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We should find out just how good Iowa’s receivers are this weekend against Iowa State

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Two games into the 2019 season, Iowa’s receivers are already being heralded as one of the best groups Kirk Ferentz has ever coached. That’s saying something for a guy who’s been on the sidelines in Iowa City for more than two decades.

A group that consists of Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Brandon Smith, Oliver Martin, Nico Ragaini and Tyrone Tracy Jr. have already flashed some of their brilliance in the first two weeks of the season. Combined, the five receivers have hauled in 25 catches for 350 yards and six touchdowns in wins over Miami (OH) and Rutgers.

Unimpressed?

Consider this: in 2018, Iowa’s receivers — yes, this excludes tight ends and running backs — caught an average of 8.7 passes per game. A year earlier, in 2017, that average was 7.7 receptions per contest. Right now, after two games, those Hawkeye receivers boast a 12.5 catch per game average.

Oh, and those six touchdown receptions? Iowa’s receivers caught a total of 10 last fall. In 13 games. If you follow the law of averages based on what the Hawkeyes have done through the first two weeks, they’ll surpass that total by halftime of their fourth game — which comes against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 28 at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa’s receivers needed to step up in a big way this season. With the departures of tight ends Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson, there wasn’t much question that the guys playing outside the hashes were going to see more targets from Nate Stanley. So, if the numbers aren’t overly impressive to you, I get it.

But more impressive than the statistical path this group is traveling down is the way in which they’ve racked up these totals, and what each receiver brings to the table. It’s the like the perfect skill set combination among the group.

Through two games, Smith-Marsette has shown off his versatility. He’s been used in the screen game, he’s handled sweeps and he’s been used as Stanley’s deep threat down the field, particularly in last Saturday’s 30-0 win over Rutgers. Not only has he been quick enough to make plays in short passing situations, he’s stretched the field tremendously by beating defenders over the top.

The result of Smith-Marsette’s use in the offense is 148 receiving yards and three touchdowns on eight catches. He also picked up 16 yards on one handoff against Miami (OH) in the opener.

If Smith-Marsette is the versatile one of the bunch, Brandon Smith is probably the playmaker. The guy Stanley can depend on to make a catch over a defender, tightrope the sideline or find a way to turn an impossible play into a routine grab.

He was that kind of player a year ago, and he’s already in midseason form after two weeks.

Martin and Ragaini are the precision route-runners of the group. Both have been able to make players early like Smith-Marsette and Smith, but they’ve used their quick steps and attention to detail to create separation from defenders.

So far, it really has been a dangerous group.

There is still a little mystery, though. The fact that they’ve been able to pile up the numbers and look so impressive early in the year can be partly attributed to the level of talent the Hawkeyes have played in the first two weekends of the season. Miami (OH) and Rutgers are nowhere near the same level defensively as most of Iowa’s future opponents. Sorry, Rutgers.

Any concerns or questions about how talented this group is can be put to bed this weekend, as Iowa travels to Ames for a rivalry matchup against Iowa State. Not only the Cyclones a step up from the competition the Hawkeyes faced previously, they should challenge the receivers as much as anyone this season.

Iowa State’s pass defense didn’t look great against Northern Iowa in the opener, that much I’ll concede. The Cyclones surrendered 228 yards through the air in a near upset loss to an in-state FCS foe. Traditionally, under Matt Campbell, the ISU pass defense has been pretty solid.

That’s coming out of the Big 12, too.

Iowa State has ranked third or better in the Big 12 at defending the pass in each of the last three seasons. And in a league where running the football is essentially an afterthought, that’s not too bad. Last year, the Cyclones held Iowa to just 166 yards through the air on 16-of-28 passing.

Will Saturday be the toughest test of the year for Iowa’s receiving group? Absolutely not. But it does give those five players an opportunity prove that it truly is one of the bet receiving corps that Ferentz has ever coached in his two decades in Iowa City. If you can torment a defense that’s accustomed to seeing some of the game’s most talented pass-catchers on a week-to-week basis, you may just have something special.

We’ll find out exactly what Iowa has outside the hashes in a few days in Ames.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB