The Miami (OH) RedHawks travel to take on the #17 team in the land, the Iowa Hawkeyes, in non-conference play Saturday afternoon to kick off their 2016 schedule. The kickoff from Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Iowa is currently favored by 27.5 points in the contest with the over/under set at 51 points according to the week 1 odds.
Miami (OH) recorded a fifth straight losing season in 2015 as they went 3-9. Chuck Martin’s third season is an important one for his regime. Iowa finished the 2015 campaign with a 12-2 record, including an 8-1 mark in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes saw their season end with a thud as they were drubbed 45-16 by Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
Iowa recorded victories in each of the three previous matchups. That includes a 21-3 Hawkeyes triumph in the most recent meeting back in 2003.
If you’re interested in our take on other opening week contests, click here to get a look at the rest of the schedule!
Iowa put up a school record 12 victories last season but dropped the final two games of the year. They lost in the Big Ten title game to Michigan State before getting waxed in the Rose Bowl. The Hawkeyes were in the middle of the pack in scoring offense, ranking 53rd in the nation. Iowa averaged 30.9 points per game last season. Iowa picked up an average of 386.1 yards per game offensively. The Hawkeyes were 7-2 at home and picked up 389 yards per game. The key cog for Iowa is quarterback C.J. Beathard. He’s mobile and accurate but tends to get banged up. Beathard needs to stay healthy in order to give the Hawkeyes a shot at a second straight Big Ten West Division title. He completed 61.6 percent of his throws for 2,809 yards with 17 TDs against five picks while running for six scores.
The Hawkeyes return seven starters on the defensive side of the ball. Three members of the secondary are back this year, including Desmond King. He tied a school record with eight interceptions last season while being named an All-American. The Hawkeyes will miss linebacker Cole Fisher, who was second on the team with 116 tackles last season. They still have All-Big Ten selection Josey Jewell, who led the team with 126 tackles, 7.5 TFL, three sacks and four interceptions. Ben Niemann and Bo Bower will try to fill Fisher’s shoes. Iowa gave up just 11 runs of at least 20 yards last season. That kind of stout production will make it tough on opposing teams to hit a quick strike. Opposing teams were limited to 121.4 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry.
Miami (OH) was dismal on the offensive side of the ball last year. The RedHawks turned the ball over 31 times on the year and finished a -14 in the takeaway/giveaway ratio. Third downs were also kryptonite for Miami (OH) as they finished 118th in the nation with a 31.2 conversion rate last season. Billy Bahl made seven starts as a true freshman last year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he completed only 44.5 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Those numbers have to improve in order for the RedHawks to improve. The team was 117th in scoring offense with an average of 17.9 points per game. Alonzo Smith, Gus Ragland and Kenny Young are in a battle to determine who will be the starter at running back.
The RedHawks managed to generate a pass rush last season as they racked up 30 sacks as a team. JT Jones (52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss) had a team high 10 sacks from his defensive end spot. The team will miss Bryson Albright, who racked up 51 tackles, 12.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks last season but now is on the Bills’ roster in the NFL. Miami (OH) did make strides last season, ranking sixth in the MAC in total yards allowed at 407.1 per contest. The RedHawks were sixth in rushing defense and eighth in the conference in passing defense. Miami (OH) was 1-5 on the road last season, forcing just four turnovers as opposed to 13 in six games at home.
Iowa is 5-1 ATS in their last six in September. Miami (OH) is 1-4 ATS in their last five against the Big Ten.