And it's de ja vu all over again. New quarterback, new receivers, new offensive coordinator, same ol run up the middle on 1st, run up the middle on 2nd, and reluctantly pass on 3rd as long as it's 5 yards short of the sticks. Same ol' playing not to lose. Same ol QB regression. The Hawks lose 16-13 despite having the ball and plenty of time to pull off a win at the end. Outcoached and far too much randying around on offense/special teams.
1. OLine Looked Elite. It's been years since Iowa had a solid offensive line. This group is the real deal. Pass protection was as good as Iowa has had in 20 years. This year's starters average over 300 lbs and 6'4 and tend not to whiff on blocks. Dunker and Jones are all-Big 10 caliber players who did everything possible to win the game.
2. Just When You Thought Iowa's WR's Couldn't Get Any Worse. Smith Marsette has not caught a pass at Iowa since 2020. Sadly, if you look at the 15 or so WRs who have started at Iowa since 2020, and 20 backups who saw reps, none were talented enough to play Big 10 football (except Charlie Jones, who rode the bench at Iowa so he left and became an all-American somewhere else). The cupboard is BARE in the WR room. Phillips, Anderson, and Wetjen, all "scholarship Big 10 WRs," combined for 3 catches for 24 yards and some awful drops and a fall resulting in a near pick 6.
3. Sharar Coming of Age. Like Higgins, Sharar waited his turn. This senior from small town Iowa was all over the field and playing like he belongs out there. He finished with 7 tackles on the day, but he was disruptive and looks to be another stud LB in a long line of stud LBs at Iowa. Harrell, his partner at LB, also had a nice game with 9 tackles and 1 forced fumble.
4. Refund on Gronk. Let's call a spade a spade. Not only was Gronk bad, he was historically bad. Iowa's $2M NIL crown jewel just set the Big 10 record for LEAST passing yards in the first two games of the season! While his 13/24 for 83 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT was pathetic, the most disappointing part of the performance was his failure to lead when the game was on the line. When the pressure was on, the "winningest D1 QB in history" pissed down his leg with the worst clutch performance I've seen from a Hawkeye QB. I guess at least he wasn't so amped up that he had to take himself out of the game with cramps like he did against mighty Albany.
5. Jaz Is Clearly In Kirk's Dog House. Typically, talented players are praised for sticking it out at a school despite not getting the kind of playing time they deserve. Kirk's reward for Jaz in returning to Iowa this year rather than jumping in the transfer portal was to make him Iowa's 4th string RB, despite being the best back. Moulton is hurt, so Kirk went with Terrell Washington? Why? Washington proceeded to average just 1 yard per carry after playing poorly last week as well. Then Kirk went with Williams, who was more deserving. But Williams too struggled, finishing with just 3.7 yrds per carry. When Jaz finally saw the field, the team's most senior back ran angry. 11 carries for 60 yards for an avg of 5.5 yards per carry. Jaz carried the inept offense on his shoulders but didn't have the supporting cast to pull off the win.
1. OLine Looked Elite. It's been years since Iowa had a solid offensive line. This group is the real deal. Pass protection was as good as Iowa has had in 20 years. This year's starters average over 300 lbs and 6'4 and tend not to whiff on blocks. Dunker and Jones are all-Big 10 caliber players who did everything possible to win the game.
2. Just When You Thought Iowa's WR's Couldn't Get Any Worse. Smith Marsette has not caught a pass at Iowa since 2020. Sadly, if you look at the 15 or so WRs who have started at Iowa since 2020, and 20 backups who saw reps, none were talented enough to play Big 10 football (except Charlie Jones, who rode the bench at Iowa so he left and became an all-American somewhere else). The cupboard is BARE in the WR room. Phillips, Anderson, and Wetjen, all "scholarship Big 10 WRs," combined for 3 catches for 24 yards and some awful drops and a fall resulting in a near pick 6.
3. Sharar Coming of Age. Like Higgins, Sharar waited his turn. This senior from small town Iowa was all over the field and playing like he belongs out there. He finished with 7 tackles on the day, but he was disruptive and looks to be another stud LB in a long line of stud LBs at Iowa. Harrell, his partner at LB, also had a nice game with 9 tackles and 1 forced fumble.
4. Refund on Gronk. Let's call a spade a spade. Not only was Gronk bad, he was historically bad. Iowa's $2M NIL crown jewel just set the Big 10 record for LEAST passing yards in the first two games of the season! While his 13/24 for 83 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT was pathetic, the most disappointing part of the performance was his failure to lead when the game was on the line. When the pressure was on, the "winningest D1 QB in history" pissed down his leg with the worst clutch performance I've seen from a Hawkeye QB. I guess at least he wasn't so amped up that he had to take himself out of the game with cramps like he did against mighty Albany.
5. Jaz Is Clearly In Kirk's Dog House. Typically, talented players are praised for sticking it out at a school despite not getting the kind of playing time they deserve. Kirk's reward for Jaz in returning to Iowa this year rather than jumping in the transfer portal was to make him Iowa's 4th string RB, despite being the best back. Moulton is hurt, so Kirk went with Terrell Washington? Why? Washington proceeded to average just 1 yard per carry after playing poorly last week as well. Then Kirk went with Williams, who was more deserving. But Williams too struggled, finishing with just 3.7 yrds per carry. When Jaz finally saw the field, the team's most senior back ran angry. 11 carries for 60 yards for an avg of 5.5 yards per carry. Jaz carried the inept offense on his shoulders but didn't have the supporting cast to pull off the win.
