2008 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Preview

2008 Iowa Hawkeyes season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Iowa Hawkeyes football preview as well as the 2008 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule. Dont miss Maddux's free college football picks on the weekly college football odds from the #1 sports handicapping team.

Coach: Kirk Ferentz (10th year at Iowa)
Team Name: Hawkeyes
2007 Overall Record: 6-6
Returning Starters: 13

After the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-6 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) finished out their string of regular season games with a 28-19 loss to Western Michigan, the team settled back to watch the bowl season from their television sets. From 2002-2004, the Haweyes went 31-7 and captured two Big Ten crowns. In the past three seasons, their record is 19-18 overall and 11-13 in the Big Ten.

QB Jake Christensen (370 ATT, 198 COMP, 2,269 YDS, 17 TDs, 6 INT) proved he was tough last season. He kept getting up after every one of the 46 sacks that took him down. The frontline was porous, making the signal caller and first-time starter’s life exceptionally difficult. The O-line returns some seasoned starters and solid reserves, which should help. Last season, WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (38 REC, 482 YDS, 2 TDs) led the team in catches and reception yards. Top running backs, Albert Young and Damian Sims, are gone and the Hawkeyes need someone to step forward and fill that role.

Just five starters return to the defensive side of the field. Two essential senior defensive tackles—Matt Kroul and Mitch King—are back. King, an All-Big Ten choice last season, has a nonstop motor. Junior OLB A.J. Edds (80 tackles, 29 solo) returns as the team’s leading tackler. Senior SS Harold Dalton will anchor the secondary, which overall is filled with inexperienced but talented new faces.

This team should win seven and could win nine if they play well in swing games against Pittsburgh on September 20 and Michigan State on October 4. Both are on the road. Last season, Iowa lost by four or fewer points to Iowa State, Wisconsin and Illinois. They should beat Iowa State this season but don’t look to have a chance versus the Badgers or the Fighting Illini.

The Hawkeyes stand to put together a winning season. With an average of just 6.3 wins per year over the last three seasons, the club needs to generate victories. In 2008, they could come closer to their three-year average of 10.3 wins from the golden years of 2002 to 2004. In order for that to happen, the Iowa offense must start churning out some points. The defense has been doing their job, but they can’t do it all.

Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Aug 30	Maine	Home
Sep 6	Florida Int	Home
Sep 13	Iowa State	Home
Sep 20	Pittsburgh	Away
Sep 27	Northwestern	Home
Oct 4	Michigan State	Away
Oct 11	Indiana	Away
Oct 18	Wisconsin	Home
Nov 1	Illinois	Away
Nov 8	Penn State	Home
Nov 15	Purdue	Home
Nov 22	Minnesota	Away

 

For more info on the 2008 Iowa Hawkeyes football program, view their official website or read up on the rest of the Big Ten foes below.