How did Iowa football win 10 games with a terrible offense? Looks good for Tennessee | Adams
The first game I covered for the News Sentinel was between Iowa and Tennessee in 1987. They played in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
A couple of things stood out, most notably the approach taken by veteran Iowa coach Hayden Fry. The way he shuffled quarterbacks in and out of the game I concluded he wasn’t betting his career on the outcome. He played three different quarterbacks, as if this were nothing more than an exhibition.
The Vols stuck with one quarterback and won 23-22.
One of Iowa’s quarterbacks was sophomore Dan McGwire. He piqued my interest, and not just because he was 6-foot-8. Home run hitter Mark McGwire was his brother.
I asked a buddy of mine who covered major league baseball for Mark’s number. He obliged.
Mark’s response to my phone call: “How did you get this number?” You would have thought he was in witness protection, and I was about to unveil his hideaway to the general populace. The phone call ended without a single brotherly anecdote.
Chuck Hartlieb turned out to be the best of Iowa’s quarterbacks that season. But Dan proved to be ahead of his time. Long before there was a transfer portal, he moved to San Diego State, sat out a year, and became a star for the Aztecs. He passed for 7,484 yards in two seasons and later played in the NFL.
I thought about calling to congratulate him. But since my last McGwire call had gone so poorly, I didn’t bother checking to see if Mark might give me his brother’s number.
My next Iowa-Tennessee game ended the 2014 season. The Vols beat Iowa 45-28 in the Gator Bowl.
I again was puzzled by Iowa’s approach to the game. The Hawkeyes knew who their best quarterback was but didn’t seem thrilled about the bowl trip, which ended their 7-6 season. Their attitude was evident in interviews during the week.
I don’t have a clue as to the excitement level for either Tennessee or Iowa for the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1. But I rarely have been so intrigued about a third-echelon bowl game. And that’s because of Iowa.
No offense, but how can you win 10 games with no offense? Iowa won the Big Ten West, went 10-3 and is No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings with an offense that resembles a slow crawl.
Iowa’s offensive stats are much closer to Vanderbilt’s than Tennessee’s. In fact, they’re worse than Vanderbilt’s.
The Hawkeyes rank last in the FBS in total offense. Kent State, which is second to last, averages 31.6 yards more per game than Iowa.
Iowa’s paltry passing stats suggests it runs an option offense. It doesn’t. But the only teams that rank below the Hawkeyes in passing yards per game (123.2) are service academy schools Army, Navy, and Air Force.
If you are this deep into the column, you should be wondering how does Iowa win games.
It doesn’t beat itself and plays terrific defense, admirable college football virtues in the 1950s and earlier, which tells me General Neyland would have had a fondness for these Hawkeyes.
So what if their offense is outdated. The Hawkeyes rank fifth in total defense, ninth in passing defense, and 13th in rushing defense. They also rank sixth in fewest penalties per game.
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They haven’t scored more than 15 points in the past seven games but won five times because they suffocated the life out of opposing offenses. Only one team has scored more than 16 points on Iowa in the past nine games.
You know what that means. If the Vols can reach 17 points, their fans can start celebrating.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How did Iowa football win 10 games with no offense? Advantage Tennessee
