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Iowa’s offense draws nightmarish reaction in first game without Brian Ferentz

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Iowa is moving into a brand new season, including a change at offensive coordinator. The nightmare of the Brian Ferentz era is over with the offseason arrival of Tim Lester to lead the Hawkeye offense.

Unfortunately, fans may be experiencing some flashbacks after the first half ended without a touchdown against FCS foe Illinois State. The Hawkeyes are carrying a 6-0 lead into halftime, but the raw numbers are tough to handle for any major FBS program.

Throughout the first 30 minutes of action, Iowa has just 6 first downs. In fact, Illinois State has more first downs with 7 before the break.

Iowa’s 3rd-down performance is scary, going 3-for-10 on 3rd downs and 0-for-1 on 4th downs at halftime. The Hawkeyes did not reach 150 total yards of offense in the half and averaged 3.7 yards per carry.

It’s not a great sign to open the year, and fans will be forgiven if they start to press the panic button a bit. Here is how fans and media alike are evaluating the offense:

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.