Run game continues struggles

With Brandon Smith out against Northwestern, Iowa would have loved to see some big plays in the run game to take the pressure off Nate Stanley and Company.

Those big runs haven’t come yet.

The Hawkeyes head into halftime with 45 yards on the ground, averaging 2.6 yards per carry.

Mekhi Sargent has attempted to get the run game going with a 13-yard scamper he secured a first down on and almost broke for a touchdown, but other than that, nothing has worked.

Despite Smith’s injury, Iowa hasn’t relied on the run much at all. The Hawkeyes opened the game with just one run in their first six plays.

While Sargent leads the backs with nine carries for 35 yards, Toren Young has registered five for 16, and Tyler Goodson has one for two through the first half.

Instead, the Hawkeyes have relied heavily on the passing game, where Nate Stanley has completed passes to five different receivers in Smith’s absence.

Stanley has completed eight of his 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, including a 50-yard pass to Tyrone Tracy in which the redshirt freshman escaped a pack of Wildcats to find his way into the end zone.

Explosive plays leading the way for Iowa

Everyone expected a long, grind-it-out battle in Evanston with solid defenses and sometimes-lagging offenses on each side.

That is largely what fans got in the first half of action between Iowa and Northwestern. But a few explosive plays from Iowa — both on offense and on defense — helped it separate itself from Northwestern on the scoreboard.

Of course, a 50-yard touchdown catch from Tyrone Tracy led the way for the Hawkeye offense, and it was one of Iowa’s most explosive plays of the 2019 season. Tracy proved elusive and quick, with five Northwestern players unable to bring him down. His first-half performance, especially with the absence of Brandon Smith, should make Iowa coaches feel good.

A touchdown came out of that play, but other explosive moments came up fruitless in the first half for Iowa. A 41-yard reception by Sam LaPorta came deep into the second quarter but was proceeded by a stalled drive, and an interception in the first quarter by Chauncey Golston within the Northwestern 25-yard line also failed to yield points for the Iowa offense.

It’s certainly a big step that these explosive plays are happening — especially on the offensive end in the passing game. But the challenges of finishing off drives continue for the 2019 Hawkeye offense.

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