Iowa’s defense is vulnerable against the pass, and it starts with a lack of pressure.

By Charlie Green
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One couldn’t have scripted Iowa’s last home game of 2015 much better. With their 40-20 victory over Purdue, the Hawkeyes clinched the Big Ten West, moved to 11-0, and honored a group of seniors who have led the team into national prominence in 2015.

But it didn’t progress without its share of woes for the group, particularly against the pass.

“There were definitely some holes in the back end,” linebacker Cole Fisher said. “It’s all fixable though, we just need to take a look at the film and see what the problem was.”

Purdue passes more than any team in the Big Ten because of exactly what was seen on Nov. 21 — it tends to get behind quickly. The 20-0 lead Iowa built in the first half ensured that the Boilermakers were going to air it out. What ensued during a 13-0 Boilermaker run could be a concern for the No. 3 (AP) Hawkeyes, who were No. 5 in the College Football Poll on Nov. 17.

Iowa never trailed during its 11th victory of the season, but it still showed an increasingly troubling trend: the inability to put teams away when it has them on the ropes.

Since the bye week following their victory against Northwestern on Oct. 17, the Hawks have built a double-digit lead in each game and have allowed each opponent to climb back in. It highlights a key area that could doom the team against more potent passing attacks: pressure.

If there’s one thing that can bury an opposing offense trying to come from behind, it’s getting to the quarterback. Even if the Hawks don’t always come away with a sack, consistent pressure will rush quarterbacks’ reads, disrupting the rhythm of the offense and increasing the likelihood of forcing a turnover. It can set a shorter timer in a quarterback’s head to get rid of the ball even when receivers might not be open.

After safety Jordan Lomax knocked out Purdue starting quarterback David Blough on a crushing collision in the first half, in came junior Austin Appleby — a player relegated to the backup role after struggling early this season.

In fact, Purdue’s first play from scrimmage this season featured a pick-6 from Appleby to Marshall’s Tiquan Lang. Later, when the team had a chance to take the lead with under two minutes to play, the same thing happened: Lang intercepted him and took it to the house to put the stamp on the Marshall win.

But when Appleby entered the game against Iowa, he resembled a different player. The junior frequently took his time in the comfort of an incredibly stable pocket, showcasing arm strength and accuracy in picking apart the Iowa defense.

If you take away his 4-touchdown game against Indiana State (a 5-6 Football Championship Subdivision squad) in the second week, he went40-of-76 for 380 yards through two games, with 1 touchdown and 6 interceptions.

Against Iowa, he went 23-of-40 for 259 yards with 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Credit Appleby; while he cooled off at the end, overall, he played a great game.

Hawkeye cornerback Desmond King credited communication breakdowns to the Boilermakers’ effectiveness through the air.

“Just the communication in the back end, that’s pretty much everything we have throughout the week is the communication from one corner to the others idea of the field to the other corner,” King said. “That’s where we’re going to have to execute more.”

Several other Hawkeyes pointed to miscommunication on the back end as a reason for the struggles, which is true. But while the coverage was often beaten, and at times defenders looked out of place. If any quarterback is given enough time as Appleby was, there’s only so much linebackers and defensive backs can do.

That, more than anything, was Iowa’s problem against Purdue. And if Michigan State survives Penn State next week, Connor Cook will be unquestionably the best passer Iowa has seen all season.

“[There’s] definitely some stuff that we need to correct, as far as eye discipline and communication.” safety Jordan Lomax said. “Hats off to them for the execution, but going forward, we just need to continue to get better in practice and just continue to keep playing together.”

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