Kinnick at night is alive and well

Trust Kinnick at Night to bring us yet another memorable football game. Going into this weekend I didn’t know what to think about this team. I knew we could not be the one that stunk up Beaver Stadium last week, but after enduring over two seasons of grinding, demoralizing, flat out not enjoyable football it was getting harder than ever to argue that Iowa football is anything but that anymore.

And yet I still was excited for last night’s game. It’s in prime time, against a hated Big Ten opponent, the annual black out game, and Iowa’s first appearance on NBC since 1986 and to me that network’s presentation is top notch. Add in the return of hated Iowa football villain Mark Dantonio to the sidelines and we’ve got something cooking here. If you had to put together a pantheon of antagonists to Iowa football, I’m sure many of you would have Michigan State and Mark Dantonio on the short list. I know I do.

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Which made last night’s 26-16 victory just a bit more satisfying than it seems on the surface. The Iowa Hawkeyes used an advantageous defense and long awaited fireworks from Cooper DeJean to pull away from the Michigan State Spartans. It wasn’t a game that will silence any critics and question marks most definitely remain, but those questions are much easier to ponder after a win than a loss.

Things started out well enough as the Hawks made an obvious attempt to get the wide receivers more involved in the passing game. At first it seemed to be working. Cade McNamara hit Diante Vines on the first play of the game for 23 yards, and Nico Ragaini on the next play for 14. It was what Iowa fans have been clamoring for and it was working. Until it wasn’t. The offense settled for a field goal after consecutive incompletions and a drop. That would prove to be a theme on the night.

The first drive was encouraging enough, despite the field goal, but the moment all Hawkeye fans dreaded finally arrived on Iowa’s second drive when a scrambling McNamara took an awkward dive forward out of his own end zone and had to be helped off the field.

It was an eerie reprise of his injury at the Kids Day Scrimmage on August 12 even down to the way he fell. Cade would not return to the game, later appearing on the sidelines in crutches. In came Deacon Hill, the 6’3” 258 lb. mountain of a man from Santa Barbara.

It was a disjointed, frustrating debut for the sophomore. On the night he was 11 of 27 for 115, one touchdown and one interception on a poor throw. But his night was made worse by those aforementioned drops by his pass catchers. Hawkeye fans have bemoaned the absence of wide receiver involvement in play calling but last night did them no favors. This was their opportunity and they quite literally dropped the ball. We’ve at times scoffed at Brian and Kirk’s familiar refrain of “lack of execution” but this games was its crystallization. Vines had a handful of drops throughout the game. Kaleb Brown had one that could’ve moved the chains on third down. Erick All had his own troubles in the first quarter before a monster drive in the second for Iowa’s first touchdown of the game.

I was encouraged by Hill’s play and think he can work in this offense. It was great to see the bootleg return with a quarterback physically capable of running it, and that should open up much more options in the passing game. But Hill’s play is only half of the equation. The pass catchers need to hold up their end of the bargain.

Despite Hill’s guidance, the Hawkeyes trailed the Spartans 16-13 (a score I will forever hate and curse with my dying breath) but that’s when Kinnick at Night worked its magic. After tying the game in the fourth quarter the defense forced a Michigan State punt with 4:00 left in the game and...

...well, let’s just see it in action.

After a stellar night for the Michigan State punter, Coop finally got his break and took one to the house after breaking a tackle and scooting along the sideline. Kinnick came alive and the crowd could feel the tide turning. It felt like the Ragaini touchdown throw against Penn State in 2021. The defense was starting to take over and this score felt like all that was needed to get the win. You can just feel the surge of energy when Coop breaks through. I can’t watch it enough.

A Jay Higgins fumble recovery would set up a field goal to put the game out of reach and Jermari Harris’ late interception sealed the deal. This game could’ve gotten away from the Hawkeyes. The offense wasn’t moving and the defense was having trouble keeping the Spartans outside field goal range. But as has become a hallmark of Iowa football they took advantage of mistakes and won on the margins.

For the foreseeable future this will be Deacon Hill’s team. He played better than his stats will show, and we’ve again seen the defense come up with game winning plays when we needed it to. Hill will get more reps with the first team which will go a long way in establishing a rhythm and rapport, and while you never want to lose a starting quarterback Hill’s health and power opens up possibilities that weren’t there with a hobbled McNamara.

Iowa moves to 4-1 on the back of an enormous quarterback and Coop’s special teams heroics. Kinnick at Night, you magnificent bastard.

Iowa weathered turnovers, drops, and a Cade McNamara injury to notch their first conference win on the season

Cooper DeJean’s heroics turned the tide multiple times in the Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1) 26-16 victory over the Michigan State Spartans (2-3, 0-2). His interception in the end zone kept Sparty from extending an early lead while his 70-yard punt return touchdown gave the Hawks the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

The longer lasting storyline, though, was Cade McNamara going down in the first quarter on a scramble which was eerily similar to what happened in Iowa’s only open practice. Deacon Hill performed admirably in relief with a statline which undercuts that sentiment at 11/27 passing for 111 yards, a TD and interception.

Iowa came out as they have in many opening possessions, with McNamara getting the wide receivers involved early for two passes for 38 total yards. They couldn’t get it into the red zone, as drop by Erick All forced Iowa to kick a field goal to go up 3-0.

After the teams traded punts, MSU rode Maliq Carr (he received Noah Kim’s first 6 passes) into the red zone before a personal foul penalty put them behind the sticks. They added a field goal of their own to tie it up but the Hawks didn’t look like past Iowa defenses. Carr was a force and MSU rushed for 7.2 yards a pop in the opening stanza.

MSU continued to take it to the Hawkeye defense after a 3 & out in Hill’s first drive as QB. Their 14-play, 61-yard drive once again stalled short of the end zone and they took a 6-3 lead but the Iowa defense felt incredibly shaky. It’s one thing for Penn State to have that type of success in their home environs and then it’s another for Sparty & company to do it under the lights at Kinnick.

A third straight three and out (Iowa had essentially 7 on the game) gave Michigan State the ball back. They quickly moved the ball down the field but got greedy on a throw into the end zone:

Enter Erick All.

Hill found his tight end on a short crosser All took for an unencumbered 32 yards which turned into 47 due to a roughing the passer penalty (the Spartans finished with 10 for 94 yards including 4 personal fouls). After a Kamari Moulton rush, All snagged another one for 17 yards along the sideline. Another Moulton run and another pass to All. This one, a little screen pass that he very much made the most of:

After forcing a Spartan punt, Iowa tried to make the most of a Hill-led two-minute drive but shot themselves in the foot with drops and promptly gave the ball back. Noah Kim found Montorie Foster, Jr for a couple 16-yard passes and eventually moved the ball to Iowa’s 40 yard-line. Johnathan Kim (no relation to Noah) calmly knocked through a Kinnick Stadium-record 58-yarder to close the gap to 10-9 going into half.

On Michigan State’s first second possession, Sebastian Castro picked off Kim before a truly wretched turn of events. Leshon Williams fumbled it into the arms of Cal Haladay who took it straight back for a scoop-and-score. 16-10 MSU.

Iowa showed some spunk on the following drive but Hill got hit as he was throwing, late, into double (triple?) coverage. Spartan ball at their 21. A wild turn of events got MSU to 4th & 1 where they decided to go for it. Bush push, it was not, and Iowa got the ball back.

Unsurprisingly, Iowa went BACKWARDS and forced Drew Stephens to kick a 53-yarder which he did with relative ease. Iowa quickly got the ball back but shortly after, Kinnick got surly. Fans didn’t like the run on 3rd & 7!

MSU was able to move the ball, once again, before stalling out and bringing their kicking unit on the field. DOINK

Naturally, with 38 seconds left in the third quarter, Iowa ran a telegraphed rush play to get to the fourth quarter. NOT. 3 straight passes. 3 straight incompletions. Not really Brian’s fault on that one (major case of the dropsies in this one) but he was the target of fans’ chants.

Both offenses meandered before MSU’s Ryan Eckley (who was incredible up until this point) shanked a punt to give Iowa the ball at MSU’s 38. Iowa got a first down and then got close to another one, with 4th and 1 and a QB with BEEF. I thought they should go for it. But Kirk took the points and Stevens once again knocked it in and tied it up 16-16.

Then Kinnick did what it does. On third down, the noise and defensive line shifts forced two straight penalties. After defending the pass on third, Cooper DeJean lined up to return the punt:

LOL

Nick Jackson forced a fumble on MSU’s second play the next drive, recovered by Ethan Hurkett. 5 straight counters later and Stephens added another field goal.

Jermari Harris put dirt on the coffin with an interception.

Winning by any name feels good, especially when it’s on the back of a truly exhilarating play by a phenomenal player, but this happened against a Michigan State team who has plenty of turmoil for them to overcome. Iowa largely looked unmotivated in the playcalling (rollouts are back, though, with Hill) despite making an effort to get wide receivers the ball. The defense has taken a step back from last year but still didn’t allow Michigan State to cross the goal line. It’s wild the standard they are held to, and meet even though it never really felt right tonight.

The best case going forward is that they retool around Hill (it did not look good for McNamara), figure out the drops out wide, and use the pass to open up the run game while the defense continues to be opportunistic. The worst case is tonight was a last gasp a la Iowa’s last non-empty stadium win against Michigan State: 2012. An offense continually struggles to find its footing which allows the defense to take on more and more water.

Night game in Kinnick - time to get fired up Hawkeye fans!

The Iowa Hawkeyes came crashing down to Earth a week ago with a miserable 31-0 loss to Penn State. The loss came in Iowa’s biggest test of the season. But while it pushed the Hawkeyes to 0-1 in the conference and felt like an utter disaster, it was a loss virtually everyone predicted both before the season began and entering Happy Valley last week.

Now the Hawkeyes look to get their season back on track as they return home to take on the Michigan State Spartans. Sparty comes to town riding a two-game losing streak, having failed to reach double digits in either of their last two matchups. They also are on the road for the first time this season.

Nothing like a night game against a struggling opponent for the Hawkeyes to get right.

But nothing is a given in the Big Ten and nothing should be taken for granted when Brian Ferentz is running your offense. The Hawkeyes will need to score at least a point in this one to win, that much we know. Whether the offense is capable of that remains to be seen.

We’ll know soon enough as the Hawkeyes and Spartans kick off under the lights of Kinnick.

Here’s a quick reminder on the details for tonight’s matchup:

Date: Saturday, September 30th
Time: 6:30 pm CT
Matchup: Michigan State Spartans (2-2, 0-1) Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 0-1)
Location: Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
TV: NBC
Stream: Peacock
Preliminary Weather Forecast: clear skies with temps in the mid-80s
DraftKings Sportsbook Line: Iowa -10.5, O/U 36.5

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

The usual rules apply again today. Play nice in the comments. No personal attacks, no politics, keep the language somewhat in check and please, report any spam bots that show their digital faces.

