This weekend presents the Iowa Hawkeyes' offense with a unique challenge, and a first for this year: offensive coordinator Tim Lester and the offense won't know the defensive coordinator that they are going up against. Purdue is amid some changes, creating a vacancy for Iowa to work around.

Purdue made the decision to move on from defensive coordinator Kevin Kane after struggling lately. The weird part of this situation is that Purdue head coach has not named his definite replacement moving forward, instead splitting the duties between assistants and position coaches.

The Boilermakers' defensive scheme is unlikely to see distinct changes, as there is just one week to prepare for Iowa, but it will present some new looks and tendencies that the Hawkeyes must account for.

What to expect from Purdue's defense

Whenever a coach is fired in the middle of the season, it can go a few different ways. One way it could go is that the defense continues on this trajectory of struggling, which leads to limping to the end of the season.

The other way, which I think could be the case this weekend, is seeing a defensive unit rally together under a new play-caller or interim defensive coordinator. The players may play harder for them in an effort to show some pride.

The bigger thing I think changes is the aggressiveness we could see from Purdue's defense. An interim play-caller has nothing to lose. With three games to go, this could be a mini-audition, but I think it is more likely Purdue goes for broke to make big plays or force turnovers.

How does Iowa account for the changes?

There are two big things Iowa can do to account for unknowns on defense. The first is running the ball. Staying ahead of the sticks eliminates a lot of the exotic blitz packages and pressure schemes that could disrupt things. It keeps Purdue honest and makes them respect all play calls.

The other way to account for this is to punch back. If Purdue wants to get aggressive and send blitzers, it's going to leave the defensive backs on islands against Iowa's wide receivers and tight ends. That can lead to chunk plays happening from short catch-and-runs.

Iowa has the offensive line full of experience to communicate and handle the blitz packages. Hank Brown is more comfortable in the pocket with each passing week. I think Iowa is more than capable of firing back with the same aggressiveness.