Purdue @ Iowa: 5 Keys to an Upset

Since Jeff Brohm arrived at Purdue, he has gone 3-1 against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Those same Hawkeyes execute the same yearly plan, the same offense and a similar defense each year. So, could we see much of the same this year?

Iowa, who is currently #2 in the nation, isn’t going to be sexy. They aren’t going to be exciting. They will use their plethora of upper classmen, hard nosed running style and sound defense to beat you.

But, they have done that same game plan and years past, and Coach Brohm has been able to expose them.

Last year, it was Brian Brohm, who led the Boilers to a win as his older brother dealt with COVID.

Then in 2017 and 2018, Jeff helped with knocking off the ranked Hawkeyes.

But, this year, it seems that Iowa does what they do better than they ever have before. Run the ball in between the tackles, play action pass and play a sound defense, forcing you to be good what you are bad at to win.

Here, in my opinion, are 5 ways to beat the #2 team in the nation this weekend. A similar blue print to when we beat Ohio State.

1. Take Calculated Risks - I am not saying take deep shots every single play or run more than a couple of trick plays. But, to beat a sound defense, there needs to be some risks taken. A trick play a couple of times and some deep play action shots to #3 would go a long way. The dink and dunk can work when you have Rondale Moore in the slot, but he is gone, we don’t have that guy that can turn 5 into 50, but we do have guys that can make plays down field, but can the QB throw an accurate ball?
2. Win the Turnover Battle - This is never easy with playing Iowa, they rarely turn it over. But, they force plenty. If we are wanting to win this game, the defense will need to play aggressive, and fast. A forced fumble or two would go a long way. On offense, we have to take care of the ball. AOC CAN NOT turn the ball over as he has shown he likes to do.
3. Win Special Teams Battle - In every single facet. Punt Return, Kick Return, flipping the field on our punts, making all of our kicks. We won’t win the game without doing so.
4. Keep Them Honest with the Run Game - It just needs to be good enough. IF we can get 100 yards on the ground on 25 rushing attempts, we will be in great shape on play action, giving us easier shots to take downfield.
5. Outcoach them - He has done it in years passed against Iowa. Why not this time around? Iowa just played in a huge game against Penn State, where they put it all on the line. It is a perfect time for a let down game.