The Hawks are 5-1 at the midpoint and ranked in the Top 15. I'd say that surpasses most reasonable expectations. They got revenge against Iowa State (granted, ISU lost their entire roster in the off season and still almost won), a one-point miracle escape in Ann Arbor, and a 41-24 beatdown in rainy Seattle. While homers are already booking hotels in Indy, I'd say not so fast. Against Power 4 opponents, the Hawks are averaging 22.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 21.8 points. So how does this team stack up with the rest of the Big 10?
1. Pass Offense: D+ (15th out of 18). Homers will say a D+ is harsh because the offense "looks better" than years past. But the stats don't lie. Hank Brown currently ranks 16th of 18 Big 10 QBs in yards per game at 166. By comparison, Maryland's QB represents the average Big 10 qb (ranked 9th) and he averages 234 yards per game...70 yards more than Brown.
Maybe the lack of passing productivity is due to a lack of attempts? Nah. Brown’s 130.96 passer rating ranks 15th and his 6.7 yards per attempt ranks 16th. That’s the same dink-and-dunk passing attack we’ve been watching since Brian Ferentz was calling plays in the the Petras/Hill/McNamara/Gronk era. In fairness, Brown takes care of the football (5 TDs, 1 INT, 1 bad fumble), but he's 19th in the conference in touchdown passes. So what about Hecklinski? He has superior stats, with a 152.24 rating and throws for 8.0 yards per attempt. As IowaLaw has said, when the backup is more efficient than the starter, the best players need to be playing. We'll see next week!
2. Rushing Offense: A- (4th out of 18). Let's give credit where credit is due. The Hawkeye rushing offense ranks 4th at 194 rushing yards per game. Kamari Moulton, whom IowaLaw has called a good “change of pace back” but not a Big 10 starter, suddenly leads the conference at 104 yards per game (thanks to going for over 200 against Washington) and ranks 3rd in yards per carry at 6.8. I’ll eat crow on that one. BUT the underlying concern remains... is Moulton even the best back on the team/worthy of getting so many more carries than everyone else? Xavier Williams is averaging 2 ypc more than Moulton with 8.5 & 3 TDs. Braeden Jackson, a walk-on freshmen, is averaging a whopping 9.0. Yet those two "backups have combined for just 39 carries in six games. Then there's probably Iowa's best back, Phillips, who only has 18 carries all season, yet popped a 42 yard run last week. Moulton is decent, but why do the home run hitters keep riding the bench?
3. OLine: B+ (3rd fewest sacks allowed). The OL returned two all-Big 10 caliber OL from last year and added a bunch of new guys. The group has given up just 5 sacks in 6 games, which is 3rd best in the conference. They are also paving the way for a top rushing attack. So why not throw them an A? Well, because Iowa is just 1-for-5 on 4th down, and only 39.4% on 3rd down. When the whole stadium knows we’re running up the middle on 4th & 2 and we can’t get it, that’s on the big boys up front. Elite lines move the sticks when they have to.
4. Tight Ends: D+. Tight End University remains closed for renovations. Through 6 games, DJ Vonnahme leads the room with 18 catches for 219 yards and 2 TDs. That’s improvement over last year’s pace, but DJ still doesn’t even crack the top 25 in the Big 10 in receiving. By comparison, at this point in the season, Hock, Fant, All, LaPorta, Kittle, and Lachey all 19+ catches in the first 6 games in their seasons. As for the second tight end, no one else at the position has really been a factor this year. The days of two NFL-ready tight ends on the depth chart at the same time are a distant (but awesome) memory.
5. WRs: D. Sadly, despite expectations, the broken record continues and the WRs coach keeps randying around. Sure, Iowa dipped into the portal landed the highest dollar WR prospect they've ever had, yet the Hawks currently have 0 WRs in the top 20 in the Big 10 in receiving yards per game (to his credit, Diaz is 17th in receptions). Diaz has 329 yards and 1 TD so far in 6 games. That's good for 22nd in the conference. By comparison, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has 916 yards. Rutgers and Illinois each have receivers who average 100+ yards per game. Vander Zee (247 yards, 3 TDs) has shown some juice and Diaz can be a big play guy, so I'm upgrading the position group from last year’s F...but there's so much room for improvement.
