Iowa defense looking to carry momentum of last three games through bye week and into matchup against No. 6 Oregon

IOWA CITY — Iowa (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) controls its destiny — that’s been clear from the start.

How the Hawkeyes fare through this final week off, particularly with a defense that’s consistently improved every week, is the next challenge.

Steamrolling the middle three games of the football season, Iowa’s defense worked its way from a minus-one turnover margin to plus-four Now, Iowa’s scored 48 points off a total nine picks this season.

On top of that, Iowa’s forced nine fumbles, recorded 17 sacks and holds opposing offenses to less than a 32-percent conversion rate on third down. The fourth down conversion rate is at just above 21 percent.

Those are the kinds of numbers defensive coordinator Phil Parker doesn’t mind having heading into Iowa’s matchup against Oregon.

“Physically, guys were improving,” Parker said. “And now this is a good time to have a bye week to look over some things in the self scout and then also preparing for the Oregon game in two weeks.”

The Ducks have one of the most aggressive offenses in the country, averaging more than 40 points per game. To even the playing field, however, Oregon’s also got a Saturday off the football field.

“They have a bye week, too, so does that give them a chance to adjust what they're thinking,” Parker said. “I think the biggest thing is how do they take advantage of this week and how do they prepare to be ready for the game. That's the most important thing.”

It adds the smallest flair to the matchup, both teams will have two weeks to prepare for a conference match with high risk and high reward. So of course, that gives the only advantage to the Hawkeyes — home field, and a midday kickoff time yet to be officially announced.

The Hawkeyes’ improvements since the first bye week also give way to a new challenge this time: how does the team carry a three-week momentum swing with a week-long pause before taking on the Ducks?

“I feel like it’s going to be good,” defensive back Xavier Nwankpa said following the Hawkeyes’ win over Minnesota. “It’s going to give us that chance to clear up a couple things and help us play better football moving forward.”

The rest and rehabilitation of players helps, and gives Parker and the rest of the defensive staff a chance to make any adjustments schematically as needed. Iowa does have Oregon’s 14-point win over Wisconsin on tape to dissect — a win that was likely too close for Ducks fans to like before heading to Iowa City.

Individual performances from defensive backs Zach Lutmer and Nwankpa stand out as boosts, as well as the defensive line’s continued success at getting to the quarterback helps set the tone. The 3-0 stretch helps with confidence.

It’s the practices leading up to the Nov. 8 kickoff that matter.

“Not getting too high-headed, we got to come in and watch the tape,” cornerback TJ Hall said. “There's always something we can do better, even though they might not hit something, there might have been something open. So we got to see what we can correct, what gap we can feel better.”

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