Quarterbacks see it on tape for the first time and perhaps write it off to their imaginations. Then they see Iowa's linebackers in person, playing just 3 yards off of the line of scrimmage and realize that they're in for a long day.
Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway see to that.
"That's the one thing, the first thing you notice, that they play 3 yards from the line of scrimmage," Penn State quarterback Zack Mills said. "It's very unusual but they're so athletic that they can do it."
Though just juniors, the Iowa standouts are already two of the most feared linebackers in the Big Ten, both possessing great speed for their size. Greenway is 6-foot-4, 239 pounds and Hodge is 6-foot-2, 232 pounds.
As sophomores last season, the duo racked up Big Ten accolades that belied their youth, with a combined 273 tackles; Hodge earned first-team all-Big Ten honors and Greenway made the second team.
"We're the opposite of last year when we had a veteran outside and two young guys inside," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "It helps to have Abdul and Chad inside, two guys who have proven they can be successful in the Big Ten and give us good leadership as well."
Nothing has changed so far this season with Greenway and Hodge leading the way in tackles for the Hawkeyes with a combined 112 tackles.
Iowa's defensive scheme, however, doesn't much allow for some of the gaudier numbers put up by linebackers across the country, mainly because the Hawkeyes don't utilize a lot of blitzes.
This means that, despite their athleticism, Hodge and Greenway don't get to do much pass rushing, evidenced by Greenway's two sacks on the season and Hodge's zero.
But there are other ways to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, such as shutting down the run, something at which Penn State's recent opponents have been adept.
After being manhandled earlier in the season by an Arizona State squad that was able to work the deep ball effectively against them, the Hawkeyes have regrouped and greatly improved in the Big Ten season, losing just one game to conference rival Michigan.
The Hawkeyes defense flexed its muscle last weekend against Ohio State, tormenting first-year starter Justin Zwick and holding the Buckeyes to just seven points.
Combined with veteran defensive linemen Matt Roth and Jonathan Babineaux, the Hawkeyes present a front that will not make it simple for the Nittany Lions to break out of their running game funk of the past few weeks.
"The front seven, they're very, very physical," Mills said. "You know when you play Iowa that it's going to be a very physical game. We're in the mindset that we're in for a dogfight, trying to get 3 or 4 yards every play. That's how it's been for Iowa and that's how it's going to be on Saturday."
Notes
Ferentz's father John passed away Sunday at the age of 84. A native of Upper St. Clair outside of Pittsburgh, John Ferentz served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Kirk and his son Brian, who is an offensive lineman for the Hawkeyes, traveled to Asbury Heights yesterday to be with family and will attend John's funeral before rejoining the team Friday in State College.
