Rushing Offense: A+

Iowa’ rushing attack racked up 310 yards against the Great Danes, with great work coming from multiple running backs. With no clear number one back on the depth chart, all four Hawkeye runners saw the field.

After an injury sidelined starter Kamari Moulton, Terrell Washington Jr. stepped into his shoes, and the run game didn’t miss a beat. Washington led the team in carries with 15, and ran for 69 yards.

Redshirt freshman Xavier Williams was the star of the show for Iowa, tallying 122 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown, the first of his career. 

Freshman Nathan McNeil also saw some action, totaling 14 yards on three attempts. Jazuin Patterson closed out the game for the Hawkeyes with 47 yards on 7 carries, a 6.7 yards per carry clip.

Passing Offense: C-

The big picture upon Mark Gronowski’s commitment to Iowa football back in January was that the Hawkeyes finally got a quarterback who’s proven to be a consistent passer. Those passing skills didn’t show up as he finished the contest with just 44 passing yards. 

Albany hindered his ability to make plays downfield as he and Kirk Ferentz pointed out the defense playing back all game. When he could make those plays in the air, he did so, completing eight of his 15 pass attempts and a touchdown. 

The benefit of the doubt stands with him for his Hawkeye debut, but that won’t be there later on if these types of performances become a habit. 

Rushing Defense: B

If a team holds their opponent to just 43 rushing yards and secures the victory, they should deserve an A, right? Close, but not quite. 

Of those 43 Albany rushing yards, quarterback Jack Shields secured 30 of them — many of which came on scrambles that resulted in several first downs. Shields was sneaky athletic and very creative when on the move, putting a lot of pressure on the Hawkeye defense to start the game. 

As for the rest of the team, 13 total rushing yards is a feat worth celebrating. It’s hard to win football games when there’s a lack of playmaking on the ground. If Iowa has more defensive performances like that, it’ll surprise many teams going forward. 

Passing Defense: C

The Iowa secondary was perhaps the most questioned element of the Hawkeye defense coming into this season, and those questions might still linger after the week one result.

While Albany quarterback Jack Shields didn’t have the most impressive statline, a few chunk plays hurt Iowa early on. 

Wide receiver Caden Burti led the way for the Great Danes in receiving with 56 yards on 3 catches, including a 27-yard catch between two defenders.

By no means was the Hawkeye secondary bad, but the big plays are something to keep an eye on. Last season, Iowa took a step down in that department, which is usually a strong suit of the defense.

There were some nice pass break ups and coverage by the Iowa defensive backs, including an impressive break up by Deshaun Lee with his back turned towards the quarterback. 

The passing defense seemed average, according to Iowa standards. There are plenty of other teams in the country who would love to have half as good of a performance as the Hawkeyes’ secondary did on Saturday. 

Special Teams: A

Special teams have always been an Iowa football staple, and all aspects were on full display against Albany. While there weren’t too many opportunities to make big plays, the Hawkeye specialists took advantage of any opportunity they received. 

Fourth-year kicker Drew Stevens was perfect on the day in field goals and extra points, including a career-long 55 yard field goal in the fourth quarter to take a 27-7 lead. 

The Hawkeyes only had the chance to return two punts, and Kaden Wetjen and Sam Phillips showed flashes of something special. Wetjen returned one punt for 17 yards, making a catch on the run to corral the kick.

In the fourth quarter, fourth-year Sam Phillips obtained his first opportunity to return a punt. The kick initially hit the turf before he could get under it, but he chased it down and scooped it, before knifing through defenders for a 46 yard return to the Albany 47-yard line.

Coaching: B-

There wasn’t much to note when it came to the Iowa coaching staff in the blowout win, but there were a couple positives and negatives.

For the positives, the Hawkeye coaches did an excellent job of adjusting the game plan when Albany gained an early lead. Following the touchdown pass from Shields to Lasalle Rose Jr., Iowa never looked back as they didn’t allow another point on the board for the Great Danes.

One knock on the coaching staff came offensively, when the Hawkeyes went away from the run game for a couple of drives. 

The opening drive was beautiful, with a perfect mix of run and pass out of different formations. Following that drive, Iowa decided to drop back and throw the majority of the next two drives. 

Perhaps that decision was just to see how Gronowski fared in a situation where he would need to pass five or six times on one drive.