Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - SHOCKER: Iowa Hawkeyes in PRIME position to RUIN Michigan State's Title Run

Starting point is 00:00:00 Spartans Hawkeyes, what is at stake for each team at Michigan State? Get that big 10 title they're looking for. Let's go. You are locked on college crossover part of the locked on podcast network. Your team every day. Today's crossover episode is brought to you by the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Stay with us for the Armada team of the week later this episode. Spartan friends, Spartan family, Hawkeye Nation.

Starting point is 00:00:34 How on earth are we all doing? What's up everyone? It's Matt Sheen of Lockdown Spartan. Hey, old friend. What's up, man? How we doing over there? It's going well. Basketball season, at least men's basketball, has not gone very well for us. And then perhaps of an era, very well could be the final game, not just for the seniors, Peyton Sanford and the like,

Starting point is 00:00:53 but very well could be the end of Freya McCaffrey. I know we're going to talk about that plenty here today, but it's a matchup that's always fun. There's been some memorable games in the past, and maybe we'll go down memory lane a little bit. Oh you guys have your uh site set on some bigger things than just a regular season matchup. We do and for full transparency we're recording before this Michigan Maryland game so hopefully the Terrapins can already you know clinch that share of a Big 10 title for us Michigan State Spartans but regardless whether Michigan State's playing for a share of the title whether they're playing for

Starting point is 00:01:23 the outright title there's many stakes that are plainly obvious for Michigan State's playing for a share of the title, whether they're playing for the outright title, there's many stakes that are plainly obvious for Michigan State right now. But let's start with your Hawkeyes right now, because it's in the balance right now, whether you'll make the Big 10 tournaments. Of course, the last three teams in the standings, they get left out. Is it easy as that,

Starting point is 00:01:40 or is there something else that's at stake here for Iowa? Yeah, I think in the simplest terms, it's that. And the crazy thing is, Iowa could pull the upset against Michigan State. You think that just an absolute monster win for the program, do it on Senior Day, pull this big upset, and yet still not qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. That's still the way that it sets.

Starting point is 00:01:58 It's really gonna come down to what happens on Sunday in their finale over in Lincoln against the Huskers, and we know how good they are over at Pinnacle Bank. So it's crazy in this tight race at the bottom and teams jockeying, trying to get into the position, a win against Michigan state gets them absolutely nothing. They'd still have to win again. But here's the other crazy part. If they'd pull the double shocker and win both of these games, they get all the way up to the 11th seed in the Big 10 tournament. So it goes from a win against Michigan State means nothing to a win against Michigan State

Starting point is 00:02:31 and Nebraska gets them all the way up to the 11th. So you mentioned it right at the top that, hey, this could be Fran's last game. It's not just, you know, paying Sanford's end of his career after 12 years at Iowa, but Kirk, I'm sorry, Fram McAfee, I almost said Kirk Farrance. No, he's never leaving. Framie Caffery, do you think gut feeling it is this final game in Iowa City? Yeah, from everything that I've heard,

Starting point is 00:02:53 everybody that I've talked to, that feels to be the prevailing notion. And, you know, we embark on this new era of college athletics. It's going to cost money. But the Iowa buyout, it's funny because we're Iowans, we're thrifty, we hear these money loads and people freak out and they go crazy. His buyout is $4.2 million. In college athletics, that's nothing. That's absolutely nothing. When you see tens of millions of dollars being bought out and not just to places like the Big Ten money, like a place like Iowa Iowa but places that don't have that finance and financial

Starting point is 00:03:26 Backing behind them. Yes, you're gonna have to buy a new coach Darren DeVries is I think the Apple many people's eye after one year at West Virginia the former Drake coach and a longtime assistant at Creighton His brother was an all-american football player at Iowa He played basketball at UNI a guy that a lot of people know in the state and I think would make a whole lot of sense Plus his son potential potential All-American, red-shirted this year with an injury and has another year of eligibility next year. So bring him back home for one final year.

