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Rapid Reaction: Iowa State capitalizes on Iowa’s offensive disasters with win in Cy-Hawk rivalry
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Final score: Iowa State 10, Iowa 7
Brief Recap: Iowa appeared to be in trouble with a lackluster offensive showing in Week 1. If they looked in trouble in Week 1, the offense might have hit rock bottom in Week 2.
The unit did find the end zone early in the game, but that would be all the scoring the Hawkeyes could muster. The inefficiency was a problem all game long with Iowa managing just 11 first downs and going 3-for-11 on 3rd-down conversions.
The defense was once again fantastic for the Hawkeyes and surrendered just a lone touchdown and forced 3 takeaways. Unfortunately, Iowa’s offense also gave the ball 3 times, including 2 fumbles lost and an interception thrown.
In the end, Iowa had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation with a long field goal try. Unfortunately, Aaron Blom’s lone field goal try sailed wide left.
Key Player: QB Spencer Petras. The issues that surfaced for Petras in Week 1 were once again evident in Week 2. He completed less than 50% of his passes, and all of those miscues were not the result of rainy conditions or pressure by the defense.
Regardless of the other issues surrounding the Hawkeye offense – and there are other issues – the QB play has got to improve. Kirk Ferentz’s unwillingness to try Alex Padilla must also be investigated.
Key Stat: 150 yards of offense. Nothing else really matters at this point for Iowa.
Even with the missed field goal, Iowa’s special teams unit was overall fantastic. The Hawkeyes blocked 2 punts, limited return yards on kicks and we all know about Tory Taylor’s heroics with his leg.
At this point, the deficiencies for the Hawkeyes rest with the offense. The ground attack managed just 2.3 yards per carry, and we’ve already visited the passing concerns.
If the offense is fixable, this team could still compete for the B1G West. But that’s a big “if” and growing bigger each week.
What it means moving forward: The B1G West remains up for grabs, but that’s more by default than anything else. Northwestern gave up a huge offensive afternoon to Duke, Wisconsin looked lost against Washington State and we know all about Scott Frost and Nebraska.
The Hawkeyes can still be competitive in the West, but that’s not because Kirk Ferentz’s squad is a well-oiled machine.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.