Go Hawks!

The Hawkeyes look to get back on track as they play host to the Michigan State Spartans. We cover all the details to follow along.

One week ago, the Iowa Hawkeyes took to the wet, soggy field in Happy Valley and fell flat on their face against #7 Penn State. Iowa fans have sat in the stink of that loss for a week, contemplating the implications of such a miserable showing and pointing fingers at who is responsible for it.

Now we have just a few short long hours until the Hawkeyes take the field again as they play host to the Michigan State Spartans. For as bad as Iowa looked a week ago, they enter Saturday as big time home favorites against MSU. However, it’s worth noting a relatively sizeable move in the line at DraftKings Sportsbook which happened on Friday evening.

After opening as 10-point favorites over the Spartans, the line moved to -12.5 points in favor of Iowa early in the week and hovered there. Until Friday evening when the line dropped back to -10.5 points. Might we have a previously unknown Hawkeyes injury? Or perhaps Vegas is coming to their senses on this Hawkeye offense.

Iowa enters the day averaging just over 21-points per game - good for 91st in the country. As bad as it might be, the Hawkeyes are looking for a get-right game tonight as they play host to Michigan State. The Spartans enter the day at 2-2 and losers of their last two games.

In those two matchups, their first against power five competition, the Spartans are averaging just 8 points per game themselves and have lost by an average of 28 points. Making matters worse, Michigan State officially cut ties with head coach Mel Tucker earlier this week and is now left with a roster full of players who may be considering their options. If they want to preserve a year of eligibility and transfer after this season, they would need to be done playing for the year given we are now in week five.

Not exactly a recipe for an inspired performance from the Spartans.

As we countdown to kickoff, here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s matchup.

Date: Saturday, September 30th
Time: 6:30 pm CT
Matchup: Michigan State Spartans (2-2, 0-1) Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 0-1)
Location: Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
TV: NBC
Stream: Peacock
Preliminary Weather Forecast: clear skies with temps in the mid-80s
DraftKings Sportsbook Line: Iowa -10.5, O/U 36.5

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Keep an eye out for the availability report, which is set to be published around 4:30 pm CT. Recall that’s a new item in the Big Ten this season with availability reported two hours before game time. Given the line movement this week, we could see some interesting news this afternoon.

Go Hawks!

While Brian Ferentz has proven a poor offensive coordinator, Kirk Ferentz is the head coach in Iowa City.

The tone amongst the Iowa Hawkeye fanbase has been remarkably bearish since Iowa was blasted 31-0 by Penn State in week four. Understandably so as the Hawkeyes were held scoreless in a game for the first time in more than two decades. With just 76 yards of total offense, it was a boring, abysmal game to watch.

Had it been just the one instance, perhaps the tone would be different. But last week’s showing marks the ninth time over the last 25 games Iowa has played where the offense failed to top double figures. That’s an absurdly high number for a power five team and part of why the Hawkeyes now rank 91st nationally in scoring offense.

With the offensive woes yet again, we wanted to know where Hawkeye fans are laying the blame. A season ago, we asked similar questions and the answer was largely that there was plenty of blame to go around, but offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz deserved most of it. This week, the results were a bit more mixed.

Brain is still getting his fair share of the blame, as he should, but fans are starting to turn their attention to head coach Kirk Ferentz with more than half of respondents saying he is most to blame for the current issues. After all, he is responsible for hiring and firing of the offensive coordinator. While Brain has been bad for some time, he’s been allowed to hang around for seven seasons.

He’s also operating under the philosophical guard rails laid out by Kirk. Ferentz the elder has long valued ball control, lack of turnovers and the idea that punting is winning (no, no, in the literal sense - getting to a punt means you didn’t turn it over and that’s a win, not a joke) over just about everything else. That’s hampered every OC we’ve seen in his 24 seasons and it’s difficult to recall a time when fans didn’t want a new offensive coordinator.

Perhaps it’s time for fans to want a new head coach?

Whether they want a new OC or not, Iowa may be getting one next season (don’t get your hopes up, Hawkeye fans, Kirk again reiterated that no changes to the staff would be made in season, while also reiterating he ain’t changing his philosophy over one bad game - or two years’ worth). With the season now a third of the way done, Iowa is averaging just 21.3 points per game.

It’s a national punchline rather than a secret, that Iowa needs to average 25 points per game on the year for Brain’s contract to be renewed next season. The donut hole in the scoring column against Penn State really crushed the numbers for the Ferentzi. Now, Hawkeyes fans are as pessimistic as ever about Iowa reaching that low bar of 25 points per game with less than 5% of the fanbase expecting Iowa to get there.

I’ve got to pause here, not for dramatic effect, but just to absorb that number for a second. Less than 5% of Hawkeye fans think Iowa will average 25 points per game for the full year. That’s a low number. The bar was set low to begin with and confidence in this offense has got to be at an all-time low.

Put simply, watching Iowa football is no longer fun and expecting it to continue to be miserable to watch is not helpful for the program long term.

As miserable as it is to watch, the majority of the fanbase still has faith in this TEAM to win. More than two-thirds of respondents expect Iowa to win this weekend as they play host to Michigan State. Defense and special teams surely have a lot to do with that.

It’s worth noting that the very nice 69% of fans expecting a win is down from nearly 85% before the season started. So at least 15% of the fanbase is calling for the offense to cost the Hawkeyes at least one more win this year.

We’ll know soon enough as Iowa and Michigan State are set to kick off at 6:30pm CT Saturday night under the lights of Kinnick. After a white out in Happy Valley a week ago, the Hawkeyes are hosting a black out in Iowa City this week. The matchup will be broadcast nationally on NBC.

Hawkeye fans are in for a weather treat. And Vegas thinks so too!

Weather Update

If you’re going to be in Iowa City Saturday, you are in for a treat. Holy hell does the weather look amazing for the last weekend in September. Get a load of this!

We will have highs in the mid-to-upper 80s throughout the day, with a chance this baby gets into the low 90s. At kickoff we’re looking at highs in the low 80s. The game should finish in the mid 70s. All in all, a gorgeous night to be in Kinnick. Don’t bring you dumb poncho on Saturday. Put that baby away, at least for this weekend!

Line Movement

Since Mel Tucker decided to leave nearly $80 million on the table then swore to file a lawsuit against Michigan State for wrongful termination, the line has moved toward Iowa in a big way. This has settled in at Iowa -12.5. It feels like Michigan State is ready to pack it in, and if you listened to any Iowa podcasts that had quick interviews with MSU beat writers this week, they said that since MSU players have a 30-day window to enter the portal but they’ve played 4 games, who gets on the flight to Iowa City and is dressed out on Saturday will be something to watch. All of that sounds great, but I don’t trust Iowa a single bit no matter the state of the Spartan program. This is, after all, an offense that is somehow worse in some statistical areas than last year. Over/under? Now we’re talking, though maybe stay away from this game too since there are so many question marks about the Spartans. Since the portal is open and there is uncertainty as to who will be on the plane...feels like a stay away this week. Maybe stay away from Iowa forever.

Line: Iowa -12.5 (-110/-110)
Moneyline: Iowa -455/Michigan State +350
Over/Under: 36.5 (-110/-110)

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

And just like that, we’re back on the Hawkeye bandwagon.

A week ago, nobody in the Hawkeye fanbase was terribly bullish on Iowa’s chances entering Happy Valley for a showdown with then #7 Penn State. Turns out, we weren’t bearish enough. The Hawkeyes were absolutely throttled by the Nittany Lions and to say the fanbase has turned pessimistic since last Saturday would be the understatement of the year.

Yet Vegas seems to disagree. The Hawkeyes remain second on most betting markets in terms of odds to win the Big Ten West (+125 on DraftKings Sportsbook) and come into Saturday’s home matchup with the Michigan State Spartans as heavy favorites. Iowa opened as double-digit favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, but that number has climbed to Iowa -12.5 with an over/under that has also climbed modestly to 36.5 total points.

At The Pants, we’re... still pretty optimistic. That is strange to type given the tone of the staff chat and based on the content that’s been published this week, but at the end of the day, we’re expecting Iowa to bounce back to an extent on Saturday night. On average, we’re calling for Iowa to emerge victorious by a score of 21-10.

Not at all shocking that we’re still riding the under (hooray defense!), but the fact that we’re pretty close to calling for an Iowa cover on a double-digit spread with almost half of contributors calling for just that is pretty surprising.

Here’s a look at our individual predictions for Iowa vs Michigan State.

JPinIC

I don’t think Iowa is very good on offense. No really, I think they are probably not very good at all on offense. I know that might be surprising to some, but I believe it to be true. And that kind of analysis is why, as they say, they pay me the big bucks.

But I do believe Iowa’s offense is better than we saw last week. I also believe Penn State is worlds better than Michigan State. On both sides of the ball. I don’t expect the Hawkeyes to turn it over 4 times on Saturday night (or again this season). So I actually think we see more of what this team really is. And what they really are is a pretty good team with a very good defense that is capable of scoring 7 themselves while the offense is just OK enough to punch in a few short fields when things are going right.

I also think we get some sort of a “I told you so” game from Brian and Kirk Saturday night, complete with a few trick plays and an emphasis on taking shots to WRs.

Prediction: Iowa 27, MSU 13

Bartt Pierce

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice (or 50 times), shame on me. And still, I will never learn. After witnessing an offensive performance that we all have come to expect, I’m going to have hope that somehow the planets align and we can look somewhat like a team that decides offense is one of the three phases of football. I love Kirk Ferentz. I always will. If Kirk is going to go down with the good ship Brian (and George Barnett) that’s on him. Change has been needed. On to the game: the Hawks will put some points up on the board. Cade, as a Roseville Area Youth Football Association championship-level coach (6th grade), I give you permission to change any/all plays and chuck the football around. Offensive line, you fellas need to hit people. How’s that for coaching?!? Phil Parker is going to have his boys ready to eat. Same for LeVar Woods. I expect a special teams touchdown (possibly from a fake field goal). If we lay an offensive egg? My Hawkeye-colored gloves are coming off. Go Hawks!

Prediction: Iowa 24 - Michigan State 10

SirNicholas33

On paper, this looks like a game Iowa should win, maybe with ease. Iowa was embarrassed last weekend, and whenever that happens, whenever there are suddenly serious questions around his program, Kirk Ferentz rises from the ashes. Then given that Darth Dantonio is now involved in the Spartan program again, I imagine Kirk is ready to go. Michigan State is not good, and then they had their world turned upside down with the nearly $80 million dollar Mel Tucker, uh, mistake. I just wonder where their heads are at the rest of the season. With Tucker’s firing, the portal is open for 30 days - guys can leave, so are the Spartans locked in? It’s a program that is a dumpster fire, then they opened the hand grenade case and tossed them at the dumpster fire. They’re a total mess.

