GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: Iowa’s defense will have its hands full trying to contain Purdue freshman Rondale Moore. He is far and away the Big Ten leader in all-purpose yardage, averaging 179.1 yards per game. Moore’s speed makes him one of Purdue QB David Blough’s favorite targets. Moore’s 8.5 catches per game leads the Big Ten, he’s No. 2 in receiving yards (110.3 per game), and he has scored eight touchdowns. Moore was a difference-maker in Purdue’s upset of Ohio State two weeks ago. Iowa may not have seen a player like him this year, but the Hawkeyes’ defense has remained solid.
Iowa held Penn State’s offense to 312 total yards last week, and the Hawkeyes rank No. 2 in the Big Ten in rushing defense (84.4 yards per game), pass defense (180.5 ypg), total defense (264.9 ypg) and scoring defense (16.1 points per game) and third in sacks (22). Adding to the sack total and putting pressure on Blough would help Iowa’s chances.
DRAFT SLANT
–TE Noah Fant could be considering a jump into the 2019 NFL Draft out of frustration with his lack of targets in Iowa’s offense. The junior holds the school career touchdown record for tight ends with 18, but Iowa curiously didn’t get the ball to him in last week’s loss to Penn State until the fourth quarter. He finished with five receptions for 56 yards, but all of those were in the fourth quarter. And Fant was not used in the field during several trips into the red zone, where he can utilize his 42-inch vertical jump. The athletic Fant is ranked by NFLDraftScout.com and other analysts as one of the top tight ends in the country.
ROSTER REPORT:
–CB Matt Hankins was suspended from team activities for a week after he was arrested early Sunday in Iowa City and cited for a disorderly house. He originally was charged with disorderly conduct after Iowa City police responded to reports of a loud party. Hankins started Iowa’s first four games this season, but hamstring and wrist injuries have sidelined him since Iowa’s Sept. 22 loss to Wisconsin. The sophomore will miss Saturday’s game at Purdue.
–TE Shaun Beyer suffered an unspecified injury during a non-contact drill at Monday’s practice and the backup will be out for several weeks, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.
–LB Kristian Welch sustained a sprained foot in last week’s loss at Penn State, but he returned to the game to play on special teams and should be OK to play Saturday at Purdue, according to Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Welch is completing with Jack Hockaday for the starting MLB job.
–RB Ivory Kelly-Martin has a sore ankle after last week’s loss at Penn State but is expected to be able to play Saturday at Purdue. The sophomore has missed three games this season with an ankle injury and is Iowa’s third leading rusher with 293 yards on 79 carries.
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