of stole my thunder because I said you guys are coming to for the first time in your lifetime, coming to Kinnick Stadium. We know there's going to be a safety. There's going to be something weird. there's going to be a blocked extra point. There's just going to be something wild that happens. There has to be.

Starting point is 00:33:33 That's what happens in these games for Iowa football, good, different. It's going to happen. I have Iowa covering, but I can't get there. And after beat my chest to you all summer and saying that Iowa was going to pull off the shocker, I'm not going to, I just, I've gone through some of those numbers. I mentioned those yards after contact numbers. They just scared the crap out of me. I do think Iowa hangs around.

Starting point is 00:33:54 I think it's going to be a four-quarter game. Ultimately, I think the talent wins out. we got to have a weird score here so i got the ducks win in this one 2219 there's a weird score for you 22 19 no Trent oh yeah 22 19 we got force for Trent that's the worst that's the worst score you could have possibly said out loud why's that that was the final score of the national championship game against auburn oh I now that you save that I do that's great 2219 any other score only 219 this would have ended on a positive note instead you guys are going to win i know now i'm just going through that look what you did i'm not sleeping

Starting point is 00:34:42 tonight after recording this because you put that game in my head way to go trend trend conned locked on hot guys see a kiddick uh yeah i wish i will not be there in person unfortunately it'd be It's on my to-do list one day in my career. For Trent Con in Lockdown, Hotkeyes, I'm Spencer McLaughlin, Lockdown Ducks. This has been a crossover of R2 programs. Appreciate everyone listening. See you next time. And until then, hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa's PHYSICAL Ground Game Targets Oregon's VULNERABLE Linebackers | Will Moulton Break Through?

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