Iowa plays a bend but don't break defense. They give up a ton of yards but very few points. The secondary keeps everything in front of them and makes you execute down the field. They are really stout in the Red Zone. Iowa doesn't blitz much and will get pressure with 4, but they will send timely blitzes when teams aren't expecting Teams have been able to run on Iowa, especially up the middle. It's when teams get behind on downs and end up with 3rd in long that they get in trouble. Epenesa is the real deal, he requires a double team or at least TE/RB help.
Offensively Iowa has struggled with the run, teams have figured out the zone blocking system. True Freshman Tyler Goodson (Georgia HS player of the year last year) has taken over the RB position and has athleticism that Iowa typically doesn't have. Stanley is a game manager in that he rarely makes bad decisions, he has been up and down on his accuracy down the field and missed on a ton of huge gains this year (and last). With losing 2 TEs to the first round of the NFL last year, the WRs have stepped up. They have 4 WRs that can make plays, which is rare for Iowa. Iowa's offensive line has 3 great lineman, Wirfs at RT is top 10-15 pick and has really played like it. LT Jackson is also an NFL Lineman, C Linderbaum is a Freshman and has future AA written all of him. The Guards have been average to bad all year which has led to the running game struggles. Teams have stacked the box against Iowa to force them to throw, if weather is a factor, this could greatly impact the offense.