IOWA CITY — The primary-year head coach tour on Iowa soccer’s schedule has one other cease this weekend.
Purdue’s Ryan Walters is the third of six first-year or interim head coaches the Hawkeyes both have confronted or will face within the 2023 common season.
Walters, who beforehand labored as defensive coordinator at Illinois, has skilled some ups and downs with Purdue in his first season on the helm.
The lows embody a season-opening loss to Fresno State and a 38-17 loss to Wisconsin during which Purdue did not capitalize on key alternatives. However the highs embody a street win at Virginia Tech and final week’s dominant 44-19 win over Illinois.
Listed here are three keys for the Hawkeyes to fare higher towards Purdue than their Massive Ten neighbors to the east did every week earlier:
Hudson Card vs. Iowa’s secondary
This isn’t precisely the identical Purdue air-it-out offense that Hawkeye followers have seen in previous years.
The 2022 Boilermakers handed on 55.6 p.c of performs. The 2021 Boilermakers handed on 59.5 p.c of performs. Walters’ 2023 workforce by 5 video games? 48.6 p.c.
Even with Purdue’s elevated emphasis on its floor assault — one the place former Hawkeye Tyrone Tracy Jr. is closely concerned — a lot of the Boilermakers’ offensive success relies on having an efficient passing recreation.
Hudson Card, a switch from Texas, has accomplished 63.8 p.c of his passes whereas throwing 5 touchdowns and three interceptions as Purdue’s beginning quarterback this season.
When Card throws no less than one interception, Purdue is 0-2. When he doesn’t throw an interception, Purdue is 2-1 (with the one loss coming towards a Fresno State workforce that has since entered the AP High 25).
Does the offensive line give Deacon Hill sufficient time to make the most of massive arm?
Unsurprisingly for a Ryan Walters-coached workforce, certainly one of Purdue’s largest defensive strengths is its potential to hurry the passer. The Boilermakers are second within the Massive Ten with 3.4 sacks per recreation behind Penn State.
“They drive you mainly to dam each man on the market with the five-man rush,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz mentioned. “It is 5 guys blocking 5. Both they’re shifting a pair guys, working them together to get any individual open, or simply one-on-one block. It is a problem each play.”
In the meantime, certainly one of Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill’s largest strengths is his arm energy. Hill’s power might grow to be moot level, nonetheless, if Iowa’s receivers don’t have correct time to get downfield.
Do the Hawkeyes keep away from pricey turnovers?
Ferentz introduced up unprompted this week how the Hawkeyes “have to do a greater job with ball safety,” and he did so with good purpose.
Iowa ranks eleventh within the 14-team Massive Ten with 9 turnovers given up to this point this season.
A type of 9 turnovers might have been particularly pricey towards Michigan State, had Iowa’s fortunes not finally modified within the fourth quarter.
Iowa operating again Leshon Williams fumbled within the third quarter, and Michigan State’s Cal Haladay recovered it and returned it for a straightforward landing to take a 16-10 lead.
An eye fixed-opening 70-yard punt return by Cooper DeJean for a landing and three Drew Stevens area objectives bailed out the Hawkeyes with 16 unanswered factors later within the half. As gifted as DeJean is, although, these will not be performs Iowa can persistently depend on to win video games.
Iowa has gained the turnover margin in 4 out of 5 video games this season, and people are Iowa’s 4 wins. Within the Hawkeyes’ lone loss — the 31-0 blowout by Penn State — they misplaced the turnover margin, 4-0.
Prediction
Purdue is a good workforce, however this can be a recreation Iowa ought to win and must win if will probably be a contender within the Massive Ten West.
Iowa 24, Purdue 21
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