From elation to deflation to frustration. Such would be an accurate description of the atmosphere inside Kinnick Stadium late in the fourth quarter on Saturday in Iowa football’s 12-10 loss to Minnesota. The Hawkeyes had seemingly snagged yet another improbable victory out of the jaws of what would have been an embarrassing defeat, only to have the record scratch and jolt a miracle ending into a mirage of hypotheticals. 

What if DeJean’s return was reviewed for only for out-of-bounds and not for a fair catch signal? 

What if the referees just left the play alone? 

What if the midseason All-American cornerback ran the ball 20 yards and not into the end zone, would the play still have been reviewed? 

These are all valid questions, as, technically speaking, DeJean’s crowd-rousing 54-yard score and the extra point would’ve put the Hawkeyes up by five with less than two minutes remaining. 

In fact, the scoreboard had changed to reflect 16-12. Iowa kicker Drew Stevens and the extra-point crew were even on the field before the officials announced a replay review for what many thought was just for checking to see if DeJean stepped out-of-bounds.

Yet just five minutes later, when the referees announced DeJean had made an “invalid fair catch signal,” things turned ugly fast. Boos rained down from stands, and water bottles and other objects were hurled; the usual runaround of unruly fan behavior. 

Yet what was just as ugly as the aftermath was the way the Hawkeye offense had played leading up to that fateful ‘punt return that never was.’ 

Now, don’t get me wrong, but the ruling from officials just doesn’t add up to me. Yes, DeJean was waving his left arm in a circular motion, but that limb never went above his head. According to Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, the respective coaching staff discussed with the referee crew on what constitutes a fair catch signal, and if the agreed upon indicator was ‘arms above the head,’ then DeJean isn’t in violation. 

In my opinion, when officials review a play, they need to analyze it for only one infraction, and per Ferentz, this infraction was for out-of-bounds and not a fair catch call. The crew could’ve been a lot more transparent. 

Then again, the replay review could’ve been initiated by, and even decided by, officials in the Big Ten replay review center in Pittsburgh and not the actual people on the field. This only creates discrepancy and discord that is counterproductive to any sport. 

At the end of the day, the DeJean play was an outright failure in terms of proper communication between the officials themselves and between coaches and officials. But was it the right call? That validity is hard to determine when this failure exists.

Yet real questions fans should be asking is, how and why did Iowa need DeJean to produce yet another marvel on special teams to ensure victory? The answer is fairly simple and should be talked about just as much if not more than, the overturned call.  

With the exception of the Penn State game, this week’s iteration of Hawkeye offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s unit was the most feeble I’ve seen this season. Gaining just 127 total yards, the Iowa ground game ran for 11 net yards on an average of 0.4 yards per rush. 

Let me say that again: 0.4. Essentially, the Hawkeyes average run attempt was a stuff at the line of scrimmage. A woeful rushing attack like that won’t be even sniffing the red zone in future games, especially not if the Hawkeyes don’t benefit from defensive flags. 

On Iowa’s lone touchdown drive in the second quarter, Iowa had more than twice as many penalty yards as it did offensive yards. If it wasn’t for that unnecessary roughness call on the Gophers at the goal line, Iowa would’ve been facing another fourth-and-one situation, and may not have even scored. 

In the red zone, Iowa gained just 10 yards on six plays. As for explosive plays, Iowa had just two plays of more than 15 yards. Once again, the offense had more punts than first downs. And yet still, Kirk Ferentz and Co. were framed as the victims of a robbed victory, even when the numbers say they never deserved it in the first place. 

Upholding its end of the paradox that is Iowa football was the defense and special teams. In spite of letting up 12 points, Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins, defensive back Sebastian Castro, and more, played a phenomenal game in which they allowed just 3.4 yards per play and four plays of more than 10 yards while spending nearly 40 minutes on the field. 

While no player will admit it, spending that much time taking hits will eventually wear down a defense, which let up nine unanswered points in the second half. Nevertheless, how can it be held accountable when the offense responds with 12 total yards in the final 30 minutes? 

I’ve been saying for the past few weeks now that the only stat line that should matter for Iowa QB Deacon Hill is turnovers. And his three on Saturday, not to mention his 35 percent completion percentage, were the final straw, in my opinion. The bye week will allow for backup Joe Labas to get extra reps in with the first-team offense, and a Big Ten bottomfeeder in Northwestern will be the perfect opportunity for Labas to showcase his skills. 

But will such a change happen? Not for Kirk Ferentz, who said after the game that Hill is still the starter based on his practice and game tape. Since the game tape doesn’t impress a whole lot, is Hill just dominant in practice, where he doesn’t take full contact? On the other hand, is Labas just underperforming in practice? 

While we might never know the answers to those questions, it’s past time for a change under center. Is the quarterback the only problem with the offense? No, but the turnovers from the QB position are a main reason for the unit’s struggle to maintain drives. 

Ultimately, even if the Big Ten does release a statement saying the DeJean fair catch wasn’t the right call, it won’t change a thing. The Hawkeyes’ 6-2 record and now second-place standing in the Big Ten West will stand firm. What remains to be seen is if Iowa will drop its stubbornness and change on offense. 

I said last week that Iowa’s success this season is hanging by a thread, and that thread took a significant hit Saturday by exposing how the Hawkeyes rely on miracles for victories. Even still, all is not lost. That thread can be fused together by running the table the rest of the way, and, in the event of a Wisconsin loss to Ohio State, pulling the Hawkeyes back into the Indianapolis conversation. 

Just don’t look too far ahead. A thread is only a thread.