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Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
A look at which players could have the biggest impact on this week’s game
Iowa football and Purdue are set to kickoff this weekend at 11 a.m. It comes as a little surprise that both teams enter the game with winning records. The Iowa Hawkeyes are 4-2 on the year, and Purdue is 3-2.
Iowa enters the game as a 13-point favorite, but they haven’t been able to pull away from teams in recent weeks. The Hawkeyes’ last four games have all been decided by single-digits. Although, Purdue might be the team to help Iowa get out of their slump.
Despite the Boilermakers surprising start to the season, they have not been able to hang around with good teams. Their wins came against Eastern Kentucky, who plays in the FCS, a struggling Nevada team and one of the worst Big Ten teams in Illinois. While any win is a step in the right direction for Purdue, Iowa has to be feeling confident heading into the game knowing Cincinnati and Maryland each won by more than 15 points.
A win could provide Iowa with a big boost in confidence, although key players will need to step up. Here’s a look at four players who have a chance to make a big impact on this game.
Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
QB David Blough
2016 Stats: 57.3 CP%, 1,298 Passing Yards, 7 TDs, 9 INTs
David Blough has struggled this season, and Iowa’s secondary is coming off their most impressive week of the season. A week ago, Iowa held Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner to 13-for-33 passing and intercepted two passes. The Hawkeyes only have four interceptions on the season, although Blough has been extremely turnover prone.
Blough leads the nation in interceptions, even though Purdue has only played five games. He has thrown an interception in four of Purdue’s five games, including a five-interception afternoon against Cincinnati in week two. Turnovers have been a problem for Blough all season, and now he takes on a red-hot secondary.
Desmond King and Brandon Snyder both pose as huge threats this week against Blough. King might not have any interceptions this season, however he’s a shut down corner and nearly had a pick-six last week.
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Plus, if Iowa can get pressure on the quarterback again this week, it will force Blough into bad decisions. Iowa’s pressure on Leidner a week ago finally helped the secondary get back on track and shut down the passing game.
Not to mention, Purdue will be without their leading receiver, Domonique Young. He leads the team in both receptions (29) and receiving yards (338), while also catching one of Blough’s five touchdown passes on the year. The Boilermakers still have 20-reception receiver Deangelo Yancey, although the loss of Young allows Iowa to match King up with Yancey and give struggling corner Greg Mabin an easier assignment.
A week ago the Hawkeyes honed in on the run and were able to make it an ineffective part of Minnesota’s game plan. They’ll try to do the same this week with the NCAA leader in interceptions lining up against them.
Blough doesn’t handle pressure well and will have to make smart decisions against a hungry secondary with one of the best corners on his top receiver. As poor as Iowa’s offense has looked this year, they’ve been able to capitalize on turnovers, and that’s what Blough will give them.
Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
RB Markell Jones
2016 Stats: 73 Carries, 339 Rushing Yards, 2 Touchdowns
Markell Jones is still dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out of last week’s game at Illinois. Although, with the loss of Domonique Young, Purdue will return to their run heavy offense that features Jones as the focal point. Despite Brian Lankford-Johnson rushing for 127 yards last week, there is no doubt that Jones is the feature back and will get almost all the carries.
Purdue ran with Jones more than 20 times per game during their first three contests before he injured himself against Maryland. Plus, prior to Johnson seeing 18 carries against Illinois, he totaled just nine carries through the first three weeks. Jones is their workhorse back and they’ll taste Iowa’s run defense early.
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Iowa did hold Minnesota to 102 rushing yards last week, ending a three-week streak in which opponents rushed for at least 190 yards against them, but Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith still found some success. Brooks scored a touchdown on the ground and averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
While Iowa’s defense did hold Minnesota’s run game in check, it’s not safe to say the problems with their run defense are not gone. The Gophers shot themselves in the foot with eight penalties, forcing them to abandon the run. Purdue will want to test how they defend runs up the middle because the Hawkeyes have had a hard time with physical runners this season.
Markell Jones has struggled running against tougher competition, though. Cincinnati and Maryland held Jones to 3.1 yards per carry or less, while he’s done most of his damage against weaker teams, such as Nevada and Eastern Kentucky. Iowa has made nearly every running back they’ve played so far look like one of the better running backs in the nation, but that has to end this week.