Starting point is 00:03:53 But back to Framon Caffrey, yeah, that is the thought that this is gonna be it. And it's crazy, and I kind of want to get your perspective on this. Framon Caffrey, I've been a supporter, I've been a fan. It's brought entertaining basketball back to Iowa over the last 15 years. High pace, up and down the floor, yeah, the defense stinks, but we've got Iowa back to respectability, something that didn't happen in the Todd Licklider era and the era before that was Steve Alford.

Starting point is 00:04:17 He brought them back to the level that they were in the 90s. A consistent winner, Michigan and Iowa, the only two teams over the last 11 years that have finished in the top half, 11, 10 of those 11 years. So it shows you the consistency that has been there, but they haven't broken through. There's been no sweet 16. And because of that, that's where the angst comes. What do you think of the Iowa basketball program? Just kind of as a whole, the McCaffrey era, what comes to you, Matt? I'm going to echo a lot of what you're saying, because is it time to move on? Probably, like just from the outside looking in, there seems to be a staleness in the program

Starting point is 00:04:49 and you're just kind of stuck in this purgatory of, well, you're not terrible. And of course, you know, the season hasn't gone the way you've wanted it to so far, but more times than not, you are in that middle pack, if not above average. But what about, like, what does that get you, really at the end of the day?

Starting point is 00:05:03 Where is that next step? Will it ever come under France? So it's almost, like, what does that get you really at the end of the day? Where is that next step? Will it ever come under France? So it's almost maybe like maybe it's too distant of a parallel here, but maybe later stage marked Antonio for football for Michigan State where yes, he did do great things and yes, he reached really good heights here. But near the end, you're kind of just floating around like these middling seasons wondering, okay, is it time to get off the bus here? Are we going to flip the page of the next thing?

Starting point is 00:05:25 So I think maybe it's time for, you know, a nice refresh at Iowa. Yes, it can get worse, but Hey, you know, it could always get better too. So that's kind of where I'm at. I'm stuck in the middle here of both acknowledging that yes, Fran has been solid for Iowa, but let's let's freshen up the sheets here. Come on. Well, and for people that are watching on YouTube, you can see an empty Carver Hawkeye Arena and that's what it's going to be like Thursday night.

Starting point is 00:05:48 The fan base is checked out and it's I believe it's unfair to frame a Caffrey. Does he deserve a better ending than the way that's likely going to end with a firing at the end of the season? He does when you look at the totality of it, but the fan base checked out and they missed a huge opportunity with Luca Garza and what he was doing. But that final season of Garza, the buildings weren't full. We were at limited capacity. People weren't able to get out, fall in love with that team. They make a run. Then the following year, they win the Big 10 tournament. They get a number five seed and under seeded at that, but they win that Big 10 tournament and then they get beat by Richmond in the first round of the NCAA tournament. So whenever there's been opportunities for momentum, they just haven't been able

Starting point is 00:06:28 to capitalize. It's time for a fresh start. That's where we are with this. And we can argue about the merits and it should be better for frame. But this is the reality when you're having and we're talking about not actual tickets sold, but actual attendance tickets scanned the buildings, the third bowl there was a big ten game earlier this year against Minnesota where the scan was under 3000 in a building that seats 15000. Oh that shows you where this fan base is and and for long time big ten fans for our older fans that remember Carver Hawkeye rocking. I think you're

Starting point is 00:07:01 gonna be eye open when you're watching the game on Thursday night. I think I will too because yeah I am accustomed to seeing that be a pretty hostile atmosphere so I show a Michigan State comes to town for some reason a lot of people don't like our Spartans here, but um So ties to tell us who we should and shouldn't fire. Yeah. He wanted to keep Todd Littlider around who was he's good at that Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, hey's good at trying to get some guys around. Yeah, yeah. Hey, Izzo, knock it off. You're not going to control who we keep around for you to beat up.

Starting point is 00:07:28 Though, the crazy thing is, I was one five out of six in this series. Yeah, isn't that nuts? And we're going to get to that story game that happened a few years ago. Actually, screw it. What am I doing? Let's just get to it right now. Because right now, Michigan State on FanDuel, they are six and a half point favorites. OK, Torvik is mirroring that.

Starting point is 00:07:46 Ken Palm has a very similar number out there. And Michigan State's rolling, like five straight. They keep beating top 20 teams. Like there should be no reason to be scared. But Trent, here I am, just being the biggest coward of all time because this is what I turned into in March. Why am I scared right now?

