
Iowa football: Stock report following Week 7
Iowa is battered and bruised this season, but the Hawkeyes just keep plugging along, winning games with their own brand of football. Of course, Kirk Ferentz’s group will never be accused of trying to land style points, but Iowa is still on an upward trajectory this season.
With a 15-6 win over Wisconsin, Iowa edged into the lead for the B1G West and is now 6-1 overall to start the season. The Hawkeyes are also looking at a favorable stretch of the schedule and could produce a special season despite the offensive woes of the program.
Here is the full stock report as we come out of Week 7:
Player of the Game: P Tory Taylor
There are no punchlines to throw around here. Iowa has always leaned on its defense, and this season is no different. In a low-scoring game against the Badgers, it provided Taylor a chance to flex his (leg) muscle.
Taylor lived up to the task and punted the ball 10 times for an eye-popping average of over 50 yards. His performance included 6 dropped inside the 20-yard line, a long of 62 yards and a pinpoint boot that dropped on the 1-yard line with perfect backspin.
Newcomer of the Week: LB Nick Jackson
Saturday’s performance featured a number of familiar faces stepping up for the Hawkeyes, but Jackson still deserves some love. He finished 3rd on the team with 6 tackles and continues to be a key piece of the defense. Jackson is 2nd so far this season with 59 total tackles, trailing only Jay Higgins for the team lead.
Biggest surprise: Injury to TE Erick All
Unfortunately, the biggest surprise of the game came in the form of another major injury blow to the offense with All sustaining what appeared to be a serious right knee injury. He had to be helped off the field and carted to the locker room and did not return.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz addressed the early outlook for the injury and said things don’t look great but will know more on Tuesday.
Biggest concern: Offensive playmakers
At this point in the season, Iowa is severely shorthanded, so some of the concerns are related to overall depth. Cade McNamara, Luke Lachey and Erick All are all key absences. Without All’s 2 catches before his injury, Saturday’s passing production came down to 4 catches for 18 yards against the Badgers.
We’ll leave the running game out of this section (more on that later), but where does Iowa turn for offensive production in the passing game? Deacon Hill continues to struggle, and hopes for a wide receiver stepping up with a big performance are starting to dwindle.
Developing trend: Ground game starts rolling
A few short weeks ago, Iowa’s ground game was held in check with 61 rushing yards in a win over Michigan State, but the Hawkeyes have been rolling with wins over Purdue and Wisconsin.
Facing the Boilermakers, Kaleb Johnson had the major highlight with a 67-yard touchdown and finished with 134 rushing yards. Though he did not lead the team, Leshon Williams also chipped in 74 yards on 13 carries against Purdue.
Against the Badgers, Johnson was held in check, but Williams went off with 174 yards and an 82-yard touchdown on 25 carries. While the rest of the offense has sputtered, the ground game is starting to show brief signs of life.
Key stat: 0 turnovers
Looking at the overall team stats does not paint a pretty picture of Iowa’s win over Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes had fewer first downs, fewer yards and were almost even in total time of possession to the Badgers.
How do you win a game like that? Not committing a turnover and going +2 in turnover margin. Oh, Tory Taylor also kept Wisconsin pinned back time and time again.
First impressions for Week 8
After capturing the Heartland Trophy, Iowa turns around and gets another chance to win a trophy game this weekend against Minnesota. Floyd of Rosedale will be back up for grabs, and the Golden Gophers have their own issues to contend with.
The Gophers are currently 3-3 and have lost 3 straight games against Power 5 competition. That includes a 52-10 drubbing at the hands of Michigan and a 37-34 loss to Northwestern.
As for the head-to-head series, Iowa has dominated the recent history vs. Minnesota and has captured 10 straight in Iowa City. The Gophers last won in Kinnick Stadium during the 1999 season.