Iowa State's tasks against Iowa: Run, stop the run

AMES — When film of the Iowa football team flips on, it doesn't take the Iowa State coaches and players long to see how it can win.

Run and stop the run.

Seeing it and executing, though, are two very different things.

The Cyclones (1-0) started off their season on the right note with an 18-point win against Northern Iowa, but the Hawkeyes (1-0) will be a sharp incline in terms of the challenge. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPN2).

Iowa running backs Akrum Wadley and James Butler provide a tandem — set up behind a stout offensive line — that will give the ISU front seven a graduate level course in how to try stopping the run.

'He's such a dynamic football player,' Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell said of Wadley at his Monday news conference. 'Just when you think that there's nothing there, he's got the ability to make you miss in space and make big plays happen. He certainly did that last week. It's been the foundation of his success.

'Those teams that have been able to play good defense against them, they've been able to tackle really well.'

Iowa State showed flashes of potential in the defensive front. Ray Lima and Vernell Trent absorbed a lot of contact at the line and made way for Willie Harvey, Marcel Spears and Joel Lanning. Northern Iowa had runs of 28 and 23 yards, but gained just 119 yards on the night.

The Hawkeyes have made the ground game their bread and butter, particularly while they break in new quarterback Nate Stanley. Stanley threw just 15 times for eight completions — Nick Easley, Noah Fant and Matt Vandeberg were the only pass catchers — but Wyoming's inability to stop the run made Iowa's game plan simple to execute.

Iowa rushed 41 times for 138 yards with Wadley and Butler gaining 116 and 47, respectively. Wadley is trying to become the first back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher for the Hawkeyes in 14 years, and the Iowa State front seven will be in the way. Gap responsibility and vertical penetration, Campbell said, are the keys to success.

'(The defensive front's) got a huge challenge this week, but I think as the season progresses you're going to see they're so young and so inexperienced at times and I think you're going to see that group just keep getting better and better,' Campbell said. 'We're going to need them to if we're going to have success.'

On the flip side, Iowa State is going to have to dictate its own offense through the run game. The Cyclones have advantages at wide receiver with Allen Lazard, Hakeem Butler and Marchie Murdock, but the offensive line will be tasked with creating a pocket for quarterback Jacob Park and keeping him upright.

Sophomore running back David Montgomery looked good in the opener with 14 carries for 82 yards and two scores before exiting in the fourth quarter with cramps. Iowa State rushed for 134 yards as a team against the Panthers after reaching only 51 yards in last year's matchup.

Linebackers like Josey Jewell, Ben Niemann and Bo Bower — who were the Hawkeyes' three leading tacklers Saturday — are the center pieces to an Iowa defensive line that held Wyoming to 59 rushing yards and sacked quarterback Josh Allen three times.

'That's the one thing about David, similar to what I was saying about (Wadley) is he's got the ability to make guys miss in space,' Campbell said, 'but he's also got the ability with his extra effort to get the hidden yards that you need to be successful.'

Iowa State football injury update

Junior right guard Oge Udeogu wasn't dressed for Saturday's game and had his right arm wrapped. ISU Coach Matt Campbell said he had cleanup surgery on his elbow after getting 'dinged up a little bit' in practice the week before.

'I don't know what the extent of it is from the timeline standpoint, but I'd expect to have Oge back at some point,' Campbell said.

Redshirt freshman cornerback Arnold Azunna and sophomore nose guard Jamahl Johnson, who are both listed as backups, didn't play against Northern Iowa due to injury. Campbell said Azunna and Johnson both suffered ankle sprains near the end of fall camp.

Azunna practiced Sunday, Campbell said, but it's unknown how much — if at all — he'll play versus Iowa. Johnson 'probably could have played,' Campbell said, but the expectation is he'll be ready to go full strength on practice Tuesday.

Iowa State football depth chart notes

• Redshirt freshman Zeb Noland is listed as the clear No. 2 behind Jacob Park.

• Sophomore Josh Knipfel is expected to get his second-straight start at right guard.

• Redshirt freshman Carson Lensing, a former South Winneshiek prep, is listed as an option at backup defensive end alongside JUCO transfer Matt Leo.

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