We are already at the midpoint in the season! The Hawks sit at 4-2 with a pretty favorable schedule still ahead. It's been an up and down year, with Iowa looking as bad as they've ever looked last week followed by the best offensive performance in recent memory against a rebuilding Washington team. So how have the position groups performed when compared with expectations and the rest of the 18 team Big 10 conference?
1. QB: D-. Iowa sits at 17th of 18 Big 10 teams in passing offense. That's REAL bad. Cade McNamara, Jon Budmeyer's highest profile recruit and the Swarm's largest financial investment...sits at 16th in the conference in yards per game at just 132. Sadly, his yards per attempt ranks even worse (DEAD LAST among Big 10 QBs). The numbers are especially bad because several of Cade's 1 yard passes that Kirk himself could have completed were extended 20+ yards by virtue of having an all-American running back who can turn a 1 yard gain into a 20 yard gain. Even Cade's completion percentage on his exclusively short passes is near the bottom of the Big 10 at just 63%. By comparison, five QBs in the conference are well above 70%. QB play is the weakest link on the entire team and no one other than Kirk Ferentz would give Cade a better grade than D-.
2. RB: A+. Unexpectedly, the Hawkeyes rank #1 in the Big 10 in rushing offense. That's unheard of. Despite coming into the season as Iowa's 3rd string RB, Kaleb Johnson ranks #1 in the Big 10 in yards per game, yards per carry, and touchdowns! Pretty amazing considering all the RB talent out there. If the Hawks had simply blocked Iowa State's lucky 54 yrd field goal, Johnson would be on everyone's radar as a Heisman contender. And while second stringer Moulton isn't setting the world on fire, he ranks 4th among Big 10 freshmen in yards per game, so the future is bright at the position.
3. WR: F. Sadly, the running joke about Iowa's WR group being the worst in college football will now continue for a 6th consecutive year. Gone is undertalented & undersized 5 year starter Ragaini, and in comes a new crop of WR recruits no other Power 5 program wanted. Iowa's one playmaker, their 4 star WR OSU transfer Brown, found himself in Kirk's doghouse and bolted mid-season after only catching 1 ball all year. Iowa's #2 receiver, Anderson, has been hurt with a mysterious injury that has lingered for 2 years and has caught a grand total of 1 ball all season. Wetjen, the fastest and most dynamic player on the roster...1 catch all year. Many were high on Buie & Howard returning this year, yet they have a combined...3 catches. With so many recruiting misses, the Hawks are left using the WR talent pulled from the transfer portal last year. What's that you say? The only WR they went out and got was Northwestern's 6th team WR? Yup, and Gill, who couldn't see the field at lowly Northwestern, is Iowa's #1 receiver, averaging just 2.5 catches per game for 169 yards in 6 games. Where does that rank him compared with the rest of the Big 10's receivers? Hard to say because they only list the top 50, and Gill isn't even close to making the list. That means most teams have 3 WRs more productive than Iowa's #1 WR.
4. TE: C-. Tight End U. Who needs average wide receivers when Iowa has its TE NFL pipeline, right? With "all-American and likely 1st round draft pick Luke Lachey" healthy and playing every down, the Hawks will be in good shape. Or not. Halfway through the year and Lachey has just 156 yards, 0 touchdowns. Ostrenga has been a good backup, but he has just 63 receiving yards this year. By comparison, Penn State's TE has 40 catches for 525 yards an 4 touchdowns. Purdue's TE has 352 yards and 2 tds. Michigan's tight end has 30 catches. Washington, Oregon, and Rutgers all have TEs with over 20 catches and Michigan State's TE has over 240 yards. All are putting up better stats than any TE on Iowa's roster...despite all having a better WR room to share passes with. Hawk fans considered Lachey a lock for 1st team all-Big 10 and it's looking like he won't even make honorable mention.
5. OL: B-. The OL seems to be a tale of two skill sets. They can be road graders in the run game, but their pass protection is awful. Iowa has more starts on the OLine than any team in the country. Kirk touts himself as an OL guru. So why isn't Iowa's OL a strength this year? Despite not throwing much, the Hawks are 9th in sacks allowed (1.5 sacks per game). That number is deceptive, as Cade rarely steps back in the pocket to launch deep balls. Similarly, despite Johnson being an elite yards after contact back, Iowa ranks 8th in tackles for loss allowed. The worst part is...the cupboard looks to be bare next year with everyone other than Dunker graduating.
6. K: A. Drew Stevens is the most underrated weapon on the team. The guy gets zero hype, yet he's the Big 10's #2 rated kicker, nailing 10 of 11 field goals this year, many at long range. Sure, we all remember the misses, and his 1 miss against Ohio State was a dagger to the heart, but Stevens is an elite college kicker that deserves more praise than he gets.
