Players to Watch: Ohio

Sep 15, 2022 - 6:00 PM

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Iowa State

Offense X gon’ give it to ya. The only Cyclone touchdown in Iowa City came at the hands of Xavier Hutchinson, and a few feet above Riley Moss that tripped over the goal line to give up the go-ahead score. Hutch also had a beauty of a catch near the end of the first half where Dekkers threw back-to-back dimes in a passing display that the Hawkeye faithful aren’t likely to see anytime soon in Kinnick.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again Hutchinson is the best thing that could happen for Dekkers. Having that much trust in a receiver as a first-year quarter back is a huge deal. Also, Ohio’s pass defense is abysmal. Giving up 350 yards on average in their first two games, I expect it’ll be an active day for the Dekkers-Hutchinson connection.

Defense Colby Reeder, the transfer from Delaware, was all over the field last week. It was good enough to get him Big 12 Newcomer of the week. He only had 4 tackles but a huge interception that set the Iowa State offense up in the redzone. You watched the game, that turnover did not turn into points, but it was a huge momentum shift. I expect big things from number 4 going forward.

Ohio

Offense Kurtis “with a K” Rourke might be the best QB the Cyclones have seen so far. He has 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions on the season and a career ratio of 18-7. With a better than average 64% completion rate to boot. Ohio played Penn State in a blowout loss last week, but Rourke’s numbers didn’t really take a hit. We’ll see what he can do Saturday.

Defense or lack thereof, as alluded to Ohio has a real hard time stopping the pass.

I think if Iowa played Ohio the world would just buckle in on itself and explode. It’s like the stoppable force against the movable object, a nightmare game that I would love to watch as a bowl game in a few months. Jokes aside, I think Iowa State has a DAY passing the rock. I hope we open up that playbook and start throwing some bombs often and early. Let’s really see what this Dekkers arm is made out of.