Hawkeye Report Card
John Kerth | Staff writer
Akrum Wadley's 4th quarter touchdown was the difference in the game.
Following a tough loss at home last week, Iowa traveled to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota in a Big Ten West showdown. In a game that was far from high scoring, the Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) took a late lead and held on to beat the Golden Gophers (3-2, 0-2), 14-7. Let’s look back at Iowa’s performance.
Quarterback
It was another rough day under center for C.J. Beathard. While the senior quarterback was able to stay upright a little more often than he did a week ago, he still took a fair share of hits and his overall game was a bit off. His passes didn’t always have the same accuracy or zip as they did early in the season and his pocket awareness was shaky at times. That said, his receivers didn’t help him out at all, as there were several drops on catchable passes.
Overall, Beathard was 17 of 31 for 142 yards and two interceptions. Nathan Stanley entered the game for one play when Beathard’s knee brace broke but he did not attempt a pass. Grade: D
Running Back
After failing to crack 100 yards last week, the Iowa running backs bounced back and had themselves a good game. While the running lanes weren’t always there, the backs showed good vision and were able to attack the Minnesota defense for solid gains.
Akrum Wadley was having a solid day but made it a great day with one big run late in the fourth quarter. Wadley took the ball, burst through a big hole on the left side and raced past the defense for a go-ahead 54-yard touchdown. That run pushed him over 100 yards, as Wadley finished the game with 14 carries for 107 yards and the TD.
LeShun Daniels didn’t have as successful a game, but was solid nonetheless, ending his day with 17 carries for 66 yards. Derrick Mitchell didn’t have any carries but caught two passes for 7 yards. Grade: B+
Wide Receiver/Tight End
There was speculation in the week leading up to the game that Iowa would employ more quick-hit, short routes to try to free up the receivers and keep Beathard from taking hits. That is what played out on Saturday, and the results for the receivers were mixed. Although Beathard missed open receivers, the route running was so-so at best and there were several catchable passes that were dropped. The receiving corps did block well in the run game, however, especially on Wadley’s 54-yard run.
Riley McCarron led the group with six receptions for 62 yards, but also lost a fumble. George Kittle had four receptions for 39 yards, while Jerminic Smith caught two for 20 yards. Jay Scheel and Noah Fant rounded out the group with one catch each for 12 and 4 yards, respectively. Grade: D
Offensive Line
The offensive line saw a bit of a shakeup prior to the game, with three of the starters switching to a different position on the line. While there was improvement from last week, the performance was inconsistent. The front five would look solid in pass protection for a few plays only to miss an assignment, resulting in a rushed throw that would stall a drive. It was a bit of the same in run blocking, as the O-line would open up some big lanes for the backs only to turn around and struggle for a few series, allowing several tackles for loss. Still, if you’re looking for positives on an otherwise subpar offensive showing, the improvement on the line would have to be one of them. Grade: C+
Overall Offensive Grade: D
The offense struggled on Saturday for the third time in the last four games, a surprising trend for a unit that appeared to be a strength heading into the season. While Iowa was able to pick up 179 yards on the ground and held possession almost 10 minutes longer than Minnesota (34:55 to 25:05), the 321 yards of total offense, 14 points and three turnovers are obviously not a winning strategy going forward.
True freshman Manny Rugamba had an interception.
Defensive Line
As a group that has struggled against the run lately, this matchup appeared to be one that could be a problem for Iowa. After all, Minnesota had been averaging over 228 yards on the ground through the first four games of the season. The Hawkeye D-line answered those concerns in a big way on Saturday. Iowa dominated the line of scrimmage, often overpowering the Minnesota offensive line, resulting in a season-low 102 rushing yards for the Gophers. The Hawkeyes were also improved in pass rush, as they were able to put pressure on quarterback Mitch Leidner throughout the game.
