What did we learn?
Iowa's run game looked better in the opening game of the 2019 season.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport
@hawkeyereport
Week one of the Iowa football season is in the books.
There’s no week in the season where we learn more than after the first week. All the questions that we had headed into the season or addressed, one way or another, and we have plenty to discuss.
So, let’s get started with what did we learn this week.
1. I’m not sure how many times we have written about Iowa’s run game since the end of the season, but it’s quite a bit. It’s been the biggest theme of the off-season and the good news for Iowa is the run game looks better.
Iowa rushed for 213 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Now, it’s a one game sample, but it’s a marked improvement from last season when Iowa averaged 148 yards per game and just under four yards per carry.
Even with the offensive line having to scramble a bit with the knee injury to Alaric Jackson, they stayed consistent in getting a good push up front and opening holes for Mekhi Sargent, Toren Young, and late in the game for true freshman Tyler Goodson.
Speaking of the backs, I thought they also showed improvement. Sargent rushed for a team high 91 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry. He was more decisive in his cuts and decisions and that really paid off.
2. Since we brought up Jackson and his injury, this is a good spot to discuss him. There was more than little concern about Jackson when he was leaving the field walking with crutches.
Kirk Ferentz offered up an update on Sunday night and essentially said he would likely avoid surgery, which is a significant positive development. That means he’s not in a season ending surgery situation. However, Ferentz said he would miss some time. The best guess is that Jackson will miss the next two weeks. Then Iowa has a bye followed by a home game against Middle Tennessee State. They can probably get by that game without Jackson, so the best guess is look for his return when the Hawkeyes travel to Michigan on October 5th.
3. What will the Iowa offensive line look like without Jackson?
The Hawkeye coaches weren’t shy about playing musical chairs with the offensive line once Jackson left the game. Tristan Wirfs moved, at least for a period of time, over to left tackle. Levi Paulsen moved from guard to tackle. Kyler Schott moved in at guard and did a terrific job in his 53 snaps. Mark Kallenberger got a look at tackle and did well.
We will get an updated depth chart on Monday, so anything I write would be a guess. I do wonder if Iowa will go with Levi Paulsen at right tackle, Wirfs at left tackle, and keep Kyler Schott in at guard. That’s my gut feel on things. If they do something different, then my guess will be Kallenberger at left tackle, Wirfs at right tackle, and Levi Paulsen back at guard.
4. One of the hot topics in the first week of the season is always true freshmen playing. It’s not as big of a story these days because of the four game rule for redshirting, but it is still an interesting topic.
Kirk Ferentz has kind of hinted at the different options, like holding back a few players who might be able to help late in the year or perhaps throwing a player out there and seeing how they do and go from there.
On Saturday, all the freshmen who saw action were on the offensive side of the ball. The most extensive playing time went to running back Tyler Goodson. Has he jumped up to third on the depth chart or was this just a case of sending a freshman out there in a game that was decided and see how he does? FWIW, I thought Goodson looked very good.
Desmond Hutson also played a few snaps at wide receiver. It’s already a little crowded at the position, especially with Max Cooper now getting closer to being back in the mix, but this one is worth monitoring.
Sam LaPorta is probably similar to Hutson, expect there’s probably an opening at tight end. Iowa played Nate Wieting and Shaun Beyer for most of the snaps on Saturday. I think there’s certainly a door open for LaPorta this year.
Perhaps the most interesting true freshman of this group is Justin Britt. It’s long been said that the closer you are to the ball the harder it is to play in your first year, but Britt is going to be a player to watch moving forward. While he only had five snaps on Saturday, I think that workload could ramp up sooner rather than later.
5. Speaking of young players who made an impact in the opener, it’s always good when the center’s name only comes up with positive comments. That’s the case with Tyler Linderbaum, who made his first career start in the win over Miami (OH). He graded out very well according to Pro Football Focus and had a terrific performance. Perhaps he was almost too good because on one play he manhandled the RedHawks lineman so good that he essentially threw him into the back of Alaric Jackson’s leg that cause his injury.
6. I was really impressed by Kristian Welch at middle linebacker.
He’s one of those guys that has quietly flown under the radar in the past year, but I think that’s going to change. He probably played his best game as a Hawkeye on Saturday and did a very good job of getting guys in the right spots and making plays. Kirk Ferentz always looks for a good senior story and the first chapter for Welch was a good one.
7. One of the funnier moments in the interviews after the game was with Oliver Martin. As I’ve written many times, Martin is publicity shy. He’s not a guy who seeks out interviews and attention. Honestly, he’d probably go the opposite direction if given a choice.
