IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa’s offense received its first landing of the season.
After which didn’t rating once more.
The place the Hawkeyes go after Saturday’s 10-7 loss to Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium is unclear.
No one might present factors for Iowa on a day through which the Hawkeyes had 150 yards of whole offense and 11 first downs.
Per week in the past, the protection contributed two safeties and particular groups offered a discipline purpose in a 7-3 win over South Dakota State.
Coach Kirk Ferentz stated after this sport it’s less than the opposite models to supply the scoring.
“A part of complementary soccer is the opposite folks serving to out when one unit is just not going nicely,” he stated. “However we’ll have to maneuver the ball offensively. We’re not going to sit down round ready on particular groups and protection to win each sport for us. We won’t try this. That is not lifelike.”
The largest query is what occurs with third-year beginning quarterback Spencer Petras, who was 12-of-27 passing for 92 yards with one interception. Petras heard the boos from Iowa followers with each missed throw, and what occurs subsequent, Ferentz stated, is as much as the assessments that might be made this week in preparation for subsequent Saturday’s evening sport towards Nevada.
Ferentz identified that the offense is with out a number of key gamers, together with large receivers Keagan Johnson and Nico Ragaini, who have been anticipated to be starters this season.
“To me, in each these video games he is nonetheless not getting sufficient assist to essentially do a good evaluation,” Ferentz stated of Petras. “He hasn’t been good. No one has. We’ve got loads of shifting elements proper now on offense, after which we’re shorthanded just a little bit at a pair positions. We’ll preserve working by way of it and we’ll speak about it tomorrow and see what occurs shifting ahead.”
Petras performed all the sport on Saturday regardless of his struggles. Pressed to say whether or not Petras could be the starter subsequent week, Ferentz stated, “ I did not say that. I stated at this time he performed the entire sport. In my judgment it was the easiest way to proceed by way of this sport, and I gave it some thought, however I felt prefer it was our greatest alternative. We’ll reassess every part tomorrow.”
Petras expressed confidence that the offense might get higher.
“I feel the largest factor goes to work daily and dealing to enhance, as a result of I nonetheless really feel this isn’t consultant of our offense,” he stated. “I’m certain that isn’t what folks need to hear, as a result of that’s what we now have proven the final two weeks, however the course of is form of a protracted and winding highway. I nonetheless have loads of excessive hopes for our unit and for our crew.”
The assessments, Ferentz stated, are coming..
“Clearly the assertion made about factors scored, we’re not going to win shifting ahead if we won’t rating extra factors than that, and we now have a very good protection,” he stated. “However you are not going to win a sport (scoring) 7 factors, 10 factors a sport, as a rule.”
MISSING MEN
Ferentz is hoping for good harm information within the coming weeks, particularly in relation to Johnson and Ragaini.
Working again Gavin Williams made his first look of the season, with two carries for 10 yards. Extensive receiver Brody Brecht additionally performed, however didn’t have a reception.
Of Petras’ 26 throws on Saturday, 13 have been to large receivers — 11 to Arland Bruce IV and two to Alec Wick.
It’s not one thing tight finish Sam LaPorta desires to speak about.
“You guys could make an excuse for the dearth of receivers,” LaPorta stated. “However we aren’t going to make that excuse.”
VAN NESS’ BLOCK PARTY
Iowa defensive finish Lukas Van Ness turned the fifth Hawkeye to dam a number of punts in a sport along with his two towards the Cyclones.
The primary, within the first quarter, led to the Hawkeyes’ solely factors of the sport. The second, within the third quarter, put Iowa right into a place to get factors, however fullback Monte Pottebaum fumbled on the 1-yard line.
Van Ness stated the blocks got here from preparation in the course of the week.
“We seen Iowa State had its two guys in a protect to guard the punter,” Van Ness stated. “They have been offset off the road just a little, so that they had me line up and it gave me a straight shot to run on the protect and block a few punts. I used to be in a position to get there a few instances, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient.”
THE DRIVE
Pottebaum’s fumble arrange what would flip right into a 21-play, 99-yard drive by the Cyclones for what proved to be the game-winning landing, an 8-yard go from Hunter Dekkers to Xavier Hutchinson.
The Cyclones transformed six first downs on the drive, which took 11 minutes, 49 seconds.
“It was easy — get the primary first down after which it should come collectively,” Hutchinson stated. “Boy, did it come collectively. It was fairly intense to have that occur in such a important second. It simply confirmed how everybody was dialed in.”
“It’s only a lack of execution on our half on the market on third downs,” Iowa security Quinn Schulte stated. “That they had too many chunk performs that we gave up.”
DEJEAN’S BIG GAME
Defensive again Cooper DeJean led the Hawkeyes with a career-high 11 tackles. He additionally had an interception.
DeJean, a sophomore, has seen intensive taking part in time within the first two video games of this season.
“It has been an enormous studying expertise for me simply getting on the market and understanding the velocity of the sport and what all goes into completely different conditions, and issues like that,” DeJean stated. “It has been just a little little bit of a change, however I’m beginning to get used to it.”