Jaleel Johnson and Parker Hesse had four tackles each with Johnson adding a sack. Nathan Bazata had three tackles and 0.5 sack, Anthony Nelson added two tackles and 0.5 sack, while Matt Nelson also added two stops. Faith Ekakitie rounded out the group with one stop. Grade: A-
Linebacker
Like the defensive line, the linebackers were much improved from their performance a week ago. They took better routes to the ball, they shed blockers better and did a solid job in pass coverage. There were still a few missed tackles and failure to contain from time to time, but overall, it was a nice bounce back showing.
Bo Bower finished with a team-leading seven tackles and also forced a fumble. Ben Niemann had six tackles and Josey Jewell had five, while Kevin Ward broke up a pass.Grade: A-
Defensive Back
With the rest of the defense stepping up, the defensive backs followed suit with a solid all-around showing on Saturday. The coverage was improved from the outing against Northwestern and the play against the run was also improved, though there were once again some missed tackles.
Greg Mabin paced the group with six tackles and a forced fumble. Brandon Snyder had five tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception, while Miles Taylor had three stops. Desmond King had two tackles and broke up a pass, coming up just short of his first interception of the season, while Manny Rugamba picked off the first pass of his Iowa career in the second quarter. Grade: A-
Overall Defensive Grade: A
After getting torched last week, the defense came up big and completely shutdown the Minnesota offense. Iowa forced three turnovers and held the Gophers to seven points and 268 yards of total offense.
Special Teams
There really wasn’t much noteworthy from this group on Saturday. King had a solid day in the return game, though he did fumble the second-half kickoff. Ron Coluzzi placed three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line, while Keith Duncan made both of his field goal attempts (22 and 28 yards). Miguel Recinos attempted his first field goal attempt of the season, but fell short on the 50-yarder. Grade: B-
Overall Grade: B-
The defense bounced back in a big way and despite a plethora of mistakes, the offense did just enough to leave Minnesota with a win. While this type of Jekyll-and-Hyde performance from week to week is neither ideal nor sustainable, a win is all that matters. It wasn’t pretty, but I doubt anyone cares.
Stat of the Game: 0
Despite the two teams combining for six turnovers (three by Iowa, three by Minnesota), neither team was able to turn those miscues into points, as both teams failed to score on the ensuing possessions.
John Kerth | Staff writer
Akrum Wadley's 4th quarter touchdown was the difference in the game.
Following a tough loss at home last week, Iowa traveled to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota in a Big Ten West showdown. In a game that was far from high scoring, the Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) took a late lead and held on to beat the Golden Gophers (3-2, 0-2), 14-7. Let’s look back at Iowa’s performance.
Quarterback
It was another rough day under center for C.J. Beathard. While the senior quarterback was able to stay upright a little more often than he did a week ago, he still took a fair share of hits and his overall game was a bit off. His passes didn’t always have the same accuracy or zip as they did early in the season and his pocket awareness was shaky at times. That said, his receivers didn’t help him out at all, as there were several drops on catchable passes.
Overall, Beathard was 17 of 31 for 142 yards and two interceptions. Nathan Stanley entered the game for one play when Beathard’s knee brace broke but he did not attempt a pass. Grade: D
Running Back
After failing to crack 100 yards last week, the Iowa running backs bounced back and had themselves a good game. While the running lanes weren’t always there, the backs showed good vision and were able to attack the Minnesota defense for solid gains.
Akrum Wadley was having a solid day but made it a great day with one big run late in the fourth quarter. Wadley took the ball, burst through a big hole on the left side and raced past the defense for a go-ahead 54-yard touchdown. That run pushed him over 100 yards, as Wadley finished the game with 14 carries for 107 yards and the TD.
LeShun Daniels didn’t have as successful a game, but was solid nonetheless, ending his day with 17 carries for 66 yards. Derrick Mitchell didn’t have any carries but caught two passes for 7 yards. Grade: B+
Wide Receiver/Tight End
There was speculation in the week leading up to the game that Iowa would employ more quick-hit, short routes to try to free up the receivers and keep Beathard from taking hits. That is what played out on Saturday, and the results for the receivers were mixed. Although Beathard missed open receivers, the route running was so-so at best and there were several catchable passes that were dropped. The receiving corps did block well in the run game, however, especially on Wadley’s 54-yard run.