Martin had to talk after Saturday’s game. He caught a touchdown pass in his first game in an Iowa uniform, so he’s sort of obligated to speak with the media. At one point he was asked about being happy about getting the chance to just talk about football and he got a smile on his face. The positive for Martin is now he will only have to talk about football. After years of recruiting questions and transfer drama, he has a new home in Iowa City for the rest of his college career and he can focus on football.
8. It was kind of surprising that Iowa played very little of their 4-2-5 defense in the first game. Phil Parker had basically said that’s who he thought they were going to be from a defensive perspective moving forward, except against teams like Wisconsin, where you might need to stay in the traditional 4-3 look most of the time.
Part of the reasoning might have been some early struggles by “Cash” position player D.J. Johnson. Early in the second quarter, Miami (OH) completed a 20 yard pass to Luke Mayock to the one yard line and Michael Ojemudia was visibly upset with Johnson on the play. Clearly it was a blown coverage situation and after that, Johnson’s reps were limited.
It should be noted that Nick Niemann played very well at linebacker. That could also be part of the season for the Hawkeyes sticking with the more traditional look. Anyway, something worth monitoring early in the year is what type of defense Iowa stays in. Heading into the year I figured Iowa would be playing the 4-2-5 quite a bit and now I’m not as certain about that.
9. Speaking of special defensive sets, you had to feel good for Amani Jones.
One year ago, Jones was the starting middle linebacker for the Hawkeyes until he wasn’t after a couple of series. Jones was struggling and pulled from the lineup in favor of Jack Hockaday.
To his credit, Jones never sulked about it. He continued to play well on special teams all season long and fill an important role as a team leader. This spring he moved to a rush end specialist role and he seems to have found a home. While his snaps were limited, Jones got home one time and it was like he was shot out of a cannon. It’s really good to see a guy like Jones have success on the field in his senior season.
10. Staying with the redemption storyline, how about Keith Duncan. When we last saw him as an active player that was two Outback Bowls ago. After kicking a game winning field goal against Michigan, he lost the starting spot to Miguel Recinos the past two seasons.
It looked like he might not get the job with Recinos gone. He was in a battle with Caleb Shudak for the starting spot and for most of spring ball and into fall camp, he was probably second on the depth chart. The race was tight and Kirk Ferentz decided this past week to go with Duncan. He was perfect on PAT’s and made his only field goal on Saturday.
Iowa's run game looked better in the opening game of the 2019 season.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport
@hawkeyereport
Week one of the Iowa football season is in the books.
There’s no week in the season where we learn more than after the first week. All the questions that we had headed into the season or addressed, one way or another, and we have plenty to discuss.
So, let’s get started with what did we learn this week.
1. I’m not sure how many times we have written about Iowa’s run game since the end of the season, but it’s quite a bit. It’s been the biggest theme of the off-season and the good news for Iowa is the run game looks better.
Iowa rushed for 213 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Now, it’s a one game sample, but it’s a marked improvement from last season when Iowa averaged 148 yards per game and just under four yards per carry.
Even with the offensive line having to scramble a bit with the knee injury to Alaric Jackson, they stayed consistent in getting a good push up front and opening holes for Mekhi Sargent, Toren Young, and late in the game for true freshman Tyler Goodson.
Speaking of the backs, I thought they also showed improvement. Sargent rushed for a team high 91 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry. He was more decisive in his cuts and decisions and that really paid off.
2. Since we brought up Jackson and his injury, this is a good spot to discuss him. There was more than little concern about Jackson when he was leaving the field walking with crutches.
Kirk Ferentz offered up an update on Sunday night and essentially said he would likely avoid surgery, which is a significant positive development. That means he’s not in a season ending surgery situation. However, Ferentz said he would miss some time. The best guess is that Jackson will miss the next two weeks. Then Iowa has a bye followed by a home game against Middle Tennessee State. They can probably get by that game without Jackson, so the best guess is look for his return when the Hawkeyes travel to Michigan on October 5th.
3. What will the Iowa offensive line look like without Jackson?
The Hawkeye coaches weren’t shy about playing musical chairs with the offensive line once Jackson left the game. Tristan Wirfs moved, at least for a period of time, over to left tackle. Levi Paulsen moved from guard to tackle. Kyler Schott moved in at guard and did a terrific job in his 53 snaps. Mark Kallenberger got a look at tackle and did well.
We will get an updated depth chart on Monday, so anything I write would be a guess. I do wonder if Iowa will go with Levi Paulsen at right tackle, Wirfs at left tackle, and keep Kyler Schott in at guard. That’s my gut feel on things. If they do something different, then my guess will be Kallenberger at left tackle, Wirfs at right tackle, and Levi Paulsen back at guard.
