Geno Stone: 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report

The Iowa Hawkeyes had three underclassmen to this year’s NFL Draft. The first two, Tristan Wirfs and AJ Epenesa, were no brainers and likely first round picks. The third was a borderline decision in Iowa safety Geno Stone. I say borderline, because he is unlikely to be picked on the first two days of the draft, but I almost always think it’s the right move to leave college and get paid so good on him for getting closer to actually being compensated for putting his body on the line. I took a look at his games against Michigan, Iowa State, and USC to get a better idea of how he could make an impact for an NFL team.

Before we get to the film, let’s take a look at how he tested athletically at the combine.

That is...not ideal. 

Geno is clearly looking to jump the route on this play.

He hangs back just enough to give the quarterback a window, knowing that he can break downhill to either tip the ball or get an interception. Since the linebacker remained fairly close as opposed to going to a zone more outside, the Michigan quarterback checks off the route before throwing a really bad pass in the opposite direction.

That play may seem like nothing, but it hints at what can happen when he makes a quarterback believe there is an opening that isn’t actually there.

Here he stays underneath the Michigan wide receiver while still staying close enough to the tight end where it will only lead to a short gain. He knows he has help behind him on the receiver but gives Patterson just enough of a window to make the throw. He doesn’t play the receiver, he plays the path of where the throw has to go and it leads to him making the interception.

He also has great instincts in the run game.

He looks like he has a rocket attached to him as he emerges on the screen and darts directly to the ball carrier to turn what looked like a first down into a play that comes up five yards short.

I will say that tackling could use some work. I don’t think it’s a big issue, but he isn’t a guy that really laid the wood on his hits, and there were times where he was desperately diving for legs instead of wrapping up.

Last year, I was absolutely enamored with Amani Hooker. He played in the box and at safety and excelled at both roles because his instincts were always right. Geno Stone has great instincts, and the only reason I can’t put him quite on Hooker’s level is that he wasn’t given the opportunity to play anywhere but safety. Still, he was very good at what he did. Analytics sites like Pro Football Focus love him, but anyone who loves raw athleticism isn’t even going to have him on their board. Hooker fell to the fourth round, so I would say that is about as high as we could expect Stone to go. I think he’s likely a fifth round pick who ends up being very valuable as a starting safety in the league. I don’t think he’s an All-Pro guy, but he’s a football player who will be in the right place at the right time and knows how to make big plays. If the Chicago Bears got him in the fifth round, I’d be ecstatic.

Previous Scouting Reports
1. Tua Tagavailoa - Alabama
2. Joe Burrow - LSU
3. Jordan Love - Utah State
4. Justin Herbert - Oregon
5. Nate Stanley - Iowa
6. Tristan Wirfs - Iowa
7. AJ Epenesa - Iowa
8. Geno Stone - Iowa

David Montgomery Runs Like a Literal Cyclone

The Bears traded up to get the player they wanted out of a university in Iowa. It wasn't the guy or even the school I had pegged, but I do believe they got a talented player as I was pretty terrified of this player the last two years when my favorite team played against him. David Montgomery of the Iowa State Cyclones is exactly what the Bears needed at running back as he's a big back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. I took another look at his game against Iowa and also a game against Texas from this past season.

Before we get started, let's take a look at how his combine went.
Unless you're scouting him for the UFC and really want a great wingspan, the athletic traits are not going to wow you. The poor 40 yard dash was not all that surprising and didn't hurt him as much, because he is a bigger back. The vertical jump was hilariously bad as I might be able to jump 28.5 inches (okay, I can't, but maybe ten years ago I could), but I don't know a single person who gives a crap about vertical jump for running backs. The broad jump is excellent, especially when you factor in his size. And the 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle would have been the most interesting to see him perform, because I do think that would have highlighted his quickness and agility.

The first thing that stood out to me was his balance. This is where the title of this piece came from, as he can take hits, make cuts, and spin off defenders while still staying upright.

Texas has nine guys in the box. All they want to do is stop David Montgomery, and with the safety darting in, they have the play dead to rights. The safety spears his right shin, and somehow Montgomery just bounces back a yard and darts outside. He shows good acceleration to beat the edge defender around to the outside before finally getting pushed out after gaining seven yards on what should have been a two-yard loss.

