Pregame: Before the Kickoff - Iowa Hawkeyes Football vs Illinois State Redbirds

hello everyone welcome to season 3 of before the kickoff the daily eye wins weekly pregame show and you're number one source for Hawkeye sports I'm Brady Baron and I'm Colin CRS we're going to break down everything you need to know before the [Applause] kickoff Colin Iowa football is officially back this weekend but it hasn't exactly been a summer in Cabo for the Haw guys no it absolutely hasn't while that would have been nice a lot of stuff was going on here and some big news broke last week Iowa's head coach Kirk ference along with wide receivers coach John budm will be suspended for this weekend's matchup with Illinois State the suspension comes from a level two NCAA infraction due to fence allegedly contacting quarterback Kade mcnamer before he was officially in the portal the suspensions are self-imposed by Iowa and they will run from 12:01 a.m. Friday until 12:01 a.m. on Sunday that's right a newly promoted assistant head coach Seth Wallace is set to run the show this weekend for the Hawkeye as the interim head coach but despite this being the first Hawkeye game played Without Hayden fry or Kirk Fen coaching the team it's business as usual for the Hawkeye players this team really loves coach fence and we're going to Rally behind them I mean obviously it's going to be different but you know you know coach is he's still going to be there with us um in spirit you know he's doing a great job uh put together a great plan for us this week so it's business as usual like I said obviously it'll be different without him being there but the end of the day we got a game to win and that's all we're focused on right now and for fence he's got confidence that his absence won't negatively affect the team you know I made a mistake so uh I've owned it stepped on a line I think the line was a little bit cloudy a little bit blurry but nonetheless I stepped on it so that that is what it is and just like if um you know a player were hurt or you know we all go on we just go on and keep pushing on now Colin despite that initial stumble into the season it hasn't been all bad for Iowa this offseason no absolutely not a lot of good things to look for from this summer and you know the name of the game this season for Iowa is the defensive continuity they are bringing back eight of their starters on that top 10 defense from last season and they look to continue that dominance in 2024 I just feel like our program teaches detail um and you know coach Parker's obviously not going to let us slack so I feel like the sky is a limit excited to get out there um excited to be part be a part of another good uh Iowa defense now flipping sides of the ball the offense brought in a high pro foul quarterback from Northwestern Brendan Sullivan now Sullivan has experience at a big 10 school starting but last year Sullivan only completed 68% of his passes and threw for six touchdowns while also throwing two interceptions in eight games played he also had a little wiggle to him you know he ran for 160 yards on the ground while also getting two touchdowns rushing and you know with Deacon Hill moving on the Utah Tech transferring out of Iowa the hot guys did need some depth behind mamera yeah I love Iowa's tradition you know the tradition of of successful football of tough gritty guys that you know find a way to get the job done and I feel like I fit that description pretty well and you know as soon as I took a visit here and stepped on campus and I got the feel for um who people are off the field I knew this was the place for me Colin of course we can't talk about new faces without talking about the newest of them all new offensive coordinator Tim Lester now Lester is coming off a fresh stint with the Green Bay Packers where he was a senior analyst and before that he worked for six seasons as Western Michigan's head coach here is how Hawkeyes feel about Lester in the new look offense coach Lester is super smart and you know he likes to get everybody involved which is pretty cool to see but it's always nice to get something different you know I think what he brings to the offense is just a lot of energy and you know passion and he love for the game which is really cool and I think that's you know what we needed and a lot of belief you know I think he believes in every single one of us and he thinks that we can be one of the best offenses in the country I think it's awesome like how much knowledge that our overall offense has has gained over the course of the last couple months I mean for the majority of these guys they've only ran one offense since they've been in college I mean other than the few transfers that we have you mentioned it a little bit Colin but despite bringing in a transfer quarterback they still have Cade mcnamer listed as the number one starting quarterback on week one's depth chart and Kate says he's 100% ready to go this weekend but the first dep chart of the year did have a few surprises on it dit's news director Johnny volman is live in the studio with more on those new faces yes guys after an offseason of injuries suspensions and transfers the Iowa hawkey finally have their week one depth chart solidified starren on the always talked about offense qb1 will be Cade mcamera who was coming off a season ending torn knee ligament last year mcamera beat out northwestern's transfer quarterback Brendon Sullivan after creating some buzz but was unable to secure the starting role Marco Lanz will be qb3 the biggest surprise is who's leading the Back Field sophomore Kamari Molton will be taking handoffs as running back one Leap frogging returning Hawkeyes lesea Williams and Caleb Johnson he's a great guy great uh great player better person off the field laughable guy you know jokes around uh but when it's coming comes to being on the field he uh takes it serious uh he's a great player uh big play guy so excited to see how he does kamari's done really well I'm super excited for him and uh just just going