Iowa football is 1-0 after a win over South Dakota State on Saturday. However, things were far from impressive, and that is severely putting things mildly.

For starters, the final score of 7-5 read more like a B1G baseball game box score than an actual football game. The Hawkeyes and Jackrabbits also struggled on nearly every play to generate positive yardage.

When the dust finally settled, Iowa punter Tory Taylor stood as an MVP for the game and the defense handled the rest, scoring 4 points on the afternoon with a pair of safeties.

Without further ado, here are 3 things we liked – and 3 things we didn’t – from the season-opening win.

Liked – Punter Tory Taylor’s special teams heroics

It is not every day that a punter gets to prove he’s the MVP of a game, but Tory Taylor proved his worth in the season-opening win. He was called on 10 times in Week 1 and consistently pinned South Dakota State back against its own end zone.

Those punts traveled 479 yards for an average of 47.9 yards per punt with 7 of his kicks getting downed inside the 20-yard line. Two of his punts were touchbacks, but he was by far a huge weapon for the Hawkeyes.

Two of Taylor’s punts to pin the Jackrabbits back eventually turned into a safety for the Hawkeye defense.

Liked – Jack Campbell’s first elite showing of 2022

One thing is still certain for the Hawkeyes: Jack Campbell is a leader in every sense of the way. He led Iowa with 11 tackles in the season opener, the first double-digit performance for Campbell of 2022.

Campbell’s performance also included 0.5 TFL, 4 solo tackles and a QB hurry. And he produced the first safety of the game, a clutch stop that put Iowa on top 5-3.

In a year of uncertainty for Iowa’s offense, Campbell remains a rock for the defense.

Liked – Hawkeye defensive line feasting in Week 1

Iowa’s defensive line was a bright spot, and it is no surprise with the experience and talent in that unit. At final whistle, the Hawkeyes had 4 sacks and 8 TFL while constantly blowing up offensive plays of the Jackrabbits.

Logan Lee and Joe Evans were especially strong, combining for 3.5 sacks and 4 TFL for the Hawkeyes. South Dakota State also finished the game with 33 yards rushing and under 2 yards per carry, a testament to Iowa’s defense dominating the trenches all game long.

Disliked – Iowa’s stagnant offense

Yeah, let’s get the big “dislike” out of the way off the bat. The offense was not good, and that’s being too kind. Though to be honest, determining the full problem is more complex than pointing a finger at one individual.

Spencer Petras has to improve after completing less than 50% of passes and throwing an interception. Alex Padilla did not play in the loss and Kirk Ferentz does not foresee a change heading to Week 2.

Unfortunately, the issues weren’t limited to the passing game. Iowa’s rushing attack also bogged down and was limited without a big play.

Disliked – Inability to dominate trenches on offense

One issue with the offense actually came with the offensive line. A unit that traditionally plays well for the Hawkeyes, Iowa did not consistently generate running lanes against the Jackrabbits.

As a result, Iowa’s longest rush of the game clocked in at 11 yards. That is an issue that must be improved, and it falls on the offensive line to be better moving forward.

Disliked – Kinnick Stadium boos in Week 1

Look, we get it. Football is a business based on results, but Saturday’s season opener was also a disappointing showing for some Hawkeye faithful. The offense was consistently booed by fans in the stands as the unit struggled to move efficiently.

That show is disappointing, particularly for college athletes giving their all to a university. Star linebacker tackled the issue after the game and expressed his disappointment for the boos directed at the offense.

Sure, fans undoubtedly wanted some of those boos directed at coaches. The problem is those boos are indistinguishable when directed at a team of student-athletes on the field.

Yeah, Iowa needs to be better, but after Week 1… some members of the Hawkeye faithful could do a bit better, too.