Here, he sees a single hole that quickly gets filled by the Texas linebacker, but that isn't going to stop Montgomery on 2nd and 3.

Despite the linebacker covering the only available area along the line of scrimmage, Montgomery is able to spin inside and drag the linebacker for three yards to get the first down. He just has an innate ability to find any crease that may exist.

Here he has a play that is designed to go inside, Montgomery analyzes the situation and bounces it outside. After that, what he does is simply not fair.

After bouncing outside, he puts a stupid juke on Amani Hooker (coincidentally, the player I wanted the Bears to take in the third round) before finally being drug down by an ankle tackle by an Iowa linebacker after gaining 13 yards. This is a play where so many backs never see that hole to their left, and even after making that cut, most guys are getting about three yards with a pretty reliable tackler in Hooker filling the hole. Montgomery is not most running backs.

I don't know if there is 5% of professional running backs who could do this.

Any other player is running into that linebacker as it's damn near impossible to stop your momentum at that point after the catch. Montgomery slips while making the cut (because it's damn near impossible), but it helps him pick up an additional six yards while the Iowa linebacker is busy hugging air. An underrated part of this play but maybe even more appealing for the Bears coaching staff is the way that he catches the ball by framing his hands away from his body as opposed to body catching it. It's that technique that will make him a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield.

Speaking of the passing game, he is at least a willing pass blocker.

He does let the defender get under his pads which initially pushes him back, but he shows good balance by staying upright, resetting his feet and stopping the defender after that. The big thing that I liked to see is he kept his head up while blocking, because many running backs do not seem to think it's a good idea to see the guy they are trying to block.

His ability to stop and start is top notch.

There are two Texas defenders in the only hole available to him, and what he does here is purposeful hesitation. He freezes BOTH defenders before juking to his right and using a stiff arm to keep distance from the first defender.

If you're looking to nitpick the guy, the 40 yard dash is indicative of his lack of breakaway speed, but other than that, everything else you'd want to see is there. Vision, quickness, power, patience, and ability as a receiver, I'm a BIG, BIG fan. The craziest thing about the clips that I showed for Montgomery is that these were from his two worst games of the season. He had a combined 77 yards in those two games, yet I'm not sure if you could find five running backs who could put up his sort of highlights in their two best games.

Please sit down before I make this comparison, because it may sound extreme, but there was only one name that popped into my head while watching Montgomery: Le'Veon Bell. Bell was this exact player in college. Now I will say that Bell got even better when he got to the pros when he shed weight which benefitted his speed and quickness, but Montgomery is right there with the traits that he possesses. David Montgomery is the type of player that a team is justified in trading up for, and I think Bears fans are going to be very happy with this pick as he has the traits to be the best running back in the class.

The Chicago Bears Perfect 2019 NFL Draft

Projecting a team's draft picks is a fool's errand. It's impossible to know who a team will take, because I have no idea who will even be there when it is their chance to draft. Although I am trying to be realistic in who will be available for the Bears in this process, there is a chance that some of these guys are gone two, possibly even three rounds earlier than where I am projecting. And this is especially tough when projecting Bears draft picks as they do not have a first or second round pick, so I am only looking at the deepest, darkest parts of the NFL draft. And since the Bears do not have many picks, I'll also point out some guys I would like them to sign as undrafted free agents as well.

Round 3, 87th Overall: Amani Hooker, Safety, Iowa
I limited myself to one Iowa Hawkeye, but man, this is one that I feel very passionate about. I'm not sure if Hooker lasts this long, but if the Bears traded all of their picks to ensure they got Hooker, I would call this draft a massive victory. I have already waxed poetically about the Hawkeye safety, but in short, he's a versatile defender that could play safety or as your nickel back, can defend pass and run, and just always seems to be in the right spot at the right time to make a big play. The one concern about him (and nearly all Iowa players in general) is what kind of athlete he is, but he put those concerns to rest with a very impressive combine performance.
Outside of having T-Rex arms, everything else was incredibly impressive. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, and it's crazy that he could fall this far, but judging by where he is ranked by most "experts" this is a reasonable range for him to get drafted. I might cry tears of joy if the Bears end up with him.

