Report Card: Grading the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 27-0 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack

Even though Mother Nature had other ideas, ultimately, nothing could stop the Iowa Hawkeyes from turning in their best start-to-finish performance of 2022. The Hawkeyes improve to 2-1 on the season and will now turn their attention to Rutgers next Saturday night from SHI Stadium at 6 p.m. on FS1.

As a result, the Nevada Wolf Pack exit Iowa City the victim of a 27-0 shutout and drop to 1-2 on the season.

“We got off the mat and got back in the fight and did a good job in unusual circumstances tonight. So to stay focused, that was good to see. Just really pleased. We showed some progress in certain areas. Happy about that. Obviously, it was good to get Nico (Ragaini) back and Keagan (Johnson) back and then Brody (Brecht) was able to get involved a little bit too at the receiver position. So gave us a few more guys to throw to.

“All in all, the team effort was good. Again, you go 60 minutes broken down over seven hours, not easy to do. Defensively, you all saw the game, those guys played a good game. They were aggressive and very tough to run against and they made the passing yardage tough as well. I thought especially in the first half. It was a little disjointed once we got back in the second half. But in the first half I thought we had a little rhythm offensively. The run game wasn’t perfect, but we did some better things so that was encouraging,” Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said of the victory.

Before completely turning the page over to Rutgers, let’s hand out some Nevada grades. Pull up a chair. Class in session.

Spencer Petras

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Grade: C+

Wasn’t it just great to see Iowa take some downfield chances? Spencer Petras didn’t connect on all of them, and, actually, his 46-yard completion to Nico Ragaini was under thrown. Still, give your receivers a chance, and, oftentimes, good things are going to happen.

For the first time since the Kentucky game and just the second time in his past eight games of extended action, Petras threw a touchdown pass. It was a 21-yard strike to Arland Bruce IV off an end-around motion that got the Olathe, Kan., native all alone.

Petras finished 14-of-26 passing for 175 yards and with the one aforementioned touchdown. Why is this only a “C+” grade? Nevada came into Iowa City with the nation’s 121st-ranked pass defense, surrendering 305.7 passing yards per game. Petras finished with just the 175 passing yards and completed only a hair above 50% of his passes. It was a step in the right direction. No doubt. But, against that defense, it would’ve been nice to see Iowa pile up a bit more through the air even with the weather conditions what they were.

Offensive line

Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Grade: B-

That’s more like it. For the first time this season, Iowa looked more like what everyone expects a Hawkeyes offensive line to look like. It was bolstered by a pair of big Kaleb Johnson touchdown runs of 40 and 55 yards, but Iowa’s offensive line deserves credit for setting up those creases and running lanes. The Hawkeyes finished with 162 rushing yards on 35 attempts for 4.6 yards per carry.

Probably in part because of how porous the Wolf Pack’s secondary has been, Nevada entered this game with the country’s No. 37 rushing defense, allowing 98.7 rushing yards per game. Again, Iowa dinged them for 162 and it was the Hawkeyes’ best ground performance of the season. That alone means Iowa sees a vastly improved grade from last week.

Still, Petras was sacked three times in this game, and, outside of the two Johnson touchdown runs, Iowa finished with just 67 rushing yards on its other 33 attempts. Or, 2.03 yards per carry. That number obviously needs to improve. So, again, a step in the positive direction, but far from the finished product Iowa is looking for.

Kaleb Johnson

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A

Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity. As Ferentz noted in postgame, sadly, fellow running back Leshon Williams wasn’t with the team this week as he was attending his father’s funeral service. Obviously, everyone is hoping for the best for Williams and his family.

In his absence, it meant an increased role for freshman running back Kaleb Johnson. The Hamilton, Ohio, product was already included as one of our five stars for Iowa. When handing out grades, he can’t get forgotten either, though.

It’s an easy “A” grade for Johnson after he showcased the need for future carries, racing for a pair of touchdowns and 103 rushing yards. His two touchdowns were blocked up well, but the 6-foot, 212 pound running back looks like a natural, explosive runner. He’s going to be a difference maker for Iowa now and into the future.

Defense

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Grade: A+

Just another week of dominance for the Hawkeye defenders. Iowa didn’t let any of the weather stoppages deter what they were doing in making life miserable for Nevada. Cooper DeJean came away with an interception for the second consecutive game and Terry Roberts looked like he had a pick-6, but an offsides negated what would have been a defensive score.

Overall, Nevada finished with just 151 yards of total offense and 2.4 yards per play. The Wolf Pack punted 10 times and converted just 6-of-19 third-down tries. It was also a banner day up front. Defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness finished with a career-high eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. John Waggoner added a career-high six tackles and Aaron Graves grabbed his first career sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

It was the first shutout since Oct. 26, 2019, at Northwestern. Iowa has now held two of its first three opponents to 151 yards or less. South Dakota State had just 120 yards of total offense in the opener. It’s also the first time since 1986 that Iowa has held two of its first three opponents to 160 yards or fewer. In 1986, the Hawkeyes limited Iowa State to 125, Northern Illinois to 159 and UTEP to 150 yards of total offense in their first three games.

Fans that stayed, fans that stayed dialed in

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Grade: A+

Even though the Iowa defense would make you think otherwise, “A+” grades aren’t just handed out willy nilly here. Seriously, Hawkeye fans, give yourself a round of applause. For those that braved the weather and stuck it out throughout the entirety of three separate delays, bravo. When the official Hawkeye Football Twitter account asked if you were still ready to go, you answered resoundingly. It was a frustrating night in terms of delays, but Kinnick Stadium and Hawkeye social media after dark wound up being a memorable experience.

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire