Five things we learned: Iowa vs. Rutgers
By Courtney Baumann
It wasn’t pretty, but Iowa came away with a win on its road trip to Piscataway, New Jersey, on Sept. 24. The Hawkeyes defeated Rutgers, 14-7, in their first road trip of the season.
Here are some takeaways from Iowa’s Big Ten opener.
1. Iowa didn’t look great. Again.
For the second week in a row, Iowa was less than dominant on both sides of the ball. The team that combined for 12 touchdowns in the first two games only managed two against a middle-of-the-road Rutgers defense.
The Hawkeyes converted only 3-of-11 third downs, did not convert the one fourth down they tried, took seven penalties for 57 yards, and went 0-1 in the red zone.
Iowa punted the ball seven times, and of that number, the team only broke into Rutgers’ territory a single time. The Hawkeyes saw their opponents’ half of the field on offense just four times during the entire game.
2. If a team wants to beat Iowa, it just has to run the ball.
Just because Rutgers didn’t score any points on the ground does not mean the Scarlet Knights’ rushing presence was not there.
We’ve seen it two weeks in a row now. The Hawkeyes gave up 239 yards on the ground to North Dakota State Sept. 17 and allowed another 193 Sept. 24.
Obviously, Rutgers was not successful enough on the ground to win, but the team did prove that it is relatively easy to break down Iowa’s defensive line.
3. Speaking of lines, the offensive one isn’t good
Allowing 2 sacks and five hits on the quarterback is not what you want to see. The lack of protection around C.J. Beathard can and will end up becoming detrimental, especially because he has been one of the only players to remain consistent for Iowa.
It’s not all their fault, though. Beathard has been holding onto the ball far too long, which has left him susceptible to the number of hits he has taken.
Something positive to be noted is the rushing yards Iowa compiled against Rutgers. The Hawkeyes ran for 5.7-times the number of yards on the ground more than they accomplished against North Dakota State. Granted, they only put together 34 rushing yards that game, but reaching almost 200 against Rutgers is a big deal. Akrum Wadley had himself a game, with a touchdown and 84 yards, and LeShun Daniels tacked on 79 more.
4. Matt VandeBerg is getting shut out
The senior wide receiver was targeted seven times Sept. 24 and caught 4, but had only 17 yards for the game.
It wasn’t so much of an issue against North Dakota State when he had only 39 yards, because he had 2 touchdowns, but if this trend continues, someone else will need to emerge as a major target for Beathard – and soon.
5. Josey Jewell has a mustache
That’s a fact. He is also the best player on the team. That’s objective but still hard to argue.
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