Round 4, 126th Overall: Austin Bryant, Defensive End, Clemson
Little known fact, Clemson actually started four defensive linemen this season. I know Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins get all of the love since they are likely first round picks, but Austin Bryant was no slouch. The guy had 17 sacks with 30.5 tackles for loss in his last two years with the Tigers, and he might have had more if he didn't need to constantly race his teammates to the quarterback. You can make the argument that he benefitted from not facing double teams, but he'll have the same luxury with the Bears as Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack will be getting most of the offense's attention. If he slips this far, it would be a great addition to the Bears depth at defensive line. Also, I totally wanted to put Anthony Nelson here, but I promised myself I could only pick one Hawkeye.

Round 5, 162nd Overall: Ross Pierschbacher, Center, Alabama
Since Pierschbacher is a native Iowan, I did a deeper dive on him here. He started all four years at Alabama, starting at left guard and taking over at center for his senior year. To start at Alabama for four years with how proficient their offenses were would make me think that he'd be a day two pick, but I have seen a lot of mocks with him more falling in the 4th-5th round range, and if that's the case, the Bears would be stupid not to pounce on him to give them a strong backup for the interior offensive line, especially with Kyle Long's injury history. i will say that I saw more impressive play from him as a guard than after he transitioned to the center position, so I see him as a good guard but maybe just an average center prospect. Common sense says he shouldn't be here for the Bears, but common sense isn't exactly what NFL teams are known for.

Round 7, 222nd Overall: Jalin Moore, Running Back, Appalachian State
Not sure if you have heard, but you can find a decent running back later on in the draft. I feel like this year, it's Josh Jacobs, and everybody else. What order guys will fall is a complete mystery. Because of an injury, I would say Moore has a better chance to fall than most, but even I can admit that this seems like a fairly aggressive drop for his talent. Plus, even with his injury, he put up 27 bench press reps at the combine. Does benching help running backs? Not at all, but it impresses other dudes in the gym, and isn't that what's most important? In real talk, he was always productive when he was on the field, but his senior year was cut short after fracturing and dislocating his ankle on a touchdown run. I will say that I'm not sure if it's the ideal fit for Nagy's offense as the most catches he had in a year was 12, but that may have been by the Appalachian State design, or he may have trouble with his hands. Worst case is he can bench press like 1000 footballs.

Round 7, 238th Overall: Terry Godwin, Wide Receiver, Georgia
I have an affinity for five-star recruits out of high school. Godwin didn't light it up in college, but he still had a productive college career with a Georgia offense that would far prefer to run than pass. Also, with his smaller stature, he was never going to be the number one guy. I think he projects as a great option in the slot as he has great quickness and has the hands to catch balls in traffic. He is great for receiver depth and could also be an option as a return man.

Undrafted Free Agent Targets
Mathieu Betts, Edge, Laval
Oh, you don't know about the football powerhouse that is Laval? Apparently, you're just not that into the pigskin, because they are ten time Vanier Cup Champions, including a perfect season this past year, led by their defensive ace, Mathieu Betts. This guy is hands down the best Canadian prospect in the draft, and although his most likely destination is practice squad, there is enough raw talent to at least invite him to camp.

Jordan Brailford, Edge, Oklahoma State
Probably the least likely guy to be available, but he definitely has the talent to be a situational pass rusher where he could help out the Bears. I've seen him projected in the 5-7th round range, but considering that he ran a 4.65 and broad jumped 10.5 feet, I could see somebody taking a chance on that athleticism early.

Taylor Cornelius, Quarterback, Oklahoma State
Out of the six quarterbacks I saw when I worked with the East-West Shrine Game, I was most impressed with Cornelius. I don't think he's going to set the world on fire, but he could be a serviceable backup in the right offense.

Keelan Doss, Wide Receiver, UC Davis
Doss played at a small school and put up big numbers. Unfortunately, he got hurt at the combine, so that will knock his draft stock down a bit. I think it's likely somebody takes him in a late round, but if he's available, it'd be a great addition for the Bears.

Matt Gay, Kicker, Utah
He's a kicker; that makes him a great addition for the Bears. He's also 232 pounds, so that's pretty cool too.

