The senior Iowa quarterback led the charge against Iowa State in a 42-3 Hawkeye victory.
By Courtney Baumann
If there’s one thing C.J. Beathard has proven throughout his career as starting quarterback for Iowa it’s that he is athletic.
That athleticism was on display Sept. 10 against Iowa State, in which the senior threw for 235 yards with 3 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing. His quarterback rating was a sky-high 173.7 in the ever-so-important rivalry game.
But there’s one other thing that may not be so obvious about Beathard. He is smart — really smart.
Sometimes, the coaches aren’t the ones even calling the plays. They let Beathard do it.
“I don’t know if [people] get to see even a fraction of what he does for us from a leadership role,” wide receiver Matt VandeBerg said. “There are times that we go out on the field and just call a formation, and he puts us in the right play because he knows his football.”
Just two games into the season, Beathard has shown his ability to call the plays that make an impact, such as the 12-yard check pass to VandeBerg for a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Beathard credits his knack for making plays to VandeBerg’s ability to read defenses, but VandeBerg does the same, except the other way around.
On that play, the defense blitzed, and Beathard felt pressure on the side, so he moved and threw it up for VandeBerg in the near right corner of the end zone.
He caught it and put the Hawkeyes up, 14-0.
Beathard kept the tempo up throughout the rest of the game and felt good about it.
“I think certain games, when you get a couple of completions, you kind of get a groove and start to roll a bit,” Beathard said. “I think this was one of those games, where not only was I throwing the ball more, but guys were making plays that needed to be made.”
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz knows how successful the team can be with Beathard under center, and he made sure to note how hard the quarterback works.
“He’s got great confidence, I think, and sees things out there pretty well,” Ferentz said. “He prepares hard. He’s a smart guy and prepares hard. C.J.’s an outstanding player.”
Ferentz is never one to look deep into or really even care about rankings, and he believes the same when it comes to watch lists for awards, the Heisman in particular.
He does, however, see the potential in his senior quarterback. Ferentz compared his potential with that of Brad Banks, who was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 2002.
“Nobody knew who Brad Banks was in September,” Ferentz said. “So you let things talk for themselves. Let your actions speak for themselves.
“My theory on that one is kind of like your team: If you’re good enough, people will recognize it, and you’ll be where you should be in the end.
