IowaLaw went back and rewatched the 7-3 barnburner to seek glimmers of hope that could be gleaned from this abysmal offense. What stood out came as a shock. The poor play by Sam LaPorta.
Most know that LaPorta hoped to declare for the NFL this past offseason. He had a productive year as the focal point of a WR-less offense benefiting from a check down QB who rarely throws to WRs. The scouts advised him to return to Iowa and prove he can catch and block. It was expected that LaPorta would be the saving grace to this year’s offense.
While most overlooked that he led the team in drops last year (more than even Tracey), hands appear to be a huge concern again this year.
Against SDSU, LaPorta had FOUR different passes bounce off his hands in the first half and dropped a FIFTH easy catch thrown right on the numbers in the second half (the play that was revised to see if he ever had possession before his drop out of bounds).
Granted, the passes were Petras thrown balls, so many were off target bullets that required some adjusting, but all were balls that directly hit Iowa’s top receiving threat in his hands. Of the 5 drops, 2 were extremely catchable 3rd down catches that would have moved the chains. The other 3 passes were poorly thrown balls that most NFL caliber prospects (like Hock or Kittle in years past) would have found a way to catch.
As for his blocking…yikes. LaPorta’s strength has always been on the receiving end. Petras was pressured and hit in multiple occasions vs this IAA opponent thanks to LaPorta whifs.
Has LaPorta lost focus or was this just an off game? Time will tell, but he certainly didn’t do Petras any favors yesterday.
Most know that LaPorta hoped to declare for the NFL this past offseason. He had a productive year as the focal point of a WR-less offense benefiting from a check down QB who rarely throws to WRs. The scouts advised him to return to Iowa and prove he can catch and block. It was expected that LaPorta would be the saving grace to this year’s offense.
While most overlooked that he led the team in drops last year (more than even Tracey), hands appear to be a huge concern again this year.
Against SDSU, LaPorta had FOUR different passes bounce off his hands in the first half and dropped a FIFTH easy catch thrown right on the numbers in the second half (the play that was revised to see if he ever had possession before his drop out of bounds).
Granted, the passes were Petras thrown balls, so many were off target bullets that required some adjusting, but all were balls that directly hit Iowa’s top receiving threat in his hands. Of the 5 drops, 2 were extremely catchable 3rd down catches that would have moved the chains. The other 3 passes were poorly thrown balls that most NFL caliber prospects (like Hock or Kittle in years past) would have found a way to catch.
As for his blocking…yikes. LaPorta’s strength has always been on the receiving end. Petras was pressured and hit in multiple occasions vs this IAA opponent thanks to LaPorta whifs.
Has LaPorta lost focus or was this just an off game? Time will tell, but he certainly didn’t do Petras any favors yesterday.
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