1. QB: D-. Iowa sits at 17th of 18 Big 10 teams in passing offense. That's REAL bad. Cade McNamara, Jon Budmeyer's highest profile recruit and the Swarm's largest financial investment...sits at 16th in the conference in yards per game at just 132. Sadly, his yards per attempt ranks even worse (DEAD LAST among Big 10 QBs). The numbers are especially bad because several of Cade's 1 yard passes that Kirk himself could have completed were extended 20+ yards by virtue of having an all-American running back who can turn a 1 yard gain into a 20 yard gain. Even Cade's completion percentage on his exclusively short passes is near the bottom of the Big 10 at just 63%. By comparison, five QBs in the conference are well above 70%. QB play is the weakest link on the entire team and no one other than Kirk Ferentz would give Cade a better grade than D-.
2. RB: A+. Unexpectedly, the Hawkeyes rank #1 in the Big 10 in rushing offense. That's unheard of. Despite coming into the season as Iowa's 3rd string RB, Kaleb Johnson ranks #1 in the Big 10 in yards per game, yards per carry, and touchdowns! Pretty amazing considering all the RB talent out there. If the Hawks had simply blocked Iowa State's lucky 54 yrd field goal, Johnson would be on everyone's radar as a Heisman contender. And while second stringer Moulton isn't setting the world on fire, he ranks 4th among Big 10 freshmen in yards per game, so the future is bright at the position.
3. WR: F. Sadly, the running joke about Iowa's WR group being the worst in college football will now continue for a 6th consecutive year. Gone is undertalented & undersized 5 year starter Ragaini, and in comes a new crop of WR recruits no other Power 5 program wanted. Iowa's one playmaker, their 4 star WR OSU transfer Brown, found himself in Kirk's doghouse and bolted mid-season after only catching 1 ball all year. Iowa's #2 receiver, Anderson, has been hurt with a mysterious injury that has lingered for 2 years and has caught a grand total of 1 ball all season. Wetjen, the fastest and most dynamic player on the roster...1 catch all year. Many were high on Buie & Howard returning this year, yet they have a combined...3 catches. With so many recruiting misses, the Hawks are left using the WR talent pulled from the transfer portal last year. What's that you say? The only WR they went out and got was Northwestern's 6th team WR? Yup, and Gill, who couldn't see the field at lowly Northwestern, is Iowa's #1 receiver, averaging just 2.5 catches per game for 169 yards in 6 games. Where does that rank him compared with the rest of the Big 10's receivers? Hard to say because they only list the top 50, and Gill isn't even close to making the list. That means most teams have 3 WRs more productive than Iowa's #1 WR.
4. TE: C-. Tight End U. Who needs average wide receivers when Iowa has its TE NFL pipeline, right? With "all-American and likely 1st round draft pick Luke Lachey" healthy and playing every down, the Hawks will be in good shape. Or not. Halfway through the year and Lachey has just 156 yards, 0 touchdowns. Ostrenga has been a good backup, but he has just 63 receiving yards this year. By comparison, Penn State's TE has 40 catches for 525 yards an 4 touchdowns. Purdue's TE has 352 yards and 2 tds. Michigan's tight end has 30 catches. Washington, Oregon, and Rutgers all have TEs with over 20 catches and Michigan State's TE has over 240 yards. All are putting up better stats than any TE on Iowa's roster...despite all having a better WR room to share passes with. Hawk fans considered Lachey a lock for 1st team all-Big 10 and it's looking like he won't even make honorable mention.
5. OL: B-. The OL seems to be a tale of two skill sets. They can be road graders in the run game, but their pass protection is awful. Iowa has more starts on the OLine than any team in the country. Kirk touts himself as an OL guru. So why isn't Iowa's OL a strength this year? Despite not throwing much, the Hawks are 9th in sacks allowed (1.5 sacks per game). That number is deceptive, as Cade rarely steps back in the pocket to launch deep balls. Similarly, despite Johnson being an elite yards after contact back, Iowa ranks 8th in tackles for loss allowed. The worst part is...the cupboard looks to be bare next year with everyone other than Dunker graduating.
6. K: A. Drew Stevens is the most underrated weapon on the team. The guy gets zero hype, yet he's the Big 10's #2 rated kicker, nailing 10 of 11 field goals this year, many at long range. Sure, we all remember the misses, and his 1 miss against Ohio State was a dagger to the heart, but Stevens is an elite college kicker that deserves more praise than he gets.
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