But do you really trust Iowa to suddenly come alive? I don’t. I think Iowa wins, but they predictably struggle. What should be a fun environment - Kinnick at night, in what looks to be a great weekend weather-wise - might get a bit squirrelly. This might get uncomfortable in the stadium, especially if Michigan State can get on the board early and take a lead. If the Spartans do that, hold on.

Prediction: Iowa 23, Michigan State 10

GlendaleHawk

I’ve got to be honest with you, at this point there is nothing that makes me believe that this Iowa team can produce on offense. MSU’s defense is ranked #66 in the country atm, giving up 371.8 yards and 23.3 points per game. It’s right smack dab in the middle of the defenses that we’ve faced thus far (#5, #27, #119, #130), and this offense has struggled against all of them (even if the struggles abated against the two lesser opponents). Will they score, I think so, but not much.

Fortunately, MSU’s offense is quite bad (not as bad as ours, but still pretty bad), and our defense is better than theirs by a good margin. I feel like the Doughboyz can get back to business this week and the defense gets at least one score. It won’t be pretty, it will likely be boring, but it will be a win. At this point, what else would we expect?

Prediction: Iowa’s Offense: 7, Iowa’s Defense: 7, Iowa’s Special Teams: 6, MSU: 10

MattReisener

Iowa may not be a great team, but are they at least a good team? Probably not if they lose to a Michigan State team that fired its head coach earlier this week and has been outscored 72-16 over the past two games. It’s worth noting that, after Iowa’s last blowout loss to Penn State (41-14 in 2016), the Hawkeyes responded by winning the final three games of the regular season, including an instant classic upset of #3 Michigan, a shutout victory over Illinois, and a thirty-point win against #16 Nebraska. While I won’t go so far to predict a similar run of success for this Iowa team just yet, they should be able to take care of business this week.

Prediction: Iowa 21, Michigan State 10

GingerHawk

Iowa’s offense is not as bad as it appeared last Saturday night in Happy Valley. Penn State’s defense is one of the best in the business, good enough to make life tough on anyone to score. But more than one thing can be true at the same time, the Iowa offense is still bad. Despite the talent picked up from the transfer portal, Iowa is averaging only 245.5 yards per game. In case you’re curious, that’s 6.1 yards less than the 2022 Hawkeyes averaged. The Nittany Lions may have made them look worse than they really are, but I don’t take much comfort in it.

Thankfully Michigan State isn’t Penn State. They rank 75th in total defense, so in theory it will be easier for Iowa to score points but they’ve got to do something different than what they’ve been doing. I don’t know what that is, if I did I’d be on the sideline tomorrow. The defense should be fine against the Spartans, I’m not as worried as some from what I saw last weekend. Kirk and Co. have shown they can put together great seasons after early stinkers, we’ll see potential but still no definitive answers tomorrow.

Prediction: Iowa 20, Michigan State 10

mattcabel

I don’t know man. I refuse to give this team any credit until credit is due, and from what I’ve seen the last 4 weeks, credit is barely due. I think this game will be closer than people expect. And if Iowa loses, well, it’s all gonna burn, baby.

Prediction: Iowa 13, MSU 10

So that’s how we see things playing out on Saturday night. How about you, Hawkeye fans? What is your prediction for Iowa’s matchup with Michigan State?

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Iowa was humiliated in last week’s loss to Penn State. Can a home game against Michigan State get the Hawkeyes back on track?

Four games into the 2023 football season, Iowa is a team at a crossroads. The Hawkeyes’ 31-0 loss to Penn State last week, one of the program’s worst defeats of the Kirk Ferentz era, proved that Iowa is far from being able to compete with the best of the Big Ten East. With pessimism swirling and Iowa once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons, it is up to the Hawkeyes to determine whether they will let their loss to Penn State snowball or if they can bounce back to save their season.

Remarkably, Iowa will find an opponent in a far worse situation than they are in Michigan State. The Spartans fired their head coach Mel Tucker for allegedly exercising colossally poor morals and judgement by sexually harassing an anti-sexual harassment advocate. Since Tucker’s initial suspension, Michigan State has gone 0-2 while being outscored by a combined 72-16. Like the Hawkeyes, the Spartans enter this game desperately hoping to right the ship before their aspirations for the 2023 season go up in smoke. While the winner of this matchup may manage to regain their footing, the loser could be looking at a long season with some very hard questions at the end of it.

Here are a few key factors to watch for in this week’s game:

1. Can Iowa finally get its passing game going?

Iowa invested considerable resources into improving its passing game during the offseason, including bringing in two quarterbacks, several pass catchers, and two offensive linemen in the transfer portal. So far, these efforts have been in vain. Iowa’s per-game passing numbers are somehow even worse this season than they were during the offensive disaster that was the 2022 campaign.

Iowa’s passing game struggled against poor defenses like Utah State and Western Michigan, but absolutely wilted when confronted with a defense of Penn State’s caliber, with Iowa’s quarterbacks completing 6-16 passes for only 56 yards. Unless MSU is completely checked out on this season at this point, the Spartan coaches will likely use Penn State’s defensive gameplan as the blueprint for how to beat Iowa’s offense: load up the box with defenders, knowing the Hawkeyes will struggle to run the ball against an eight-man front or pick up the blitzers and complete a pass when faced with pressure.

In theory, Iowa should be able to jumpstart its passing game against a Michigan State team that surrendered 536 passing yards to Washington and ranks last in the Big Ten in passing touchdowns allowed (nine) and opposing passer rating (149.15). However, that would still require a dramatic improvement over what the Hawkeye offense showed against Penn State, particularly if the Spartans adopt a similar strategy. Iowa’s improvement must start up front, where Iowa’s pass blocking suffered several miscommunications and outright whiffs on opposing defenders last week, resulting in fumbles, sacks, and horribly rushed throws.

While the Spartan pass rush isn’t as formidable as Penn State’s, linebacker Aaron Brule and defensive end Zion Young will still pose a challenge to a Hawkeye line that can expect to be overwhelmed with rushers more often than not on obvious passing downs.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara must also exhibit more poise against the pass rush than he has over the past few weeks, including recognizing when and from where the blitz is coming and finding the receiver left uncovered or in single coverage in the event MSU does send extra defenders. Iowa’s wide receivers share some of the blame as well due to their inability to get open quickly enough for McNamara to get them the ball under pressure. A Des Moines Register article this week pointed out that 173 FBS wideouts have as many or more catches than Iowa’s entire wide receiving corps this season (14), and that Iowa’s receivers are targeted on only 37% of passing plays, the lowest rate in the FBS by a whopping 17 percentage points. While some of the blame for this undoubtedly falls on McNamara and on the team’s poor play design, Iowa’s wide receivers must find a way to get separation against a pair of young Michigan State cornerbacks in Dillon Tatum and Chance Rucker for the Hawkeye passing game to show real improvement on Saturday.

However, Iowa’s biggest changes in the passing game this week need to come from the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and OL coach George Barnett must cobble together a protection scheme that gives McNamara enough time to reasonably identify and throw to an open receiver, and Ferentz must dial up plays that can account for Iowa’s troubles up front and anticipate how opponents will attack his offense. Will Iowa finally show some form of quick passing game beyond the occasional tight end screen? Can the Hawkeye offense rejoin the 20^th century and get their wide receivers more involved? With running backs Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson set to miss this week’s game, Iowa will need to show some sort of credible passing threat if they hope to avoid Michigan State stacking the box. Another poor passing performance would not only hurt Iowa’s chances at victory but cast serious doubt about whether any number of transfers and new recruits can possibly save the program’s broken offense.

2. Can Iowa (safely) contain Michigan State running back Nate Carter?

Like Iowa, Michigan State also faces some uncertainty in their passing game after pulling starter Noah Kim for redshirt freshman Katin Houser midway through the second half against Maryland. Given these struggles and Iowa’s strength in the secondary, the smart money is on the Spartans riding sophomore running back Nate Carter early and often. A UConn transfer, Carter has 369 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry and is second in the Big Ten in yards from scrimmage with 429. Carter has the strength to run through contact, but also has the speed to make defenses pay if he can break into the open field.

Iowa’s rushing defense has not been bad by any means this season; in fact, the Hawkeyes are one of only three FBS teams that have not surrendered a rushing touchdown in 2023. However, Iowa is currently ranked as the 73^rd best run defense in the country based on the 133.75 yards they surrender per game on the ground, an anomaly for a team that has not finished outside the top 20 rushing defenses since 2017. The loss of elite run defenders like Jack Campbell and Noah Shannon has left Iowa’s defense more vulnerable to ground gains than they were last season, which Carter and the Spartans could look to exploit.

However, Iowa must find a way to contain Carter without leaving themselves vulnerable to big plays elsewhere. The Hawkeyes succeeded in holding Western Michigan’s star running back Jalen Buckley to 30 yards on a 2.1 YPC average, but also found themselves getting gouged by the quarterback run game and beaten over the top in the passing game. Michigan State leads the Big Ten in explosive passing plays of 30+ yards with eight on the year, and receivers like Christian Fitzpatrick and Jaron Glover have flashed big play potential at times this season. Iowa’s ability to keep Nate Carter in check without losing defensive discipline elsewhere could determine whether the Hawkeye defense can bounce back after a challenging performance against Penn State.

3. Can Iowa win the turnover battle?

Since 2015, Iowa has finished among the top 30 FBS teams in turnover margin every season, which has been a credit to the team’s heavy emphasis on ball control on offense and ability to manufacture chaos and create takeaways on defense. This season, Iowa’s -4 turnover margin ranks 111^th in the nation—a far cry from what Hawkeye fans have become accustomed to in recent years. While Iowa’s four lost fumbles against Penn State certainly didn’t help this statistic, Iowa has also been shockingly poor at generating turnovers this season. In addition to one fumble recovery, Iowa has only two interceptions through four games, despite posting five games with 2+ interceptions last season (including two within the team’s first four contests).

Can Iowa finally start to dig itself out of its current turnover margin hole? The Hawkeyes will benefit from playing a team in Michigan State that boasts an identical turnover margin (-4) and committed five giveaways last week against Maryland. In a game between two inconsistent and sloppy offenses, the team that can best limit their turnovers while creating additional scoring opportunities will have a significant edge. For Iowa to bounce back after last week’s humiliating loss, Hawkeye fans can only hope their team is the one that manages to do so.

All hail our Cougar overlords

I’ve washed that 31-0 loss right out of my hair and I’m ready for another weekend of college football. This week doesn’t feature the same big name games as last weekend but it still looks like we’ll have some dynamite games to enjoy. Let’s get into it!

