Rushing Offense: B+
While Iowa’s rushing attack was nowhere near what it was last week, it was still impressive against a much better defense. The Hawkeyes started slow, gaining just 16 yards on the ground in the first quarter. Iowa racked up 48 rushing yards in both the second and third quarters, mainly on the backs of Jaziun Patterson and quarterback Mark Gronowski. Patterson led the way with 60 yards on 11 carries, and Gronowski followed with 37 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Passing Offense: C+
It’s hard to get much worse than last week’s passing performance when it comes to yardage. The Hawkeyes weren’t outstanding through the air, but were much improved from one week ago. Gronowski was 13-of-24 with 83 yards through the air. The South Dakota State transfer seemed much more relaxed and confident than last week, but didn’t attempt to push the ball downfield, leading to a lack of yards. Gronowski did throw one interception, where receiver Kaden Wetjen slipped coming out of his break, causing Jeremiah Cooper to jump the route and pick it off.
Rushing Defense: B-
Iowa State rushed for 104 yards collectively, but the Hawkeye front seven did a good job of holding each back, Carson Hansen and Abu Sama, to under 50 yards. The biggest knock for the rushing defense was the inability to stop it early on drives. Nearly every Iowa State drive started with a run within the first two plays, and all but one were positive gains. Both Hansen and Sama averaged around four yards per carry.
Passing Defense: A
Holding a red-hot Iowa State offense and an NFL-bound quarterback in Rocco Becht to just 134 passing yards and one passing touchdown is a feat worth praising. That’s the same quarterback that threw for a combined 461 passing yards combined in his first two contests this season against Kansas State and South Dakota.
Cornerback T.J. Hall was a big reason as to why Iowa stayed in this game. His three pass break-ups all would’ve gone for touchdowns had he not been there to interrupt the pass. The unit as a whole played great, but one team has to come out with the win.
Special Teams: B
The special teams didn’t do anything outstanding or disastrous. The two made field goals by Drew Stevens were key to Iowa staying in the game, the punting was on par when Iowa was forced to do so, and no return touchdowns were allowed. Not much to say here.
Coaching: B+
Whatever Kirk Ferentz, defensive coordinator Phil Parker, and offensive coordinator Tim Lester cooked up after the first quarter was the recipe needed to remain competitive in this game. The Iowa State offense went through several lapses after a fiery first quarter, and its defense struggled to contan the Hawkeyes’ run game and (at times) passing game.
Those adjustments made almost led Iowa to beating the No. 16 ranked team in the country, which would’ve gave Feretnz the all-time win spot in the Big Ten with his 206th victory. Hopefully, it remains a consistent theme going forward.