That one stung! Once again, the Hawks hung in there from start to finish against a Top 10 opponent, and once again miscues and defensive lapses simply let them down. The Hawks lose 18-16 on a game they led with 1:00 to go and really should have won. Kinnick magic wasn't enough and the Hawks have now lost 12 straight against ranked opponents (but hey, they sure do beat up on the Minnesotas and Northwesterns of the world). This will go down as another "what could have been" season where too much randying around in key moments was their downfall.
1. Running Backs Coach Must Go. As has been a theme from IowaLaw, the personnel decisions at RB are an absolute joke. While Oregon had all 3 of their backs with 7+ carries and 50+ yards rushing, the Hawks opted to leave their talented fresh legs on the bench the entire game. They put all their eggs in the Kamari Moulton basket. The favorite child somehow had 23 carries despite a clear inability to hit the homerun or break an arm tackle. Despite tough tackling conditions that made Oregon's backs look like superstars, Moulton, behind his elite OL, managed just 3.8 yards per carry against a defense that ranks in the lower half of the Big 10 rush defenses. Jaz Patterson, who is fully healthy, saw just TWO carries the entire game. Why?? Jaz gave the Hawks a hard running spark gaining 5 yards each time he touched the ball, and Williams got just 3 carries. I'm sorry, but Moulton has shown nothing that merits receiving 90% of the team's rushing attempts (while he's 7th in the Big 10 in carries, he ranks 20th in yards per carry and 9th in yards per game).
2. D-Line Struggles. Iowa's DLine has been a strength this year. Not against Oregon. Although Dante Moore passed the ball 21 times, he took 0 hits, had 0 pressures, and 0 sacks. Worse yet, those RBs sliced right through our DLine's arm tackles, each averaging 6.5 yards every time they touched the ball (and their QB averaged 12 yards per carry). Llewellyn was the lone bright spot out there with a nice pass deflection and 5 tackles, but given the struggles of the LBs and S this year, the DL needed to come up a lot stronger than they did.
3. Tight Ends Finally Step Up. Iowa waived goodbye to the title of Tight End University when they hired Tim Lester, who doesn't seem to prioritize tight ends (or passing in general). But against Oregon, Vonnahame & Large stepped up and showed soft hands. They totaled 4 catches for 66 yards, accounting for half of Iowa's receiving yards. Both are 2 star recruits from small town Iowa, so it's still disappointing how far Iowa's tight end recruiting has dropped off under Abdul Hodge, who has now been with the program for 3 1/2 years and has guided the decline in Iowa's tight end talent/production.
4. Head Scratching Special Teams. Kudos to Drew Stevens for stepping up in a major way and hitting a 58 yard bomb in windy and rainy conditions in a close game. The kid came to play. But the punting game was atrocious, both with the awful snaps but also with the weak legged punts averaging just 40 yards and never flipping the field like we've been accustomed to. Then there's Iowa's lone offensive weapon Wetjen, who looked like a super star returning punts when the Hawks lead by 30 against lesser opponents. But against Oregon, he was a non-factor on the return game and gave up the costly fumble that was the likely difference in the game. Maybe most frustrating of all, Oregon's kicker, who has been below average all season, suddenly had a career game against the Hawks.
5. QB Play Still Isn't There. Gronowski remains well liked by Hawk fans because he comes after a string of some of the worst QBs in Iowa history and the bar is low. But the guy just isn't ready for prime time. In the first quarter, even the announcers could see he was so nervous he was pissing down his leg with some of the worst passing we've seen all season. I believe at one point he was 1/5 for 3 yards. When a guy that experienced (most wins out of any college QB in history) is still that panicked for a big game in his home stadium at the end of his 5th season as a starter, it's clear he's just not "the guy." His stat line was ok by Iowa standards, 10/18 for 138 yards, but he still looks like a running back trying to play QB because the staff clearly has no faith in his throwing. On the year, he still ranks dead last in the Big 10 in yards per attempt, pass rating, and yards per game.
1. Running Backs Coach Must Go. As has been a theme from IowaLaw, the personnel decisions at RB are an absolute joke. While Oregon had all 3 of their backs with 7+ carries and 50+ yards rushing, the Hawks opted to leave their talented fresh legs on the bench the entire game. They put all their eggs in the Kamari Moulton basket. The favorite child somehow had 23 carries despite a clear inability to hit the homerun or break an arm tackle. Despite tough tackling conditions that made Oregon's backs look like superstars, Moulton, behind his elite OL, managed just 3.8 yards per carry against a defense that ranks in the lower half of the Big 10 rush defenses. Jaz Patterson, who is fully healthy, saw just TWO carries the entire game. Why?? Jaz gave the Hawks a hard running spark gaining 5 yards each time he touched the ball, and Williams got just 3 carries. I'm sorry, but Moulton has shown nothing that merits receiving 90% of the team's rushing attempts (while he's 7th in the Big 10 in carries, he ranks 20th in yards per carry and 9th in yards per game).
2. D-Line Struggles. Iowa's DLine has been a strength this year. Not against Oregon. Although Dante Moore passed the ball 21 times, he took 0 hits, had 0 pressures, and 0 sacks. Worse yet, those RBs sliced right through our DLine's arm tackles, each averaging 6.5 yards every time they touched the ball (and their QB averaged 12 yards per carry). Llewellyn was the lone bright spot out there with a nice pass deflection and 5 tackles, but given the struggles of the LBs and S this year, the DL needed to come up a lot stronger than they did.
3. Tight Ends Finally Step Up. Iowa waived goodbye to the title of Tight End University when they hired Tim Lester, who doesn't seem to prioritize tight ends (or passing in general). But against Oregon, Vonnahame & Large stepped up and showed soft hands. They totaled 4 catches for 66 yards, accounting for half of Iowa's receiving yards. Both are 2 star recruits from small town Iowa, so it's still disappointing how far Iowa's tight end recruiting has dropped off under Abdul Hodge, who has now been with the program for 3 1/2 years and has guided the decline in Iowa's tight end talent/production.
4. Head Scratching Special Teams. Kudos to Drew Stevens for stepping up in a major way and hitting a 58 yard bomb in windy and rainy conditions in a close game. The kid came to play. But the punting game was atrocious, both with the awful snaps but also with the weak legged punts averaging just 40 yards and never flipping the field like we've been accustomed to. Then there's Iowa's lone offensive weapon Wetjen, who looked like a super star returning punts when the Hawks lead by 30 against lesser opponents. But against Oregon, he was a non-factor on the return game and gave up the costly fumble that was the likely difference in the game. Maybe most frustrating of all, Oregon's kicker, who has been below average all season, suddenly had a career game against the Hawks.
5. QB Play Still Isn't There. Gronowski remains well liked by Hawk fans because he comes after a string of some of the worst QBs in Iowa history and the bar is low. But the guy just isn't ready for prime time. In the first quarter, even the announcers could see he was so nervous he was pissing down his leg with some of the worst passing we've seen all season. I believe at one point he was 1/5 for 3 yards. When a guy that experienced (most wins out of any college QB in history) is still that panicked for a big game in his home stadium at the end of his 5th season as a starter, it's clear he's just not "the guy." His stat line was ok by Iowa standards, 10/18 for 138 yards, but he still looks like a running back trying to play QB because the staff clearly has no faith in his throwing. On the year, he still ranks dead last in the Big 10 in yards per attempt, pass rating, and yards per game.
