Iowa Football: Hawkeyes, Cyclones Release Depth Charts Ahead of Week 2 Showdown

While both teams came away with wins, Iowa and Iowa State had vastly different experiences in their week one matchups. The Hawkeyes hamblasted the 17th ranked Indiana Hoosiers on the back of an impressive performance from their defense. The Cyclones, on the other hand, were in a dog fight with the Norther Iowa Panthers until the final UNI drive of the game.

Entering week two, the Hawkeyes have largely taken the approach of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While there can be some debate about the offensive output, there’s no question the Iowa defense was far from broken in week one. As a result, we see but one change to the two deeps ahead of a trip to Ames in week two.

Here’s a look at the full depth chart for this week:

Image via HawkeyeSports.com

Noted Notables

• As mentioned, just one change here. Mason Richman, who started in week one at left tackle, is officially listed as the starter this week. Jack Plumb, who had been listed as the starter, is now the second team LT.
• While there are no changes to the depth chart along the defensive line, it’s worth noting that Logan Lee did start at defensive tackle ahead of Yahya Black. He also out-snapped Black 32 to 25 in the win.
• Beyond Lee and Black, the rest of that defensive line depth chart is not super meaningful. In total, the Hawkeyes played 10 different guys on the defensive line in week one with seven earning at least 20 snaps out of 67 total defensive snaps (or roughly 30% of the available snaps).
• No changes at linebacker, but this position group is going to be something to watch. Jack Campbell is the solidified starter in the middle, but Seth Benson had himself a great week one and really showed his value in the run game. Despite that, Jestin Jacobs actually graded out as the best of the bunch with a grade of 79.9 according to Pro Football Focus (for comparison, Benson was graded at 62.3 and Campbell at 52.5). There are three really good options here with a limited number of reps to go around.
• Lastly, all of Spencer Petras, Tyler Linderbaum and Charlie Jones are listed in their same roles from week one. Petras hobbled off and Linderbaum remained down following an 9-yard QB draw early in the second quarter. Both returned to action on the next drive. Jones injured his lower leg on a punt return with about 6 minutes left in the game and did not return. His presence on the depth chart is hopefully a positive indicator on his status for this week.

On the Iowa State side of things, it’s a similar story. Despite the rough first week showing against an FCS opponent, Matt Campbell has similarly opted to keep things largely unchanged entering week two.

Here’s a look at the two deeps for the Cyclones entering this weekend’s matchup.

Noted Notables

• As with Indiana a week ago, this Cyclone bunch is loaded with upperclassmen. Iowa State lists 15 of its 22 starters on offense and defense as seniors. In total, there are 22 seniors listed on the depth chart on offense or defense.
• Tight end Charlie Kolar was a 3rd Team All-American in 2020, but missed Iowa State’s week one matchup with the Panthers due to a lower leg injury. He’s listed as a starter this week, but notably has an “OR” with fellow senior Chase Allen.
• Senior middle linebacker O’Rien Vance is also listed as the starter again this week. He notably exited the week one matchup in the third quarter after sustaining a hamstring injury. Junior Gerry Vaughn is listed as the backup there if Vance is unable to go.
• Senior Tarique Milton is Iowa State’s punt returner in 2021. That will be disappointing to Iowa fans hoping for a replay of the 2019 meeting that essentially ended with a Deshaunte Jones muffed punt.

Happy hate week Hawkeye fans.