the game obviously is a big big game it's a rivalry game uh certainly it's been intense for a long time it's my 34th experience seen a lot of different things during the course of that time but uh bottom Lin it's just a really good game for our state yeah Brady this is the game hawkey fans wait 364 days out of the year four and it's finally Upon Us yeah right calling iens all across the state pick their color sit down on their couch and get ready for a good oldfashioned rivalry football game but hello everyone welcome to before the kickoff the daily Islands weekly pregame show and your number one source for Hawkeye sports I'm Brady bar and I'm Colin CRS we're going to break down everything you need to know before the kickoff today we're going to break down the Iowa State Cyclones take a look around the Big 10 and of course give our predictions for this weekend but first we have to talk about that home opener last weekend Colin the Hawkeyes got their first win of the year over Illinois State 40 to nothing the defense looked like its usual self but despite a slow start that offense looked much improved yeah that's right Brady Iowa was able to muster up six points in the first half but in the second half the haot guys exploded Kaden M had his best game as a haot guy throwing for 251 rugs and three touchdowns he also showed off his newly healed legs by running around both making plays with his arm and to gain some extra yardage despite not playing in the first half Caleb Johnson took the field by storm in the second half he rushed for 119 yard on just 11 attempts including a massive 64 yd touchdown run he finished with two total touchdowns in the game and the biggest surprise of them all reys vandery the true freshman wide receiver who caught two touchdowns and his KCK debut after a 2-year Hiatus from the position I I always grew up being a quarterback uh and then I switched a receiver just going um I got a lot of reps and practice and it was rough for the first first week or so but got back into it um just trusting my technique and at the end of the day you just got to go be an athlete and and have fun with it and while the offense may be the biggest surprise from week one that doesn't mean the defense wasn't spectacular the defense was led by Aaron Grace and his three sacks he get just two and 1 half sacks last year Jamari Harris also added a big time interception early in the game to build some momentum for the hot guys Jay Higgins led the team in tackles with seven and his linebacker brother Nick Jackson accounted for five and with a lot of big performances on Saturday came a few changes to the depth chart let's bring in dit's Tara Gillespie to break down some of the biggest changes yeah that's right Brady you said it after some big time performances on Saturday a couple of hawks soar to the top of the depth chart first and foremost true freshman standout ree vandery was rewarded for his debut with an appearance as a wide receiver starter despite him not holding a wide receiver position in the past two years two touchdowns and 66 receiving yards seemed easy for the 18-year-old vanders and Jacob Gil will work together to give the offense that needed spark like they did on Saturday but that spark can't start a fire without another player rushing 119 yards and two touchdowns which we can credit to Caleb Johnson he's really been practicing well and did a good job and when he went in there I wasn't surprised like you know he just that's how he's been practicing really focused and and hit the holes hard and all those types of things so it's good to see that that's surpris as good as well as I've seen him run the football since he's been here Johnson now joins Kamari Molton as an alternative for rb1 but if Johnson maintains that Focus we might be seeing a lot more of him in games to come now with these changes and of course this big rivalry coming up Brady how many I ons do you think are going to be tuning into this game on Saturday of course Dara I think anyone who gives a darn about football in any way shape or form is going to be tuned into the game this weekend but here's how some of the Hawkeyes feel going into this instate matchup Talk of the uh the states on the line here uh we understand how important game is uh how important it is to the state being from Iowa how much this game means you know it's a trophy game and it's always super fun um it's it's four quarter game and you know I'm super pumped for it I mean you just know when it's a rivalry game that you know everything's heightened a little bit but uh you just want to keep the main focus on on yourself and on your team and and uh handle that in the preparation throughout the week yeah it's a it's a really big thing you grow up watching the game my dad went to iow State himself ran track there so it's a little house household rivalry too so it's a big thing so just excited to go play in the game yeah Brady the Iowa State Cyclones always play this haot guys seem tough but this team could really give the Hawks a run for their money yeah K they certainly could make things interesting this week I spoke with Brett twm the sports editor for the Iowa State Daily but some of the key players for the Cyclones this weekend and of course he mentioned their sophomore starting quarterback Roco Beck he started against Iowa last year but it was just his second start as a true freshman Rocco looked really good out there I thought his Poise his leader ship really showed after playing his first full season last year and it really was prevalent on the first play of the game that 54 yard pass that he threw to Jaylen null up in the double coverage I think that that showed the type of trust that he has in his team and I think that you saw it the rest of the day he threw for over 75% passing um he had two touchdown passes to those senior receivers and he even pushed one in himself with that QB sneak so I think that rockers definitely matured um not only just as a player but as a leader and let's just say Beck has some weapons the Cyclones boast a two-headed monster at wide receiver with seniors Jaden Higgins and Jaylen null you can't talk about Jaylen null