Starting point is 00:08:00 You just answered the question for me here. Is it because you guys are good at shooting threes, which you are, you are top 25 in the nation? Is it because this is the last game at Carver of the season, the last call for a feel good moment both for Fran and for these players? Is it because, well, I'm permanently scarred from that one Iowa game when we were up 10 points with about 43 seconds left. I guess like, why am I not going to sleep well tonight? Just answer that for me. I guess like, why am I not going to sleep well tonight? So just answer that for me. I think he deals with each and every reason for it. Yeah. The one part of what it was, it's comeback victory. I'm sure that many people as friends stared down the official at the end.

Starting point is 00:08:35 And it was a good memory for us here, but, but certainly not on that part. Yeah. I would can score and it's college basketball. You know this. No, we saw it in our state just a week and a half ago. Iowa State was playing really well. They go down to a terrible Oklahoma State team and they get beat. It just it happens in college basketball. The way Iowa can shoot it, Sanford playing his final game, Evan bronze. He's a guy that's come on here lately in Iowa City,

Starting point is 00:09:00 kid that started his career at Belmont, came back to Iowa City. He's been playing well. It's senior day. Goofy things happen. College basketball, goofy things happen. Everything tells us analytically just our eyeballs that Michigan State should win this thing convincingly. But it's college hoops. So you can just sit there and angst before tip off. I like I always go back to this Indiana game that just happened this year for Michigan State. OK, we're 12 point favorites.

Starting point is 00:09:24 If they win, Tom is on seats. Bob Knight is the all time winning his coach in the Big Ten. How could things go wrong? And oh, my God, they go wrong that night, Trent. So, yeah, just when you think everything is going smooth, here comes a giant hammer for you. I'm sorry to like project my crippling anxiety on the rest of Michigan State fans.

Starting point is 00:09:40 But like, you know the story. MSU is hot. They play good defense. Iowa strong offense, not so good at defense. Like MSU should win this game, but that's life in college basketball. We'll flip the script here in a hot second. Trent's going to grill me about Michigan State, but first need to talk everyone's ears off about Nissan.

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Starting point is 00:10:47 All right. What do you want to know about our red hot sparrows and God, I hope they stay red hot. Just don't make this last weekend dramatic, guys. Sorry. I understand you. You got Sunday looking ahead. And maybe that's another angle that look ahead factor that you kind of worry about from the Michigan state perspective. I think there are a lot of things that just in general kind of concern you about this matchup with them. I want to start though

Starting point is 00:11:07 kind of big picture and coming into the year. All right, Michigan State's going to be good. Okay, Michigan State's always good. What's different? And that's my question now because I see this team, they've had a successful year, regular season championship, very attainable for them. What is different with this Michigan State team? What can be different when we get to the NCAA tournament? What's different is more of the same that we've known from the old Tom Izzo teams. You know, the defending, okay, they're really strong defensively. Top 15 in adjusted efficiency. They're holding, I think, at six teams under 70 points straight right now. They are holding

Starting point is 00:11:41 teams ice cold from behind the arc. a staple of michigan sta one rebounding. You want percentages. Michigan sta offensive and defensive. guy that spearheading all only been out rebounded i this season. So it is def and it is running. All ri

Starting point is 00:12:03 guards. Jeremy fears he, he likes to push the pace. You got Jace Richardson, who's come along late. Jaden Aikens, who, please Jaden, I know you've been slumping for the eight games before last one, but oh, he caught fire in the first half against Wisconsin. If we can keep that going, combine that with Trey Holloman, the best guy from 55 feet away

Starting point is 00:12:18 from the hoop in the conference. Hey, you know what? Like that's a real strong guard quartet that you have going into March. And overall too, the culture. Like I'm sorry to just, you know what like that's a real strong guard quartet that you have going into March and overall to the culture Like I'm sorry to just you know paint to something so cliche sometimes But this is a zero ego team right like this is a deep team Everyone shares the ball and everyone acts like it too. So that is a far cry from we've had the last few years here It is a total buy-in to the DNA of Michigan State basketball. So that is what it's been.

