By Jordan Hansen
By now, the disappointment, while bitter, has to have faded a bit for Iowa fans.
Losing to North Dakota State was not good for the Hawkeyes by any stretch of the imagination, and it revealed some flaws in the team. Now, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has to fix a whole bunch of things, and there’s not a whole lot of time to do so.
Yards lost from sacks: 49 (12th-worst in the Big Ten)
Iowa starting quarterback C.J. Beathard is taking a lot of hits this year.
In part, this is because of shuffling the offensive line. Guard Keegan Render made his first career start against North Dakota State, while center Lucas LeGrand made his second. Both are sophomores and struggled mightily against the Bison after playing fairly well against Iowa State on Sept. 10.
North Dakota State should get credit here for attacking and confusing them continually. The Bison defensive line was experienced, well-coached, and won in the trenches against the Hawkeyes.
However, it wasn’t just LeGrand and Render who struggled; Cole Croston had some very bad moments. His worst came early in the game, when he allowed a linebacker to hit Beathard nearly untouched, and the quarterback threw an interception as the ball flew out of his hand.
Iowa has Sean Welsh and James Daniels listed as the starters this week, which will help, but if they suffer a setback before Rutgers, there might be trouble once again.
Offensive yards per game: 356.7 (13th in the Big Ten)
For starters, this is partially because of the measly 34 rushing yards the Hawkeyes managed to gain against the Bison.
Iowa could get absolutely nothing going on the ground after rushing for 212 and 198 yards in its first two games. The Hawkeyes running game this year is basically LeShun Daniels Jr. and Akrum Wadley.
When neither of them can get going, Iowa’s offense is basically Beathard, wide receiver Matt VandeBerg, and tight end George Kittle. That is not ideal. Last year the Hawkeyes had quite a few more weapons, including running back Jordan Canzeri, whose consistency they are dearly missing this season.
Can things get better?
Perhaps. Both Daniels and Wadley have had good moments, and Beathard has thrown the ball very well so far. However, the offense needs to improve or this season could get out of hand quickly.
Desmond King kickoff yardage per return: 27.50 yards (2nd in the Big Ten)
One bright spot so far this year has been cornerback and returner Desmond King’s play.
No one has really thrown his way this year, but he has played well on special teams and in run support. His biggest impact has been on kick returns, and he’s noticeably better at it than last year.
King is finding holes in the coverage and using his speed to exploit them. Certainly, he wasn’t bad at returning last season, but he’s certainly more confident in doing so.
Ball security does remain a slight issue, though, as he nearly lost a punt return at the end of the second quarter against North Dakota State. Luckily for him, it rolled out of bounds, and Iowa retained possession.
King still does not have a kick or punt returned for a touchdown, and he’s visibly frustrated when he gets close to one. It’s not hard to imagine he’ll break at least one for a score this season.
