The scariest thing in Kinnick on Halloween wasn’t the costumes in the student section. I was the look on the Badgers coach's face when he went from playoff dark horse to hot seat in a matter of 3 hours. The Hawks smoked 25th ranked Wisconsin 30-0 in the 100th meeting of this rivalry. That’s two straight shutouts and five straight wins over the Badgers, who were formerly the king of the Big 10 West.
1. Hank Brown Answers the Bell. Last week IowaLaw called it a QB crisis. Brown took offense. He went 20 of 24 (83%) for 222 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs and spread the ball around to seven different receivers. Did he randy around by living up to his "Check Down Brown" nickname? Yes. Were a lot of his passes thrown behind guys so they couldn't catch in stride? Definitely. But no Hawkeye QB has put together that kind of completion percentage in ages. If the staff was looking for a reason to stop the QB carousel, Brown just gave them one. With that said, I'm not sure why Heck didn't get a single snap even in mop up time in a 30-0 blowout given that he the starter just a week ago.
2. DJ Vonnahme: Swiss Army Knife. Clearly DJ wanted to impress George Kittle in attendance. His 45-yard catch on the opening drive (Wisconsin left him wide open for some reason) and his two touchdowns (including a rushing TD) were huge. This week, three of Iowa’s biggest plays ran through the tight end. Many have noted how Iowa's TE U reputation has dipped the past couple of years. It's glad to see Lester bucking the trend and getting the TE involved in his offense.
3. The Running Game: Still Missing in Action. Before anyone starts planning for a playoff run, look at the struggling rushing attack. 42 carries for 140 yards on the day for 3.3 yards per carry. The long was just 20 yards. Prior to the Minnesota game, the Hawks were leading the Big 10 at over 6 yards a carry. They garnered a coveted "A" on IowaLaw's Midterm Report Card. But Two weeks later it’s been 3.0 ypc followed by 3.3 ypc. On the opening drive the Hawks ran it eight times for just 22 yards, then ran it up the middle on 2nd and 3rd down, got nothing, and settled for a 24-yard field goal to a chorus of boos. Same ol’ run up the middle on 2nd, same ol’ settle for 3. The passing game bailed out the run game this week.
4. Red Zone: Better, Not Elite. Iowa scored on all five trips inside the 20. That’s progress after leaving points at the 2-yard line in Minneapolis. But two of those five were field goals from 24 and 28 yards. That’s a 60% touchdown rate. Against Wisconsin you get away with it. Against Ohio State you lose by 17. You can’t beat elite teams trading 3s for 7s.
5. Phil Parker’s Defense: A+. This week's ranked opponent managed just 235 total yards, including just 52 rushing yards on 24 carries (2.2 a carry). The D pitched a shutout, forced three turnovers, three three-and-outs, and two huge 4th-down stops. Their QB was 5 of 14 for 90 yards with a fumble before Wisconsin benched him late in the 3rd. My only disappointment on D was that 5 star Epenesa,, in his second year in the program, didn't register a single stat.
6. Special Teams: Buhr Bounces Back. After an awful special teams performance in Minneapolis (blocked punts, punt return fumbles, etc.), the kicking game was solid. Walk on Caden Buhr went 3 for 3 on field goals, including a career-long 54-yarder that would have been good from 60. The Hawks returned 4 punts for 51 yards (12.8 a return) and allowed 0 punt return yards. That’s the Iowa special teams fans are used to.
1. Hank Brown Answers the Bell. Last week IowaLaw called it a QB crisis. Brown took offense. He went 20 of 24 (83%) for 222 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs and spread the ball around to seven different receivers. Did he randy around by living up to his "Check Down Brown" nickname? Yes. Were a lot of his passes thrown behind guys so they couldn't catch in stride? Definitely. But no Hawkeye QB has put together that kind of completion percentage in ages. If the staff was looking for a reason to stop the QB carousel, Brown just gave them one. With that said, I'm not sure why Heck didn't get a single snap even in mop up time in a 30-0 blowout given that he the starter just a week ago.
2. DJ Vonnahme: Swiss Army Knife. Clearly DJ wanted to impress George Kittle in attendance. His 45-yard catch on the opening drive (Wisconsin left him wide open for some reason) and his two touchdowns (including a rushing TD) were huge. This week, three of Iowa’s biggest plays ran through the tight end. Many have noted how Iowa's TE U reputation has dipped the past couple of years. It's glad to see Lester bucking the trend and getting the TE involved in his offense.
3. The Running Game: Still Missing in Action. Before anyone starts planning for a playoff run, look at the struggling rushing attack. 42 carries for 140 yards on the day for 3.3 yards per carry. The long was just 20 yards. Prior to the Minnesota game, the Hawks were leading the Big 10 at over 6 yards a carry. They garnered a coveted "A" on IowaLaw's Midterm Report Card. But Two weeks later it’s been 3.0 ypc followed by 3.3 ypc. On the opening drive the Hawks ran it eight times for just 22 yards, then ran it up the middle on 2nd and 3rd down, got nothing, and settled for a 24-yard field goal to a chorus of boos. Same ol’ run up the middle on 2nd, same ol’ settle for 3. The passing game bailed out the run game this week.
4. Red Zone: Better, Not Elite. Iowa scored on all five trips inside the 20. That’s progress after leaving points at the 2-yard line in Minneapolis. But two of those five were field goals from 24 and 28 yards. That’s a 60% touchdown rate. Against Wisconsin you get away with it. Against Ohio State you lose by 17. You can’t beat elite teams trading 3s for 7s.
5. Phil Parker’s Defense: A+. This week's ranked opponent managed just 235 total yards, including just 52 rushing yards on 24 carries (2.2 a carry). The D pitched a shutout, forced three turnovers, three three-and-outs, and two huge 4th-down stops. Their QB was 5 of 14 for 90 yards with a fumble before Wisconsin benched him late in the 3rd. My only disappointment on D was that 5 star Epenesa,, in his second year in the program, didn't register a single stat.
6. Special Teams: Buhr Bounces Back. After an awful special teams performance in Minneapolis (blocked punts, punt return fumbles, etc.), the kicking game was solid. Walk on Caden Buhr went 3 for 3 on field goals, including a career-long 54-yarder that would have been good from 60. The Hawks returned 4 punts for 51 yards (12.8 a return) and allowed 0 punt return yards. That’s the Iowa special teams fans are used to.