4. One of the hot topics in the first week of the season is always true freshmen playing. It’s not as big of a story these days because of the four game rule for redshirting, but it is still an interesting topic.
Kirk Ferentz has kind of hinted at the different options, like holding back a few players who might be able to help late in the year or perhaps throwing a player out there and seeing how they do and go from there.
On Saturday, all the freshmen who saw action were on the offensive side of the ball. The most extensive playing time went to running back Tyler Goodson. Has he jumped up to third on the depth chart or was this just a case of sending a freshman out there in a game that was decided and see how he does? FWIW, I thought Goodson looked very good.
Desmond Hutson also played a few snaps at wide receiver. It’s already a little crowded at the position, especially with Max Cooper now getting closer to being back in the mix, but this one is worth monitoring.
Sam LaPorta is probably similar to Hutson, expect there’s probably an opening at tight end. Iowa played Nate Wieting and Shaun Beyer for most of the snaps on Saturday. I think there’s certainly a door open for LaPorta this year.
Perhaps the most interesting true freshman of this group is Justin Britt. It’s long been said that the closer you are to the ball the harder it is to play in your first year, but Britt is going to be a player to watch moving forward. While he only had five snaps on Saturday, I think that workload could ramp up sooner rather than later.
5. Speaking of young players who made an impact in the opener, it’s always good when the center’s name only comes up with positive comments. That’s the case with Tyler Linderbaum, who made his first career start in the win over Miami (OH). He graded out very well according to Pro Football Focus and had a terrific performance. Perhaps he was almost too good because on one play he manhandled the RedHawks lineman so good that he essentially threw him into the back of Alaric Jackson’s leg that cause his injury.
6. I was really impressed by Kristian Welch at middle linebacker.
He’s one of those guys that has quietly flown under the radar in the past year, but I think that’s going to change. He probably played his best game as a Hawkeye on Saturday and did a very good job of getting guys in the right spots and making plays. Kirk Ferentz always looks for a good senior story and the first chapter for Welch was a good one.
7. One of the funnier moments in the interviews after the game was with Oliver Martin. As I’ve written many times, Martin is publicity shy. He’s not a guy who seeks out interviews and attention. Honestly, he’d probably go the opposite direction if given a choice.
Martin had to talk after Saturday’s game. He caught a touchdown pass in his first game in an Iowa uniform, so he’s sort of obligated to speak with the media. At one point he was asked about being happy about getting the chance to just talk about football and he got a smile on his face. The positive for Martin is now he will only have to talk about football. After years of recruiting questions and transfer drama, he has a new home in Iowa City for the rest of his college career and he can focus on football.
8. It was kind of surprising that Iowa played very little of their 4-2-5 defense in the first game. Phil Parker had basically said that’s who he thought they were going to be from a defensive perspective moving forward, except against teams like Wisconsin, where you might need to stay in the traditional 4-3 look most of the time.
Part of the reasoning might have been some early struggles by “Cash” position player D.J. Johnson. Early in the second quarter, Miami (OH) completed a 20 yard pass to Luke Mayock to the one yard line and Michael Ojemudia was visibly upset with Johnson on the play. Clearly it was a blown coverage situation and after that, Johnson’s reps were limited.
It should be noted that Nick Niemann played very well at linebacker. That could also be part of the season for the Hawkeyes sticking with the more traditional look. Anyway, something worth monitoring early in the year is what type of defense Iowa stays in. Heading into the year I figured Iowa would be playing the 4-2-5 quite a bit and now I’m not as certain about that.
9. Speaking of special defensive sets, you had to feel good for Amani Jones.
One year ago, Jones was the starting middle linebacker for the Hawkeyes until he wasn’t after a couple of series. Jones was struggling and pulled from the lineup in favor of Jack Hockaday.
To his credit, Jones never sulked about it. He continued to play well on special teams all season long and fill an important role as a team leader. This spring he moved to a rush end specialist role and he seems to have found a home. While his snaps were limited, Jones got home one time and it was like he was shot out of a cannon. It’s really good to see a guy like Jones have success on the field in his senior season.
10. Staying with the redemption storyline, how about Keith Duncan. When we last saw him as an active player that was two Outback Bowls ago. After kicking a game winning field goal against Michigan, he lost the starting spot to Miguel Recinos the past two seasons.
It looked like he might not get the job with Recinos gone. He was in a battle with Caleb Shudak for the starting spot and for most of spring ball and into fall camp, he was probably second on the depth chart. The race was tight and Kirk Ferentz decided this past week to go with Duncan. He was perfect on PAT’s and made his only field goal on Saturday.
