Passing Offense: C-
Brendan Sullivan began this game on a high note, completing passes of 32 and 59 yards to his roommate, wide receiver Jacob Gill, but it all fell apart after that. Leading 10-3 with all of the momentum in the first half, Sullivan threw a horrible interception right into the hands of linebacker Carson Schwesinger. The pick allowed UCLA to tie the game on its next drive, and it was game on at that point.
Sullivan continued to struggle, losing a costly fumble and throwing another interception later on in the game.
Overall, he went 6-for-9 for 157 yards, but the turnovers need to be cleaned up in two weeks against Maryland.
And I can’t mention this unit without giving a shout-out to Jackson Stratton. A walk-on at Iowa over the summer after transferring from Colorado State, Stratton replaced Brendan Sullivan in the third quarter and led Iowa on a touchdown drive during his first possession. He made several crucial throws on third down, which impressed me a lot. Great work, Shaggy.
Rushing offense: F
Honestly, I feel like this grade is too generous. Kaleb Johnson struggled to generate any traction against this UCLA front, making things even harder for Sullivan and the passing game. Johnson did collect a touchdown in the first quarter, but even that was a tough two yards. The offensive line didn’t offer many holes, making this an extremely disappointing night for the Hawkeye rushing attack. Not much more to say here.
Defense: D-
Another road game, another disappointing night for this group. Iowa was exposed against Michigan State, and those problems persisted again in Pasadena. The Hawkeyes were plagued by missed tackles and an inability to stop the run and get stops on third down. UCLA entered this game as the Big Ten’s worst rushing team, but they carved up the Hawkeyes for 211 yards on this night.
Losing leading tackler Jay Higgins in the second half hurt this defense, but the missed tackles and failures on third downs are inexcusable for a Phil Parker-coached defense, and something Iowa will desperately need to fix if it wants to end this season on a high note.
Special Teams B+
Not a whole lot to say here. Drew Stevens knocked in both extra points and a chip shot field goal, which is nice. Stevens also nailed a 57-yarder in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t count due to an unnecessary roughness penalty that extended the drive.
Kaden Wetjen didn’t do much in the return game with only 38 yards, and Rhys Dakin had some shaky punts, but you can’t really fault this group for simply going out and doing their job.
Coaching: F
There weren’t too many areas where coaching stood out, but this team looked flat-out unprepared for a primetime road game for the second straight game. Both games were against mediocre Big Ten opponents too, making this an embarrassing loss for Kirk Ferentz and Co.
Credit for opting to risk wiping off the field goal in the fourth quarter, but Ferentz’s timeout calls continue to be confusing at times. Will there ever be a final first-half drive in which Iowa tries to score and not just run into the tunnel?
This has been an incredibly disappointing season for the Hawkeyes, one that was supposed to have College Football Playoff aspirations. Those dreams are long over, and some of these mistakes are unacceptable for a team with plenty of experience on both sides of the ball.
Ferentz has done incredible things for the Iowa program, but the results of this season have left many fans calling for his retirement. I won’t go that far yet, but the Hawkeyes shouldn’t be losing to these types of opponents late in the season. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, loss.