like anymore just as a player as a person and what he stood for in this program to be here for four seasons to finally grow into this role and last season against the the Iowa hawkey he showed out he had a pretty solid performance um last game led the team with eight catches 100 35 yards and I think that he's just scratching the surface him and Higgins together are really going to lead this room that has a lot of young guys new guys on this team and that's going to be the one two punch but if there's one thing Iowa fans understand it's that there's more to football than just offense but one of Iowa State's best defensive players Caleb bacon got injured in their season opener yeah so Caleb bacon that one really stung um the linebacker he finally gets up there to be the leading guy on this middle linebacking core and he goes down with that lower leg injury that's all we've been told um he did have a successful surgery Matt Campbell did confirm this past Sunday sounds like he will obviously for sure be out for the Iowa game some more games but they are hopeful that he can possibly come back later in the season but that's not to say the defense doesn't have some shining stars and for this Cyclone team those stars live in the defensive backfield the secondary is really where I think that Iowa state is the strongest and that kind of starts with their Captain Bo Freer he had an interception last week against North Dakota he nearly had a second one on a tip pass so he really proved that he can get it going um you also had jontes Williams a guy that I'm excited to watch this season the sophomore um he had 11 tackles team leading 11 tackles last week so those are two guys in the secondary call on this Iowa State team has a few pieces that could really cause some issues for the Hawkeyes yeah Brady State always plays Iowa close but as you mentioned some pieces that are necessary to pull off the upsetting kinck if Iowa isn't careful but speaking of kinck Colin with this being another home game we have a brand new kid Captain for week two ditv Sydney Goldberg spoke with Atlas Coleman and his family the following up biopsy determined that it was cancer at just 18 months old Atlas was diagnosed with plop pulmonary blastoma and was taken to the hospital for an initial lung concern but left with a much larger diagnosis he's a strong little kid he's full of energy um resilient and and he was like that when he was a year and a half undergoing chemo then Atlas began his 6 months of chemotherapy which led him into [Music] remission now at 8 years old Atlas is a fun-seeking hockey playing and turtle loving kid and with his love for the hawkey is excited to step on the field as the week 2 kid Captain told Atlas um on a Friday night once we were all together and he was just pure joy so excited did a whole victory dance it was great on Kids Day Atlas enjoyed being down on the field meeting the Hawkeye football team and received trading cards with players autographs in exchange players asked Atlas for his autograph after meeting the Hawks Atlas is eager and ready to lead the team out onto the field for the shhawks game from the University of Iowa Sydney Goldberg di TV now it's time to take a look around the Big 10 Colin there's some massive games going on this weekend so let's send it out to ditv sports director AJ reer yeah thanks Brady it may just be week two but some of the biggest games of the year are happening this Saturday starting in Ann Arbor the 10th ranked Michigan Wolverines are hosting the third ranked Texas Longhorns and what could be a preview of a potential playoff game at the end of the year Michigan is coming off a national championship year and last weekend dominated Fresno State 30 to1 on the back of possibly one of the best stories in college football Davis Warren a cancer survivor who walked onto the university and won the starting job over last year's backup Alex orgy but on the other side the Longhorns made massive strides and found themselves in the college football playoffs last year are looking to take an even bigger step this year NC a 25 cover athlete Quinn ERS was taken out of last weekend's game after throwing for 260 yards and their 52 to nothing victory over Colorado State University it will be a game that could be used at the end of the year when deciding who makes the playoffs and who doesn't kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. on Fox and the Longhorns are 7 and a half Point favorites in this one now 11 hours West Dions Colorado Buffalo's will be heading into Lincoln to battle one of the most hyped football teams of the off season the Nebraska Corn Huskers Colorado is coming off a close win against FCS Powerhouse North Dakota State 31-26 and shadur Sanders and Travis Hunter dominated the headlines once again with Sanders throwing for 445 yards and four touchdowns while Travis Hunter caught three touchdowns and had over 130 yards it was the defense that again had the struggles allowing 449 yards of total offense on the other hand the Corn Huskers brought in one of the biggest recruits of the off season and Dylan riola and he ended up throwing for over 230 yards and two touchdowns and their 40 to7 victory over the UTEP miners last weekend but they also showcased an impressive rushing attack compiling 223 rushing yards and three touchdowns this offense could be for real with a struggling Colorado offense Nebraska is a 7 and a half Point favorite with kickoffs set for 630 on NBC now outside the Big 10 another game to pay attention to is a top 25 matchup between 14th ranked Tennessee and 24th ranked NC State Tennessee is coming off a 69-3 stomping of Chattanooga Nico IM malava who Iowa knows all too well after last season's bowl game loss didn't play the entire game but threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and the volunteers running back Dylan Samson found the end zone three times as well NC State is coming off a 38-21 victory over Western Carolina where Grayson McCall had a phenomenal game throwing for over 300 yards and found his favorite Target Kevin concepion for all three of his touchdowns NC State with a win could make a massive jump in