Iowa’s offensive line is a very fluid unit, but Iowa was able to overcome in the win over Illinois.
By Ryan Rodriguez |  [email protected]

Iowa’s 29-20 win over Illinois Oct. 10 felt like Groundhog Day for Hawkeye quarterback C.J. Beathard.

More often than not, Beathard found himself amid a rapidly collapsing pocket, forced to make quick decisions and improvise with his feet to keep from avoiding a sack.

And just like every game so far this year, it didn’t end up costing the Hawkeyes. They’ve earned their bowl-game eligibility.

But after more injuries and turnover on the offensive line (starting tackles Boone Myers and sophomore Ike Boettger were inactive and limited, respectively), it raises the question: How much longer can the Hawks sustain such inconsistent line play without it coming back to bite them?

“A lot of ups and downs, especially in the first half, a lot of turbulence,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “But that’s football. We knew they were better, and they threw some stuff at us today that was a little bit out of character for them, too.”

Yes, the offensive line improved as the game went on; junior Cole Croston and freshman James Daniels settled in, most notably in the second half when Ferentz switched to a more run-heavy offense that allowed the line to create holes for senior tailback Jordan Canzeri.

But it would have been hard to get much worse early.

Facing an aggressive blitz from the Illini, the Hawkeyes were overmatched on the pass rush. Beathard, a redshirt junior, had to go almost exclusively to shotgun just to have time to get a throw off, and even then, there were times when he was hurried.

The Illinois defense finished the day with 5 quarterback hurries and 7 tackles for loss.

“They did some things, to their credit, little wrinkles that made it a little tough on us, and some of it is just fundamental stuff,” Ferentz said. “But we’ll get that corrected, and we’ll try to make some improvement here this coming week and get ready for another challenge.”

To iterate, it didn’t end up costing the Hawks the game. But at some point, something has to give.

And considering next week’s matchup against a Northwestern defense that’s ranked second among Big Ten pass defenses, the sooner things on the line get settled, the better.

That starts with getting healthy.

“I always try to look at how we performed as a unit,” sophomore guard Sean Welsh said. “Our philosophy’s always been the next man in. It doesn’t matter who goes down or what happens, it’s the next guy that has to step up.”

The offensive line has been besieged by injuries, to the point where Daniels was forced to play the majority of the game at right tackle, a switch Ferentz has done just a handful of times at Iowa.

It’s been an uphill battle and a frustrating one. But they can’t concern themselves with it, senior center Austin Blythe said.

“You can never worry about it, you just have to trust that you have guys ready who can step in and play,” he said. “It’s what we had to do today, and I thought the guys who stepped in did a really good job.”

Getting the sophomore Myers back from an injury that kept him out of the lineup against the Illini would be a huge boost, as would the return of senior guard Jordan Walsh’s health.

Iowa’s offensive line has been dealt a rotten hand with injuries, but now it’s up to the players to make the most out of it.

“It comes down to all 11 guys going what they’re supposed to be doing,” Blythe said. “I think we’re the kind of team that if we do stuff like that, good things are going to happen.”