#10 Utah @ #19 Oregon State - Friday, 8:00 PM - FS1

The Utah Utes had a low key Saturday last week, quietly dispatching the UCLA Bruins 14-7. It might be we’ve become conditioned to expect scores well into the 30’s and 40’s for Pac-12 games that anything less seems impossible. Utah QB Cam Rising has yet to return from a torn ACL he suffered in the Rose Bowl on January 1 but that hasn’t stopped the team from starting 4-0. But they’ve lost a bit of their luster from last year. Two of their wins this season have been by one score, a third by two. Oregon State, on the other hand, just lost the only Pac-12 championship I recognize to Washington State, but they have been arguably more impressive so far even with that loss. I think the Beavers bring Utah’s unbeaten streak to an end this week.

Honorable Mention: Cincinnati @ BYU, Louisville @ NC State

#8 USC @ Colorado - 11:00 AM - FOX

I’m fully aware that I’ve listed the Colorado game every week so far this season. I’ve fallen victim to the Colorado Circus as much as the next person. There hasn’t been this much attention on buffaloes since Congress passed the Act to Protect the Birds and Animals in Yellowstone National Park, and to Punish Crimes in Said Park in 1894. For those of you who cannot stand the Colorado discourse, I apologize, but I would love nothing more than for them to pull the upset against USC. Now, I don’t expect them to do it but I’ve seen much crazier things happen. Colorado’s defense was sketchy even before the loss of Travis Hunter, but USC’s isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire either. The offenses should rule the day.

Clemson @ Syracuse - 11:00 AM - ABC

Clemson was tantalizingly close to knocking off Florida State last weekend but a missed field goal late and failure to stop the Noles in overtime doomed them to their second loss of the year. However, the close loss proved these Tigers still have some fight in them, but how much of it did they expend only to fall short against an ACC rival? Syracuse is 4-0 on the young season with wins over teams like Army and Purdue, and are getting the Tigers after an emotionally draining loss. I’m sure the Orange would love nothing more than to twist the knife in the one time conference juggernaut.

Honorable Mention: Texas A&M @ Arkansas, #22 Florida @ Kentucky

#24 Kansas @ #3 Texas - 2:30 PM - ABC

Did you know that half of Kansas’ wins over Texas have come within the last seven years? I know, amazing right. Did you also know Kansas has only ever beaten Texas four times? Well that puts a damper on it doesn’t it. I sometimes forget that Texas has only been part of the Big 12 since the mid-90’s. For most football fans my age we just don’t associate them with with the old SWC like you old fogies do. Regardless, Kansas is back in the top 25 but their stay may be short lived. Texas has done nothing but impress this year, with their closest game being a ten-point victory over Alabama. If a ten point win over Bama is your closest game, you’re doing pretty darn good.

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

#2 Michigan @ Nebraska - 2:30 PM - FOX

I’ll be honest, this Saturday’s afternoon schedule isn’t super exciting on paper. But if there’s a chance to watch Nebraska get trucked on their home field I’m gonna take it. Some may call it petty, and they’d be right. But who cares. Go Blue.

Honorable Mention: Indiana @ Maryland

Michigan State @ Iowa - 6:30 PM - NBC

This will be the Iowa Hawkeyes’ first appearance on NBC as part of the new Big Ten media rights deal and this had to look much better at the beginning of the year. Long regarded as two of the most physical teams in the conference, both are now known more for offensive ineptitude. We’re all familiar with Iowa’s woes but the Spartans are having troubles of their own. They’ve failed to score more than 14 points for three straight weeks and those 14 came in a 45-14 loss to Richmond. Yes, that Richmond. Oh, and Michigan State made it official and fired Mel Tucker for cause yesterday to the surprise of absolutely no one. Get ready to hear that a lot when NBC isn’t talking about Brian’s contract.

#11 Notre Dame @ # 17 Duke - 6:30 PM - ABC

The Fighting Irish lost to Ohio State last week in one of this year’s most facepalm-worthy moments, as they attempted a goal line stand with only ten defenders. Notre Dame arguably should’ve won that game if not for that boneheaded sequence and some questionable play calls near the end. Meanwhile, Duke is riding an unbeaten streak and hosting the non-basketball version of College Game Day. Duke has been the surprise feel good story of the year, but I think the Irish burst that bubble Saturday night.

Honorable Mention: #13 LSU @ #20 Ole Miss, South Carolina @ #21 Tennessee

The Spartans have a new coach and a new look since the last time they came to Iowa City. We dive in with our friends from The Only Colors.

It’s no secret, the Iowa Hawkeyes looked like a heaping pile of garbage in their week four meltdown in Happy Valley. Now the Hawkeyes return to Iowa City for their Big Ten home opener as they play host to the Michigan State Spartans.

It’s been three years and now two coaches since the Hawkeyes have faced the Spartans so it’s safe to say some things have changed about this team since we last saw them.

In the words of the wise and sage-like Big Tom Callahan, you can get a good look at a t-bone by sticking your head up a bull’s rear end, but wouldn’t you rather take the butcher’s word for it?

So rather than sticking our head up anyone’s rear end, we’re asking our friends over at The Only Colors for their words on the Michigan State Spartans. We were joined by Oren Basse and Brandon Blackburn-Dwyer over at the OC to talk all things MSU this week. Here’s a look at our conversation.

BHGP: It’s been three years since the Hawkeyes and Spartans have faced off and for as much as things stay the same in Iowa City, there’s been some changes in East Lansing. Philosophically, what should Hawkeye fans know about the team Mel Tucker put together and Harlon Barnett is coaching this Saturday?

OC: As Spartan fans, we have grown accustomed to not knowing what to expect from our football team from one year to the next. And we obviously did not foresee what has transpired so far this year. The transition from Mel Tucker to the leadership of Acting Head Coach Harlon Barnett has been mostly a continuation of a theme. Tucker’s fingerprints are still on this team as the entire staff is essentially the same. Barnett’s head coaching impact so far seems to be a bit more of an aggressive approach. The game decisions last week featured a lot of “go for it” on 4th down type decisions as well as the return of the QB sneak in short yardage situations - an approach that had inexplicably disappeared. Since the two main play calling coordinators are the same, the rest is mostly the same. Offensive Coordinator Jay Johnson is a play caller with an offense still searching for an identity, while defensive Coordinator Scottie Hazelton may finally have found something positive last week while using the secondary to blitz - finally getting pressure on a QB. ”Philosophically”, I think most Spartan players know that our team isn’t great, but there is no quit in this team and they will take your shots for 60 minutes.

BHGP: On the offensive side of the ball, the Spartans, like the Hawkeyes, have had some struggles this season averaging just 23 points per game. But unlike Iowa, Michigan State has had little problem moving the ball at 377 yards per game. Perhaps most notably, the Spartans have four receivers and five total players with more than 100 yards receiving on the year. How do you expect QB Noah Kim and the MSU offense to attack this Iowa defense?

OC: Averages can be very deceiving. MSU has put up 406, 465, 261, and 376 yards in our 4 games. So it may be safe to say that the biggest determinant of how we move the ball is how good our opponent is. Iowa, obviously has a good defense so I would take the under on total yards if I were a betting man, especially if MSU continues to have a problem with turnovers. Each of the last two games have seen Noah Kim not play through the end of the game. The lone bright spot on this offense has been transfer running back Nathan Carter and I think MSU has to continue to rely on him to be the biggest weapon and hope he can find holes in the Iowa DL. Obviously, this means our offensive line has to hold up, but they have been inconsistent at best.

BHGP: Sticking with the offense, the Spartans are averaging 111 yards per game on the ground. While Iowa fans may be most familiar with former Wisconsin RB Jalen Berger, it’s been sophomore Nathan Carter leading the way at more than 5 yards per carry. How have Carter and the Spartans been successful in the ground game and what should we expect to see Saturday night?

OC: Let’s give credit where credit is due. Nathan Carter is a good running back. He isn’t the level of what MSU got to enjoy 2 years ago with Kenneth Walker, but he is above average in my opinion. It’s not like he is getting much help from the passing game so defenses would be wise to make him the priority. If Iowa can rely on man coverage on the Spartans’ receivers and then stack the box with 6 or 7, they should be able to stop MSU’s greatest threat. But as I said before, this team won’t quit so I would not expect MSU to abandon the run game unless they find themselves down multiple scores late in the game.

BHGP: On the other side of the ball, Iowa fans likely recall the defenses of old under former head coach Mark Dantonio. How has the defensive philosophy changed since the last meeting between these two in 2020 and who are the names Iowa fans should keep an eye out for this week?

OC: The best level of MSU’s defense are the linebackers with Cal Haladay and Jacoby Windmon likely being the two best defenders on the team. However, Windmon missed the last game with an injury and we have not heard any news yet for this coming weekend. If you were to ask the regular commenters on The Only Colors, you would probably hear things like “we like to leave receivers wide open” and “we don’t like to pressure the quarterback”. That is to say that this year’s defense, and really for most of Tucker’s time in East Lansing, has not gained many fans. The skill is there, especially if you go by recruiting rankings, but the players are not getting coached up like they were during the Dantonio years; we aren’t seeing players improve during their time as Spartans. If you wanted to, you could attack this defense vertically and probably be happy with the results.

BHGP: OK, prediction time. Our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook have this one at Iowa -11.5, which seems quite laughable to most Hawkeye fans given the performance we saw in week four. The over/under seems more reasonable down at 36 total points. How do you see this one playing out and what’s your final score prediction?

OC: Well, I am a die-hard Spartan so I will bet with my heart and not my head (which is why I don’t gamble much). Yeah, low scoring game seems appropriate. MSU wins 13-10.

Hooray for more games featuring almost no scoring!

Thanks again to Oren and Brandon for taking the time to chat Hawkeyes-Spartans with us this week. Be sure to stop over to The Only Colors before we get to gameday and see their other coverage of the matchup, including a Q&A with yours truly.

When things look as bad as Iowa’s offense, multiple selections are permitted.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Iowa Hawkeyes fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

When we exited last season, Hawkeye fans had had enough. We had had more than enough. Frankly, we had had enough of this miserable offense about two weeks into last season. But we continued to bite into that sh*t sandwich week in and week out because that’s what you do when your team is your team and they keep serving them up.

When the offseason hit, optimism about change started to spring up in some factions of the fanbase. This writer will certainly raise their hand as a guilty party. It was hard not to feel some sort of optimism, however muted by our experiences over a lifetime. After all, the Hawkeyes were bringing in a playoff-caliber QB. They added multiple receivers, including one from Ohio State who marked the highest rated skill player ever to come to Iowa. They picked up an All-Big Ten tight end. They even filled gaps on the offensive line with a pair of transfers up front. Throw in another year of experience for what returned on the OL and a legitimately good returning RB in Kaleb Johnson and it was almost believable when Brian Ferentz told us the personnel was going to make things look better this year.