the AP polls but a win for the volunteers could have them back in the college football playoff talks with a ranked win early in the season the game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 on ABC and ESPN and the volunteers are ninepoint favorites fellas that's a look around the Big 10 and the nation what games are you most excited to watch this weekend now I don't know about you Colin but I am rearing to watch Colorado and Nebraska go head-to-head it's an old school rivalry with a couple new faces looking to take over yeah know that's a really good game another old school rivalry Marshall Virginia Tech taking each other on enter s man at Virginia Tech one of the best traditions and sports looking forward to that also you know Idaho Wyoming good FCS match up from Oregon last weekend so you know I'm looking forward to some some good match ups some good oldfashioned rivalries this weekend all right Colin but now it is time for predictions but before we get started I have a bit of a big announcement to make the Hawkeyes are playing for a trophy this weekend Colin so I didn't think there'd be a better time to introduce a prize for before the kickoff predictions so here we are introducing the brand new before the kickoff championship belt last week was a warmup for us but this week the prize is on the line Brady I must have this belt that looks fantastic it even has some good weights to it that I'm going to have to find a way to win that this week now let's send it back to Tara to kick off the S Hawk predictions Tara give us your Hawkeye highlight and your final score yeah Brady wh takes as high as this s Hawk rivalry I'm picking my player out of the defensive pool the Hawkeyes had a bit of a jump in their offense in the second half but there was one player who remain consistent throughout so I'm picking linebacker Jay Higgins not only did Higgins tie for the school record most tackles in a single season in 2023 but he also led the Hawkeyes with seven tackles on Saturday the 6-2 230lb linebacker has proven himself time and time again and even though he might usually fly under the radar I think Jay Higgins is definitely the player to watch and with the help of Higgins and this Unstoppable defense I have Iowa beating Iowa State 31-7 kinck stadium with the soldout crowd is unlike any other and I think it will to give the Hawkeyes just the right amount of energy to keep the shawk trophy where it belongs AJ I know will you'll be on Saturday what do you think the outcome of this game will be since this is the week that we are introducing the belt it's time for me to lock in and retake my title for my player to watch I think that Sebastian Castro has some Deja Vu and picks off Roco Beck for the second year in a row and for my game prediction I have the hotkey getting the big win and holding on to the siaw trophy by a score of 25-7 the offense will continue to hum and hit its stride and the defense will standel and get a safety in this one now Colin that's my prediction what do you have for this weekend yeah AJ I know you want to retake your title but I got one look at this thing and it is gorgeous I got to have my hands on it and I have confidence just seaming through my pores for this game as well so for my Hawkeye highlight I'm going to be looking at Caleb Johnson rv1 to get some more carries against the Cyclones I know he could be a more obvious pick especially after last weekend he was fantastic finding open gaps against Illinois state but I'm going with him because he'll have another big opportunity to do just that with Iowa State losing star linebacker Caleb bacon those rushing Lanes could be wide open and now having a full game instead of just one half a football after his suspension last week we could see him breaking out for just another rushing touchdown and that's part of the reason why I have Iowa keeping the S Hawk trophy in Iowa City I've got the haot guys beating Iowa State 2414 I still think Iowa state is a solid team and will definitely keep it close especially that being exciting rivalry game but at the end of the day it's still a hot guy stve Colin I like the way you're thinking heading into the big rivalry matchup but before I give my prediction I asked Brett to give his score prediction for the shawk trophy I would love to pick Iowa State in this matchup um but I think that Iowa what they showed last week against uh Illinois State really impressed me the way their offense was able to score 40 points the way their defense was able to force turnovers not give up a single point I do like iow this year again give me the Hawkeyes 23 to 20 very close game I think it's going to be a really fun game the whole way through but I do have Iowa in a close one now Colin I was a little surprised by Brett's pick but I can't say I blame him for this game but and I know everyone wants to get their hands on this new championship belt but I put a few dollars down on it so I'm looking to come away with it but first My Hawkeye highlight is the team leader Cade mcnamer kad's coming off without a doubt the best game he's played as a Hawkeye and with the explosion of Rees vandery the elite tight ends in this deep running back room I expect Kade to pop this weekend against the Cyclones now with the injury to Caleb bacon and the experience this Hawkeye team brings on all sides of the ball I have Iowa squeaking out the win 21- 17 since both teams and coaches know each other so well I expect this to be a tight low-scoring matchup but the Hawkeyes will take home the trophy yeah Brady I like the close pick and I know you might put some money down for that you might get it with how good this game could be but we'll have to see at the end of the day who's taking home that belt first yeah Colin we all kind of had the same idea except for Tara she picked a big time Hawkeye win but we'll just have to see how it all shakes out this weekend but that is all we have for you today thank you Tara AJ and Brett and you for tuning in to before the kickoff check out the daily Island YouTube page for all the latest on hotkey Sports from the University of Iowa I'm Colin G and I'm Brady Baron have a wonderful saaw e