Early Thoughts On Iowa
posted by Scott Hood, Monday, December 15, 2008
How often have we heard going into a football game that the team that controls the line of scrimmage should win? Countless times. In today’s SEC, though, it’s typically the fastest team that wins, not the most physical one.
But the 2009 Outback Bowl will be different.
Iowa is a very, very physical football team. They try to run it down their opponent’s throat with Shonn Greene, who won the Doak Walker Award last week as the nationa’s top running back.
Funny thing is, even though most teams know what’s coming when they play Iowa, they’re powerless to stop it.
What’s impressive about Greene is his durability. He averaged 23.2 rushing attempts per game, and had as many as 30 on two occasions. How does that compare with USC? Leading rusher Mike Davis averaged 14.6 carries per game.
Despite the frequent pounding he took, Greene started every game at running back during the regular season and seemed to play his best football late in the season.
In the biggest game of the year in Week 10, Greene had 28 carries for 117 yards in the 24-23 victory over previously unbeaten Penn State. The following week, he had 30 carries for 211 yards against Purdue.
In my opinion, the USC defense will have no excuses if they get beat in this game. Not only will they have three weeks to prepare, but they know (as well as the 68,000 fans in attendance) exactly what Iowa is going to do on offense and it’s still only Dec. 15.
It’s not like the Iowa roster is filled with offensive weapons, either. The wide receivers are OK, but not great. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi is a good quarterback, but no one is going to confuse him with Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford.
In short, Greene is basically it when it comes to the Iowa offense. In fact, 36.2 percent of Iowa’s offensive plays this season were running plays by Greene, an atypically high percentage.
Gamecocks fans can take some solace in the fact USC has had some success containing top-name running backs this season. Neither Knowshon Moreno of Georgia or LSU’s Charles Scott reached the 100-yard mark.
But, as we know, USC flopped against running backs like Percy Harvin (Florida) and C.J. Spiller (Clemson) in the final two weeks of the regular season.
While the matchup between Greene and the USC defense should receive the most attention in the run-up to the game, the most intriguing battle of the contest could be the one between USC’s offensive line and Iowa’s defense line.
In case you haven’t heard, Iowa may have the best set of defensive tackles USC has faced all season. Mitch King, the Big 10 Defensive Lineman Of the Year, is a monster.
Here’s the most amazing stat concerning King: he has 55 tackles for loss in his stellar career. As a defensive tackle. Obviously, either he overpowers opponents or relies on guile and his extensive experience (44 careers starts) to beat them.
When you consider that coming into this season the USC record for most career tackles for loss was 35, King’s production is amazing.
It also makes you stop and appreciate what Eric Norwood has been able to accomplish in his career. He now holds the Gamecock record for career tackles for loss with 41.
The production of the USC offense could depend on how much success center Garrett Anderson and the two starting guards (probably Terrence Campbell and Jamon Meredith) have in controlling King and his fellow DL Matt Kroul.
If King and Kroul dominate the interior, USC will experience great difficulty trying to run the football. And we’ve seen this year that when the Gamecocks are one-dimensional against quality opponents, they usually struggle.
Thankfully, USC still has more than two weeks to figure everything out.
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In 17 days South Carolina will take the field against Iowa in the Outback Bowl. Over the last week, I’ve had a chance to digest the numbers, talk to USC's coaches and players and watch some highlights of the Hawkeyes.
How often have we heard going into a football game that the team that controls the line of scrimmage should win? Countless times. In today’s SEC, though, it’s typically the fastest team that wins, not the most physical one.
But the 2009 Outback Bowl will be different.
Iowa is a very, very physical football team. They try to run it down their opponent’s throat with Shonn Greene, who won the Doak Walker Award last week as the nationa’s top running back.
Funny thing is, even though most teams know what’s coming when they play Iowa, they’re powerless to stop it.
What’s impressive about Greene is his durability. He averaged 23.2 rushing attempts per game, and had as many as 30 on two occasions. How does that compare with USC? Leading rusher Mike Davis averaged 14.6 carries per game.
Despite the frequent pounding he took, Greene started every game at running back during the regular season and seemed to play his best football late in the season.
In the biggest game of the year in Week 10, Greene had 28 carries for 117 yards in the 24-23 victory over previously unbeaten Penn State. The following week, he had 30 carries for 211 yards against Purdue.
In my opinion, the USC defense will have no excuses if they get beat in this game. Not only will they have three weeks to prepare, but they know (as well as the 68,000 fans in attendance) exactly what Iowa is going to do on offense and it’s still only Dec. 15.
It’s not like the Iowa roster is filled with offensive weapons, either. The wide receivers are OK, but not great. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi is a good quarterback, but no one is going to confuse him with Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford.
In short, Greene is basically it when it comes to the Iowa offense. In fact, 36.2 percent of Iowa’s offensive plays this season were running plays by Greene, an atypically high percentage.
Gamecocks fans can take some solace in the fact USC has had some success containing top-name running backs this season. Neither Knowshon Moreno of Georgia or LSU’s Charles Scott reached the 100-yard mark.
But, as we know, USC flopped against running backs like Percy Harvin (Florida) and C.J. Spiller (Clemson) in the final two weeks of the regular season.
While the matchup between Greene and the USC defense should receive the most attention in the run-up to the game, the most intriguing battle of the contest could be the one between USC’s offensive line and Iowa’s defense line.
In case you haven’t heard, Iowa may have the best set of defensive tackles USC has faced all season. Mitch King, the Big 10 Defensive Lineman Of the Year, is a monster.
Here’s the most amazing stat concerning King: he has 55 tackles for loss in his stellar career. As a defensive tackle. Obviously, either he overpowers opponents or relies on guile and his extensive experience (44 careers starts) to beat them.
When you consider that coming into this season the USC record for most career tackles for loss was 35, King’s production is amazing.
It also makes you stop and appreciate what Eric Norwood has been able to accomplish in his career. He now holds the Gamecock record for career tackles for loss with 41.
The production of the USC offense could depend on how much success center Garrett Anderson and the two starting guards (probably Terrence Campbell and Jamon Meredith) have in controlling King and his fellow DL Matt Kroul.
If King and Kroul dominate the interior, USC will experience great difficulty trying to run the football. And we’ve seen this year that when the Gamecocks are one-dimensional against quality opponents, they usually struggle.
Thankfully, USC still has more than two weeks to figure everything out.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.