Sometimes rules are made to be broken.
The Iowa football team adheres to the 24-hour mandate, wherein the emotions from wins and losses don’t carry over into preparation for the upcoming opponent. Yet as the Hawkeyes get ready to take on Northwestern this weekend following a disappointing road loss to Michigan State, reminders of miscues and mistakes remain.
Iowa defensive lineman Deontae Craig said one of the team’s managers wore a shirt with “MT” written across the front – a not-so-subtle reminder of the 19 missed tackles the Hawkeyes had against the Spartans. According to Pro Football Focus, that total was half of what Iowa allowed in its previous six games.
“It just goes to show guys are able to look back and be like, ‘Wow. That was a bad performance,’” Craig said. “But now we can move on from it. Coaches can try to have fun and motivate us to be better and not want those results anymore.”
After an uncharacteristic game from the Hawkeye defense that allowed over 400 yards of offense and zero punts to the Spartans, it would only be natural if high tensions enveloped the next week’s practice. But having these light-hearted reminders alleviates overbearing stress as the Hawkeyes take on the regular season’s final five games.
“You don’t want guys walking around tight, and walking around on eggshells,” Craig said. “What happened on Saturday is done. It’s over with. Obviously, there’s lessons that we want to pull from it an not let happen again.”
“It’s easy to get down on yourself, especially in what we do,” he continued. “We still have five games left. People are acting like it was the last game of the season, like we’re done for good now. But it’s important to keep guys focused and engaged and locked in because just as reasonable as those games are, they’re loseable as well.”
The key for the rest of the season will be honesty, something Craig said defensive coordinator Phil Parker preached after Michigan State. A national audience bore witness to Iowa’s struggles on both offense and defense, and it will be up to the Hawkeyes how they want to address them.
“One thing about football, you can’t really debate what you see on the tape,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said during his Tuesday press conference. “It’s not like instant replay the last eight minutes; it’s usually, OK, there it is, here’s what we’re going to do to correct it.
“So the real trick is doing the work,” he continued. “But to improve, you’ve got to be humble enough to say, ‘I’ve got some work to do.’”
For tackling, Ferentz’s solution is to get back to the fundamentals. But for his starting quarterback, the plan is to stick with Cade McNamara, and for his second cornerback, keep rotating players until the unit finds success.
McNamara needs to improve
Ferentz didn’t mince words on McNamara’s performance. The 24-year-old quarterback ranks bottom three in the Big Ten in passer rating, passing yards per game, and passing yards. Against Michigan State, he completed less than half of his passes for 150 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
“Cade has to play better, certainly the first half,” Ferentz said of McNamara, who threw for 3-of-9 passes for 30 yards in the opening half against the Spartans. “Cade is going to have to throw the ball a little bit more accurately. I mentioned about the makeables, whether it’s him or anybody else. If he’s got a chance to give us better production, then that’s what we need. We’ll keep pushing forward here and see what happens.”
Talking with reporters on Tuesday, McNamara said he’s the most mobile he’s been since high school but maintained that his progress in playing ability is far from complete.
“I’m my own biggest critic,” he said. “I know exactly when I messed up or when I should’ve done something better. That’s the standard I hold myself to.”
Unlike last season, Iowa’s backup quarterback has starting experience at a Power Four school. Ferentz said he has confidence in Brendan Sullivan but isn’t ready to elevate him to the starting spot.
“I think probably the biggest thing is it’s easier to talk about putting somebody in a game than just doing it, especially at that position,” the head coach said. “We’ve seen enough good things out of Cade to feel like he gives us our best chance out there.”
“I think he’s done enough good things to where we have the confidence that he’ll play well Saturday,” he continued. “But we’ll keep an open mind. You have to.”
Can’t microwave the defense
Ferentz said that much like turnovers, there’s no one specific drill to improve tackling besides actually tackling in practice – something Iowa and many other teams across college football avoid for fear of injury. Nevertheless, the coach noted that the fundamentals of tackling can still be practiced. Craig echoed this sentiment.
“Being in the right position when plays come to you, not just laying on the ball carrier,” the lineman said. “Wrapping up, running your feet, getting your eyes through. All just trying to build good habits for Saturday.”
Despite veterans Sebastian Castro, Quinn Schulte, and Jermari Harris returning for the 2024 season, the Hawkeye secondary hasn’t had the same production as last season. While managing eight interceptions – two away from last season’s total – Iowa has conceded 224.9 passing yards per game this season, placing them 83rd in the FBS and a far cry from last season’s 170.7.
Ferentz claimed some of this decline was due to high-powered offenses like Ohio State, but admitted that proper technique has been lacking. He likened defense to 11 complementary players on the same string. When someone is out of place, the Hawkeyes create voids for opposing offenses to exploit.
One of these advantageous areas for opponents is the starting cornerback spot alongside Harris, who’s been having himself a stellar final campaign with a team-best three interceptions. The second corner spot has rotated between Week 1 starter TJ Hall as well as Deshaun Lee and John Nestor, though none of the three have found consistent success.
Against Michigan State, Nestor and Hall split reps, combining for four tackles and two penalties. Lee did not see action due to what Ferentz said was a “coaches’ decision,” but not disciplinary reasons.
“Deshaun is a good young guy,” Ferentz said. “He’s in a bit of a lull, so he’s going to work through that. We’re going to need everybody. That’s for sure.”
Lee is listed as the starter for Northwestern and is backed up by Hall. For Ferentz, finding the right person for the spot requires “learning on the job.”
Injury Notes
Ferentz said Iowa safeties Sebastian Castro and Koen Entringer both practiced this week and should be good for Saturday. The head coach said the team “dodged a bullet” with Entringer’s hand injury suffered against the Spartans, adding that it could’ve been more severe.
Tight end Addison Ostrenga will once again not be in uniform for Northwestern as he continues to nurse an upper-body injury. Offensive lineman Beau Stephens will miss his second consecutive game due to injury as veteran Tyler Elsbury fills the void.