Then the season started. The alarm bells started ringing almost immediately. But then we saw an outburst against Utah State and maybe - just maybe - there was some glimmer of hope that the OL had figured things out. They had looked serviceable in pass protection through two weeks and that week three win, if nothing else, showed an ability to run the ball.

There was no hope worth having. This is the same offensive scheme in the same offensive philosophy with the same bad offensive line we watched a season ago.

We thought things couldn’t get worse when Iowa ranked second to last among power five programs in total offense last year. They’re dead last this year (129th overall). They’re averaging 3.3 more points per game than a season ago, but still rank 89th nationally and well below the minimum threshold of 25 points per game.

You don’t get that bad for as long as Iowa has without multiple parties being to blame, but this week, we want to know who deserves the most of it. Is it Brian’s terrible offense? Is it Kirk’s philosophy holding Brian back? Is it George Barnett’s seeming inability to teach anyone how to stay in front of a stationary statue?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, as well as your early thoughts on Saturday’s matchup with the struggling Michigan State Spartans.

The Hawkeyes look to keep their season on track with a return home against the Michigan State Spartans.

The Iowa Hawkeyes faced a new challenge in week four as they opened Big Ten play with a road trip to Happy Valley and the Penn State Nittany Lions. They did not rise to the occasion. Instead, the Hawkeyes seemed to sleepwalk their way right through the buzzsaw. They came out of Happy Valley a splattering of remains against a wall.

Now the coaching staff looks to pick up the pieces and try to put something back together as the Hawkeyes play host to the Michigan State Spartans in week five. The Spartans come into the week riding a two-game losing streak after starting the year with a pair of wins against Central Michigan and FCS Richmond.

That really has been the story of the two seasons for MSU this year. In those first two games, the Spartans averaged 38 points per game while giving up just under 11 points per game. In the two matchups with power five opponents, the story has been flipped with Michigan State averaging just 8 points per game while giving up 36 points per game.

Which team will arrive in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday? It’s hard to know for sure, but based on the trends based on level of competition, it would seem like a good bet it’s the latter. That’s the way Vegas sees things as the Iowa Hawkeyes, despite the miserable showing in Happy Valley, opened as double-digit favorites as they play host to the Spartans on their first road trip of the 2023 season.

Saturday will also mark the first game for the Spartans since head coach Mel Tucker was officially fired this week after a sexual misconduct allegation took him off the sidelines earlier this year. Michigan State will be led by interim head coach Harlon Barnett with help from a familiar face: Mark Dantonio.

Here’s a quick look at the details for Saturday’s matchup.

Date: Saturday, September 30th
Time: 6:30 pm CT
Matchup: Michigan State Spartans (2-2, 0-1) Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 0-1)
Location: Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
TV: NBC
Preliminary Weather Forecast: clear skies with temps in the upper-60s, 5% chance of rain
DraftKings Opening Line: Iowa -11.5, O/U 36

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

History

Saturday will mark the 49th ever meeting between Iowa and Michigan State. The Hawkeyes hold the all-time series lead at 24 wins to 22 for MSU with 2 ties in the series. Despite the storied history, this will be the first time the two programs have met since the 2020 showdown that was played without fans in the stands and will be just the second meeting between the two schools since 2017.

Iowa’s win over the Spartans in 2020 broke a three-game losing streak against Michigan State. It also marked the largest margin of victory for the Hawkeyes in the series at 49-7. That’s the second largest margin of victory in the series overall behind only MSU’s 56-7 win over Iowa in 1966.

Given the relative inactivity in this series of late, the Spartans haven’t won in Iowa City in a decade. Michigan State’s win over Iowa in 2017 came in East Lansing, while their 2015 win of course came in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship Game. Prior to that 2013 win in Iowa City, the Spartans win in Kinnick in 2011 broke a 7-game losing streak that dated back to 1989.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz is 8-8 all-time against the Spartans. However, he is 6-2 against Michigan State inside Kinnick Stadium.

Saturday’s matchup is set for a 6:30pm kick, marking the first night game in Kinnick of 2023. Iowa is 14-7 in night games all-time inside Kinnick and 8-3 in night games dating back to 2015. The game will be broadcast on NBC, marking the first time Iowa has been on the network since their 1986 Rose Bowl loss to UCLA. Coincidentally, the first ever Iowa game to be broadcast on national TV was a matchup with Indiana on NBC back in 1953. The Hawkeyes are 10-4-1 all-time on the network.

Preseason Predictions

As we move toward kickoff on Saturday night here’s a look at the preseason predictions for this one.

Staff Prediction: Iowa Win, 80% of the vote

Fan Prediction: Iowa Win, 87% of the vote

BizarroMath Prediction: Iowa 24, MSU 14

Surely last week’s showing won’t change anyone’s views on this matchup, right?

Be sure to check back in throughout the week as all preview and postgame stories will be published to this stream.

Let’s move on from that grotesque display of offensive football.

For the last number of weeks, I have written mostly about the previous game and then maybe a look ahead to our opponent that week. I don’t want to relive that nightmarish game in Not-so-Happy Valley. Before moving on it is a bit disheartening to get woodshedded by teams from the B1G East (Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State). The last five times the Hawks have faced these foes, the national rankings of said programs were #7, #4, #4, #2, #2. Iowa went 1-4 against them. In 2021 the Hawks beat fourth-ranked Penn State in Kinnick 23-20. The other four games saw the Hawkeyes outscored 154-27. Seven of those 27 points can be attributed to Joe Evans’ sack/scoop/score at the Horseshoe in 2022.

I’m not telling you anything you don’t know and haven’t seen with your own eyes, but Kirk Ferentz needs to realize that we can’t go into a game against these teams hoping/praying/wanting to hold them to less than nine points. I’m no math person, but somehow, some way, changes need to be made to actually try to play offense. We have proven what happens when our approach is going into a game afraid of our own shadow. This mentality doesn’t get it done against the big boys, and it also allows the Western Michigans and South Dakota States of the world to hang around with us.

Penn State is a talented football team. Our scared/conservative approach made their defense look like the Pittsburgh Steelers from the ’70s.

Michigan State

The Hawks head home and are rewarded with a night game at Kinnick. The Spartans are a mess with their head coach suspended and on his way out the door. I don’t even know where we go from here, but if I’m Kirk/Brian/George, the last thing I would do would be to clean up a few things we are doing. Blow that crap up. Let Cade call the plays. or have Drew Tate come in and call the plays from the press box. Drew at least would throw a ball to a non-tight end. I’m kidding of course, but could we possibly be worse? We are a mess on offense. What is our identity? We have had great tight ends? That’s all I can think of. We aren’t a power team. We aren’t a finesse team. We don’t trick people with motions/fakes. Unless we have Brad Banks, Dallas Clark, and Shonn Greene, guess what? Same old, same old. Iowa used to be known as having a physically dominating offensive line. “The Bullies of the Big Ten” was once a source of pride, not just for our players, but our entire program. We more resemble the “Guys who get sand kicked in their face” now. Our line now plays like a rather polite group of fellas who show up for the juice boxes and cupcakes after the game. George Barnett has not been the answer. He is in his third year and our offensive line play has diminished each year. At this point, it’s an X’s and O’s as well as a Jimmy and Joe problem. Schematically it feels like Iowa’s offensive line is always having to block extra defenders. Not really a surprise when the entire stadium and everyone at home know what is coming.

Before I work myself up, I need to just move along. The Hawks and Spartans have been similar this year running the ball. The Spartans have a huge lead in first downs. The Spartans double our passing yards per game. Not hard to do, I know.

The Hawkeyes are favored to handily beat the Spartans. Please, Coach Kirk Ferentz, for all things Hawkeye, let the guys play. If Brian can’t design routes to get wide receivers open, and George Barnett can’t get guys blocked, we need to move in a different direction. It feels like we are not putting our offensive players in a position to be successful and that’s a shame.

Ok, deep breaths. We can do this.

As always, Go Hawks!

All the answers you’re looking for...NOT.

Hoooooooo boy.

Things are bad, folks. I feel like I write this every year (and I think it’s true every time!), but we’re in uncharted waters when it comes to Iowa Hawkeyes fans and our relationship with Kirk and Brian Ferentz. Saturday’s embrassing loss at Penn State might have actually been a turning point (again, I feel like I say that every year and yet...). We got a lot to discuss from Kirk’s weekly press conference. Let’s get right into it.

Check out the full transcript here and my highlights below (buckle up):

From the opening statement:

KIRK FERENTZ: Going back to Saturday, it was a tough loss, disappointing loss for everybody involved.

One thing we always talk about, it’s always a team loss. Anytime you come off the field without a victory, that’s certainly the case. And everybody’s got ownership. Coaches, players, everybody’s got ownership. It’s always been that way. Always will be.

Yes but...except the defense. They are not at fault here. At all.

Also from the opening statement, a quick injury update:

KIRK FERENTZ: Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson are out another week, at least.

Not great! How long do we think that will last?

Q. You mentioned the running backs. Does that mean they will be back for Purdue —

COACH FERENTZ: We’ll take it week-to-week. I don’t think we’ll know. If they were out for the season, I’d let you know that, but that’s not the case. Hopefully sooner than later.

Q. Is one better than the other?

COACH FERENTZ: We’ll take whoever is ready to go, we’ll take them when they get back.

So, not anytime soon, and they’re both pretty dinged up. Great!

Onto the meat: (this was literally the first question right out the gate, as was appropriate):

Q. Offense is ranked 100th or worse in a lot of key statistics. What realistically can you do in season to right the ship?

COACH FERENTZ: Just try to get better in every phase. There’s no magic answers; see what we can do to just improve in each and every phase.

Ah, we’re right into it, and we’re also right into the bullshit. I think getting blanked and tallying under 100 yards of offense requires more than “getting better in every phase” but I’m just a stupid fan.

Q. When you evaluate the offense, what are the areas that you’re looking at specifically in the passing game that is not measuring up to what you want or what the players want you to?

COACH FERENTZ: I would still attribute part of that, obvious answer, said it for a while. Our starting quarterback got injured four-five weeks ago. He missed a lot of time. Missed a lot of time last year. To work with this team, this group, everything’s connected.

So the more we practice, the more we do better in practice, have better execution, hopefully it will show on the film.

I’m sick of this answer, particularly in this context. This is a complete dodge. A complete lack of an answer to an extremely valid question where he blames an injury to a verteran quarterback instead of him and his son’s system.

Q. Wide receivers have been targeted 35 times over four games. 14 catches. What is it about the group that’s not getting involved as much as just the ball goes where it goes?

