Late in the second half of Iowa football’s victory over Troy, the Kinnick videoboard enticed the Hawkeye faithful to show some support for the home team, displaying a scene from the 1978 classic “Animal House,” where the fictional band Otis Day and the Nights performed the song, “Shout.” The effort was fairly straightforward – the word “Shout” flashing across the screen in bright yellow letters every five seconds – but shouting can mean a variety of things to Iowa fans.
Shout in joy of a win? Shout in frustration at a faulty secondary? Shout in anger at a perpetually passive Kirk Ferentz?
Indeed, Iowa’s 38-21 defeat of Troy sent plenty of mixed messages to the fanbase and media. The Saturday afternoon contest might as well have been a typical “Animal House” frat party – mass chaos that ends with everyone walking home dazed but delighted with what transpired. While there were thankfully no togas involved, the Hawkeyes’ performance still exposed the squad’s hampering inconsistencies – flaws that could prove fatal against Big Ten competition.
First, I’ll give credit where credit is due. After falling flat last week against Iowa State, Iowa’s red zone offense finally saw life, scoring two touchdowns in three trips. Having backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan under center definitely confused the Trojans, and at the very least, Hawkeye fans know we hand the ball off with the best of them. It would’ve been nice to see Sullivan actually throw the ball – I’m not counting that pitch to tight end Addison Ostrenga – but he still flashed mobility.
Based on what Ferentz said postgame, the Sullivan ploy might not be long-term, especially since teams will now be aware of it in the future. If the Northwestern transfer does make an encore, will it be when Iowa’s inside the 10 or farther back towards the 20? Regardless of what transpires later on, fans should take solace in Iowa’s attempt at innovation. It saw what wasn’t working, made a change, and appeared to find success. Now it’s time to direct that approach to the defense.
Looking back on Iowa’s 2023 season, I’m hard-pressed to find any explosive plays from an opponent. Besides a 64-yard passing touchdown from Western Michigan and a 46-yard toss from Purdue, last year’s foes weren’t finding the end zone unless they got inside the 20. This year, however, it feels like the opposing offense can score from anywhere on the field.
It’s jarring to see the Hawkeye secondary get carved up again and again. The group might have had an excuse against the talented Cyclone duo of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, but the Trojans’ Devonte Ross was the team’s fourth-best receiver last year. Granted, the highlight tape he put up on Saturday should attract the attention of Power Four schools, but Kinnick Stadium shouldn’t be the place where opposing wide receivers put on shows for scouts.
Despite the improvement TJ Hall presented during the first couple of weeks of the season, his starting spot is in jeopardy after Saturday. Isolated against Ross on the left side, Hall fell for a double move and wound up looking at the quarterback as Ross zoomed past.
The second touchdown had Hall again on Ross, only this time, the Trojan wideout Zeriah Beason was stacked behind his teammate. Hall again let Ross by him, perhaps expecting he had help from safety Quinn Schulte, but Schulte broke off to the middle of the field to cover Beason, leaving Ross wide open once again.
The second touchdown could’ve had better communication, but I don’t like the fact that Hall had to guard Ross again after getting burned. Considering the short leash Iowa had with safety Xavier Nwankpa last week, it’s surprising that Hall didn’t get yanked sooner, or at the very least switch positions to guard anyone else.
Hawkeye cornerback Deshaun Lee has more starting experience, so I expect him to get more playing time in the future. However, I just find it odd that Iowa didn’t adjust. It’s hard to fool a Phil Parker-coached secondary twice, but the Trojans did just that.
Shutting down an opponent’s run game is great and all, but it does no favors when the team can score in less than a minute with a passing offense that knows no bounds. This is a glaring red flag and with Big Ten foes like Ohio State, Washington, and Wisconsin, who can undoubtedly run for more than 24 yards in a game, this flag becomes a suffocating blanket on the season. The Hawkeyes can’t afford to pay more attention to stopping the run, as the secondary needs all the help it can get.
Unlike the frat in “Animal House,” safety is the name of the game for Iowa football. Not wanting to try for a two-for-one on its last drive of the first half is indicative of that. Despite this onus on safety, Iowa can’t allow its opponents to be reckless on offense, because so far, going for broke has worked. If this pattern continues, Iowa’s season just might wind up in pieces.