As each day of this week has passed, it has become increasingly clear that walk-on Jackson Stratton will be Iowa football's No. 1 quarterback on Saturday at Maryland. Head coach Kirk Ferentz all but confirmed this on his Wednesday night radio show, stating, "Jackson looks like the guy that’ll be going. He’ll get the start." But the real question remains: will the Hawkeyes be able to break their three-game road losing streak?

Defense: The Key to Success

For 32 consecutive games, Iowa's defense had been impenetrable, not allowing any opponent to cross the 400-yard threshold in total offense. However, that streak was snapped on October 5 at Ohio State. What's even more bizarre is that in their last three road games, they have allowed 400-plus yards each time, with 200-plus rushing and receiving yards in all three. This has been a challenge to pinpoint, but players are now focusing on the difference between being "prepared" and being "ready" to play.Being prepared is about the X's and O's, as well as a lifetime of strength and conditioning and practice. Being ready means showing up on game day with complete intensity. Iowa has always been prepared under defensive coordinator Phil Parker, but they have admittedly lacked that gameday readiness in losses to Michigan State (32-20) and UCLA (20-17), where they forced only one punt while yielding 12 offensive scores (four touchdowns, eight field goals).Defensive end Ethan Hurkett said on Tuesday, "I don’t know if we’ve been ready to go the past couple times. We’ve got to come out against Maryland and get after it." Defensive back Sebastian Castro pointed to falling into the traps of success. Iowa led the nation in yards-per-play-against in each of the last two seasons (3.99 in 2022, 4.08 in 2023), but that number has plummeted to 5.11 this season (35th in FBS)."When you’re winning, you can get easily comfortable. That’s just human nature," Castro said. "And so as a unit or as a team, that’s something we should be very mindful of." Ferentz has been perplexed by the lack of gameday readiness. He saw it coming at Michigan State during game-week practices but didn't see it coming at UCLA. He provided a cryptic quote on Tuesday, saying he was worried about players being distracted by external factors.

Offense and Special Teams

The returns of Luke Lachey and Addison Ostrenga at tight end allow the Hawkeyes and coordinator Tim Lester to get back to their "12" personnel package (one running back, two tight ends), which should give Kaleb Johnson more room to run. Every time Iowa has lost a game, it has bounced back with at least 38 points in a convincing win (Troy, Washington, Northwestern). All-American linebacker Jay Higgins (hamstring) is expected to return.On the other hand, Maryland has its own advantages. Tai Felton (86 catches, 1,040 yards) is the Big Ten's best receiver, and the 6-foot-2 senior is a major matchup problem, especially against 5-10 Deshaun Lee. The Terrapins are outgaining opponents by nearly 40 yards a game and are even in turnover margin. They looked competitive at No. 1 Oregon despite the final score (39-18). They also have the Big Ten's leading punter in Bryce McFerson. And it's senior day in College Park, which can provide an emotional boost.

Prediction

Maryland 24, Iowa 23... One of the under-discussed factors is that Iowa's red-zone offense is more precarious without mobile quarterback Brendan Sullivan (ankle). And the Hawkeyes' lack of a pass rush with their front four is a bad recipe against a potent passing offense directed by Billy Edwards Jr. (297.8 yards a game in total offense). The Hawkeyes have a chance to win decisively, but it's going to take a full team effort, which unfortunately is no sure thing.Chad Leistikow, a 30-year veteran with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network, is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad's text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.