Purdue ranks just 85th in the nation in points per game, and David Blough won’t beat Iowa. He can manage the game and buy Purdue time to get their running game going, however, Purdue is more worried that Blough will cost them the game than win it with his arm.
Every team wants to test Iowa’s run defense and see if they can establish a ground game, and Purdue is no different. Stopping Jones is the key to stopping this offense, and Iowa needs to pack the box again and focus on putting pressure on Blough and winning the battle in the trenches.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
TE George Kittle
2016 Stats: 15 Receptions, 249 Receiving Yards, 2 Touchdowns
The Hawkeyes need to find a way to get their offense going without Matt VandeBerg. Riley McCarron has taken over VandeBerg’s job as the slot receiver and has led the team in receiving in each of the past two weeks, but Iowa desperately needs someone else to step up, as well.
Many people expected tight end George Kittle to step up after VandeBerg went down and become the top option. Instead, Northwestern held Kittle to one catch and Minnesota allowed four catches for minimal gain. Simply put, Kittle’s production has decreased over the past two weeks, but Iowa desperately needs his pass-catching ability.
C.J. Beathard is coming off a week in which he only completed 54.8 percent of passes and averaged 4.6 yards per pass attempt. The passing game did not look sharp with all the drops. Iowa calling quick three-step drops so Beathard doesn’t get sacked as often helped, but Iowa needs to get Kittle going eventually and not solely rely on McCarron.
Kittle led the team with six touchdown grabs a season ago. This season, he’s on pace for four despite being the starter. Sure, teams are more focused on stopping him and he runs into double-teams, but the Hawkeyes have to run plays designed for him. Kirk Ferentz teams have always put a great deal of stress on utilizing the tight end position, although Kittle has become an afterthought on Iowa.
He leads the team with 16.6 yards per reception but is rarely targeted and has more than three receptions in just two games this season. With the amount of drops McCarron and Jerminic Smith account for, Beathard needs a reliable target to throw to.
It’s easier said than done, especially when teams make stopping him one of their top priorities. Although, Beathard found him on short routes four times against Minnesota, therefore he does find ways to get open. Maybe he won’t break long 30-plus yards touchdowns, but the Hawkeyes need consistency moving the ball over big plays.
Purdue is allowing teams to complete 59.9 percent of passes against them and throw for two touchdowns in 2016. This is the perfect opportunity for Kittle to have a breakout game and find his niche in the Hawkeyes offense. He started to find his place before VandeBerg went down, but now he needs to emerge as one of Iowa’s top receiving threats.
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
S Brandon Snyder
2016 Stats: 41 Tackles, 2 INTs, 2 FR, 2 FF
After only appearing in five games as a freshman and totaling 11 tackles, Brandon Snyder has emerged as one of Iowa’s most vital players on defense. He ranks third on the team in tackles (41), and is first in interceptions, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
If there is one thing that Snyder is really good at it’s creating turnovers. Last week, Snyder recovered a fumble and intercepted a Mitch Leidner pass in the fourth quarter. He now faces a golden opportunity to add to his interception total against one of the most turnover-prone quarterbacks in the nation.
Snyder will look to pad his stats against David Blough and Purdue, as well as extend his streak of games he’s forced a turnover in. He’s forced a turnover, whether it be an interception or fumble, in each of the last four games. Not to mention he also racked up a career-high 13 tackles against Rutgers during that span.
Brandon Snyder has been the unsung hero of the Hawkeyes’ defense up to this point. Iowa will need him to be on his A-game once again, as Iowa will try to bring a lot of pressure on almost every play.
While the Hawkeyes need to pressure the quarterback and try to stop the run game, it does add extra pressure on the secondary. Desmond King stepped up last week, as well, although King paired with Snyder in the secondary has made Iowa extremely hard to throw on this season. Teams are only completing 51.8 percent of their passes against Iowa in 2016.
The Hawkeyes’ offense has been able to capitalize on turnovers this year, and no one has given them more opportunities than Snyder. He’s emerged as one of the better safeties in the Big Ten and should love the idea of going up against a quarterback lacking confidence.
If Iowa wants to continue to bring pressure, the secondary needs to continue to step up, and Brandon Snyder is a big part of that equation.
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