Video Sessions Part 3

Video 1 - Biggest game you've played in at Iowa?

'I think it is,” linebacker Quinton Alston said. 'It's a great opportunity for us. It's a great running back coming into Iowa City. It's a great team coming into Iowa City, offensively, defensively and special teams. It's a great challenge for us.”

I proceeded to ask Quinton the same question like six times. My bad, folks. He humored me and I appreciated that.

It's a big deal.

'Someone sets a 408-yard record, it comes with the territory,” Alston said. 'We're not shying away from it. When someone sets that record, it's a big game.”

It's exactly where these guys wanted to be. 'I love these opportunities.”

Video 2 - SS John Lowdermilk said the team watched Melvin Gordon approach 400 yards as it made its way to the airport after last week's win over Illinois.

Gordon said this week that the offense blocks to create one-on-one battles for him in space. 'We have to tackle well, leverage the ball well. They do a lot of cracks (WR blocking down on LBs and secondary). They like to get him outside one-on-one with the corners, so the corners are going to have to tackle well.”

The opportunity?

'We worked all year to have meaningful games in November. This is definitely a big, huge game in November.”

Video 3 - What are you going to do against the biggest story in college football right now one-on-one in the open field?

'It's going to require the whole entire defense getting to the ball and wrapping up and gang tackling him. He's an explosive running back. It's going to be important that we're all on our keys and in the right gaps and are on the same communication,” FS Jordan Lomax said.

Is this where you want to be?

'It's where we want to be,” Lomax said. 'We have to win every game so we can create our own destiny.”

I like that he used the word 'create.” Iowa isn't in control of its destiny. It needs to win its final two games and hope for a Minnesota loss. 'Create” is the exactly perfect word here.

Video 4 (below) - QB Jake Rudock said the playbook grows when you have third-and-shorts. It's a great point. Iowa did that last week vs. Illinois and burned the Illini. If it can do that against Wisconsin . . .

I really seemed to amuse Jake with my question about general principles of attacking a 3-4 defense. Here's what he wanted to say, 'Marc, you're making it way too complicated for your readers . . . again.”

He said, 'The gameplan is great until you get into the game sometimes and then it has to change.”

I ask about the importance of third-and-short. Third-and-long isn't optimum.

Rudock was recruited by Wisconsin and the Badgers and then-coach Bret Bielema were in the hunt. I asked Jake what it's like to be recruited by Bielema. You'll have to listen to the podcast to hear that answer.

Here's the link: http://thegazette.com/audio-hawkeye-players-talk-wisconsin-20141118

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com