College Football News predicts Rutgers win over Iowa Hawkeyes in prime-time Big Ten matchup
Iowa opens up their Big Ten Conference schedule at Rutgers tonight, and there will be plenty of defense played. Both sides, through three games, boast two of the best units in the conference, making life hectic for opposing offenses. Neither though are really known for their ability to score the ball, Rutgers embroiled in a shaky quarterback situation as well.
“Anything from the last time we played them, you know, it’s a whole different ballgame right now. If you look at Coach Schiano’s track record, you know, he really built that program up in the early part of this century here, the first decade here, 2001 to 2011, really gave Rutgers an identity. He did an outstanding job with the program, and you can see him laying the foundation for that right now, at least from our vantage point.
“They’ve got a really good coaching staff. They’re cohesive based on what we’re seeing on film. They definitely have an identity and know what they’re trying to get accomplished, and then more importantly you can see their players really embracing what it is they’re doing and, you know, I think they’ve certainly worked hard to improve their roster,” Ferentz said of Rutgers.
Iowa heads in with a 2-1 record, sporting wins over South Dakota State and Nevada and having lost the Cy-Hawk game versus Iowa State. Meanwhile, Rutgers is a perfect 3-0 with wins over Boston College, Wagner and Temple. This game in Piscataway, N.J., figures to be a fight, one that College Football News projects to go in favor of the Scarlet Knights.
It’s going to be gripping.
Both defenses will take center stage, both punting games are good – the field position battle should be even – and neither team will take any big chances. Here’s the difference.
Rutgers is a wee bit better offensively on third downs. Combine that with the lack of turnovers, and the Scarlet Knights will out-conservative the Hawkeyes.
There will be plenty of chances for both sides to take over, but it’ll be Rutgers that does it at home. – Fiutak, College Football News.
Aligning with his overall synopsis of the matchup, writer Pete Fiutak sees Rutgers grinding out a 19-17 win in front of the home fans at SHI Stadium. Somehow a game that low scoring, between two presumptively bad offenses, receives a three-out-of-five must see rating as well.
Fiutak is not wrong at all. A 3-0 mark is 3-0 no matter who the opponents are. However, with the context of opponents, is Rutgers really “playing Iowa’s style of game and doing it better?”
Currently, the Hawkeyes are only averaging 4.3 points allowed per game, second in the nation. They’ve only allowed a single touchdown this year to rivals Iowa State, blanking Nevada and holding South Dakota State to a field goal. Simply put, there is nobody besides Georgia who is playing Iowa’s game better than them on defense.
Sure the Rutgers offense has better totals, the numbers do look prettier, there is a massive difference in the FCS opponents both teams have played. South Dakota State are a yearly FCS contender, while Wagner hasn’t won a game since who even knows when. Rutgers should beat up on Wagner. The Scarlet Knights were in dog fights with Boston College and Temple. The only wins both teams have so far this season are: Maine and Lafayette. Neither are great opponents.
I agree with the overall synopsis of the game. This will be a dog fight. You have two very good defenses here. However, Iowa’s defense is playing on another plane right now. They look as advertised. Rutgers hasn’t faced nearly the same caliber opponent. It will be close, but I don’t know if Rutgers has earned to right to say they can play Iowa’s style better yet.
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