Iowa started two different quarterbacks last season, senior [autotag]Spencer Petras[/autotag] and junior [autotag]Alex Padilla[/autotag]. Before Padilla earned the starting nod versus Minnesota, Petras had started 17 consecutive games in a row for Iowa dating back to the start of the 2020 season.
Padilla initially stepped in at Northwestern after Petras started but a lingering shoulder injury limited his effectiveness. Padilla led three scoring drives, completed 18-of-28 passes for 172 yards and the Hawkeyes beat Northwestern, 17-12. After throwing for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first official start against Minnesota, Padilla passed for just 83 yards versus Illinois. Then, at Nebraska, Padilla was replaced by Petras in the second half after completing 6-of-14 passes for 76 yards.
Though he was replaced in the third start, Iowa did win all three games Padilla started. Petras owns a 13-5 career record in his own right. Iowa head football coach [autotag]Kirk Ferentz[/autotag] noted that Iowa has won with both Petras and Padilla in his first spring press conference.
“We’re going to let them both play. I think the good news is that we feel they’re both capable of really playing good football for us and our goal is to try to get them to play a little bit better and everybody around them to help them a little bit more. I think really that’s the story of our offense right now,” Ferentz said.
Petras was listed as the starting quarterback with Padilla as the backup in the initial spring depth chart that Iowa released. Redshirt freshman [autotag]Joe Labas[/autotag] was also listed as the No. 3 quarterback for the Hawkeyes as spring begins.
After a season where both Padilla and Petras saw serious action and Labas’ name is mentioned on the first depth chart, it has the makings of a legitimate spring quarterback battle. Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan listed Iowa among his top 2022 spring quarterback battles.
As evidenced last season, the Hawkeyes don’t need a prolific passing game to win the Big Ten’s West Division. A standout (and opportunistic) defense, combined with a few timely plays on offense, was good enough to get to 10-4 last fall and might be enough to claim the division crown again. However, relying on turnovers isn’t a sustainable formula, and Iowa’s offense could relieve some of the pressure on its defense by upping its production (4.5 yards per play in Big Ten games last year). Petras (11 starts) threw for 1,880 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, while Padilla (three starters) contributed 636 yards and two scores through the air. Both quarterbacks had moments of production, but the two players combined to complete 55 percent of their throws and tossed 11 picks. Also, Iowa’s offense generated only eight plays of 30-plus yards in ’21. Padilla and Petras are back in the mix, with Labas, a redshirt freshman, a wild-card name to watch. – Lassan, Athlon Sports.
As Ferentz touched on, Padilla and Petras have a leg up in the experience category.
“Obviously, two guys have a real distinct advantage knowing what to do. So just getting up to the line and getting the ball snapped and having us in the right place. That’s a heck of a start. And it sounds pretty routine and easy. But that for Joe right now, there’s a process to that like any first-year guy. Tate was on, he was the backup as a true freshman, so there’s an exception to the rule.
“But usually if a guy redshirts, like that’s part of the thing right now, is him processing, reading things and just all the ABC stuff. So he’s in a little different category as far as the learning process. It’ll be really interesting for us to watch how much he can pick up and how fast in 15 days. Whereas, both Alex and Spencer have a little bit, obviously an edge there. They’ve played and they’ve been out there when games start and they’ve been there when the games end,” Ferentz said.
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