Starting point is 00:12:46 The new thing is that we're, we're doing it throwback, baby. It's, it's the best. I love it. So incredibly deep. Get that. And you can see certainly the depth of this one. The reason that I continue to say, and I bought a couple of future tickets over at FanDuel on the Spartans to, to make a Final Four and the like is because of one guy and

Starting point is 00:13:06 a difference maker in Jace Richardson. Now I know I've caught him just a couple of times and the consistency still isn't there, but during this winning streak, going back really to that win against Oregon, he's been playing at such a high level. Is it sustainable though? Is this going to be, in your opinion, the Jace Richardson we're going to see for the rest of the season? I keep wondering when it's not going to be sustainable, quite honestly. And like, yes, it hasn't, you know, been uber consistent, but even as bad games, like he's still producing and it's not just in the scoring. It's also strong defense, really good vision of the game to knows when to get rid of the

Starting point is 00:13:38 ball when it's time. So I think that, yes, this actually can be sustained. I mean, I don't think this winning streak started with him thrown in the starting lineup, just out of sheer coincidence. He has a three level score that Michigan State has been not like starved for, but really could have used during that rough patch of the season.

Starting point is 00:13:55 He could do it from three at 39%. He cuts to the lane and finishes better than any underclassmen that I've seen recently in college basketball. So yeah, he's the total package. So I think it can be sustained. It's it is wonderful. And also, and I keep saying this on lockdown, Spartans puzzling how he was only a four star kid. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:14:14 I who on earth kept them off the five star sheet? We'll never know. But hey, good on them for throwing that hot take out there. Yeah. And, you know, a guy with those kind of bloodlines on top of it, you know, that's a little bit more. Right. Like his mom's a librarian and his dad's like a farmer somewhere like, no, like that is NBA star Jason Richardson's kid out there. Like he knows what it takes. I I've yelled about that many a times in lockdown Spartans. Well, what this team is 24 and five regular season title. Very, very much in front of them. They're going to be a high seed in the NCAA tournament,

Starting point is 00:14:45 potentially a two, maybe run the table and could still get to the one line. What is the kryptonite though? What is the concern that you still look at and say, this is going to what has been a very memorable season, gonna upend things earlier than anybody wants? Yeah, I'm sorry, it's not like a broken record if I'm not locked on Spartans listeners,

Starting point is 00:15:01 but we've been bemoaning the three point shooting percentage all season because something very strange has been happening over here. We're really good at free throw shooting like top 10 good like scraping 80% and usually if you're a good free throw shooting team, you're at least decent should be very above average in three point shooting, but they are I don't even think in the top 330 nationally right now they are dead last in the big 10. So at the start of the season, first few months, we're waiting for the three point shooting to catch up for some guys that are statistically really

Starting point is 00:15:32 solid shooters to break out of their slumps. But we're what 28 games into the season right now, like the sample size has grown big enough to just understand that maybe we're just not a three point shooting team. But it's still weird because this is still one of is those high-scoring teams of all time So he has his worst three-point shooting team, but still generating I think it's like the third or second most points per game on average in his tenure here Nothing about this makes sense makes sense from a number standpoint. So what can sink this team? Might be three-point shooting because we've also seen that in years past

Starting point is 00:16:03 I always reference Iowa State from last year, really good defensively, find a way to win a lot of games, but they got undone by their poor three point shooting in the Sweet 16 losing by one possession against Illinois and that was a theme that was constant with them all season long. So I remember a really good free throw shooting team that made their way into Carver Hawkeye Arena. A.J. Holgerd missed a couple. Iowa came back and won that game. I don't know if you remember it. No, I don't know. I don't think so. 112106.

Starting point is 00:16:32 Okay, that's the last time. That's the last time. Oh, that's fine. That's fine. One more for you on this front. And it's more kind of a big picture thing. We talk about the regular season title for Michigan State. Iowa has not had one of those in my life. 1979, I was born in 1980, so that shows you I'm an old man and I've never seen one of those before. But for somebody that has lived it, been there a bunch, what does a regular season title mean?

