Behind Enemy Lines: Iowa comes into Week 4 at Rutgers with lots of questions
It has been a bit of a subpar start to the season for Iowa heading into the start of Big Ten action this weekend. The Hawkeyes (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) start their conference schedule at Rutgers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) in a game that means a lot for both teams.
For Iowa, it is a chance to set their season straight and potentially get their offense rolling a bit. Saturday’s 27-0 win over Nevada was good, but there certainly is a sense that the Iowa offense is nowhere near where it should be.
It really wouldn’t be a surprise to see Iowa, given their talent level and history, getting on track and being right there in the mix for the Big Ten Championship Game. It seems like every year, they are always in the conversation for a trip to Indianapolis, doesn’t it?
And for Rutgers, it is a chance to validate their strong start to the season against one of the best teams in the Big Ten over the past decade.
RutgersWire checked in with Josh Helmer of HawkeyesWire to get the pulse of Iowa and see where things stand with the Big Ten program. There are definitely plenty of question marks about Iowa heading into Week 4.
Will Saturday night at a sold-out SHI Stadium provide any answers for the Hawkeyes?
Check out what Josh Helmer had to say about the status of the Iowa football program heading into Saturday night’s game at Rutgers. Make sure to check out HawkeyesWire for some pregame content as well as follow Helmer on Twitter.
Helmer on if there is a sense that Iowa football has made progress following Week 3
“I don’t think anybody associated with Iowa football is comfortable saying the offense is figured out after topping Nevada 27-0. Having said that, there were some legitimate positive offensive signs for the Hawkeyes for the first time this season.
“True freshman running back Kaleb Johnson showcased future potential star power on a pair of touchdown runs of 40 and 55 yards. Spencer Petras even threw a touchdown pass for just the second time in his past nine games, a 21-yard connection with wide receiver Arland Bruce IV. Progress!”
Helmer on how the fan base reacted to the struggles for the Iowa football offense to start the season
“It was full-on panic from the fan base. Honestly, I don’t think that’s died down much after the game against Nevada. There’s serious, serious frustration with just how bad the Hawkeyes have become on the offensive side of the football. Iowa was one of the worst offenses nationally in 2021. Last season, they ranked 99th in scoring offense, 101st in rushing offense, 109th in passing offense and 121st in total offense.
“Incredibly, they’ve actually statistically gotten worse in each of those categories. The unrest is real and fans are fed up with what they’re seeing from Brian Ferentz’s offense.”
Helmer on the quarterback play and the overall struggles of the offense so far this season
“It’s not one thing. The offensive line hasn’t been great. Last week was the first week where there were chunk runs for the aforementioned Kaleb Johnson. Outside of those two touchdown scampers, though, Iowa averaged just 2.03 yards per carry.
“Pass protection has been spotty at times, too, and Iowa was without its top two wide receivers in Keagan Johnson and Nico Ragaini for the first two games, so there’s been outside forces working against Petras to start the season. That said, Petras has missed far too many of the easy, makeable throws thus far. It was good to see both he and Iowa actually attempt several deep shots last week. The Hawkeyes connected on one of those with a 46-yard completion to Ragaini.”
Helmer on how the defense has looked so far this season for Iowa football
“For all of the problems that Iowa has endured offensively, the defense has been just the opposite. It’s actually pretty incredible how good they’ve been at times when the offense has been producing absolutely nothing. In short, it doesn’t look like there’s much of a weakness just yet.
“The secondary has been terrific even after the departures of longtime starters Dane Belton, Matt Hankins and Jack Koerner. Quinn Schulte has been a nice surprise back there, Terry Roberts has really taken big steps forward and Riley Moss has been Riley Moss. Then, the defensive line is getting nice contributions across the board and the linebackers have star power with Jack Campbell and Seth Benson. Right now, Iowa looks like one of the best defense’s nationally, surrendering just 4.3 points per game which is currently the No. 2 scoring defense behind Georgia.”
Helmer on the appreciation for Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz from the fanbase
“This is a tough one. Obviously, the large portion I would say does and understands that the grass isn’t always greener. Still, the offensive woes have taken their toll and the fact that his son, Brian Ferentz, is the offensive coordinator and now quarterbacks coach of a unit that again seems to just be getting worse, it has some fans tossing out the nepotism charge. There are others that feel like Kirk Ferentz is seriously damaging his Iowa legacy. That might be hyper-reactionary, but that’s where fans are at right now today.”