to go out there and run the ball well and do what the team needs the starting three receivers for the hws are lacking in experience only Northwestern transfer Jacob Gil has recorded a catch and a new era offense for the Hawks we'll see if that changes week one the team will have to rely on senior tight end Luke leet to guide the unproven receiving Court as MC Nero's go-to guide while the defense is returning almost all of their starters there were still a few positions up for grabs this summer one of the bigger surprises on defense comes from TJ Hall getting the starting Corner job opposite of Jamari Harris John Nester was listed as the starter in the spot earlier in the summer but going into week one Hall has the job probably just a little bit of consistency and it's gone back and forth it's a little bit like the running back position uh differences most of those guys have been available the Four Corners have been been competing and practicing so probably a little consistency thing but it's it's still really close no I think TJ is someone who came in early uh so he got to jump on everything um about two years ago and now I like it's all coming together for him you know physically um mentally you know it's excited excited for his opportunity to see him play Saturday and how could I forget to shed some light on the Special Teams another Aussie freshman rise dren has big air to fill taking over Tory Taylor spot as punter Drew Stevens will be returning to kick in some threes and kickoffs for the hawyes while it may seem like there was a lot of changes to the Hawkeyes for the most part they have kept a solid core during a turbulent off seon now of course a microscope is going to be under the new Tim Lester offense as there are a lot of new and unproven targets that this offense is going to use and of course every body will be watching them throughout the season yeah Johnny a lot of eyes will be on that new Iowa offense but you know this first matchup should be a good chance for them to comfortably see where they're going to be working with this year that's right first week facing an FCS opponent in Illinois state that continued to fall shorten conference play last season should allow them to knock off a little rust Illinois State started off three- one last year two- one out of conference but then hit a roadblock losing three of their next four games within the Missouri Valley Conference putting them in a e place out of the 12 teams in the conference at the end of the year they finished with a six and5 record however when you look at those games when they won they won defiantly they were great wins by great margins on the scoreboard then look at the games they lost four out of those five games were lost by no more than three points just a field goal shy from an 8 to 10 win season why is this they have good weapons offensively and they moved the ball well they have very productive wide receivers um very productive running back um they've throw the ball get the ball out quick they didn't have many sacks last year um and that respect is warranted but the issue Colin is that it wasn't consistent from the Red Birds last year where they were consistent though was the defense the defense played their job and they did it well they either won games by a lot or they kept them really close but the question was would the offense score and this year the defense is still a strong point of this team I know that they got a DNA they they've got an identity they have a good defensive coordinator defensive staff and um I know that they play defense the right way and they they they play hard um and I respect the hell out of them they run a unique defense uh unique uh tilt tilt coverage um so just getting accustomed to that uh different looks different uh safety rotations and so Brady it sounds like they're going to be coming out hungry and you mentioned they have some really good talent on this team and rightfully so they have some really really good richers on this red birds team who could really spark a light for him let's take a look first at the offensive highlight be reel for the Red Birds it's Junior wide receiver Daniel sowet following in his brother's footsteps playing Collegiate football one of them previously played at Illinois state but Daniel Easley one of the best returners in all of FCS football he's a preseason FCS second team All-American following up a breakout season his sophomore year where he recorded 68 catches for 933 yards and 10 touchdowns I mean that's unheard of it's a great number numbers there as he averaged 84.8 receiving yards per game which ranked 13th in all of FCS football last year he's also rated as a top 15 FCS wide receiver by Pro Football Focus some great numbers for him but even so flip things over defensively I want to highlight a guy who might be overlooked a little bit he was really good for the Red Birds all year but he started to break out in their last few games it's starting quarterback Mark Canon Jr who had 33 tackles by himself 46 total tackles on the season that ranked seventh on the team however he did lead the team with three interceptions that came in the last four games now these also happened the begin GS where Canon Jr set season High totals for himself and so solo tackles so he really turned on the Jets in his last few games he seemed to really settle in read offensive sets better and I think if he's able to pick things up where he left off last season and take what he was figuring out into Saturday he could cause some serious issues for this Iowa offense now Colin with a new football season comes a new batch of kid captains this is the 16th year Iowa has had kid captains before each game and here's a little bit more on this week's kid Captain leading off the kid Captain roster 8-year-old Carter Schmidt is ready to take the field at only 9 months Carter was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of cancer that only affects 1 in 1.2 million children he was diagnosed with jmml which is juvenile myom