Jimmy Moreland, Cornerback, James Madison
Moreland showed flashes at the Shrine Game, but what really stood out to me is how much the coaches (and even special guest Aeneas Williams) were trying to coach him up and getting on him for mistakes. It was clear that they saw a lot of potential in him, and I don't think it's a high ceiling, but he could be a serviceable player in the slot.

Matt Nelson, Defensive Lineman, Iowa
Hey, I could only project one player to be drafted by the Bears, but I might as well have them sign one as a free agent. Nelson played out of position as a defensive tackle at Iowa, but at 6'8", 295 pounds, he's perfectly built to be a stout defender as a 3-4 defensive end. I think he can set the edge, bat down passes, and occasionally get to the quarterback, but he was not put in the best position to succeed due to team need at Iowa. He'd be a great addition to provide additional depth along the defensive line.

Amani Hooker - 2019 NFL Draft Scouting Report

This is the scouting report I was most looking forward to writing this year. I was hoping I could wait another year to write it, but I certainly can't fault a great player for leaving early. It was truly a pleasure watching Amani Hooker play for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and he got better and better every year. I admit I have black and gold tinted glasses, and even though I never specifically watched him during a game, it was impossible for me not to notice his contributions. But now, I am willing to take a closer look at the Hooker to see the strengths and look for weaknesses that could hurt him at the next level. I looked at his games from 2018 against Mississippi State, Iowa State, and Maryland with a sprinkling of 2017 Ohio State for good measure.

Aw man, who am I kidding? Let's just go to the first play of the game against Ohio State.

This wasn't just to show something painful for Buckeye fans as I did want to display the way he was able to make plays from the traditional safety position as he played a less traditional role this past year. Here, Hooker plays a shallow zone and just does a great job of reading the quarterback's eyes and breaking downhill for the pick-six. JT Barrett actually does a nice job of working left to right here. But Hooker knows he can't do anything on the left, the middle is well covered, so he picks the dig route to make a break on, and he picks right. It looks like Hooker knows where this ball is going before Barrett does.

Hooker is an interesting prospect as he spent his first two years and part of his final year in a traditional safety role before mostly transitioning to a hybrid role where he was more of a nickel back/linebacker. Here's another nice play from Hooker in a traditional safety role.

Even without the benefit of having a bright yellow cone of vision, it's easy to see Hooker looking into the backfield to read the quarterback's eyes. He does this while staying over the top of the route, so he is seeing the quarterback prepare his release as the receiver breaks to the outside, and he cuts off the route to make the interception.

Here is an example of Hooker playing the run.

He diagnoses the play and sprints to fill the hole. David Montgomery is one of the top running backs in the draft, so he did manage to spin out of the tackle, but his momentum was stopped by Hooker, and he wasn't able to regain control and was quickly wrapped up.

This is a really nice play by Hooker making quick decisions.

On this play, Hooker has the responsibility of the short routes while the cornerback is going to handle anything deep. He sees the slot receiver running down field, and the quarterback thinks that it will carry Hooker with him. Instead, Hooker lets that man go and quickly breaks to the outside to the wide receiver to tackle him just after he makes the catch for a short gain. It's a quick diagnosis that makes this play work as if he's a second slower, the receiver is creating yards after the catch for a likely first down.

A receiver blocking Hooker is not a recipe for success.

That is a massive whiff by the receiver, and Hooker is able to finish off the play because of it.

This was something I consistently saw in games as wide receivers were outclassed when trying to block Hooker on quick screens.

it is clear Hooker is diagnosing the play as he is getting blocked, and then he shucks the receiver and does an impressive job of taking out the tight end's right leg to bring him down for a short gain.

Here is another example of him reading the quarterback while dropping down in a zone and making a quick break on the ball.

On this play, he has the option to carry the inside breaking route but sees the Iowa State quarterback looking to his left, so he makes a hard break to the outside, and even though he can't get a hand on it, he got close enough to distract the receiver enough for him to not catch the ball.

I had watched three games, but I wanted a little more. Did I get obsessed with watching Hooker and just go to a highlight video? Yes, admittedly, I did. But it reminded me of this play which I didn't even comprehend its greatness until seeing it on this video.

