3 Iowa Hawkeyes That Can Lead a Bounce-Back Win Over the Washington Huskies

If there's one thing I feel like I can count on with the Iowa Hawkeyes, it's their ability to bounce back after losses and stop the bleeding. It's quietly been a specialty of Kirk Ferentz during his three-decade tenure as the head coach of the Hawkeyes.

He is being called upon this week to rally the troops on the road in a short week against the Washington Huskies. The Hawkeyes have quarterback health concerns, a defense looking to rebound, and plenty on the line.

A trio of Iowa's most reliable have the chance to lead the Hawkeyes to a bounce-back win on Friday night.

Phil Parker

It's not unusual for Phil Parker and his defense to be put in a position to shut down an opponent as Iowa's offense works through some things. This week could very well fall into that category, with some uncertainty on the offense.

Parker knows he needs to slow down Washington's run game, which hasn't been stellar thus far this season, and force the Huskies to become one-dimensional in the passing game. That's the first part of the puzzle.

Dealing with Demond Williams Jr., Washington's dual-threat quarterback, is the second part. Iowa can put Washington behind the sticks, but a mobile quarterback can make up for a lot of deficiencies.

Trevor Lauck & Kade Pieper

We can dissect the run game, try to predict how Iowa changes it, and take our guess as to why it has been clunky against Power Four opponents all we want. At some point, the run game comes down to running behind your best guys with an aggressive attitude.

Iowa has talent in the running backs. Tim Lester has the scheme. This is a game where Trevor Lauck and Kade Pieper, two veteran offensive linemen destined for the NFL, decide that they aren't going to be beaten in the run game.

The ground game is a mentality, and these two getting mean and nasty against the Huskies' defensive line could send a message early.

The Linebackers

The linebackers directly tie into Phil Parker's role in being a reason Iowa bounces back in this game. I suspect we will see Iowa come out in a lot of the 4-2-5 look based on Washington's scheme, which means a lot of Jayden Montgomery and Cam Buffington.

The first part comes from staying stout against the run. These two have been great this year, which gives confidence that it will continue against Washington.

If they can hold up against the run game, Washington has a strong tight end in Baron Naone, who could work the middle of the field, testing these two in pass coverage. It's going to take a full effort from these two to lead Iowa's defense.

Add us as a preferred source on Google