Starting point is 00:16:58 Because I know for so many fan bases, it's only what happens in the NCAA tournament. How do you look at a regular season time? Right at the start of the season, I said this will be defined whether they get a banner or not. And I listed that as final four banner, big 10 regular season banner and said I could talk myself into a big 10 tournament banner. So that's probably the order I would put it in without question. But I think there's an extra specialness added onto this one just because of how kind of

Starting point is 00:17:25 rocky the last few years have been in East Lansing. I mean crawling to the tournament on the bubble the last three years. I'm not getting one of the top seeds in the Big Ten tournament more years than not the last three years. I just think that rolling the clock back, having everyone buy into the culture, everyone being just so selfless, I think just adds a little star next to this banner should they lift it up. So yes we've seen it. It's awesome every time it happens. But just the fact that Izzo started last offseason saying, I'm going to get back to being a top tier program or die trying. And then actually, oh my God, doing it after some people doubted

Starting point is 00:18:00 him. Never on this show, Trent. know. Come on. You want to get Shimon Sopala as your big man from Lawnwood? Of course we love that move. But no, he's looked the naysayers dead in the eye and said, I'm still Tom F. in Iso and I'm going to do it my way. And we're putting another banner up in East Lansing. So this would be just up there with one of the better ones that we've seen here, at least from my opinion. So taking this another step further, and the Big Ten as a whole this year, is do you believe that Michigan State's battle tested?

Starting point is 00:18:31 We've talked about this on my radio program a lot with the ACC and the questions about Duke. Are they battle tested? Are we having the same kind of conversation we have with Gonzaga a lot of years? When you look at Michigan State, obviously they always challenge themselves in the non-conference, but through the biggest thing that's happening in the state of Michigan. I think it's a

Starting point is 00:18:48 big thing for the state of Michigan. I think it's a big thing for the state of Michigan. I think it's a big thing for the state of Michigan. I think it's a big thing for the state of Michigan. I think it's a

Starting point is 00:19:04 big thing for the state of Michigan. I think so because it's not just the win streak throughout, but what has happened within that win streak. Like you're down 16 points at Illinois in the first half, they come back and win that game by double digits. Purdue, they're up, I think it was eight or nine points in the first half. Michigan, they go on an 18-0 run or whatever it was to take an 11 point lead in the first half. Wisconsin, that was a total rock fight between two teams.

Starting point is 00:19:21 You want a rockier rock fight? The Maryland game, for example. Like, so this win streak has been fun, but it has also been fascinating and almost reassuring to just see what they have done within these games to dig themselves out of holes. Because there's nothing better than overcoming adversity, especially self-inflicted adversity. And sometimes, sure, it was just the other team was playing really good, but other times Michigan State's going on these scoring droughts and do they want to score the rest of the game and well sure enough they rally and they find a way

Starting point is 00:19:48 to do it. So it's a great question. Big 10, this isn't the strongest year you've seen from them, but just the way that Michigan State has done it within these games in the win streak, I'm confident. Like I do think that this team is a battle-tested squad. We got Matt and Trent with you, crossover edition, locked on Spartans and locked on Hawkeyes talking hoops. I want to talk one more thing. We're going to get into some football. I don't think you want to talk about the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament coming up this weekend. I'm not necessarily. Thanks. Appreciate that. Me and Sango with Penn State. We did a crossover on that one. I figured you probably didn't need to be involved there, but there is a potential. We're going to see Michigan State Iowa rematch

Starting point is 00:20:26 in women's basketball at the Big Ten tournament. So we'll get a quick thought on that. A lot of football talk, little basketball as we continue. Crossover edition, locked on Hawkeyes and locked on Spartans. All right, back with you one final time on a crossover edition. Trent and Matt with you. You can find Matt at Shein Sports. You can find me at Trent Condon.

Starting point is 00:20:50 All right, let's get into it. We're gonna talk some football. Let's talk some women's basketball. So Iowa, we knew it was gonna be a different year obviously for this women's basketball team. No, no, Caitlin. But to come back, they had a five game losing streak in there. Let a lot of leads slip away during that losing streak.