Hooker covers THREE guys on this play, just by reading the quarterback's eyes. First, he carries the slot receiver coming up the seam before breaking inside on the next receiver's short crossing route where the linebacker picks him up, and then Hooker drifts back to the outside receiver who tries to run into open space, but Hooker again reads the quarterback's eyes, finds the receiver, looks back to the quarterback, and makes the leaping interception. If you're a scout trying to convince your team to draft Hooker, this is the play you show them.

Here's the thing with safeties. They are damn near impossible to evaluate off of television tape. They are barely on screen and immediately offscreen at the snap, so it's tough to show the ins and outs of great safety play. That being said, I have watched Amani Hooker for years. I've seen the minutiae of what most people would call meaningless replays and how the dude is ALWAYS around the ball. For an NFL comparison, I would say he reminds me of Tyrann Mathieu. I don't expect him to test off the charts, but he should do well, and the most important thing is that the guy just makes plays. He has incredible football instincts that you simply can't teach, and there was a reason that Big Ten coaches named him the defensive back of the year despite lining up most of the year in a non-traditional secondary role. He can play a traditional safety role or play as your nickel back, but it's easy to find a way to utilize a guy like Amani Hooker. His versatility and ability to read and react would make him an asset to any defense. As a Hawkeye fan, I'm certainly going to miss him.

Previous Scouting Reports:
Noah Fant - Iowa Hawkeyes - Tight End
Dwayne Haskins - Ohio State Buckeyes - Quarterback
TJ Hockenson - Iowa Hawkeyes Tight End
Josh Jacobs - Alabama Crimson Tide - Running Back
Daniel Jones - Duke blue Devils - Quarterback

The 5 Most Important Iowa Hawkeyes Who Could Declare For The NFL Draft

The Iowa Hawkeyes somehow managed to show a tremendous amount of skill yet have an incredibly disappointing season this past year. They showed they could blow the doors off teams, but also showed that if they were in a close game, they would make that one mistake that would cost them at the worst possible time. It was so frustrating and yet I look at this team, and I would feel totally confident picking them to win the Big Ten West if everyone returned next year. The problem is there is close to a zero percent chance of that happening. I would say there are five guys who could at least consider the possibility, so let's rank them to see who Iowa most needs to come back for their success in 2019.

5. Noah Fant
I hate doing this, because Noah Fant is awesome. He came in as a true freshman, and it was like holy shit, that guy owns. The his sophomore year, he made a massive leap and set a record for touchdowns by a tight end. Even though he nearly matched those numbers this past season, it was still seen as a disappointment as he could have done so much more. Unfortunately, Iowa did not find the right fit for him, and although that seems incredibly stupid, "That's football." Since Iowa does not know how to best utilize him and (SPOILER ALERT) there is another person at this same position later in the list, I can't put him any higher than fifth on the list even though he will probably be the first guy off the board in the draft if all of these guys declared.

4. Nate Stanley
If Stanley leaves, what does Iowa have at quarterback? No freaking clue, but what Iowa needs at quarterback is not greatness but consistency. Stanley has shown far more greatness and consistency, and it leads to games like Penn State where an average performance is likely enough to get the Hawkeyes the win. There is a chance that although Iowa would be less talented at the position next year, they could still have a better record. There is also a chance that this puts Stanley way too low on the list, and there could be a massive dropoff without him. I feel like it's closer to the former than the latter so that is why he is only fourth on this list.

3. Anthony Nelson
This may seem high for Nelson as Iowa has AJ Epenesa ready to take over one starting defensive end spot and would seemingly be fine with Chauncey Golston taking over the other, but a lot of the strength of this year's defensive line has been their depth. They already need some new faces to show they can play at the interior of the defensive line, so keeping depth at defensive end is very important. With Nelson and Epenesa starting with Golston giving them a breather, the Hawkeyes would again have the best defensive end situation in the Big Ten. The defensive line has always been what makes the entire defense great at Iowa so here's to hoping that Anthony Nelson can hold off those NFL dreams for another year.

