Iowa OL coach George Barnett addresses 'building blocks' for unit moving forward

Iowa OL coach George Barnett had some positive things to say entering Week 5.

Iowa has looked better on offense over the last two games. A pair of 27-point efforts and 698 total yards of offense have the Hawkeyes feeling optimistic. Barnett would tend to agree.

Iowa OL coach George Barnett: "We have some building blocks that are stacking on top of each other. I think we are trending in the right direction."

— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) September 28, 2022

To be fair, Iowa’s offense was dreadful against South Dakota State and rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes totaled 14 points in both games and Tory Taylor seemingly never left the field. Anything better lately should be considered a victory.

George Barnett: "What we're looking for is physicality" at the guard positions. Both spots have been heavy rotations of late, with Nick DeJong/Gennings Dunker on the left and Beau Stephens/Tyler Elsbury on the right.

— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) September 28, 2022

But Michigan coming up is a bigger task than Nevada or Rutgers. The Wolverines have been explosive on the ground behind running back Blake Corum. The junior ran for 243 on 30 attempts and 2 touchdowns against Maryland.

Iowa will need to keep up with Michigan’s attack. Quarterback Spencer Petras has thrown for just 1 touchdown to 2 interceptions. In addition, he has yet to eclipse more than 175 passing yards in a single game.

Petras needs to be better to pull the upset on Saturday. That should start upfront against the Wolverines’ defense.

Maybe Barnett is looking to instill some confidence in this group. We should have a better idea where they stand after facing the No. 4 Wolverines.