Minnesota Pre-Game

The battle for the brass pig. A series that in recent history has been dominated by Iowa, winning 7 of the last 8.

When Iowa has the ball-
Once again this week James Vandenberg will get the start under center for the Hawks, a week after looking superb against a tough Ohio State defense. Imagine how good his stats would have been had he not had circa 2006 Iowa wide receivers with a case of the drops. For a redshirt freshman he showed some serious poise and will look to take advantage of a poor Gopher defense. Minnesota is dead last in the Big Ten in sacks and Iowa's offensive line should be able to keep Vandy upright and create a good pocket for him to throw in. Minnesota's defense is 8th in the Big Ten in overall defense, but look for them to bring several blitzes to make James make quick decisions with the ball. Robinson should find the yards will come easier this week than last and he looked very good for missing two weeks with an ankle injury. Statistical oddity: Minnesota has a grand total of 6 punt returns all year.

When Minnesota has the ball-
To start the season any defense playing Minnesota had to worry about Eric Decker. Now that his season and career is over they have had to rely on other players and their offense hasn't been near as good. They will play a more traditional pro-style offense, which bodes well for Iowa's defense. Their quarterback, Weber, reminds me of Christiansen, doesn't throw many interceptions, but also doesn't throw for many yards or have a good completion percentage. Look for them to bring in their backup QB, Grey, as a running threat.

What will happen-
Powered by the right arm of Vandenberg, the Hawks will jump out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and the defense will begin to suffocate the Gopher offense. Look for Iowa to have to throw quick passes and screens to loosen up the Minnesota defense that will be bringing pressure. On the defensive side, Iowa will be able to get pressure on the Gophers, who have given up a Big Ten worst 34 sacks this season.

Score prediction:
Iowa - 37
Minnesota - 13

Predictions:
Iowa's defense causes three TO's, 2 fumbles and 1 INT
Iowa's defense has 5 sacks, Clayborn collecting 2 of them
Vandenberg completes 70% of his passes for 250+
DJK has 5 catches for 125+
McNutt has 3 for 90+
Moeaki has four catches and a TD
Hawks get a big gain out of a screen pass
Iowa gets a big kick return and starts in MN territory
Robinson rushes for over 100 yards
Minnesota commits 7 or more penalties
MN backup QB Grey has a big run
Weinke gets snaps in mop up duty