You dared ISU to run the ball because likely, your DC knew that a 3 or 4 man rush would work to contain the run. By doing that, you aren't daring the other team to run as much as you are to throw into 7 and 8 man coverages. If ISU had started gashing you for big gains, Iowa would have likely gone to a more traditional 7 man front to keep the run at bay.
No, we baited them to run it. ISU did run the ball pretty well against us. I think they had 190 yards. We LET them run the ball knowing that ISU wouldn't be patient enough to stick with it the entire game because they're more of a pass-first offense. We made Austen Arnaud's day a living hell. We got very little pressure on the QB and they had holes to run through because we dropped our LB's in coverage and, often, rushed 3. It was a thing of beauty.
If a D-coordinator is smart they gear up to shut down what the other team does well. If that's running the ball......then put 8 guys in the box. If you've got Sam Bradford at QB, you have to almost give OU the run. How can you gear up to stop the run against an offense like that? Or any great passing offense. Bigger plays come from the passing game, so take away the big play and contain the passing game and bait them into running.
Now, if it's a balanced attack where you've got a quality QB and a good RB, you run a base 4-3 and only put a nickel back in or drop your LB's in coverage on 3rd and long.
If Petey had any respect for Pryor as a passer, he would have geared up more to stop the pass than the run. Does Boom Herron really scare you as a runner? With him as your RB, even though Pryor can run well himself, if OSU had a good passing QB it makes absolutely no sense to not gear up to stop the pass and almost give them free yards in the running game. Petey knows this.