C.J. Beathard’s long ball is a weapon in a multitude of ways.

By Jordan Hansen
[email protected]

Four games into the season, one of Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard’s biggest weapons — his deep ball — is blossoming and becoming one of Iowa’s best assets on offense.

Beathard averages 8.7 yards per attempt this season, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten. Last year, he averaged 7.0 per attempt, and Jake Rudock averaged 7.1.

Those two metrics are much more significant than what they might seem. In fact, if Beathard averaged 7.0 this year, he would rank ninth in the conference, just in front of Rudock, who averages 6.7 per attempt at Michigan.

[RELATED: Why is Iowa so successful throwing downfield? Take a look at the film to find out.]

Much of Beathard’s uptick has to do with wide receiver Tevaun Smith.

“This off-season and spring ball, we’ve gotten more reps with each other than we ever have before,” Beathard said. “I know what he’s thinking, and he knows what I’m thinking.”

The Beathard-to-Smith connection has heated up over the last two games. Smith had an 81-yard touchdown against North Texas and a 51-yard catch against Pittsburgh.

With those catches, he now ranks third in the conference in yards-per-catch. His 19.58 average is a huge jump from the 13.86 — which ranked 14th in the Big Ten — he had last year.

Beathard has a lot of trust in his wide receivers — especially Smith. The senior has done a good job this season protecting the ball, but sending a deep route down the field always carries a risk that the pass might be intercepted.

However, Smith and the rest of Iowa’s receivers seem extremely comfortable in the offense and rarely look lost on the field.

“Guys are getting more confidence, [Beathard is] getting more confidence, and I’m getting more confidence,” Smith said. “The chemistry is still developing, and that’s helping on the deep throws.”

Smith’s playmaking ability isn’t a secret, and he often draws more coverage. The downfield threat also doesn’t allow opponents to stack the box — something teams have long done to the Hawkeyes.

Iowa’s reliable running game is also paying dividends. The play-action has worked very well for Beathard this year, and he’s used it on several times on deep throws, most noticeably on Smith’s aforementioned 81-yarder.

The downfield passing attack has also opened up the medium and short passing game as well. Wide receiver Matt VandeBerg is absolutely thriving in his role as a possession wide receiver, and he sits at second in the Big Ten in receptions with 25.

“We have a lot of playmakers on the perimeter,” wide receiver Matt VandeBerg said. “[C.J.] has great vision — he always knows where to go with the ball.”

Recently, Beathard has also looked at the tight ends as downfield threats. George Kittle had a 43-yard touchdown pass against North Texas on a simple out route.

Both Kittle and Henry Krieger Coble lined up as standing tight ends, and Kittle slipped to the outside. Beathard hasn’t used the tight ends much until the recent weeks — especially with Jake Duzey injured — but Kittle and Coble are both showing they’re another reliable option.

With all the weapons around Beathard, the Hawkeyes truly do have a reliable aerial attack. It’s putting other teams off balance and is a major reason Iowa is 4-0 to start the season.

“It puts defenses in a bind,” Kittle said. “We can run routes really well and pass block well. They don’t know if we’re going to run four guys down the field deep or run a power play up the middle.”

Follow @JordyHansen for Iowa football news, updates, and analysis.