Riley McCarron led the group with six receptions for 62 yards, but also lost a fumble. George Kittle had four receptions for 39 yards, while Jerminic Smith caught two for 20 yards. Jay Scheel and Noah Fant rounded out the group with one catch each for 12 and 4 yards, respectively. Grade: D
Offensive Line
The offensive line saw a bit of a shakeup prior to the game, with three of the starters switching to a different position on the line. While there was improvement from last week, the performance was inconsistent. The front five would look solid in pass protection for a few plays only to miss an assignment, resulting in a rushed throw that would stall a drive. It was a bit of the same in run blocking, as the O-line would open up some big lanes for the backs only to turn around and struggle for a few series, allowing several tackles for loss. Still, if you’re looking for positives on an otherwise subpar offensive showing, the improvement on the line would have to be one of them. Grade: C+
Overall Offensive Grade: D
The offense struggled on Saturday for the third time in the last four games, a surprising trend for a unit that appeared to be a strength heading into the season. While Iowa was able to pick up 179 yards on the ground and held possession almost 10 minutes longer than Minnesota (34:55 to 25:05), the 321 yards of total offense, 14 points and three turnovers are obviously not a winning strategy going forward.
True freshman Manny Rugamba had an interception.
Defensive Line
As a group that has struggled against the run lately, this matchup appeared to be one that could be a problem for Iowa. After all, Minnesota had been averaging over 228 yards on the ground through the first four games of the season. The Hawkeye D-line answered those concerns in a big way on Saturday. Iowa dominated the line of scrimmage, often overpowering the Minnesota offensive line, resulting in a season-low 102 rushing yards for the Gophers. The Hawkeyes were also improved in pass rush, as they were able to put pressure on quarterback Mitch Leidner throughout the game.
Jaleel Johnson and Parker Hesse had four tackles each with Johnson adding a sack. Nathan Bazata had three tackles and 0.5 sack, Anthony Nelson added two tackles and 0.5 sack, while Matt Nelson also added two stops. Faith Ekakitie rounded out the group with one stop. Grade: A-
Linebacker
Like the defensive line, the linebackers were much improved from their performance a week ago. They took better routes to the ball, they shed blockers better and did a solid job in pass coverage. There were still a few missed tackles and failure to contain from time to time, but overall, it was a nice bounce back showing.
Bo Bower finished with a team-leading seven tackles and also forced a fumble. Ben Niemann had six tackles and Josey Jewell had five, while Kevin Ward broke up a pass.Grade: A-
Defensive Back
With the rest of the defense stepping up, the defensive backs followed suit with a solid all-around showing on Saturday. The coverage was improved from the outing against Northwestern and the play against the run was also improved, though there were once again some missed tackles.
Greg Mabin paced the group with six tackles and a forced fumble. Brandon Snyder had five tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception, while Miles Taylor had three stops. Desmond King had two tackles and broke up a pass, coming up just short of his first interception of the season, while Manny Rugamba picked off the first pass of his Iowa career in the second quarter. Grade: A-
Overall Defensive Grade: A
After getting torched last week, the defense came up big and completely shutdown the Minnesota offense. Iowa forced three turnovers and held the Gophers to seven points and 268 yards of total offense.
Special Teams
There really wasn’t much noteworthy from this group on Saturday. King had a solid day in the return game, though he did fumble the second-half kickoff. Ron Coluzzi placed three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line, while Keith Duncan made both of his field goal attempts (22 and 28 yards). Miguel Recinos attempted his first field goal attempt of the season, but fell short on the 50-yarder. Grade: B-
Overall Grade: B-
The defense bounced back in a big way and despite a plethora of mistakes, the offense did just enough to leave Minnesota with a win. While this type of Jekyll-and-Hyde performance from week to week is neither ideal nor sustainable, a win is all that matters. It wasn’t pretty, but I doubt anyone cares.
Stat of the Game: 0
Despite the two teams combining for six turnovers (three by Iowa, three by Minnesota), neither team was able to turn those miscues into points, as both teams failed to score on the ensuing possessions.
