Run game: A+
This is a no-brainer.
Kaleb Johnson feared no man today, burrowing into anyone in his way and then exploding for 178 gained yards and a loss of just five. He produced two touchdowns and a long of 39 yards when the Iowa offense otherwise stalled.
Jaziun Patterson showed flashes of the speed he’s known for as he rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown to confirm the win that was not at all guaranteed at halftime. And even Kamari Moulton ran for 43 yards on just four carries for an average of almost 11 per carry.
Together, the Iowa running backs have been a bright spot of reliance in an offense that — as we’ve seen — is very hit-or-miss, especially in the red zone.
Of course, as Johnson said in the post-game press conference, much is owed to this Iowa offensive line. The line’s collective ability to dig in, get dirty, and be aggressive produced some of the most open holes we’ve seen all year.
Across three running backs and a firm blocking effort, Iowa’s run game — one might argue — single-handedly won this game for the Hawkeyes.
Rushing Defense: A+
Ignore the passing defense and you’ll find the Trojans were entirely constricted.
Ethan Hurkett had a career game that included two sacks — both of them strip sacks — and both Brian Allen and Max Llewellyn were nifty and aggressive in getting into the backfield quickly. The Trojans finished the contest with an unheard-of 24 yards rushing. That number alone should tell the whole story. It’s just unfortunate that the performance had to be coupled with a passing defense that was diced up by a walk-on Trojan quarterback.
Passing offense: B+
This one is really difficult to judge, but I’m going to give Cade McNamara a solid B+ here. If you go back and look at the numbers, McNamara completed 19 of 23 passing attempts for 176 yards. Those aren’t bad numbers, but it certainly could have been more.
Iowa was driving deep into Troy territory in the first half, and McNamara faked out the Trojan secondary with a nice play fake, leaving tight end Luke Lachey wide open in the end zone. But McNamara didn’t throw the ball and instead tried to run for the first down, coming up short and forcing Iowa to go for it on fourth-and-1, which it failed to convert.
I give him credit for not turning the ball over today, but McNamara has to find his confidence moving forward if the Hawkeyes want to have any success in Big Ten play.
Passing defense: C –
It’s easy to be hypercritical about defensive coordinator Phil Parker’s defense when it’s as reliable as history has deemed it.
This defense took a big chunk of the responsibility for the second-half collapse against Iowa State last weekend, and it’s not off the hook for two of Troy’s three touchdowns today.
The fact of the matter is that the Troy Trojans are not the team they were even just last year, and a top-five defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision has no excuse for letting up two dots to receiver Devonte Ross — who waltzed untouched into the end zone twice.
Defensive back TJ Hall was benched in exchange for Deshaun Lee as a result. That’s indicative.
Cornerback Jermari Harris’ interception return for a touchdown was a welcome sight for Hawkeye fans, especially since he nearly had one in Week 1. The Hawkeyes now have had 17 straight seasons with a pick-six. Harris is the most experienced cornerback for Iowa, so how he performs down the stretch into conference play will be critical.
Special Teams: B+
This unit has been fairly consistent all season long. Saved for a muffed punt from Wetjen had all of Kinnick holding its breath until Iowa’s John Nestor recovered the ball, and the offensive special teams hardly gave a reason to worry. Kicker Drew Stevens was perfect and punter Rhys Dakin booted a 49.2-yard average, including a long of 52.
The special teams defense, on the other hand, was a complete disaster on Ross’ 77-yard punt return score.
Dakin’s punt had decent hang time, so it was inexcusable for not one Hawkeye to at least lay a finger on Ross as he dashed up the sideline untouched. Coordinator LeVar Woods will address this lapse in time. Iowa’s secondary is already vulnerable to explosive plays; the Hawkeyes don’t need their special teams infected as well.
Coaching: B+
Again, this one is tough to grade, but I’m also going to give the coaching staff a B+ here. Iowa looked horrible in the first half and even trailed 14-10 heading into halftime, but you have to give Kirk Ferentz and offensive coordinator Tim Lester some credit for making some adjustments in the second half and feeding the ball to your best offensive player in Kaleb Johnson. I also appreciate the use of Brendan Sullivan in the red zone. That’s something that can pay dividends for the Hawks as the season rolls along.
However, I didn’t like the fact that Iowa didn’t make an effort to score some points before halftime after Troy took the lead on the punt return touchdown. Ferentz said it was his decision to let the clock run out, but you have to play more aggressively in that situation. Obviously, the level of the opponent was poor in this instance, but the Hawkeyes had a full minute and one timeout to at least get into field goal range.