Ad Disclosure
Indiana’s Game 1 report card: ‘Needs improvement’ applies across the board after demoralizing loss to Iowa
Published:
The first 7 snaps of Saturday’s game at Iowa were horrendous for the 17th-ranked Hoosiers.
And unfortunately, not many of them afterward got much better. Within the first few minutes of the game, the Hoosiers were down 14-0, having given up a long run, then a pick-6. By halftime, No. 18 Iowa was up 31-3 on its way to a 34-6 victory.
Following are grades:
Passing offense: F
Indiana’s passing offense was out of sync from the start and never recovered.
On snap No. 3, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. looked to his left, saw DJ Mathews slip but then recover, and delivered the football. It glanced off Mathews’ hands straight to the awaiting Iowa DB, who raced the interception 30 yards for a score. The Hawkeyes led 14-0 only 2:15 into the game.
Penix threw 2 more interceptions in the first half, including a second one returned for a touchdown, nearly matching his season total from last year (4) in one game. Perhaps it was rust left over from his season-ending injury, but Penix couldn’t capture the magic of a year ago, and finished 14-of-31 for 156 yards with the 3 turnovers and no touchdowns. IU wants to feast on downfield passing, yet a 33-yard catch-and-run by Ty Fryfogle on the first drive of the second half was the only significantly big play. Instead, Penix repeatedly missed on connecting down the field.
Uncharacteristic of an experienced offensive line, the Hoosiers had problems with their front. The group gave up only 1 sack, a critical one, but Penix was pressured often. It was an acute issue off the left side, where Caleb Jones had a sub-par day. He twice was called for false starts in the first half — the second one hindering a drive near midfield — had a holding penalty, and couldn’t prevent repeated pressures, including on the sack.
After the holding call and then allowing a pressure that led to a 4th interception (it was called back due to a roughing penalty on Iowa), IU switched up its O-line, putting right tackle Matthew Bedford on the left and inserting reserve Tim Weaver on the right. But the change lasted only a possession.
IU needed a solid drive to start the second half, its only chance to get back in the game, but Penix missed an open Peyton Hendershot in the end zone, then he was sacked on third down. The Hoosiers settled for a field goal, their final score.
Rushing offense: D
Indiana tried to stay as balanced as possible, even when the circumstances of the game would lead to a more pass-heavy attack. IU rushed the ball on 31 snaps, but for only 75 yards, a 2.5 average. Stephen Carr, the new featured back, rushed for 57, but his long was only 14.
Like in pass protection, the Hoosiers’ blocking wasn’t up to their own standards. Carr and Co. had very little room to operate. Coming off the knee injury a season ago, Penix seldom looked to run, having only 2 attempts, one of them the sack.
Offense overall: F
Sure, Penix was off in his first start of the season, but a lot of fingers could be pointed at the offensive line. It’s hard to get much positive momentum when the line is suffering not only pass protection breakdowns but also getting very little push in the running game. And that was the case for the Hoosiers.
Indiana had only 233 yards, averaging a measly 3.6 per snap. It couldn’t keep drives alive, converting only 6 of its 18 third-down attempts. Its best play of the day might have been the fourth down conversion, when Penix hit Fryfogle on a crossing route, with the Big Ten Receiver of the Year taking it 33 yards into the red zone.
Passing defense: A-
The Hoosiers seldom let Spencer Petras get comfortable, as the Iowa quarterback passed for 145 yards on 13-of-27, without a touchdown or interception.
And IU picked up a couple sacks, one by newcomer Ryder Anderson and another by Reese Taylor off a cornerback blitz. Both helped to hold Iowa to field goals after the Hawkeyes had reached the red zone.
The Hawkeyes’ longest pass play was only 24 yards.
Rushing defense: C
On the game’s fourth play, Iowa running back Tyler Goodson took the rushing play off the right side of the Hawkeyes’ line. When IU’s Taylor lunged inside the block of the tight end, it left the Hoosiers without any containment, and Goodson had an open field to the end zone.
He raced 56 yards for the score, giving Iowa a lead it never relinquished.
Goodson finished with 99 yards and the TD, while Petras had the other Hawkeyes’ rushing score. Iowa finished with 158 yards on the ground for a 4.4 average.
Defense overall: B
Outside of one snap, Indiana’s defense held the Hawkeyes largely in check.
Iowa had only 303 yards of offense and fumbled twice. The Hoosiers held the Hawkeyes to conversions on only 4 of 12 third downs and they were excellent in the red zone. Twice on 3 trips inside the 20, IU held the Hawkeyes to field goals, getting big sacks to help prevent TDs.
Grade: B
Special teams: A
Charles Campbell hit both of his field goal attempts, from 36 and 41 yards, to represent all of Indiana’s scoring.
New punter James Evans was solid, although Hoosiers fans saw him more frequently than desired. He punted 8 times for an average of 42.6 yards.
Coaching: D
Tom Allen and Co. talked of a sense of urgency this season, with the ranked Hoosiers opening at a fellow top-20 Big Ten opponent. But IU didn’t live up to the task, a concerning development.
Allen couldn’t find any buttons to push to jump start the Hoosiers in the second half, as the offense continued to sputter. On one drive, IU changed up its offensive line alignment, hoping to get better results, but it didn’t stick. Allen switched to backup QB Jack Tuttle late, but only after the game was well out of reach.
Overall: D
A miserable start for the Hoosiers, who were beaten badly in about every aspect by the Hawkeyes.
IU wanted to prove it belonged with the big boys — and Iowa might be the biggest boy in the Big Ten West — but instead showed only that it’s not a finished product.
Kyle Charters, a familiar face at Gold & Black, covers Purdue, Indiana and college basketball for Saturday Tradition.