Starting point is 00:21:06 Earlier this year had a loss against Michigan State, another one that they blew a fourth quarter lead out there in East Lansing. As long as Iowa holds on Wednesday night and beats Wisconsin, we'll get a rematch there for the Hawkeye fans listening. How are the Michigan State women playing here down the stretch? Solid overall and they really almost got a really good one a few weeks ago at UCLA. Now sure was UCLA missing first team All-American. That's neither here nor there as far as I'm concerned, but that was a rocky finish.

Starting point is 00:21:32 They really let rebounding get away from them late in that game. But overall, it's been another strong year for Robin Fralick in the second year. They're one of the highest scoring offenses in the Big Ten. And that's true to her DNA that she's shown at her previous stop. So could this be another game? Michigan state, Iowa, where it's like a first team to 70 dare I say like high seventies? Absolutely. It could be. So it's good to see the program is still healthy over here in East Lansing, Iowa though, like you still liked your trajectory. I was going on even, you know, obviously with the absence of Caitlin Clark, how could you

Starting point is 00:22:03 even replace her? But is this still a good program? And like trajectory wise, I should say for Iowa? Yeah, they're recruiting at an incredibly high level. They got a really good recruiting class coming in next year in the class of 2026. They had the who's who of women's basketball coming in earlier when they retired Caitlin Clark's jersey and that upset victory that they got against Juju Watkins and USC, they're all there. I think there were six top 10 prospects in the class of 26 and 27 that were on campus. So you gotta finish it, right?

Starting point is 00:22:35 You gotta maintain the momentum. You gotta continue there. And there's a lot of people that believe as we opened up our conversation about the men's program, NIL funds, there've been a lot that have been diverted and a lot of people that are saying, yes, I will donate to the Swarm Collective, but I will do that for women's basketball as opposed to men. Well, the money is there. Fascinating. Okay. Now it's up to the new head coach, Jan Jensen, to capitalize and finish it off. But yeah, the future does look really bright, capitalizing on these last couple of years,

Starting point is 00:23:02 the final four championship game appearances in back- back seasons and just kind of continuing this momentum. That's why I think it's important for Iowa, you know, to get into the tournament, win a game, maybe even win two with the right path because you can continue that momentum and you're not obviously Yukon, you're not South Carolina, you're not even Tennessee, but in order to get there, you got to have a starting point. You got the starting point. We'll see if the women can capitalize on it. And let's move to football really quick. We're not going to spend, you know, a ton of time on this, but our teams do meet up in November and we met up last year. Michigan State looked outstanding. And then when both teams left, one of them finished the season at four and one, defiantly went to a bowl

Starting point is 00:23:41 game and the other one just stumbled to one and four. I cannot believe that's how things went after our meeting there because Michigan State looks so good and I've said it on Lockdown Spartans like as fun of a win as that was I'm almost like as annoyed by it because where the hell did that team go after the game whatever. Oh my god. You uh that game is still so befuddling and it was because I wouldn't tackle Iowa football. You've watched, they miss 19 tackles in that game. They don't do that in a whole month and they make tackles in that game. It was so on Iowa like, and then on top of it, the offense actually looked good there

Starting point is 00:24:22 in parts of the second half as they came back and made it a a football game. That was an Iowa football like of any game. So if you're sitting here in the off season and we're all going to do it right we're going to W and L if you're a Spartan fan you say well you know we got him last year that Iowa team I don't know who was inside those uniforms but it wasn't Iowa. The one that you're going to see I'm anticipating in 2025 is going to look a whole lot different even if new faces out there for the Iowa Hawkeyes. So new faces, obviously we went through one transfer portal cycle. Or is the elevator going up for Iowa football? We going down, we staying pad. What's just the quick skinny on Iowa football for the transfer cycle?

Starting point is 00:24:59 You know, Iowa a year ago had the schedule to make an incredibly deep run and that was the year to do it. You had Ohio State, but outside of that, it was incredibly manageable. You brought back 19 starters. It was a huge disappointment, but we saw improvement in the offense and certainly in the running game. Caleb Johnson departs, but they feel good about the direction that they're going. I think this offense is going to be good.

