I thought I was about as pessimistic about the Iowa Hawkeye offense as I could be and yet I undersold it by a lot. The defense was as elite as I thought they would be and Tory Taylor made it as difficult as possible for the Jackrabbits to get anything going but the offense keep SDSU in the game all day. The offensive line wasn’t great, the WRs weren’t great, the offensive game plan was nonexistent and Spencer Petras was downright awful. Kirk Ferentz can talk about “cleaning things up” and how everyone has responsibility but his coach speak is absolutely tiresome. The only reason this was the Almost Disaster Game is because Iowa’s defense won it, they may not be so lucky next week and they certainly won’t be this lucky in Big Ten play.
Petras may look good during practice but it’s easy to look good when the defense isn’t allowed to hit you. When the “bullets are flying”, so to speak, Petras is bad. His footwork is terrible, his mechanics fall apart and he can’t complete the simplest of passes. Even when he gets time in the pocket, he rushes as if he’s under duress, and misses open receivers. His throws are behind guys, over guys, or five feet out in front of guys (he should apologize to Sam LaPorta, Leshon Williams, Alec Wick, and many others). Understanding the offense in theory and completing passes in controlled practice environments is nice but Ferentz needs to take off his rose-colored glasses and watch Petras during the games. I understand it’s a tough watch, I know, I did it myself, it’s no fun watching abject failure, but that’s the job.
I’ve been as apprehensive as anyone of turning the offense over to Alex Padilla. He didn’t show me anything last year that makes me think he’s the absolute answer to solve the QB problems but you have to at least start there. Give him a chance to see if he can step up in a game atmosphere, he wasn’t great last year but he wasn’t Petras-level bad. His ability to move around should be helpful behind an offensive line that still isn’t a sure thing. If he doesn’t take control of the offense, what’s the harm in giving Joe Labas a shot? The book on Labas is that he isn’t great at running the designed offense but when it breaks down, he’s really good at improvising. From what I saw on Saturday, this offense could use some creativity, even if it’s just coming from a QB who’s making it up as he goes.
The offensive line had it’s struggles, it couldn’t get any push in the running game but that’s hard to do when the defense isn’t remotely scared of your QB or your passing game. The pass blocking has some holes too and it certainly isn’t going to get an easier next week against Iowa St. The Jackrabbits had a solid defensive line but they didn’t have anyone like ISU’s Will McDonald. Spencer Petras is a statue in the pocket and that isn’t going to bode well against a better pass rusher. I have confidence the offensive line can get better, they have talent, but they aren’t going to be great by next week and this offense isn’t doing them any favors. The play calling is unimaginative, Petras always holds the ball at least a second too long, and it’s hard to run block when there’s always eight or nine guys in the box. The running game won’t get going as long as Iowa’s opponents don’t respect the passing game and after watching Petras on Saturday, no one is scared of Iowa’s passing game except Iowa fans.
The defense was as elite as I thought it would be even without getting much rest since the offense couldn’t sustain a drive for any reasonable amount of time. Tory Taylor was an absolute star as a punter and Iowa doesn’t come close to winning this game without his excellence and that of the special team’s coverage units. I respect the man Kirk Ferentz has always been but his inability to see what is right in front of him is going to diminish his on field legacy at Iowa. His refusal to acknowledge the obvious problems with his offense is simply unacceptable. People like to talk about a coach who led his team to 10 wins and a Big Ten West title last season, but just think of what the Hawkeyes could have been if the offense was even remotely competent. I said I thought Iowa’s defense could be top five in the country, and I truly believe it. With this defense the Hawkeyes might win the West again even if the offense is bottom ten in the country. But what if Iowa could field an offense at some point that was top fifty in the country? (That’s really not asking much) That team could make a College Football Playoff push. That team would certainly be playing in a major bowl game. It’s simply a dereliction of duty for Ferentz to continue to trot out an offense that is this bad, it has gone on too long. I hate to say this but either the head coach makes a change or the head coach has to change.
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