5 Things: Iowa football vs. Wyoming

The first Iowa football game week is upon us. These next few days will fly by if you're a coach — there's always more to do to prepare — and drag like crazy if you're a fan or a player.

A first-week matchup with a well-known quarterback on a team that was streaky — if not exciting — last season awaits in Wyoming. There still are plenty of questions surrounding what the Hawkeyes will look like on Saturday, but at least a little bit of that depends on how Wyoming looks.

With that in mind, let's look at 5 Things: Iowa vs. Wyoming

1. Real live football

There's real football happening on Saturday. That's not really 'news,' per se because, well, we've all been talking about Sept. 2 and that that's when the Hawkeyes open their season for months now.

But the exciting part is there will be real football and real stakes to talk about, finally, after what feels like eons for many in preparation of another college football season. Finally, there will be answers to at least some of those questions everyone has had since the start of fall camp.

We'll get to see if Nathan Stanley was the right choice for starting quarterback. His status as a sophomore beating out a junior is something that doesn't happen all that often. We'll get to see how Akrum Wadley and James Butler work in tandem. Wyoming has seen Butler before (hold that thought), after all. We'll get to see if Matt VandeBerg is fully healthy — he's listed as the top punt returner — and if the receivers are ready. We'll get to see the first collegiate plays of A.J. Epenesa's career and get a glimpse into whether or not the hype was real (let's go out on a limb and say it is). We'll get to see if the Iowa secondary can hold its own against a quality quarterback in Josh Allen (hold that thought as well) without Manny Rugamba.

Maybe it's being prisoner of the moment, but there feels like more unanswered questions and things to figure out in an opener this year than the last several for Iowa.

Allen spoke with media Monday and kind of said what everyone is thinking, in this regard. For him, it was about his own hype, but it applies generally, too.

'You get tired of all the media stuff and all the hype, and you just want to get on the field,' Allen said.

2. Craig Bohl connection

When Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl left North Dakota State to take over the Cowboys, he was leaving with three straight FCS national titles, and saw his former assistants take over — and, of course, continue that streak.

Among those connections, as a guy Bohl hired for his first college coaching job? Current Iowa offensive line coach Tim Polasek. The first-year Iowa assistant was hired by Bohl as a graduate assistant in 2006, and eventually worked as running backs coach, tight ends/full backs and special teams and recruiting coordinator while under Bohl, the pair of them working together for two national titles.

Ever the football coach, Bohl didn't bite during his weekly news conference Monday when asked if he could expect to see any tendencies or a style out of a Polasek-coached position group. Bohl even channeled Kirk Ferentz in his answer.

'I've got a lot of stories about him, I can say that,' Bohl said Monday. 'I thought Coach Ferentz had a great hire there. Iowa football is Iowa football. I'm sure Tim has learned an awful lot from Coach Ferentz and the offensive coordinator. We know we're going to have our hands full. I'll look forward to seeing Tim in the pregame warmups.'

The other Bohl/Wyoming connection to Saturday's game? James Butler and Matt Quarells.

Bohl's Cowboys beat Nevada in both matchups the last two seasons, the only times they saw Butler in his time as part of the Wolf Pack. Butler ran 10 times for 51 yards in a 28-21 Wyoming win in 2015, then had 14 carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns with six catches for 43 yards in a 42-34 Wyoming win in 2016. Quarells didn't register a catch in either game between Wyoming and New Mexico, both of which the Lobos won with their ground-heavy attack.

While that doesn't jump out as lighting them up or dominating games, Bohl was complimentary of Butler on Monday, citing the grad-transfer's style of running.

'He's an excellent running back,' Bohl said. '(Butler) carries his pads low; he's got great breakaway speed. That gives him a 1-2 punch.

'I guess he always wanted to play at Iowa, so now he's going to have his opportunity.'

3. Josh Allen (again)

It's entirely possible the quarterback the Hawkeyes face on Saturday could've been the first quarterback taken in this spring's NFL Draft — potentially even the No. 1 overall pick.

So, naturally, he hasn't been written or talked about at all this summer. Just kidding. Even The Gazette has written about him twice since the spring, once in a column from Mike Hlas and again as part of a 12-part series on Iowa's opponents by Marc Morehouse. The guy appears headed for millions of dollars as a professional, yet he's back with the Cowboys now.

That obviously means the Hawkeyes have plenty to worry about, and without Rugamba, the Iowa secondary will have its hands full, potentially.

Allen has done his best, he said Monday, to ignore all the talk. This is the part where you roll your eyes because every high-level talent says they don't pay attention and don't buy into the hype. But, for what it's worth, his Twitter handle is @J_Prodigy_5.

The guy can play. You don't fake your way to 3,203 yards and 28 touchdowns in your first full season as a starter otherwise. He went from no attention — junior college and only two FBS offers after that — to more than he knew what to do with. He'll have plenty from Iowa's defense on Saturday, too.

'I don't read anything about me,' Allen said. 'I really don't pay much attention to it at all. (My teammates) have kept me very grounded. I come from a really good family, and they've kept me grounded as well. It takes a collective team to win games. We've got a special group here.'

4. Freshmen on the field?

Saturday's game could see some contributions by true freshmen from both teams.

The Hawkeyes listed five true freshmen on the two-deep released on Monday. Epenesa was the most obvious selection after what he's done this fall and the reputation he came with to Iowa. He was listed as the No. 2 defensive end on the right side, behind Parker Hesse, but it's essentially a mortal lock he'll see plenty of snaps against the Cowboys. Elsewhere, Brandon Smith was listed behind Matt VandeBerg at receiver, Tristan Wirfs behind Ike Boettger at tackle, Matt Hankins behind Josh Jackson at corner and Ryan Gersonde was listed as the backup punter behind Colten Rastetter.

The Cowboys had four true freshmen on their two-deep, including two starters. Logan Harris will snap the ball to Josh Allen on Saturday in his first game as a college football player. He's joined as a freshman starter by 6-foot-5, 230-pound mountain of a punter, Tim Zaleski. The other two freshmen are Ryan Gatoloai-Faupula at backup WLB (could mean defensive or special teams snaps for him) and backup receiver Avante Cox.

5. Against the spread

Here's your weekly For Entertainment Purposes Only section of 5 Things — the pick for which will be covered in Saturday morning's Gazette college football pick 'ems show on the On Iowa Facebook page.

The Hawkeyes opened as a 12.5-point favorite over the Cowboys, and that moved to 11.5 by Monday afternoon.

Iowa was an 11.5-or-greater point favorite four times last season — the first four games — and went 1-3 against the spread in those contests (covered against Iowa State, not against Miami (Ohio), North Dakota State and Rutgers). Wyoming went 9-5 against the spread last year, covering a double-digit spread four times — plus-13.5 against Air Force, plus-14.5 against Boise State, plus-10 against San Diego State and plus-10 against BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Do with that information as you will. You know, if gambling were legal.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com