1. Pass Offense: D+ (15th out of 18). Homers will say a D+ is harsh because the offense "looks better" than years past. But the stats don't lie. Hank Brown currently ranks 16th of 18 Big 10 QBs in yards per game at 166. By comparison, Maryland's QB represents the average Big 10 qb (ranked 9th) and he averages 234 yards per game...70 yards more than Brown.
Maybe the lack of passing productivity is due to a lack of attempts? Nah. Brown’s 130.96 passer rating ranks 15th and his 6.7 yards per attempt ranks 16th. That’s the same dink-and-dunk passing attack we’ve been watching since Brian Ferentz was calling plays in the the Petras/Hill/McNamara/Gronk era. In fairness, Brown takes care of the football (5 TDs, 1 INT, 1 bad fumble), but he's 19th in the conference in touchdown passes. So what about Hecklinski? He has superior stats, with a 152.24 rating and throws for 8.0 yards per attempt. As IowaLaw has said, when the backup is more efficient than the starter, the best players need to be playing. We'll see next week!
2. Rushing Offense: A- (4th out of 18). Let's give credit where credit is due. The Hawkeye rushing offense ranks 4th at 194 rushing yards per game. Kamari Moulton, whom IowaLaw has called a good “change of pace back” but not a Big 10 starter, suddenly leads the conference at 104 yards per game (thanks to going for over 200 against Washington) and ranks 3rd in yards per carry at 6.8. I’ll eat crow on that one. BUT the underlying concern remains... is Moulton even the best back on the team/worthy of getting so many more carries than everyone else? Xavier Williams is averaging 2 ypc more than Moulton with 8.5 & 3 TDs. Braeden Jackson, a walk-on freshmen, is averaging a whopping 9.0. Yet those two "backups have combined for just 39 carries in six games. Then there's probably Iowa's best back, Phillips, who only has 18 carries all season, yet popped a 42 yard run last week. Moulton is decent, but why do the home run hitters keep riding the bench?
3. OLine: B+ (3rd fewest sacks allowed). The OL returned two all-Big 10 caliber OL from last year and added a bunch of new guys. The group has given up just 5 sacks in 6 games, which is 3rd best in the conference. They are also paving the way for a top rushing attack. So why not throw them an A? Well, because Iowa is just 1-for-5 on 4th down, and only 39.4% on 3rd down. When the whole stadium knows we’re running up the middle on 4th & 2 and we can’t get it, that’s on the big boys up front. Elite lines move the sticks when they have to.
4. Tight Ends: D+. Tight End University remains closed for renovations. Through 6 games, DJ Vonnahme leads the room with 18 catches for 219 yards and 2 TDs. That’s improvement over last year’s pace, but DJ still doesn’t even crack the top 25 in the Big 10 in receiving. By comparison, at this point in the season, Hock, Fant, All, LaPorta, Kittle, and Lachey all 19+ catches in the first 6 games in their seasons. As for the second tight end, no one else at the position has really been a factor this year. The days of two NFL-ready tight ends on the depth chart at the same time are a distant (but awesome) memory.
5. WRs: D. Sadly, despite expectations, the broken record continues and the WRs coach keeps randying around. Sure, Iowa dipped into the portal landed the highest dollar WR prospect they've ever had, yet the Hawks currently have 0 WRs in the top 20 in the Big 10 in receiving yards per game (to his credit, Diaz is 17th in receptions). Diaz has 329 yards and 1 TD so far in 6 games. That's good for 22nd in the conference. By comparison, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has 916 yards. Rutgers and Illinois each have receivers who average 100+ yards per game. Vander Zee (247 yards, 3 TDs) has shown some juice and Diaz can be a big play guy, so I'm upgrading the position group from last year’s F...but there's so much room for improvement.
IMHO, I'd grade those two a B-. Both have had some drops, but also had some big catches....
