Chicago Bears (Round 3, Pick 72): Why not reunite Burbridge with his college teammate Jeremy Langford? John Fox has been known to help receivers develop, such as Demaryius Thomas in Denver and Steve Smith in Carolina, and Burbridge would be a good option for Jay Cutler, who had one of his best statistical passing seasons with only one downfield threat in Alshon Jeffery. The Bears could take Burbridge and another receiver to give Cutler more offensive options, and especially since they will have a new offensive coordinator, the more threats the Bears have, the better.
Iowa, ranked No. 4 in the CFP after boasting an undefeated (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) record, will present MSU, No. 5 in the CFP (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten), with a disciplined set of schematics to plan against.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz has been at the helm of Hawkeyes’ football since 1999, giving him ample time to piece together his jigsaw puzzle.
Both teams have a “seven-year book” on each other, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said, but pairing that with a high level of respect and championship experience has the Spartans feeling confident as they prepare for Indianapolis.
“(Ferentz has) built a culture there,” Dantonio said. “He’s built a program, he’s built a legacy there, and it will be a great challenge for us to be able to play and be successful, but we’re looking forward to that.”
Here is what MSU needs to do to get the job done and make its way to a College Football Playoff semifinal game.
Controlling the trenches
“(Our players) can’t play sideways in this football game,” Dantonio said.
Iowa will look to establish a sound running attack against MSU and they have proven themselves capable of doing so with an average of 203.7 yards rushing per game. But the Spartans having held their opponents to just 118.2 yards per game this season and a peaking defensive line led by fifth-year senior Shilique Calhoun, a three-year All-Big Ten first-team selection, should keep the yardage margin in MSU’s favor.
“I think the match-up is a good match-up for us, but we are going to have to play square and be in our gap,” Dantonio said. “Because they’ll split you.”
With Iowa’s passing offense being underdeveloped to this point in the season, a stout rushing defense for MSU will likely put the Hawkeyes in a fit, which, they don’t have much experience in getting out of.
Burbridge vs. King
Iowa junior defensive back Desmond King leads the Big Ten in interceptions with eight. King is a product of Detroit and was named the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year.
“(I) still can’t believe (King) got away, but anyway, is an outstanding player, eight interceptions, kick returner, punt returner, has been a very good player for them,” Dantonio said.
A huge impact will be made in the game when either King or MSU senior wide receiver Aaron Burbridge pull away from their counterpart.
Burbridge, who was named the Richter-Howard Big Ten Receiver of the Year after totaling 1,158 yards receiving and seven touchdowns thus far, has been able to go up, over and around defenders in tight coverage all season. And with passes reaching Burbridge from the arm of fifth-year senior quarterback Connor Cook, the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, he should be able to dictate the Spartans’ ability to win the playmaker category.
“King is around 6-foot-1, 6-foot-2, so he’s a relatively bigger corner, but it’s just something — we have great receivers so we are looking forward to the match-up,” Cook said.
Championship experience
For MSU, the notion of ‘been there, done that’ will give its players a leg-up in knowing what to expect.
“This is the third time in five years that we have been able to go and play for a championship,” Dantonio said. “So I think that — that can’t hurt us. That can only help us.
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“Our players can talk to the other people and give them that experience, what the stadium is like, what’s this like, what’s the climate like, the atmosphere like. It’s a sell-out. It should be very exciting for them."
To read the dueling analysis from Daily Iowan reporter Danny Payne, click here.
