Iowa Football: Report card from Week 1 win vs. UAlbany gives Hawkeyes passing grades

Yes, the Iowa Hawkeyes got the win in Week 1 with a 34-7 victory over the UAlbany Great Danes, but it’s time to peel back the onion and look at what went into the score with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It was a game that Iowa was expected to win handily, as the final score suggests, but doesn’t tell the full story, as the Hawkeyes trailed 7-3 at one point, which caused some blood pressures to rise. Within the 60 minutes, the Hawkeyes saw swings of positives to build upon and negatives to learn from.

As Iowa moves to 1-0 on the year, let’s dig into the report card from the Week 1 showing.

Offense

Offense Grade: C+

The offense is really a tale of two different aspects. Let’s start with the bad. The passing game was abysmal, to be blunt. It was nonexistent and posed no threat. Mark Gronowski was 8/15 for 44 yards. The silver lining, if any, is that he found the endzone with a fourth-and-goal completion to Kaden Wetjen and did not have any turnovers.

On the ground, Iowa was dominant. The Hawkeyes ran the ball 53 times for 310 yards. Xavier Williams led the way, going for 122 yards on just 11 carries with a score. TJ Washington Jr added 69 yards, while Jaziun Patterson poured in 47 yards. Kamari Moulton did exit the game early and is something to monitor the rest of the week.

Defense

Defense Grade: A-

Aside from allowing UAlbany to put together one strong drive, the Iowa defense was its usual suffocating self. On the day, they held the Great Danes to 177 yards of total offense and just two yards per rush. This unit is still settling in, but this builds confidence.

What is most impressive is how the unit performed out of the halftime break. In the second half, Iowa allowed just 30 total yards of offense to UAlbany. They emphatically slammed the door shut on any upset bid.

Special Teams

Special Teams Grade: A+

This was the star unit of the night. LeVar Woods’ group showed up in midseason form and played a huge part in this game. Rhys Dakin averaged 50 yards on his two punts, with a long of 53 yards. He is a true weapon for Iowa in the field position game.

Drew Stevens was perfect on the day with four extra points and two field goals. His 55-yard field goal hit the net behind the goal posts and could have hit from 70. He is going to change games for Iowa this year with the power he has.

Coaching

Coaching Grade: B+

This game is hard to knock coaching or praise it too much. Iowa was expected to win, and while they did start slowly, the coaching staff stayed the course and trusted Iowa to eventually pull away, which they did.

What gave some confidence from this performance was Iowa’s willingness to strap up their helmets and run the ball downhill when the passing game wasn’t working. Iowa didn’t try to get too cute or be something they aren’t.

On defense, Phil Parker played his scheme and never stressed. His halftime adjustments completely shut down the Great Danes. On special teams, LeVar Woods didn’t have to do too much in-game, but his unit was arguably the most prepared one in this game.

Overall

Overall Grade: B

No one can complain too much about a 34-7 win in Week 1, but it did leave something to be desired, especially on offense with the passing attack. Should Iowa want to win games in the Big Ten, it needs more from its passing game, as defenses are going to be able to defend the run better than UAlbany.

It was a fine performance that saw Iowa use its bread and butter to win, but is a classic case of always having areas of improvement.

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