COACH FERENTZ: I think part of that is the ball does go where it goes. We’ve had two pretty good tight ends. Obviously, down one there. That changes.

As a staff, that’s something we’re doing weekly is trying to figure out what’s the best way we can do to help improve production offensively and getting receivers involved probably makes some sense here as we move forward.

Oh yes, the ball goes where it goes. It has a mind of its own, yes. Little known fact, but the footballs at Iowa are actually magnetically attracted to tight ends only. Getting the receivers involved “probably” makes sense. Probably. What a stunning revolution for a man who has won 201 football games as a head coach of a Big Ten institution.

Q. Consciously, do you go into a game saying, hey, we have to get our receivers more involved?

COACH FERENTZ: It’s the personnel group, who you have available. We were playing a little bit more three wide last week than prior.

But at some point we still have to block and protect and throw and get open.

What is this answer?

Q. Regarding the offensive line, Coach Barnett around for three years now. Talked to Logan and Nick about him a little bit. They continue to add votes of confidence for him. You did that in the preseason. What does he do well, and where does that confidence come from for coach Barnett?

COACH FERENTZ: From the players, it’s earned. You earn everything from your players. And it’s the way he is. It’s the person he is and the kind of coach he is. He’s a tremendous football coach. Outstanding human being. The players recognize that. I think they can tell.

It’s been a tough task. We’ve had our challenges up front. He walked into a very challenging situation. I think he’s done a great job pushing it forward and we’ll just keep working.

I posted this from the BHGP Twitter as well but I’ll say it again: I don’t care if he gives his entire salary to charity. The fact of the matter is that he is underperforming at his position and has been for years now. It’s time to move on. I can have the utmost respect for one of my coaches, that doesn’t mean they’re good at their job.

Q. When you talk about not seeing a lot encouraging from the O-Line on Saturday, what do you think needs to change moving forward?

COACH FERENTZ: It’s not any general area. It’s that they played better than we did. Credit to them. We knew they’re a good football team. And they played an outstanding game. Credit to them.

It’s not one specific thing. It’s pretty much across the board, we didn’t compete at the level we need to. We got a good taste of what it looks like. Now we’ve got to get on the train and get to that level.

Spoiler alert: they won’t get to that level.

Q. How do you hope your wide receivers become confident in the game plan if they’re not really a part of it or they’re not contributing?

COACH FERENTZ: It’s not that they’re not part of it. The ball hasn’t gone there for whatever reason. They’re certainly critical. Everybody is. All 11 people are critical out there.

We’ll have to find a better way maybe to spread the ball a little bit, and again Luke being out — that’s part of the deal. Just keep working and keep chipping away at it.

“The ball hasn’t gone there for whatever reason.” Maybe it’s the scheme and the play calls? This isn’t new anymore.

Q. You hit the portal, got a new quarterback, some wide receivers, a tight end. And the constant kind of over the last few years is scheme and play calling. Has there been any discussion of altering any of those, maybe making a change of play caller to change things up for different results?

COACH FERENTZ: That’s not part of the plan, but every week — we’ve done it for 24-plus years — after every game you go back and look at what you did, what could you do better, whether it’s play calling, what are our thoughts going into the game, those types of things, how the opponent matches.

And we’ve been doing that for 24, 25 years offensively, defensively, special teams. It’s part of what we do on Sundays. And then you shift over to the next opponent.

So I mean we’re going to try to do better. There’s really no simple answers or easy remedies. It’s a matter of execution, playing better and trying to do what our players are capable of doing a little bit better.

Oh my god this is infuriating. He’s essentially sitting here and saying that he’s literally going to change nothing because he’s so stuck in his longstanding philosophies that he doesn’t see it’s a problem — or just doesn’t want to admit it. Sure, there’s no simple answers or easy remedies, but why is it that we’re the only team that constantly seems to be trying to fit a sqare peg into a round hole for going on multiple years and thinking the peg just needs to execute being a circle better?

Q. When you look around the country, spread offenses, with throwing the ball just seems much more prominent in this game now versus the past. You see wide receivers putting up crazy numbers. And you go back to the wide receiver targets at Iowa, 35 through four games. When you have guys in that room kind of see how productive are the receivers are being, how do you keep that room engaged with the game plan, how do you approach?

COACH FERENTZ: I don’t have a sense that they’re not engaged. I think we have a great group much guys in there. Nico is a really good football player, veteran player. Diante had a really nice play the other day. He’s healthy. I think he’s confident and feeling good.

We’ve got two guys that are a little bit younger and developing. So I think that room’s fine.

I’m not minimizing stats at all, don’t misread this, but the biggest thing we’re trying — the only stat we’re focused on is winning games. It’s not all about winning, I know it is for a lot of people, but it’s not all about winning. But that’s what we’re doing each and every time we go out there. If there’s a scoreboard, we’re going try to win. That’s why you work hard for nine months.

So that’s the stat that we look at. Every game, every situation, what’s going to give us our best chance to win. And those are decisions we’ll continue to try to make as we go along.

You know what can help you — hell, not even win, just score points? Throwing the ball to your receivers. Another frustrating answer. You say that if there’s a scoreboard you care about winning, but are you actually doing everything you can to win to give yourself the best chance possible to win these games?

Q. Are you worried about the amount of time the defense has been on the field through four games? It’s 20 snaps more per game than your offense. And what can you do to fix it?

COACH FERENTZ: As much as anything, just to give it perspective, really, Saturday — if you want to be a stat person, Saturday’s going to throw everything off the books because we weren’t out there on the field and we couldn’t get off the field.

So as I said earlier, outside of the punting, really wasn’t a lot of good things to take from it. We didn’t spend a hell of a lot of time on the film either just for that reason. I don’t think it’s representative of who we are or where we’re going, what we’ll find out. Time will tell on that one, too.

But no, to answer your question, we’ll just keep playing.

Yes, yes I am worried about how much the defense was on the field.

And lastly:

Q. Is your philosophy since you started coaching, head coach, has it changed much on how you believe the best way to win football games over the long haul, not the emotional week-to-week but seems you stuck to your guns and you believe in the system —

COACH FERENTZ: I think you have to. I didn’t pretend to know everything in 1999, when I got here, and I certainly don’t at this point. In fact, I think most of us could tell you the more experience you get, the more you figure out, boy, there’s a lot of things going on that need some clarity on.

But, yeah, as I said earlier, at some point you’ve got to have some beliefs and you continually examine those. You re-examine those and probe and prod and all that kind of stuff. But you have to be true to something. I guess that’s life in general; you’ve got to be true to something.

All I know is what I see with our players on a daily basis, what I see with our coaching staff. And I guess I’m an optimist to some degree. And history has taught me if you keep pushing forward, maybe some good things will happen. You’ve got to give yourself a chance, though, and it’s just a matter of, you can’t worry about bad things, missteps along the way, because what we do is extremely challenging, extremely competitive. To think we’re going to skate through it on defeat, as much as we try and we want to, you always have to be prepared to deal with the opposite end of it.

That’s all you can do. You analyze, learn from it and hopefully you move on and improve from there.

Well, I’ll give Kirk credit here that he is certainly true to...something. Whether that’s loyalty to his son having gainful employment or just to playing one kind of football no matter what changes around the sport, he’s got that locked down.

Let’s actually end with this:

Hooooo boy. Rebuke of Brian throwing his tantrum a couple weeks ago? Or saving face for his next destination? I can’t blame him for doing this one bit but boy, does it throw some intrigue into the fire.

AJ Epenesa recorded his first career touchdown and it was a beauty.

Current Hawkeyes aren’t scoring touchdowns, but former Hawkeyes are! Let’s take a look at the week that was in the National Football League.

Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, and Matt Nelson

The Detroit Hawkeyes Lions continue their solid start to the year. After a minor set back in Week 2 against Seattle – Seattle sort of has their number; they beat Detroit last year as well – the Lions got back in the win column with an impressive 20-6 win over Atlanta. The Falcons came in with one of the best ground games in the league, but the Lions defense held the Falcons to just 44 yards rushing.

A primary piece for the Lions was Campbell. The rookie linebacker recorded 6 tackles (3 solo) and picked up his first career sack, taking down Desmond Ridder right before halftime.

Burying the lede – LaPorta recorded his first career touchdown as a pro, a 45-yard strike that had the Atlanta defense completely fooled. It’s the easiest TD LaPorta will score in the NFL.

He finished with 8 receptions (11 targets) for 84 yards and a score as he’s quickly becoming one of Jared Goff’s favorite targets.

The one negative from this game is Matt Nelson. Nelson started Weeks 2 and 3 at right tackle, but he suffered an ankle injury that Lions coach Dan Campbell said requires surgery. After two starts, Nelson is now on injured reserve.

George Kittle, Dane Belton, and Casey Kreiter

After a somewhat slow start to the year, Kittle came alive in San Francisco’s 30-12 win over the New York Giants. Kittle hauled in 7 receptions on 9 targets for 90 yards. That is a good day at the office for Kittle as the 49ers continue their impressive start to the season, moving to 3-0.

Meanwhile, the Giants just stink. Dane Belton recorded no stats for the second-straight week and saw just a single snap on defense (19 on special teams), while Kreiter saw 8 snaps as the Giants slumped to 1-2.

AJ Epenesa and Micah Hyde

Admittedly, I lose track of Epenesa. He’s had an up-and-down career so far. He had a quick start last year, notching 1.5 sacks in the season opener and looked borderline unblockable. Then he had 5 sacks the rest of the year. This year, he had nothing through Week 2.

Sunday he changed that, notching his first sack of the year in Buffalo’s 37-3 demolition of Washington. Even better, Epenesa recorded his first career interception, taking the pick 32 yards to the house for his first career touchdown.

Epenesa was central to Micah Hyde recording his first pick of the year, pressuring Sam Howell into the bad throw that Hyde snagged. Hyde also finished with 2 tackles in Buffalo’s rout of the Commanders. After a tough Week 1 with the Jets, the Bills look to be back on their feet heading into an early contender for game of the year with Miami heading north. More on the Dolphins in a moment.

TJ Hockenson and Nick Niemann

Hockenson was again a favorite target for Kirk Cousins in Minnesota’s 28-24 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Hockenson was targeted 11 times by Cousins and finished with 8 catches for 78 yards. But it’s another loss for the Vikings, who dropped to 0-3 and are nearing blow it up status.

Niemann had another solid outing for the Chargers, recording 8 tackles as the Chargers picked up their first win of the year.

Noah Fant and Ihmir Smith-Marsette

After no stats in Week 1, Fant has been targeted more in Weeks 2 and 3. He followed last week with 4 more receptions for 41 yards. Good bounce back the last couple of weeks for Fant. He’s now at 8 receptions for 97 yards after no targets Week 1.

