EAST LANSING, MI – Iowa fell to Michigan State, 32-20, Saturday night at Spartan Stadium, marking the Hawkeyes’ second Big Ten loss of the season and deflating turnaround from last week’s dominant win over the Washington Huskies.
Passing Offense: D
Cade McNamara has had some rough outings this season, and this was another one of those outings. The fifth-year veteran completed 11 of his 23 passes for 150 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Those aren’t horrible numbers, but McNamara’s inconsistent performance continues to hamper the Hawkeye offense. He started slow, and made some nice throws in the second half, but a horrible interception in the fourth quarter ultimately sealed Iowa’s fate in this one.
The lone bright spot in the passing offense was true freshman wideout Reece Vander Zee. The wideout broke out in the season opener against Illinois State but had struggled to find himself after that. Against Michigan State, Vander Zee bounced back with three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown. That’s not a huge workload, but it’s a positive stat line moving forward.
Rushing offense: C-
Iowa couldn’t seem to get its powerful rushing attack going on Saturday night. Junior sensation Kaleb Johnson was held to only 98 yards on 14 carries, while first-year Kamari Moulton managed only 13 yards on three carries. As a whole, the run game collected only 133 yards, a disappointing number considering what we have seen from the Hawkeyes in the last few games.
The only reason I’m giving this unit a C is because Johnson ripped a 75-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, a score that gave Iowa a slimmer of hope before it was snatched away. It was a disappointing night for Johnson, but he again showcased why he can be a special player at the next level despite a tough loss.
Defense: F
I don’t think I’ve ever given out an F in my time covering this team, but the dubious honor unfortunately goes to the defense. Iowa struggled to stop the Spartans, allowing 468 yards of total offense to a team that had struggled to move the ball prior to tonight’s contest. As if that wasn’t enough, the Hawkeyes failed to force a punt in this one, marking the first time since 2013 that this has occurred.
The numbers speak for themselves here, but what didn’t show up in the box score was the egregious amount of missed tackles committed by the Iowa defenders. Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles was pressured at times, but would simply spin away or dodge tacklers with ease. In addition to the missed tackles, the depleted secondary struggled to contain wide receivers Nick Marsh and Montorie Foster Jr.
Coaching: D-
This game was a mess from the opening kickoff, and that falls entirely on the coaching staff. The offense looked unprepared, while the defense played lazy and sloppy throughout. The Spartans entered this game as a touchdown underdog, and it’s possible that the Hawkeyes could have completely overlooked a young, but talented Michigan State squad. Even still, that’s no excuse to come out as flat as Iowa did tonight, especially considering how dominant it looked just one week ago against Washington.
Special teams: B+
The only positive grade I’m giving out tonight fittingly comes at the end. The Hawkeyes have historically produced strong special team units for many years, and they performed admirably against Michigan State. Drew Stevens may have missed his lone field goal attempt of the night, but it was only his second blemish of the season and he delivered several touchbacks.
But the real star of the night was kick-returner Kaden Wetjen. The fourth-year hasn’t seen much time at wide receiver this year, but he has served as a solid replacement for Cooper DeJean this season. Wetjen had several near-touchdown returns against the Spartans, but couldn’t break through the second level of defenders to score. It feels like Wetjen is destined to get that elusive score at some point.