By Jordan Hansen | [email protected]

Iowa doesn’t want to believe anything is fundamentally wrong with its football team.

It wants to believe there are a few minor errors and they can be corrected. They want to believe a bowl game and Big Ten Championship berth and all the things they’re dreaming about can still be achieved.

“This team is a work in progress,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Every week is a different game and a different adventure.”

"This team is a work in progress." — Kirk pic.twitter.com/dhIi0JVqg6

— Jordan Hansen (@jordyhansen) October 1, 2016

He’s not wrong. The team is a work in progress. Iowa struggled to run the ball, struggled to defend the run, struggled to defend third downs, struggled with penalties, and struggled mightily in pass protection. But it’s also Oct. 1, and it’s a bit of a surprise some of these same issues have been popping up for five-straight weeks.

The Hawkeyes gave up six sacks, 6 coverage and some where the offensive line — especially left tackle Cole Croston — whiffed and missed blitzes. In addition to the sacks, Northwestern was also credited with one quarterback hit, but it certainly seemed like starting quarterback C.J. Beathard was getting smacked after every other play.

“It looked like today we were kind of stuck in sand there a little bit,” Ferentz said about the pass protection. “It just feels — but my experiences tell me it’s not quite as bad as it seemed. It felt pretty bad there; certainly when you get sacked it always feels bad.”

Iowa on pass blocking, "I don't think it's as bad as it seems." pic.twitter.com/0dks25qsYA

— Jordan Hansen (@jordyhansen) October 1, 2016

However, it wasn’t pretty, and there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix to any of the team’s issues, as much as the Hawks would like there to be.

The defense has blamed its struggles on communication throughout the season, saying the defensive line isn’t always getting the calls. Offensively, it’s similar. There have been times in which blitzes don’t get picked up (the interception by North Dakota State and returned for a touchdown is one such play) and other times where receivers aren’t looking, aren’t open, or didn’t run the right route.

These mistakes are absolutely killing the Hawkeyes.

“There’s flashes of us doing well,” wide receiver Riley McCarron said. “We’re fighting for the ball, special teams. But we need to start doing it every drive. Not every other drive. We need to execute plays.”

Execution was huge for the Hawkeyes against Northwestern; they simply were not able to do so on offense. Iowa committed six penalties for 70 yards, 30 of which came on one play.

Linebacker Josey Jewell was called for a facemask penalty, which Jaleel Johnson said he questioned and was flagged for. There were false starts and a pass-interference call, as well as a holding penalty that killed a drive.

Kirk on penalties, says "we're not good enough to dig out of those holes." pic.twitter.com/sWE3vV5cj1

— Jordan Hansen (@jordyhansen) October 1, 2016

Error after error, and they can’t be blamed on its being early in the season. It is not. Iowa is five games into the season and two into its conference slate.

Playing mostly mistake-free football got the Hawkeyes to Indianapolis last season. The opposite this year is killing the team.

The big question of course, is if all these things can be fixed. It’s a very good one, and there is not a clear answer.

“We just have to play better team football as a whole,” Beathard said. “There’s no reason to point, because right now we’re not playing well enough in any aspect of our game, and we got to get better in every part of our game.”

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