With all the bad things that have gone on with Iowa’s football team during the past three weeks, it’s easy to forget that there were happier times not all that long ago.

Three straight losses — all in heartbreaking fashion late in the fourth quarter — has sucked the life out of what was looking like a special season back in October. It’s all changed so quickly.

It’s one thing to lose to Penn State, Purdue and Northwestern on back-to-back-to-back weekends, but it’s another thing to lose the way they did. Losing where there’s plenty of blame to go around is never good. They had ugly turnovers in the red zone on offense against Penn State and Northwestern, and gave up a game-winning drive to Purdue.

It’s all so different now. The high bar for this team was watching them rout Indiana in mid-October, when their tight ends — Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson — were running all over the field, catching passes and scoring touchdowns. That day, both had over 100 yards receiving, and both scored touchdowns in a 42-16 rout. Everyone was smiling, and a week later when they beat Maryland 23-0, they were 6-1 and talking Big Ten titles.

And now … pffft.

Three losses are one thing. But now, there’s head-shaking and finger-pointing, too. You need reasons why you lose three games in a row, and a lot of people are questioning what’s happened with Noah Fant. He was nowhere to be found Saturday, making one catch for zero yards. Toss out one long gainer (65 yards) against Purdue, and during the losing streak he’s had only eight other catches for 76 yards.

And zero touchdowns.

He also was on the bench twice as much as he was on the field during the second half Saturday. There’s clearly a disconnect somewhere.

“Our coaches decided to get some other guys the ball,” Fant said Saturday night after being targeted only three times on 41 pass plays.  “I’m not saying if it’s right or wrong. I’m not really sure. That’d be a better question for the coaching staff.

“I’d love to play more. I’d love being out on the field,” Fant said. “But it’s their decision. It’d be nice if I could say, ‘I’m going to make a mandate and put myself on the field all the time.’ But that’s their job. That’s what they’re there for. That’s what they get paid money to do.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz dismissed any conversation about Fant.  “We’re playing the best guys out there that we feel are best for the situation that’s given,” he said. But there’s got to be more to it than that.

Ferentz talked formations. Blah, blah, blah. But that’s no excuse.

“If you’ve got ‘11’ personnel — (one  running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) —  you can only have one tight end out there,” Ferentz said. “And we’ve got two pretty good tight ends. So, T.J. (Hockenson) would have been the guy of choice at that point.”

There’s no question Hockenson is a great player, too. He caught seven balls for 89 yards and played well, but that’s not the point. Iowa’s been passing game situations are when Hockenson AND Fant are on the field together. It’s been out of that “12 personnel” where Fant has caught most of his school-record 18 touchdown passes that are a school record for tight ends.

Even quarterback Nate Stanley said side-stepped the Fant talk.

“There were opportunities to throw him the ball,” Stanley said. “But it comes down to where he is in the progression, in the read.”

When your best player isn’t in the progression, and isn’t in the read, then that’s a problem. Especially  when your offense is struggling to score points.

Something fishy is going on here.