A 7-3 Iowa win over South Dakota State was a nailbiter despite a classic defensive performance. The team is 1-0, but the victory brought about more questions than answers about this team. Here are five takeaways from Iowa’s week one win.
Offensive line is still a problem
The play of the offensive line was a huge component to Iowa’s struggling offense in the second half of the 2021 season. After one game, that still appears to be a point of concern. The quarterback position has received a lot of due scrutiny, but Spencer Petras’ protection did him no favors against the Jackrabbits.
To make matters worse, the interior appears to be where protection was the weakest. Center Logan Jones in particular was brushed off of spun around by defensive tackles, mixed up on stunts and bull rushed into the backfield on several plays. The Hawkeyes will not be able to play complementary football if the line cannot generate any push or buy time for their quarterback.
The scheme did not play to Iowa’s strengths
Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz did not seem to adjust his game plan after seeing Iowa struggle in drop-back situations Saturday. By the fourth quarter, even a 3-step drop could have been eliminated from the playbook. Yes, it appeared Ferentz was committed to being aggressive, running more than 25 pass plays. The passing game lacked playaction calls to take advantage of an aggressive pass rush though.
The one attempt the Hawkeyes made to slow the rush down was a small number of delayed hand-offs. Outside of that, they continued to put Petras under duress in the passing game.
Petras on third down
Whether you believe the heavy criticism Petras has received is fair or not, there is no question his 2022 debut was not reassuring. As noted above, his offensive line and scheme put him in several bad situations. With a run game averaging less than 2-yards per attempt, the offense never established any rhythm. Petras’ contribution consistently inconsistent ball placement on third downs. Most of his off-target third-down throws sailed high with the exception of a pass thrown behind Sam LaPorta. Not all of these were easy throws to make, mind you, but they are the type of plays that win or lose football games.
Petras’ 4.4-yards per attempt were the tenth worst in college football last week. He completed just 44-percent of his passes which ranked fifth worst. Perhaps worst of all, he threw an interception in a one-score game. Iowa was able to overcome the mistake thanks to its impenetrable defense, but it was a bad read in a game where one mistake could have turned the tide.
Defense is as advertised
Not all was bad for Iowa on Saturday. Did we mention the Hawkeyes won the game?
Defense and special teams proved to be all they needed to outlast one of the best in the FCS. SDSU mustered just 120 yards of total offense, including less than 1-yard per rushing attempt. The defensive line and linebackers did exactly what was expected, holding the line of scrimmage and cleaning up underneath. When Tory Taylor put the Jacks’ offense against the goal line, Jack Campbell and crew took advantage. This team will win a lot of games if the offense can play just average football. This looks like a championship caliber defense so far.
The secondary is fast
Iowa’s secondary was brilliant aside from two plays, which both resulted in 0 yards. Twice SDSU Mark Gronowski overthrew receivers streaking down the field with no defenders in front of them. If one of those passes connect this is likely a loss for Iowa.
With that said, Iowa’s defensive backs showed a lot of closing ability and instinct in this game. Three players stood out in particular. Quinn Schulte made key pass defenses on back-to-back plays to stop an SDSU drive. That drive had the best starting field position the Jackrabbits would see all day. Schulte finished with 4 passes defensed.
Is Quinn Schulte the hardest hitting safety in the conference?
People are talking pic.twitter.com/0NBXiaEwP2
— Slater (@SlaterKinnick_) September 4, 2022
Kaevon Merriweather covered a lot of ground, coming from midfield to make the tackle on the sideline on a short pass in the first quarter. He was also quick to join the scrum on several run plays. He finished with 3 solo tackles which does not fully represent his contributions to covering the field.
Finally, cornerback Terry Roberts solidified himself as a starting cornerback. In the second quarter he recognized a pass underneath while in zone, drove on the ball and made the breakup. It was the highlight of his day but far from the only excellent play he made. Roberts finished with 2 pass defenses. Iowa has a string of corners who had great senior years. So far so good for Roberts.
Iowa's corners are always so good at playing the run. Terry Roberts hitting hard today.
— Chad Leistikow (@ChadLeistikow) September 3, 2022
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