monotic leukemia where he has a lot white blood cells and not enough Reds Carter was brought to the stead family Children's Hospital in search of an immediate bone marrow transplant after a long worldwide search a perfect match was finally found the fact that someone would want to donate to someone that they don't even know is amazing it was a perfect 12 out of 12 Match 3 months after the transplant Carter was discharged from the hospital and began his healing Journey while growing into his expressive and energetic self he was so excited he's like yay and like jump up and down he's very excited about football and being out on the field despite the obstacles he faced Carter takes advantage of any fun activities such as swimming biking crafting and building Legos he continues to visit the stad hospital every 2 years for checkups and is considered cured now instead of waving down to the field he gets to be on the turf himself waving up from the University of Iowa Alise scan di TV this year the Big 10 is bigger than ever with the four pack 12 teams joining which means there's even more action than ever before let's bring in dit's sports director AJ reer now AJ what are some games that we can look forward to this weekend with the new look big 10 yeah Brady you said it with all these new teams there are more big games than ever before especially in the Big 10 and this weekend we get our first look starting off in Morgantown West Virginia where the Mountaineers are set to host the eighth ranked Penn State nitty lions and a game that looks like it could be an absolute blowout but do not let the rankings deceive you West Virginia is returning 15 starters from last year including starting quarterback Garrett green who is second in the nation in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback but on the other hand the big bad nit kny lions come in as the eighth ranked team in the nation after losing just two games in the regular season last year and they were busy this summer Landing a massive wide receiver transfer and former five-star recruit Julian Fleming who returns to Pennsylvania after spending the last 4 years at Ohio State the Big 12 is wide open for West Virginia and Penn State is trying to stay with the big dogs at the top of the Big 10 and it is a great way to kick off the new Big 10 season Penn State is an eight-point favorite in this one now for some new blood in the Big 10 the 23rd ranked team in the country the USC Trojans are traveling to Death Valley to take on 13th ranked LSU to open up their first season in the Big 10 USC is coming off a disappointing season after Caleb Williams decided to stick around for one more season but ended up losing five games the biggest question marks surround the defense one of the worst scoring defenses in the country allowing more than 34 points per game last year they'll have the tough task of taking on an LSU offense that averaged more than 45 points per game and was the number one scoring offence in the nation last year behind Heisman winner Jaden Daniels Garrett nuser will be the new man to try and fill the shoes of Daniels in this high-powered offense after splitting time with Max Johnson and Jaden Daniels until Daniels took over as the starter last year there are lots of questions for both squads entering the season and those questions could be answered after this weekend LSU was a four-point favorite in this one and finally we have one game outside the Big 10 with some big implications week one the 14th rank Clemson tigers are hitting the road to Athens Georgia to take on the number one team in the country the Georgia Bulldogs the ACC has been pretty weak as we saw last year when an undefeated Florida State team was left out of the college football playoffs and this year is no different Clemson only has two other ranked opponents after this game against Georgia so if they want to get back into contention for a national title they're going to need a good showing this weekend against the best team in the nation on the other hand Georgia is a massive f favorite in his returning massive starters including quarterback Carson Beck who took over as the full-time starter last year and threw 24 touchdowns in nearly 4,000 yards massive implications for two highly ranked teams with hopes of making the college football playoffs at the end of the season the Bulldogs are 13 and 1 Half Point favorites in this one that's a look around the big tent and the country boys what games are you most excited for this weekend thanks AJ I am definitely most excited for that USC LSU game we got two brand new quarterbacks and a couple of power programs going head to-head yeah and I would say another one that AJ mentioned that Penn State versus West Virginia game a good rivalry being brought back you know I've got some family back in West Virginia so hoping the Mountaineers pull off that upset and you know I'm just really excited to see what things happen with week one that's right Colin but now it is that time of the show that's right it's predictions time but with this being a brand new year we have to stake our names on season long predictions first let's bring Johnny back in to give us his season long prediction his breakout Hawkeye of the year and of course his score prediction for week one yeah Brady and when looking at the Iowa schedule I think of one thing a Jack In The Box you know they'll be starting off the season just relaxing jaming In Heaven There Is No Beer but at any given time a loss in the Box can pop out of nowhere we saw that happen last year with Minnesota and Northwestern and Nebraska they are both always pesky to play with travel and new teams I have the hwks going 8 and four with with losses to Ohio state Wisconsin UCLA and Michigan State for my game prediction I was at the home of the Illinois State red birds in Bloomington Illinois over the summer it's a nice quiet place but I think they are in for a rattling welcome to kenck they'll hang around for the first half but the Hawks will stop stumbling