2. TJ Hockenson
So if Hockenson and Fant both go, this Iowa offense could be in some serious trouble. The tight ends made the offense go, and there was nobody I felt better about than Hockenson as he reliably got open and made the catch. He even occasionally leaped over people. So it will definitely hurt to not have those options. But when has Iowa not had a good tight end? Before Hockenson and Fant it was George Kittle, before him CJ Fiedorowicz, before him Tony Moeaki, then Brandon Myers, Scott Chandler, Dallas Clark, and Austin Wheatley. Hell, even before Ferentz got there, there was Iowa great, Scott Slutzker. I don't think I could be any more confident in Iowa finding a good option at than tight end. It's going to hurt, but there is hope that a tight end steps up, that Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette take a big step forward, and that my main man, Tyrone Tracy is the real deal.

1. Amani Hooker
Hooker was Iowa's Defensive MVP. The dude was all over the field, and I had mixed emotions when he won the award for best defensive back in the Big Ten. Like, yes, he deserves it, because the dude was phenomenal this year, but also could the Big Ten do me a favor and keep his dominance on the down low? Where Hockenson made me feel the best when Iowa threw to him, Hooker was the guy that I felt the best whether they were running toward him, passing toward him, or just letting him be anywhere near making a play, because I knew that he would. Iowa is already losing Jake Gervase, so safety depth is already at least somewhat of a question mark. Without Hooker back, it would leave a massive hole in the defense, because his versatility makes everyone around him better. For the Hawkeyes, I really hope he comes back.

That being said, with Hooker, and anyone listed above, if they can get paid, then get paid. Outside of Stanley, it's tough to see anybody significantly increasing their draft stock. And even though my heart would love to see the Hawkeyes run it back next year, my head knows that these guys have all given far more to the University of Iowa than they will ever get back, so if they can get paid, go ahead and make money. 

4 Takeaways from the Iowa / Illinois Game

63-0 is a nice score. Yes, six more points would have been nicer, but let's just take this totally stress free and awesome win and enjoy the moment. 

In Your Face, Hawkeye Fans

Clearly, the Iowa coaching staff heard the complaints about a lack of usage for Noah Fant and Toren Young, so in the third drive, they decided to shove those two down our throat, and it proved the fans are all stupid idiots when Iowa easily scored a touchdown. Take that, Hawkeye fans. I think the latter is overblown as even though Young has the best yards per carry, I still think Mekhi Sargent is the best back. But not having Fant on the field in that loss to Northwestern was a crime. Not throwing to Fant is one thing, but just him being on the field will make it easier for other guys to get open. It appears the coaching staff has come to their senses, and it sets them up to smash Nebraska to end the season next week.

OMG, AJ Epenesa

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD (deep breath) OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD. AJ Epenesa is pretty good, right? He ended with eight tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 counting as sacks. He also had a pass defensed, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown. I've gotta say, it's pretty cool having a five-star recruit on the team. Physically, he is absolutely incredible, and he's starting to get more refined in his technique. He has the ability to take over a game, and he does it as a part-time player. For funsies, I decided to see what people thought of him for the 2020 NFL Draft, and it turns out he is not flying under the radar since he is already projected as the seventh overall pick, but at least we still have a year plus with him on our side. I plan on enjoying every snap of this experience.

Amani Hooker Is a Football Player

Amani Hooker had three tackles, one was for a loss, and one pass defensed. And even with that stat line, it jumped out that there is nobody that is more of a football player than Amani Hooker on this Iowa team. Epenesa and Fant are the most talented on their respective sides of the ball, but when it comes to instincts and always making the right decision and being in the right spot, there is nobody that touches Amani Hooker on this team. He is the guy that most reminds me of Desmond King in his incredible instincts out there. His stats don't jump off the page, and it appears he isn't considered much of a prospect as the only real projection I saw for him was the 13th best strong safety for the 2020 NFL Draft. Thank God people don't realize how good he is, because Hooker is what makes this defense so potent. It's easier to enjoy Epenesa, but watching Hooker is just as satisfying.