On the other sideline, ISM had no receptions and had a two punt returns for -3 yards.

Josey Jewell/Bronco Corner

I’m jumping here to close us out. Jewell recorded 4 tackles Sunday before he was forced from the game with a groin injury.

“What game was that?” you ask? A 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins. 70. Points. Allowed. 70 points and 726 yards of offense for Miami. Both totals were the second-most in a single game in NFL history. They could’ve set the points record and looked a good bet to get the yardage total, but coach Mike McDaniel – born in nearby Aurora and a Mike/Kyle Shanahan protégé– opted for the mercy kneel down inside the 30, well inside field goal range. Here’s McDaniel from his youth, then him in those goofy sunglasses on the sideline Sunday, looking very South Beach:

Honestly? I wanted Miami to break the records. You go for those records if they are there to be broken. It was a huge talking point the last 2 or so minutes on the broadcast, that the NFL is a small community and you don’t want to embarrass someone, but I imagine Sean Payton would’ve understood. You’re that close to points and yardage records, records that have stood forever – you go for it.

As for the Broncos, this photo sums it up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen 6 defenders on the floor on a single play.

Denver has been a Broncos town since the mid-1970s. Between 1976 and 2015, the Broncos had just six losing seasons. The Nuggets were the only second banana for most of this but were never a serious threat to win anything, never a serious threat to take the crown. The Rockies showed up and stole some thunder but they’ve settled into becoming an unserious organization. The Avs showed up and won immediately, but they also entered a period of losing before their recent upswing. The Broncos have had six losing seasons since winning Super Bowl 50, and it’s likely to be seven after an 0-3 start. Their grip on the city might be loosening ever so slightly. The Avs have a couple of the best players in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup two years ago. The Nuggets just won their first title and have the undisputed best player in the world in Nikola Jokić. Both teams will be among the favorites to win the title again, if not the outright favorite in the case of the Nuggets. Fortunately for everyone here the Nuggets start training camp next week.

The Broncos have to be over the Moon to share this city with the Rockies. The Rockies are an organization that has no desire to win anything, who play in what is essentially a giant outdoor bar with excellent mountain views. They will lose 100 games for the first time in franchise history, maybe as early as Tuesday (series with the Dodgers at Coors Field, so they’re definitely losing at least one of those games). The Broncos are so lucky they’re around.

Let’s leave it on something a little lighter.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are weakened, debilitated and deprived of strength and vitality after a blowout loss to PSU

For the first time this season, I’m really struggling to find anything that hasn’t already been said about the Iowa Hawkeyes loss on Saturday. Hell, I’m struggling to find the will to write anything at all about what may be the worst performance I’ve witnessed from Iowa in the last 20 years (fear not, dear reader, I’ll find the strength).

I’ll be honest with you, I stopped watching this game about halfway through the 3rd quarter, and I had already switched the bulk of my attention to Diablo IV coming out of halftime. I had the game up on my second monitor, but I was far more interested in silencing some whispers in the hopes of picking up a unique Ancestral sword for my flurry/rapid-fire Rogue than in whatever was going on in Happy Valley.

As soon as that ball caromed off of Brendan Deasfernandes’ left shoulder, I knew this game was over. Okay, that’s a lie, I knew the game was over about 2 minutes prior to that when the refs retconned an obvious lateral/backwards pass and a 14 yard loss into an incomplete pass. I mean, the ball was thrown at the 19 yardline and scooped off the ground inside the 18 yard line, and it wasn’t hard to see, AT ALL. It was not the first call that went PSU’s way (and no I am not blaming the refs for this loss), nor would it be the last, it just felt like a harbinger of doom.

After PSU went up 17-0 I turned off the stream and paid scant attention to the BHGP chat (Editor’s note: if you’re interested in joining the chat, sign up for the free trial here) for the rest of the game, at which point I cracked open a new bottle of Bourbon that I had acquired the previous evening. Candidly, I had considered writing this column from the perspective of someone who has selective amnesia and just pretending that Iowa played a foorball game on Saturday. Kirk Ferentz’s postgame comments changed all of that, as it convinced me that our head coach doesn’t even seem to see the trees while he’s missing the forest.

Q: What is the concern level, for you, with offense?

A: Tonight we didn’t score points, you know and we didn’t stop them on defense. So, it’s not a good night. My concern levels, I don’t know, I don’t have a concern level if that makes any sense. Other than we got shut out tonight. There’s not much good about that.

Really? Really coach? Are you seriously going to stand at the podium and tell us that this loss is, in any way, on Phil Parker’s defense? The defense that spent 97 plays on the field and still only gave up 4.1 ypp? The defense that played almost the entire 1st and 2nd quarter with no breaks? The defense that kept PSU out of the end zone after All’s fumble? The defense that forced a 3 & out on the following series? A defense that PSU could only beat after a seriously unlucky play left them with an incredibly short field? Because through 2 quarters that defense kept you in the game. Iowa’s longest offensive drive in the first half lasted 2:10, and that was it’s first drive, and yet, somehow, the defense is equally at fault?

Look, I get (and even appreciate) Kirk Ferentz’s refusal to throw any individual player/position group/coach under the bus, but to stand behind that podium and attempt to gaslight the press and the fans into thinking they just witnessed a “team loss” is, frankly, despicable. Anyone, and everyone, that subjected themselves to that game knows where the problem is, and it is not the defense, not Saturday night, not any night.

Tonight was disappointing. We played a really good football team. We’ll keep it in perspective. We’ll evaluate things over the course of 12 games. We’ve got eight to play. We’re not just going to start over again in any phase. - Kirk Ferentz

I’d like to request an explanation as to what, in the name of all that is right and good in this world, is left to evaluate. We don’t need 8 more games of this season to evaluate Brian Ferentz’s performance as the offensive coordinator. We’ve got a helluva lot more than 12 games worth of results on that one, and it’s pretty damning.

But sure, let’s look at what the Iowa offense has averaged over the last 12 games (starting with last year’s 7-6 loss to Bert in Champagne):

• 253.5 yards per game
• 13.6 first downs per game
• 1.67 td’s per game

We shouldn’t forget that the 5 td’s against WMU (including Max White’s garbage time td) skew that average by almost ¹⁄₃ of a TD (over a 12 game span). Over the last 12 games Iowa’s offense has scored 0 touchdowns 25% of the time. 3 times in 12 games the offense has been unable to score a single point. Tell me again how the defense is the problem? Those 12 games also include wins against last year’s 1-11 NW squad (in which the Offense managed 2 scores) and a drubbing of a pretty average Purdue squad (where the offense scored thrice).

Last year this offense averaged 256.6 ypg of total offense. Through 4 games this offense is averaging 245.5 ypg. Yes, somehow, the offense is actually worse, even with a former B1G Champion at QB, a load of new receivers, and veteran help along the OL, the offense has regressed.

Listen, I know that Cade is hurt, and that we didn’t have 2 of our top 3 RB’s, but based on what I saw Saturday night, it wouldn’t have mattered. A healthy Cade McNamara still needs more than 1.5 seconds to make a drop, get a read, and throw a ball. Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson wouldn’t have any better luck at getting through non-existent holes in the line than LeShon Williams or Kamari Moulton did. The fact that Cade created 23.6% of the teams total offensive output on a single scramble is reason enough to have left the OC and the OL Coach on the tarmac in Philadelphia.

I’ve defended Kirk Ferentz in the past, I’ve defended Brian Ferentz in the past (and I still think he’s one of the better position coaches Iowa has had in recent memory) but that time has passed. In the span of 18 months Iowa has gone from a dark horse pick to win the B1G west, to a literal laughingstock. The “Drive for 325” has gone from an amusing meme to national talking point, and the Iowa fanbase’s hopes have come crashing down through the ceiling like a drunk uncle that missed a beam in your attic (and no one has any idea why he was in the attic in the first place).

Now, do I expect to see a whole new offense this Saturday? No, this isn’t Ted Lasso. The Iowa football team doesn’t have heavy, heavy, plot armor. I do, however, expect there to be consequences when one unit is sinking the other two like a flagstone. If this offense can’t produce against an MSU team that is in almost complete disarray, then I’m not sure what else is left to do and if Kirk Ferentz refuses to change for the betterment of this team, and these players that he claims to love, well, then I don’t want to root for someone who’s that selfish.

One last thing, every damn one of us should rejoice in the fact that Phil Parker is apparently in posession of more patience, and grace, than any human being that has ever lived. His defense (that just couldn’t stop Penn State) is STILL ranked #8 in ypp, #27 in points allowed, and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season. Could someone let Kirk Ferentz know?

Penn State is much better than Iowa.

It appears that Ohio State beat Notre Dame on Saturday night with a one-person advantage. The Irish had 10 defensive players on the field. I mention this because it feels like Iowa’s offense has been facing 12 defenders for the last number of years. I watch quite a bit of college football including Division III ball (shout out to Macalester College and the MIAC) and I have never seen ineptitude like we see each week from Iowa’s offense.

After Saturday’s 31-0 shellacking (I predicted 30-10), my take was that the difference came down to the two offensive lines. Penn State’s was tremendous, and Iowa’s was atrocious. Also, I’m not sure where I thought those ten points were going to come from. On to the grades:

Offense:

QB: F

Iowa’s quarterbacks went 6-16 for 56 yards. Both Cade McNamara and Deacon Hill fumbled the football. I’m going with this for the grade, but our offensive line is to blame for everything. It starts with the head coach, the coordinator, and the position coach in that order. Kirk Ferentz, Brian Ferentz, and George Barnett are not getting it done offensively.

RB: D-

With Kaleb Johnson and Jaz Patterson out, it wasn’t going to be easy for Leshon Williams and Kamari Moulton. With our offensive line not doing much of anything, the Hawks rushed for 20 yards on 17 carries (1.2) Moulton put the ball on the ground but the Hawkeyes recovered it. I’d give this group an “F” based on the stats, but they didn’t have any holes.

WR: D-

See above. I don’t even feel like typing more than this.

TE: D

Luke Lachey and Erick All will both be very good NFL tight ends. Lachey is out for the year and All had three catches for 35 yards. All coughed the ball up trying to fight for extra yards and the floodgates burst open.

OL: F-

I have done these grades for three years or so. I don’t recall giving this grade before. Iowa’s offensive line was run over and around all day long. Iowa allowed three sacks, six QBH, and averaged 1.2 yards/rush. The good news is that we were so bad, that the guys didn’t get tired out. Running only 33 offensive plays does have its advantages. Kirk Ferentz is (was?) one of the best offensive line coaches in the world. Brian Ferentz was a good offensive line coach. I’m sure George Barnett is a great person, but Iowa needs something different. Ultimately this falls on Kirk’s plate.

