Pittsburgh at Iowa Line

Written by Steve Janus

The Iowa Hawkeyes will try and overcome a disappointing loss to in-state rival Iowa State this Saturday when they host the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Hawkeyes ended up losing 44-41 in triple-overtime last week to fall to 1-1 on the season. Pittsburgh improved to 2-0 with a 35-29 win over Maine, but have not played at the level experts expected to start the season. The last time these two teams faced off in non-conference play, Pittsburgh edged Iowa 21-20 at home back in 2008.

Looking at the week 3 college football spreads, oddsmakers have Iowa favored by 3.5-points over Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Panthers:

A lot of people expected Pittsburgh to walk all over Maine on Saturday, but that definitely wasn’t the case. The Panthers finished with just 381 yards of total offense, while giving up 371 yards. If it wasn’t for running back Ray Graham, Pittsburgh could have very well lost that game. Graham carried it 28 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns, while also catching five passes for 30 yards.

Starting quarterback Tino Sunseri completed 21 of 35 for 224 yards, but was sacked seven times and threw two interceptions. The way this team struggled to throw the ball against a team like Maine, is a big concern going forward. Sunseri will face an Iowa defense that allowed 279 yards and four touchdowns to Iowa State’s Steele Jantz, but you have to expect the Hawkeye defense to play much better in front of their home crowd this weekend.

Defensively the Panthers shutdown Maine’s rushing attack, holding the Black Bears to just 37 yards on 25 attempts. However, they were picked apart in the passing game, giving up 334 yards and three touchdowns to Warren Smith. Pittsburgh could be in for a long day if they don’t improve against the pass, as the Hawkeyes figure to be a much stronger force on the ground than what Maine was last week.

Iowa Hawkeyes:

The Hawkeyes defense has absolutely dominated the Cyclones over the last several years, but that unit really struggled on Saturday. If it wasn’t for three fumble recoveries the Hawkeyes probably wouldn’t have even made it to overtime. Iowa allowed the Cyclones to rack up 26 first downs while totaling 473 yards of total offense.

Offensively they had a decent game, as starting quarterback James Vandenberg completed 16 of 28 for 207 yards and two touchdowns, while Marcus Coker carried it 35 times for 140 yards and two scores. Keenan Davis had a team-high five catches for 95 yards and score, while Marvin McNutt hauled in four passes for 61 yards.

Iowa prides itself in running the football, but I think they fell in love with the ground game a little too much against Iowa State. They aren’t going to have near the success running the ball against Pittsburgh this weekend. I believe the Hawkeyes need to open up the offense and let Vandenberg take over. McNutt is just two talented of a wide receiver to only catch four passes against a defense as poor as Iowa State.

Betting Trends:

Iowa is 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a S.U. loss and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.

Pittsburgh is 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game, and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a ATS loss.

Be sure to check out what Steve Janus has to offer this week in college football.

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