By Jordan Hansen
Iowa’s bye week probably couldn’t have come at a better time.
The first two-thirds of the season really hasn’t gone the Hawkeyes’ way; the team sits at 5-3 with a tough part of its schedule left. Heading to State College coming out of the bye week, games against No. 7 Nebraska and No. 2 Michigan also lurk in the future.
“This week, our whole goal is to recharge a little bit yet still move forward,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “As we move forward the goal is pretty simple: We need to come up with a better plan. We’ve got to play better.”
Sounds simple enough, but there’s a lot the team needs to figure out quickly in order to have a chance to salvage the rest of the season. It hasn’t helped that injuries have started to pile up as well.
Tight end George Kittle is still banged up, though offensive tackle Cole Croston did look fine against the Badgers. Fellow offensive lineman Boone Myers is close to coming back as well, which should help.
The bye week represents an opportunity for those players to make their way back to the field. It’s also a bit of time for the team to decompress and find a bit of time to refocus on the rest of the year.
“I think it was a great time to have a bye week,” defensive coordinator Phil Parker said. “We’re really looking forward to the next push, because two of the teams we’re not very familiar with Penn State and obviously Michigan, with what they do.”
Open or not?
Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis fielded a number of questions about the team’s wide-receiver group coming off one of its poorer performances of year.
The unit as a whole has struggled to gain its footing after Matt VandeBerg was lost for the season. He was often starting quarterback C.J. Beathard’s first choice to throw to and has proven difficult to replace.
However, he was set to graduate after this season anyway and his absence could be seen as an opportunity for another player to step up. So far, that hasn’t happened.
“We have not had as much production with the outside part as we need,” Davis said. “I think one thing we can do, and one thing we’re looking at this week, how can we better help those guys either through motion, through stats, through some things that may help the wide receivers get off press better, and get down the field.”
Parker not happy with targeting rules
The targeting rule has been much-maligned since its inception, and it’s really not surprising why.
Any play that can result in an ejection is going to be under increased scrutiny. Against Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes nearly lost linebacker Josey Jewell again to a targeting call.
It would have been a huge blow for Iowa, just as losing him to a targeting call was huge in the first game of the season. Parker wasn’t happy with the call, which was ultimately reviewed to be a clean hit.
Even so, when asked his thoughts about it, he gave a surprisingly dark look as to where the sport was headed.
“It’s really hard, because the game of football has really changed,” Parker said. “And it’s going to come pretty soon to flag football, I think, at times. And it’s a shame. It’s kind of going away. And hopefully, I won’t be around by that time.”