Hawkeye Report Card
With a week one victory in the books, Iowa traveled to Ames to take on Iowa State in the annual instate showdown. In a rollercoaster of a game, both teams overcame double-digit second-half deficits and were eventually forced to play overtime to decide a winner. After the Cyclones (1-1) kicked a field goal to open the overtime, the Hawkeyes (2-0) scored a touchdown on their possession to win, 44-41, their third straight victory in the series. Join us as we now take a look back at Iowa’s performance.
Quarterback
After a mostly positive first outing as the starting quarterback, Nate Stanley got his first test in a hostile road environment and it’s safe to say he came through it quite well. The sophomore had a solid first half, passing for 104 yards and two touchdowns, but it was the second half and overtime where he really shined. During that period, Stanley threw for 229 yards and three TDs, including the game-winner in OT.
Overall, Stanley had an impressive performance. He was turnover free, engineered four touchdown drives of 89 yards or more and showed great calmness and poise in the pocket, even when Iowa trailed late in the game. He did overthrow four deep balls that likely would have resulted in touchdowns, but that is about the only complaint that could be levied against him on Saturday. Stanley finished the game 27 of 41 for 333 yards and five TDs. Grade: A-
Running Back
Even though we have seen enough of him at this point to no longer be surprised by what he can do, Akrum Wadley continues to elicit awe on the field. Even with Iowa State keyed up to stop the run, Wadley was able to run for a game-high 118 yards on 28 carries, including a 1-yard TD plunge midway through the third quarter. In addition to the yards on the ground, Wadley made up for getting shutout through the air last week to haul in four passes for 72 yards with the big one coming on a dump-off pass late in the fourth that he turned into a game-tying 46-yard score. On that one play, Wadley displayed all of the skills that make him such a dangerous player: speed, vision, elusiveness and surprising strength.
The carries may not have been as equally distributed as last week, but James Butler was still effective on Saturday. The senior finished with 10 carries for 37 yards and also caught one pass for 26 yards. Even Drake Kulick got in on the action, as he caught two passes for 29 yards to go along with his usual strong blocking. Grade: A
Wide Receiver/Tight End
A big problem with the offense last season was a lack of reliable receivers who could create separation and hold on to the ball. While it is just two games, Iowa doesn’t look to have the same problem in 2017. The Hawkeye receivers were impressive on Saturday, as they were able to get open on a consistent basis and caught everything they were able to get their hands on. They also did a good job blocking for the backs and each other, helping to spring the ball carrier for extra yards on several plays.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette lost a fumble on his lone touch last week but neither he nor the coaches let that affect his ability to contribute moving forward. The true freshman from New Jersey had a big game against Iowa State, hauling in four passes for 36 yards and two touchdowns. His first score came on a great diving catch in the back of the end zone, while his second was the game-winner just over the goal line in OT. A week after a breakout performance, Nick Easley proved to be Stanley’s go-to target on Saturday, catching a team-high seven passes for 48 yards and a TD. Matt VandeBerg had three catches for 42 yards and a score, while Noah Fant caught three for 30 yards. T.J. Hockenson caught two passes for 41 yards and Peter Pekar rounded out the group with one reception for 9 yards. Grade: A
Offensive Line
Overall, it was a solid performance from the offensive line against the Cyclones. Iowa was particularly strong in pass protection, as Stanley took very few hits and was rarely under too much pressure. They struggled for a stretch in run blocking, particularly when an apparent Ike Boettger achilles injury forced a reshuffle up front. All things considered, however, the Hawkeye front did a solid job. Grade: B+
Overall Offensive Grade: A
You can’t really complain about too much when the offense scores 44 points, puts up 497 yards of total offense and holds the ball for 37:07. Kirk Ferentz likes when his offense is balanced and it was definitely that on Saturday: 41 pass plays, 41 run plays.
Defensive Line
It was not a great day for the Iowa defensive line on Saturday. While they were okay in the first half, the Hawkeyes struggled greatly after halftime, as they were unable to generate much pressure on quarterback Jacob Park, giving the junior plenty of time to find an open target. The front four were also ineffective against the run, unable to shed blockers which allowed the Cyclone O-line to open up some big holes for running back David Montgomery.
Parker Hesse led the group with seven tackles (1 TFL) and also had an interception. Anthony Nelson had four stops and 0.5 sack, while Matt Nelson and Sam Brincks each had three tackles. Brady Reiff and A.J. Epenesa rounded out the unit with one tackle each, with Epenesa adding 0.5 sack. Grade: D
Linebacker
As was the case with the defensive line, the linebackers struggled. There were missed/blown assignments, poor angles taken and several missed tackles, all of which helped lead to many big plays for the ISU offense. It was a surprising result considering the experience and ability of the starting trio.
Josey Jewell had seven tackles to lead the group, Bo Bower added six and Ben Niemann had four. Aaron Mends finished with two tackles, while Nick Niemann had one. Grade: D
Defensive Back
Completing the defensive side of the ball are the defensive backs and like their teammates, they had their issues against the Cyclones. The pass coverage was less than stellar, as the Iowa State receivers were able to get open on a fairly regular basis, often thanks to blown assignments that led to wide open receptions. The tackling was also poor in this game, with several missed tackles leading to big gains.
Joshua Jackson and Jake Gervase each had six tackles to lead the DBs. Michael Ojemudia had four stops, Miles Taylor had three and Manny Rugamba had two. Grade: D
Overall Defensive Grade: D
A couple of big defensive stands at the end of regulation and in overtime helped to keep this from being a failing grade. There is going to be a lot of extra work in practice this week, but that’s what happens when you allow 41 points and 467 yards of total offense in just 22:53 of possession time. Learn from it, flush it and move on.
Special Teams
It was a good, if unremarkable day from the special teams on Saturday. Miguel Recinos made his lone field goal attempt (23 yards), converted all five of his PATs and booted two of his seven kickoffs for touchbacks. Colten Rastetter was solid, punting seven times for a 39.7-yard average. The coverage units did a good job in limiting the ISU return game, while Iowa’s own return units were effective, although Ivory Kelly-Martin almost made a gaffe trying to field a kickoff that went out of bounds. Grade: B
Overall Grade: B+
That was a pretty boring game, wasn’t it? The offense was stellar, the special teams were solid and the defense was… uh, it has been better. While it wasn’t a perfect game from an execution standpoint, it was certainly enjoyable and there is little doubt it is one that will be talked about among the fanbase for years to come.
Stat of the Game: 10-84
The Hawkeyes are typically a well disciplined team, but on Saturday, the yellow flags were thrown early and often. Iowa committed 10 penalties for 84 yards, and that doesn’t include two other penalties that were declined that would have added an additional 15 yards to the total.
