Who holds position advantage in the Cy-Hawk game?
By Tyler Devine
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The wait has been long, but the Cy-Hawk football game is finally here.
No. 10 Iowa travels to No. 9 Iowa State on Saturday in the first ever matchup between the two teams as AP ranked opponents.
So, just like last week, we took a look position by position to see who has the advantage on paper, because we know you’ve all been wondering.
Unfortunately, Hawkeye fans aren’t going to like a lot of the answers here, but that’s why they play the game.
Quarterback
Yes, Iowa has won seven consecutive games with Spencer Petras behind center, but Petras has been largely average during that stretch. On the other side, Iowa State has 2020 first-team All-Big 12 selection Brock Purdy who has been mentioned in Heisman Trophy discussions at different points during his career.
Advantage: Iowa State
Running Back
Iowa’s Tyler Goodson was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last season and rushed for 99 yards in Iowa’s season-opening 34-6 win over Indiana. Goodson is a fantastic back, but his Cyclone counterpart, Breece Hall, led the nation last season with 1,572 rushing yards. Hall also scored 21 touchdowns and is arguably a better receiver.
Advantage: Iowa State
Wide Receiver
Iowa juniors Tyrone Tracy and Nico Ragaini combined for four catches for 36 yards against Indiana. The 5-foot-11, 201-pound Tracy had 14 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown in 2020, while the 6-foot, 191-pound Ragaini had 17 catches for 189 yards.
Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson was the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year last year with 64 catches for 771 yards and four touchdowns. 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior Tarique Milton has nearly 1,300 career receiving yards.
Advantage: Iowa State
Tight End
Sam LaPorta was Iowa’s leading receiver in 2020 and had a career-high 83 receiving yards on five receptions against Indiana. Redshirt freshman Luke Lachey has played in two games during his Iowa career.
Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar is a two-time All-American and holds school records for career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Senior Chase Allen has been a second-team All-Big 12 selection three times and has started 24 games during his career.
Advantage: Iowa State
Offensive Line
Hawkeye junior center Tyler Linderbaum is arguably the best pound-for-pound offensive lineman in the country. Other than that, the Hawkeyes have a lot of moving parts along the offensive line. Linderbaum has 22 career starts while the rest of the listed starters have started a combined 10 games.
This group is a big reason Hall rushed for as many yards as he did last season. Iowa State has two players – Colin Newell and Derek Schweiger – on the Outland Trophy watch list. Trevor Downing and Sean Foster has started a combined 34 games during their careers.
Advantage: Iowa State
Defensive Line
Iowa’s Zach VanValkenburg was second-team All-Big Ten last season. John Waggoner was disruptive against Indiana in his first career start. Joe Evans is an effective pass rusher but the rest of the guys are largely unproven.
Will McDonald was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2020 and was tied for first nationally with 10.5 sacks. Zach Petersen has started 10 games in his career and senior Enyi Uwazurike had eight tackles for loss last season and his twice been named honorable mention All-Big 12.
Advantage: Iowa State
Linebacker
Juniors Jack Campbell and Seth Benson played admirably against Indiana. The 6-foot, 229-pound Benson had a team-high 10 tackles against the Hoosiers. Both players were preseason third-team All-Big Ten selections. Sophomore Jestin Jacobs had a career-high four tackles.
The Cyclones’ Mike Rose was the 2020 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Rose had 96 tackles, including 10.5 for loss and five interceptions last season. Fellow senior Jake Hummel has played in 51 games and has 159 career tackles.
Advantage: Iowa State
Defensive Back
Iowa’s defensive back group has a ton of experience. Senior Riley Moss had two pick-sixes against Indiana in week one and senior Matt Hankins does not give up many receptions. Safeties Jack Koerner and Kaevon Merriweather are good against both the run and the pass. The 6-foot, 204-pound Koerner was second-team All-Big Ten last season. Junior Dane Belton had his first career interception last week along with four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
The Cyclones have three-time All-Big 12 selection Greg Eisworth II and 2020 Big 12 Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year Isheem Young and senior cornerback Anthony Johnson was honorable mention All-Big 12 last season.
Finally, a win for the Hawkeyes.
Advantage: Iowa
Specialists
Hawkeye sophomore Tory Taylor was the Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2020. Kicker Caleb Shudak made his first career start against Indiana and senior Charlie Jones was second-team All-Big Ten in 2020 and averaged 28.5 yards per kick return against Indiana in week one.
Connor Assalley hit 13-of-19 field goal attempts in 2020 but was perfect in week one against Northern Iowa. Senior punter Corey Dunn averaged less than 40 yards per punt against the Panthers but did drop three punts inside the 20-yard line.
Advantage: Iowa