Try as you might, chances are hope found its way to creep in. That’s only natural and right as a fan.
The Iowa Hawkeyes were once again playing in a Big Ten Championship game after somehow, some way scratching and clawing through the Big Ten West. Sure, the odds were stacked up against Iowa, but any given Saturday, right?
A couple big defensive plays to set up scores. Maybe a special teams play or two. Who knows? Crazier things have happened in college football. Haven’t they?
Unfortunately, Iowa fans’ fears and the nation’s critiques were once again proven accurate. Michigan blanked Iowa, 26-0. And the Wolverines really didn’t look or feel altogether impressive in the victory. Instead, so much of this is the Hawkeyes as the butt of the joke.
An early special teams bust sent the Hawkeyes spiraling, too. Missed tackles and poor angles combined to create an early 87-yard punt return for Michigan’s Semaj Morgan.
That was one instance out of two that set up Michigan’s only two touchdowns in the game, both of which started inside the Iowa 6-yard line. Senior Wolverine running back Blake Corum promptly punched it in from two yards out and it was 10-0 Michigan with 1:07 remaining in the first quarter.
It felt like it in the moment, and it was confirmed as the game rolled along. The Big Ten Championship game was over right then and there. Against a defense like Michigan’s, Iowa can’t afford to surrender or survive an 87-yard punt return that sets up a score and expect to win.
This isn’t any sort of commentary about Iowa’s special teams failures, though. That special teams breakdown was of course costly, but everything boils back down to Iowa’s offensive ineptitude. Like so many other occasions over the past three seasons, the Hawkeye offense embarrassed its world-class defense in the Big Ten Championship game.
As Iowa’s defense forced six Michigan punts and limited the Wolverines to four James Turner field goals and just 213 yards of total offense, its offense proceeded to turn the football over three times.
Given chance after chance to turn the Big Ten title game into something interesting from inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the Hawkeyes simply weren’t and aren’t good enough offensively to do just that.
The Hawkeyes represented their national rankings appropriately versus Michigan. The country’s worst total offense coming in, Iowa was hapless on the biggest stage. The Hawkeyes finished with just seven first downs and 155 yards of total offense in their second shutout loss of the season.
Though there was definite controversy on the first Deacon Hill fumble, it was set up by the Hawkeyes’ inability to pass protect and was another example of Iowa’s sophomore quarterback not protecting the football. His third-quarter fumble set Michigan up at the Iowa 6-yard line after the Hawkeyes were assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the turnover’s aftermath.
Corum immediately raced in for a 6-yard touchdown scamper and any final hopes were effectively dead.
It would be disingenuous to not acknowledge that some of Iowa’s best laid offensive plans were broken due to injuries to a trio of key offensive stars. Senior starting quarterback Cade McNamara was lost for the season back in Week 5 against Michigan State. Junior tight end Luke Lachey was lost for the season earlier than that versus Western Michigan and senior tight end Erick All was lost for the season versus Wisconsin, too.
All three were supposed to be foundational pieces for the Hawkeyes this season. Surely Iowa would have been a better offensive unit with that trio healthy alongside the rest of their offensive weaponry.
Having said that, there were already plenty of signs in the season’s first month that McNamara wasn’t going to provide the type of offensive spark for this Hawkeye offense that fans hoped and wished for. Maybe that was due more to the quad injury McNamara sustained during Kids’ Day at Kinnick, but there were reasons to be concerned about the direction Iowa’s offense was headed even with its full arsenal of personnel.
If there’s any solace from the Big Ten Championship shutout, it’s that this era of Iowa football might actually just be about over. Or, at least seriously modified and upgraded. Obviously, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has already been informed that he won’t be returning in 2024.
What does that mean for Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz? Is he actually going to stick around and lead the Hawkeyes into the future?
And, if he does, will he genuinely be willing to make the necessary changes to push this program forward in a positive direction? Enough of this current version of Ferentz-ball. It’s time for legitimately fresh and new ideas in Iowa City. Bring a bright, young offensive coordinator in and let that individual run their offense with minimal oversight.
None of this is to completely boo-hoo away the seventh 10-win regular season in Hawkeye history. Hawkeye fans have a lot to be thankful for and the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Iowa accomplished something historic during this regular season, but they didn’t do it against either Penn State or Michigan. In those games, the opposite reality of Iowa football showed up, too.
Multiple things can be true. The Hawkeyes have won 18 games the past two seasons and a number of programs would love to trade places with that. But, Iowa has done it in spite of their offense. The Hawkeyes have done it in spite of an offense that is a national laughingstock, and in spite of one that’s kept Iowa from winning multiple Big Ten Championships.
Each of the past two defenses were good enough to win in Indy and perhaps in the College Football Playoff. Iowa wasted both of those units’ full potential.
Hawkeye fans have every right to be upset about that and it’s time for the fan base to stop accepting 2021, 2022 or 2023 as this program’s ceiling. In this new-look college football world, Iowa is desirable within the Big Ten.
Its defense and special teams are elite. Now, let the demands begin again. Let’s fix this Iowa offense.
Dream big. Keep those hopes alive. Ask for more, expect more. Enough is enough already.
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