New Kirk Is The Hot Chick

New Kirk is great. He goes for it on fourth down, he doesn't punt when he is on his opponent's side of the field, and he even embraces trick plays. But New Kirk doesn't totally understand this new change. Basically, he's the teenage girl that switches bodies with an adult in a movie. Old Kirk is like, oh neato, not punting can be pretty exciting. Going for it on fourth and short is neato. But the child always runs into adult body problems that they did not expect. I mean, we all remember the cinematic classic, The Hot Chick. It was very jarring for Rachel McAdams to have Rob Schneider's body. This is New Kirk. He will often call timeouts at the end of the first half, even though he still won't have enough time to get the ball back. And then, when he was about to enter halftime up 35-0, he called a fake victory formation fumblerooski play just because he could. It was totally pointless, absolutely hilarious, and it's just New Kirk's version of how weird it is to have body hair. 

Come back next week to learn how Dalton Ferguson is actually a lot like Deuce Bigalow, European Gigolo (obviously Parker Hesse would be the original Deuce Bigalow). 

4 Takeaways from the Iowa / Indiana Game

Another week, another dominant win for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and it's always nice to be able to go into these things with only positive things on my mind. Let's go over the things that stood out from the 42-16 win over the Hoosiers.

Offensive Line Domination
This was the best game Iowa's offensive line has played this season as they absolutely dominated Indiana up front. Not only did Nate Stanley have plenty of time, but both Toren Young and Mekhi Sargent had huge holes to run through the entire game. The entire game is one of the big keys as Iowa's offensive line has really done its best work by wearing down teams in the first half before getting those big runs in the second half. In this one, they dominated from play one. Still, the best moment was near the end of the game. Iowa faced a 3rd and 13, and it was clear that they decided to just go for a field goal and called a run play. The only problem was the offensive line dominated to such an extent that Mekhi Sargent went for 14 yards and kept the drive alive for Nate Stanley to get his sixth touchdown pass. When Iowa is doing their conservative play calls, and they're still leading to big plays, things are going really, really well up front.

The Underrated Linebackers
I would just like to take some time to give some love to Iowa's linebackers. It was by far the biggest question mark heading into this season as the Hawkeyes graduated all three starters from last year. The most sure thing, Amani Jones, lost his job after one game. His replacement, Jack Hockaday, got injured, and yet Iowa still kept marching on. Even though Iowa primarily played two linebackers today in Kristian Welch, and Dijmon Colbert, they know where to be and just don't make big mistakes. Competence is an underrated attribute as these guys knowing where to be means that it's really hard to exploit any specific aspect of the Iowa defense.

Amani Hooker Makes the Defense
The reason Iowa was only able to play two linebackers for most of the game was that Amani Hooker basically acted as a third linebacker in Iowa's defense, and this forced change may be the best thing to happen to Iowa. Playing two linebackers and Hooker at the nickel back position means that Iowa doesn't give up a noticeable amount in the run game while being much, much better in defending the pass. Iowa has always struggled with the changing college football game as teams are able to spread out Iowa and attack the linebackers with speedy receivers, but with Hooker in the game, it diminishes those opportunities. Also, at safety, up in the box, hell, probably even on the defensive line, Hooker just knows where to be on a football field, and he can consistently make plays because of that. Iowa had two safeties with interceptions today, and Hooker was still not just the best safety on the field, but maybe the best defensive player period. He's the puzzle piece that completes the defensive picture for the Hawkeyes.

We Want Bama
I'm only half joking. I watch this Iowa team, and it has gone from, "Is this team really freaking good?" to "Holy shit, this team is really freaking good." Iowa gave away that Wisconsin game which sucks, but it's not all that hard to see Wisconsin losing twice on the B1G schedule while Iowa has a legitimate chance to run the table. They will be heavy favorites in every game but at Penn State, and Penn State is a very good team, but I'm honestly not sure if they are better than Iowa. The offensive line is improving, the tight ends are unstoppable, the running game is solid, Brandon Smith has given Iowa  legitimate receiver, and Nate Stanley has shown tremendous improvement throughout this season and just keeps getting better. Also, the defense, especially with a healthy Matt Hankins (I have a suspicion that Julius Brents may have usurped Ojemudia as the other starter) is downright terrifying. Run the table, and then take out Ohio State, why can't we take on Bama in the Playoff? And up until that last sentence, it's not just me being a homer; this Iowa team looks special, and I am so excited for the rest of the season.