Defense:

DL: C-

Iowa didn’t sack Drew Allar even though he threw it 37 times. The Hawks’ Ethan Hurkett had his name called many times; he ended with nine tackles. Joe Evans and Yahya Black played solid games. They both collected seven tackles. Evans had 1 QBH. Logan Lee had six tackles and Deontae Craig recorded five with a QBH.

LB: B

Iowa’s linebackers weren’t perfect, but they played their guts out. Jay Higgins amassed 18 tackles. Nick Jackson had 13 tackles including 2.5 TFL. Kyler Fisher had seven tackles and 1 TFL.

DB/Cash: C

The longest play the Hawkeyes gave up was 19 yards on the ground and 16 yards through the air. Iowa isn’t as solid in coverage as we are accustomed to, but this position group did not lose the game for us.

Special Teams: C

There were mistakes made on special teams that Iowa normally doesn’t make. The Hawks muffed a punt when our downfield blocker was hit by a punt. Also, the Hawks gave Penn State an automatic first down on a field goal attempt by leaping over the center. The Hawkeyes were fair-catching kickoffs, even though there appeared to be a potential return to be made. Tory Taylor had one of his best days statistically punting seven times for a 52.3-yard average. Drew Stevens didn’t need to get off the bus.

What’s Next?

Penn State is more than likely the best team we will face this year, certainly in the regular season. I still think the Hawkeyes can get to Indy. We may face Penn State again. Hopefully, by that time we have an identity for our offense. Come to think of it, we do have an identity for our offense, I just don’t care for it. Props to our defensive guys once again. You played the equivalent of two ballgames out there in the rain. Respect.

Despite all of this, it’s great to be a Hawkeye.

It would seem Vegas didn’t watch Iowa get blasted away in Happy Valley.

The Iowa Hawkeyes walked into Happy Valley on Saturday night as 14.5-point underdogs. It was a pretty big number considering both teams were ranked and the Hawkeyes boasted a two-game winning streak against the Nittany Lions.

Then Penn State thoroughly embarrassed Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. It was a beatdown in every sense of the word for all but the very first few minutes of the game. Frankly, there isn’t much to dissect or breakdown. Iowa was abysmally bad on offense. Their defense was OK, but exhausted after facing an absurd 97 plays from the Nittany Lions.

It comes as a bit of a surprise, then that Iowa returns to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday to play host to the Michigan State Spartans as big favorites. Our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook opened this one with a double-digit spread that has already ballooned out to Iowa -11.5 with an over/under set at a ridiculously low 36.5 total points.

That total makes some sense given the Hawkeyes now rank 89th nationally in scoring offense at under 22 points per game. Iowa’s opponent on Saturday, Michigan State, comes into the week 118th nationally in scoring at less than 16 points per game. Add to the recipe the fact that Iowa’s defense is still ranked 24th nationally in scoring defense giving up just 17 points per game despite the 31 points they gave up to Penn State.

The Spartans come into Saturday’s matchup fresh off a pair of losses in their first two games against power five opponents. MSU failed to get into double digits offensively in either of those two games after averaging 38 points per game in their first two games of the season against G5 programs.

Iowa and Michigan State are set for a 6:30pm CT kick on Saturday night inside Kinnick Stadium. This week’s game will be broadcast on NBC.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Iowa needs to be healthy if they want to bounceback against the Spartans and salvage their season.

The Iowa Hawkeyes ran into a buzzsaw on Saturday night when they were demolished by the Penn State Nittany Lions 31-0. On a night where virtually everything went wrong for the Hawkeyes, the one thing that went right was a relatively healthy day at the office for Iowa. The staff left Happy Valley with no new injuries.

With no new injuries, the only real question entering Iowa’s week five matchup with the Michigan State Spartans is whether the embarrassing week four loss will drive any changes for the Hawkeyes.

On Monday, Iowa released their depth chart for the potential bounceback game in week five against Michigan State. As you might have guessed, not a lot new for the never-changing Hawkeyes.

Here’s a look at the full depth chart.

Image via HawkeyeSports.com

Noted Notables

• Nothing. There is nothing notable in this depth chart. Except perhaps that there is nothing notable. After a butt-whipping like what we saw on Saturday night, some folks might expect some changes. Certainly, some have called for changes at the staff level, but at minimum, given we saw QB Cade McNamara sacked on nearly 20% of his dropbacks and was hit or sacked on almost 50% of dropbacks, you might have expected to see some changes to the offensive line. You would be wrong.
• It’s worth a quick reminder, now that we’ve established there are no changes here, that the changes in these things tend to be related to injury. So grain of salt and all that, but still frustrating. We likely won’t get much out of Kirk Ferentz during his press availability on Tuesday either, but expect the question to be asked about the offensive line. It was almost as bad as Brian Ferentz’s playcalling. Almost.
• Only other thing here is just to call out that we likely won’t see anything different as it pertains to the depth chart when we get the gameday availability report. There were no reports of anyone getting dinged up in Happy Valley so the only news we should see come Saturday is potentially good news. That would be if we could get either of Kaleb Johnson or Jaziun Patterson back from their ankle injuries for Saturday’s matchup. A guy can dream.

The Hawkeyes will look to get back on track with a night game under the lights in Kinnick this Satruday. Iowa is set to play host to Michigan State for a 6:30pm CT kick off this week. The matchup will be broadcast on NBC.

Also some beer reviews

Editor’s note: What we witnessed on Saturday night was perhaps one of the most disappointing performances we’ve ever seen from the Iowa Hawkeyes. It left many of us speechless. Others found words, but frankly, the performance spoke for itself. As such, we left some space to clear the air. Re-hashing Saturday is going to be painful and will not be done is as much detail as in a typical week. But we will do it.

Being honest - I was at a kids get together with some of my 4-year-old’s friends. One of the kids moved to Houston but was back in town for a long weekend, so we got together for old time’s sake. That meant I missed most of the first half of Iowa’s embarrassing 31-0 loss to Penn State, Iowa’s first shutout loss since Illinois in 2000, as a result. Missing the first half was the best football experience of my day. Blissful ignorance. I turned the game on for a few brief moments while waiting for carry out then settled in at half expecting the worst.

The best overall outcome of my evening? Well, it’s Great American Beer Festival week here in beautiful Denver, Colorado and all of the big, hard-to-get breweries that have some sort of distribution hit the shelves at local bottle shops - Russian River, The Alchemist, Lawson’s, et al. So I dove in once I got home. I have the exact right amount of beer in my house right now. My wife, 37 week pregnant, disagrees, but she can join the fun again in a few days.

(My first beers of the night were at the get-together for kids, two cans of Dale’s Pale Ale. This decidedly not hard to get beer is nothing special - it was a fun beer once upon a time, but it exemplifies Oskar Blues in its current state; kind of boring, was “cool” 20 years ago because they decided to can their beers as opposed to putting them in bombers, then got lapped as Oskar Blues was bought, then bought again. An appropriate beer for what was unfolding in State College.)

The next best part of my evening was scrolling Twitter. I dropped into the game right as the Hawks fell down 10-0 at half. Anyone in the militant faction of the Kirk Ferentz Party should probably look away and read about my next beer. What a disaster zone. Honestly, calling the Iowa offense a disaster zone is an insult to disaster zones. Predictably, Twitter was in a total lather over Iowa’s offense.

Oh, there was also this:

And this:

Penn State would, of course, finish with more plays from scrimmage than Iowa would total yards (97 plays to 76 yards). Iowa would also finish with as many first downs as turnovers (4). The crap weather did not level the playing field and the crap weather did not serve Iowa’s style of play as the offensive line was overrun time and time again by Penn State’s front seven. What is going on up front? I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again - Iowa’s reputation as this dominant run team, they’ll beat you up with the line - that’s SO overrated. And the pass protection, seemingly assured through 2 games, has reverted to last year’s form.

(My third beer, right at the start of the second half, was Extra Extra Dino Bits, a collaboration between Greeley, Colorado’s Weldwerks Brewing Company and Toppling Goliath Brewing Company. A play on the dinosaur theme of TG’s Sue lines and Weldwerk’s amazing Extra Extra Juicy Bits line, this delightful hazy IPA features the appropriate about of oomph from a hazy IPA, coming in at a robust 9.0 percent ABV. Appropriate juice, appropriate burn, appropriate everything. Loved this beer. I imagine it will hit the shelves in Iowa soon, if it hasn’t already.)

There will certainly be a portion of the fan base that points to Iowa’s missed opportunities in the first half and that it colored the remainder of the game. A fumble in Penn State’s red zone that Iowa somehow didn’t recover. A Penn State punt hitting an Iowa blocker and bouncing right into the hands of a Penn State gunner. An Iowa punt bouncing off of the Penn State returner and right into the hands of a Penn State player. These plays all happened and Penn State is pretty incredible through 4 games in their turnover variance. Could these plays have flipped things? I want to say maybe, but if you are in this camp, stop what you are doing right now, touch grass, and enjoy the early days of fall. This most definitely did not flip a football game in which, again, one team ran more plays than the opponent accumulated in total yards.

Of course, Kirk Ferentz is not changing a single thing. Why would he?

We knew he’d say something along these lines. Bad night, nothing to see here, “I think we made progress in three weeks,” if you’re suggesting we should change the playbook now you’re a goddamn psychopath and I should have you committed. But there’s everything to see here. This was a prime time slot in the college football weekend. And Iowa mustered their lowest yardage total since Wisconsin in 2017. This ridiculous offense is now stretching back to 2021 in terms of longevity, and really it’s longer than that. This wasn’t just a bad night. Kirk’s offense, run by his son, has not eclipsed 400 yards in a single game since Maryland in 2021, which is almost two full calendar years ago.

(I thought my final beer of the night would be from Trillium Brewing Company, a beer called Vicinity. A Boston staple, Trillium is at the vanguard of hazy IPAs. Vicinity hit every single spot as I drank it. Trillium’s beers are borderline works of art. I should have had a second, frankly. Unlike Iowa football, it deserved my full attention.)

My night ended watching some Pac-12 after dark. USC-Arizona State. The game was fun as Arizona State traded field goals for USC touchdowns. It was close going into the fourth quarter before USC hit another gear. The very end of the first half featured a commercial for one of those Gordon Ramsay shows. Kitchen Nightmares, I think (I was pouring my actual final beer as the commercial aired, a Cryo Fresh Hop Juicy Bits from Weldwerks that was what my friend Greg calls a “cool down” beer; hard to cool down when it’s delicious and 6.7 percent. I want more!) At one point, a cameraman openly gagged as Ramsay tipped a pan of raw chicken that is a salmonella breeding ground. In the next clip, Ramsay shouted, “This place is a death trap!” at the clueless doofus of a restaurant owner.

Yes it is, Mr. Ramsay. Yes it is.