around on offense and walk their way to a 27-13 victory and Brady and Colin while my predictions might not be right there is someone Among Us that is really good at picking picks that's right Johnny AJ had a great season last year in the picks and here he is now to give his picks for this season yeah guys if I were you I'd be a little bit worried cuz I have some fire picks for this season I also have some high hopes for this season for the Iowa hawkey but with so many question marks still on the offensive side of the ball I believe the Hawks will be going nine and three and just missing the college football playoffs with Ohio State in the schedule that's always a tough draw but the rest of the Big 10 also got stronger and so did their instate rival Iowa State I don't know about you guys but that game has me more worried than in years past but for my breakout player of the year I see running back Kamari Molton having a big season I know that might be a lot of people's picks especially since he was the surpriser rb1 on the latest depth chart but he looked phenomenal in the preseason and at the open practice with how well the offensive line has developed the last two years expect whoever is in that rb1 rule each week to have massive PR production as for my prediction this week the Hawkeyes will have their way with Illinois State and the Red Birds we're middle of the pack in the Missouri Valley Conference last year and even with a subpar offense Iowa should be able to find the end zone a few times my final score prediction is Iowa 24 Illinois State 14 what do you got Colin and you know AJ you can say whatever you want about having your role last year but I'm looking to take that but you know before I get there we're first going to just talk about how you know I think Iowa is going to have a terrific season they're going to be looking extremely well as a team but however it got to be a little bit of a Debbie Downer I think they're going to go 10- two which means they're probably just going to miss out in that college football playoff as long as some other teams do pretty well I know that's not what Iowa fans want to hear and I think they're capable of an 11-1 season but something in my gut just says it's not going to happen I agree with the consensus that they're going to loseing the shoe to Ohio State but for that to be the only loss on the season would require a lot of focus and no Hocus Pocus for the hacky guys and while knowing Iowa's luck I think there's going to be some trickery somewhere along the way I see that second loss coming at home against Wisconsin which pains me to say is a Cincinnati native losing to the hometown Trader Luke fickle but if the Hawks were to slip up somewhere I think it would be a tough rivalry matchup now going to my breakout player I'm going to stick with an offensive guy as well I'm going with transfer wide receiver Jacob Gil he came from Northwestern with Brendan Sullivan and I think this receiving core could really use his help and that depth with him joining them he only had one reception last year with for 11 yards but if Iowa wants to really improve their offense they'll have to throw the ball better and a little bit more and aim for guys like Gil allowing him to be my breakout star and I think you could see this immediately on Saturday as I have the haot guys winning 38 to 10 these are the type of games where Iowa can really put together some good drives and cook in the Red Zone I know it won't all be perfect I expect a few field goals and I think Illinois state will still move the ball a bit but be shut down by the hawk guy defense for the most part yeah so Brady I've got the Hawks starting out 1 and0 even though I don't have them making the new league expanded college football playoff so I'm curious to see where do you got them going this year let's get right into it I'm honestly disappointed in all of you guys I have the Hawkeyes going 11- one this season that's right 11- one their only loss will come at the hands of Ohio State in the shoe now I'm a little worried about Rivals like Wisconsin Nebraska and even Iowa State believe it or not but this is the year for the Hawkeyes they have the easiest schedule they're ever going to have in the Big 10 avoiding National Championship contenders like Oregon Michigan USC but this is their chance to make the college football playoff and if it doesn't happen this season it might just never happen now for my breakout player I've got my eyes a new starting cornerback TJ hall Hall was a three- star recruit out of high school and he got some playing time in all 13 games his freshman year last year he played in just a few games before getting hurt and missing the rest of the season but now coming into his third year at Iowa he's getting the starting nod at CB2 alongside Jamari Harris and I trust Phil Parker to have his defensive back room ready to rock and roll to start this year finally my score prediction for this week is a big time Hawkeye win 35-6 I've got the Hawkeye defense bending a few times to one of the better teams at the FCS level but I don't have them breaking on offense the Hawkeyes are confident that their offensive line has taken that next step to be on par with the standard at Iowa and that running back room is packed with Talent M Nera is finally healthy and Luke Lee is returning to the field so I expect big things from this new look Hawkeye offense yeah Brady I like your pick there with Illinois State I like everyone's you know picking the haot guys I think it's one of those games where it might be an easier pick but 11-1 for the season you know that might be a little too bold for my taste well Colin I have confidence in this Hawkeye team but that's it for us today and thank you AJ and Johnny and especially you for turning in to the season premiere of before the kickoff check out the daily Island website and YouTube page for all the latest on everything hoty Sports from the University of Iowa I'm Colin KS and I'm Brady Baron have a wonderful weekend of football