Maryland vs. Iowa: how to watch, listen, game preview
- diggsreport
- Nov 22, 2024
- 4 min read
Iowa (6-4, 4-3) vs. Maryland (4-6, 1-6)
When: November 23 • Noon • SECU Stadium
TV: BTN • Guy Haberman, Yogi Roth, Rhett Lewis
Radio: One Maryland App / Audacy Radio App / SiriusXM 113 or 197 / 105.7FM / 980AM
Betting: Maryland + 6 • O/U: 46 (DraftKings)
Maryland will kick off Senior Day in College Park on Saturday as the Terps welcome Iowa for the first matchup since 2021. Head coach Mike Locksley looks for his first win against the Hawkeyes since being part of the 2014 staff that led the Terps to a 38-31 win at home. Maryland will also look to win on Senior day for the second time in three seasons while WR Tai Felton looks to inch his way closer toward the top of the record book. We take a look at who and what to know heading into kickoff:
Slowing down Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson
Outside of Ashton Jeanty, arguably no running back has been as important to their team as Kaleb Johnson. The junior is fourth in the FBS in both rushing yards, (1,328) and touchdowns (20). Iowa’s passing game ranks second-worst in the Big Ten only in front of Michigan. However, their rushing game is the best at over 200 yards per game. This is the second straight week that Maryland is faces a top running back in college football. Last week, the defense held Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai to under four yards a carry with no rushes over 20 yards. For the Terps to keep Iowa’s scoring to a minimum, they have to limit the damage that Johnson can do when on the field. The Hawkeyes are 5-1 when Johnson runs for 100+ yards this season.
Maryland’s front seven has had their moments of excellence and struggle in 2024, allowing just over 115 yards per game on the ground, but after facing Jordan James and Kyle Monangai in recent weeks, Johnson will present his own set of challenges but he’ll also have a veteran group blocking for him.
Iowa has only allowed 13 sacks on the year, tied for 27th in the nation, and has opened up a lot of holes for Johnson to run through. Leading the way on the Iowa offensive line is left tackle Mason Richman, who is tied for the most starts by a lineman in the Kirk Ferentz era and has been an honorable mention All-Big Ten the last two years. Right guard Connor Colby and center Logan Jones were third-team All-Big Ten selections in 2023. Right tackle Gennings Dunker will make his 25th career start on Saturday and was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten last year. Left guard Beau Stephens is the only lineman to not start at least 20 games for Iowa.
Get big plays when you can:
Iowa’s defense is seventh in the Big Ten with 320.2 total yards per game given up. While teams can move the ball against Hawkeye’s defense, they have struggled to hit on the big plays. Iowa is ranked in the top 10 in the nation in 20+ and 30+ yards from scrimmage given up on a single play. For Maryland’s offense, it’s important that they don’t try to force anything downfield and only take chances when they become available. Quarterback Billy Edwards needs to take care of the football as Iowa is tied for ninth in the nation with 14 interceptions. Jeremi Harris is the team’s top corner and is one of three players tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. He’s also seventh in the Big Ten in pass breakups with 7. His match-up with Maryland receiver Tai Felton will be one to watch as he’s looking to break the single-season receiving yards record held by Marcus Badgett.
Another interesting matchup could be Kaden Prather and Deshaun Lee. The 6-foot-3 Prather has a size advantage over the 5-foot-10 Lee that Maryland could try to expose on some one-on-one coverage, but the Terps' deep ball has been a struggle through conference play. Another player with three picks is free safety Quinn Schulte, who has started 37 straight games in the Hawkeye secondary. The 2023 All-Big Ten honorable mention is also third on the team in tackles. The team’s leading tackler Jay Higgins is their best player on defense. He’s been named a semifinalist for the Butkus, Bednarik, and Lombardi awards and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team last year. On the defensive line, Aaron Graves leads the team in sacks with five. He’ll be a player the interior of the offensive line has to make sure is blocked. The tackles will have their hands full with defensive end Ethan Hurkett, who leads the unit in tackles.
Numbers to Know:
1: The number of takeaways the Terps' defense has had in the last five games. The lone one came by a Lavian Scruggs interception in the win against USC
8: Number of Iowa passing touchdowns this season
31: Number of penalties that the Hawkeyes have been called for in 2024, fewest in the nation
174: Combined starts of Iowa’s starting five offensive linemen
200: the number of yards needed for Felton to tie the single-season receiving yards record held by Marcus Badgett
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