Starting point is 00:25:21 A lot of new faces defensively. You have to believe though in Phil Parker, It's going to be a different look and I think the schedule is going to be much too difficult for them to make a deep run. But is Iowa going to go eight and four, seven and five again next season? Yeah, probably. How about the trajectory of the Spartans though when we look at them after a disappointing end, but you're number one of the new regime, Jonathan Smith. A lot of buzz I know about that program. Yeah disappointing end to the season without question but you know what once once you get a moment of clarity you realize okay yes this is you're one of a rebuild they did have some massive depth issues but they had to start cutting into like starting in September so as we go into the

Starting point is 00:25:59 off season my two conclusions are on each side of the ball here one on paper the offense has gotten better. Your offensive line is deeper. You got two good transfers. You also kept Nick Marsh, a stud-wide receiver. Aidan Childs, he's back and he has to grow. And I think that he did show some growth in his sophomore season.

Starting point is 00:26:16 So on paper, yes, I think the offense really has no excuses to at least be average, if not above average. I'm not saying they're gonna to drop 53 a game here. I'm saying that we're going to score more than 20, which is going to be a different thing here in East Lansing. Now, my other conclusion that I have for the defensive side of the ball is I have no conclusion Trent, because our pass rush was abysmal last year. We were decent at stopping the run, but we also just lost our top two cornerbacks, Ed Woods, Chuck Brantley. One ran out of eligibility. The other one off to Miami.

Starting point is 00:26:45 We got in a lot of FCS or UConn level transfers for the secondary right now that really produced at a high level at those smaller schools. Will it translate to Big Ten play? If anyone has an answer out there, I would be dying to know because we've seen it work. We've also seen it not work, but that's gonna be the bulk of the secondary

Starting point is 00:27:03 is guys that had strong seasons at Eastern Illinois, for example, Texas State, trying to do it over here at a bigger level. All right. And then we've also lost quite a bit of linebackers here. They were key in stopping the run. So I, I hate to be so indecisive because we're podcasters. We're supposed to be confident about our teams and stand on what we say, but like, I don't know. We got a lot of transfer defensive ends that are either young up and coming from a Mountain West school, like Air Force, or a guy from Wisconsin, former four star, one problem, hasn't played a single snap yet in his career. So like, could he be good?

Starting point is 00:27:38 Yeah, will he be? I don't know. So um, we'll check in like mid-Nove November when we talk about the preview for our upcoming game and I'll have a clear answer for you there. So, um, that's where I'm at Trent. I'm defined about one side of the bulb at the other side. Maybe, maybe, maybe a lot of maybe a lot of baby. We got a lot of baby. Uh, we got Mark Dronowski from South Dakota state. That is our new quarterback. There's excitement about him soon as we get it. Less than a week later though, as announced, well, he's going to miss spring football. He's got to have

Starting point is 00:28:10 shoulder surgery, quarterback play for Iowa. So that's what we're dealing with here. It never ends. Certainly. What, what we do know is I'm going to be rooting for Sparty come NCAA tournament time, not on Thursday night, but I will, I will be for that one time is though, as much as he annoys me and he does, he really doesn't know me at times and certainly got it. But he's sticking his nose in there and sticking up for coaches that he doesn't know the background on. Yeah. But that aside, lot of respect. I would love to see one final run

Starting point is 00:28:37 on a guy that definitely deserves it. Let's get to the final. How about this? Can we win a national championship so we can shut up the other conferences about the lack of a a conference or a national championship or last quarter century? Come on. You guys are last. Well, I'll find a way I'll try my best. I will god. I would love nothing more I I would pay out of pocket for for that a lot more than I ever should to but I Not as much as I've seen your face though trend it's always a good time doing these crossover episodes guys That's Trent condon's Lockdown Hawkeyes.

Starting point is 00:29:05 Mashing over here, Lockdown Spartans. Whatever happens in this game, whether MSU has a banner or they gotta wait till Sunday to hopefully win. I don't know. But yeah, we'll talk about it here at Lockdown Spartans. Trent will talk it over there at Lockdown Hawkeyes. Until then guys, take care of yourselves. Go green.

Starting point is 00:29:19 And Iowa, hey, love you guys too. Go Hawks.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - SHOCKER: Iowa Hawkeyes in PRIME position to RUIN Michigan State's Title Run

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