It’s Monday morning and I am still wound up tighter than a drum. “Put it into perspective, this game was against THE Ohio State”, some will say. “This game does not define Iowa’s season.” Yes, that would be a reasonable, rational response. The problem is that I am not feeling reasonable and rational at the moment…
Rant & Rave – A Balanced Offense
There’s something I REALLY need to get off my chest here. Heading into this season, I truly felt this would be the season that Tim Lester would turn the corner and deliver an Iowa offense that was balanced with a passing game that could finally hold up its end of the bargain with the running game. (And the defense & special teams!). The receiving corps (wide receivers and tight ends combined) had multiple returning players who began to come into their own during the last third of the season last year. Reece Vander Zee finally got healthy, and then Tony Diaz and Evan James were added through the transfer portal. DJ Vonnahme emerged as a young freshman player in 2025, and Addison Ostrenga was returning from his season ending injury. Multiple other receiving targets were returning who could be the next man in if needed. Iowa would not be beginning the season with a quarterback new to the team and the system for the first time since Lester had joined. The Shanahan system was in its third year, and Lester could build upon the existing playbook. Right?
Wrong. Because it surely meant then that this was the season Iowa’s reliable running game would regress. Versus Iowa State = Iowa had 93 yards rushing / 191 passing; Michigan = 58 / 227; Ohio State = 39 / 199.
It is early in the Big Ten season. ISU, Michigan, and OSU may be some of the stouter run defenses Iowa faces this season. But on Saturday, West Virginia rushed for 291 yards against ISU, and Minnesota rushed for 126 vs Michigan. The prior Saturday, Illinois rushed for 199 yards against OSU. Even when OSU didn’t stack the box, Iowa had a difficult time blocking their defensive line and preventing penetration, especially when Iowa attempted to slant to their tackles versus a quick blast through the middle of the line.
Kamari Moulton’s best run of the day was for 8 yards towards the end of the second half. It was followed shortly afterwards by LJ Phillips’ best run of the day for 11 yards on the same drive. Both were power running plays through the middle. The type of one-two punch we thought we’d see out of these two at the start of the season. Iowa needs to adjust to power running and personnel and wear teams down, while continuing to compliment with an efficient passing game.
Iowa’s Self-Inflicted Injuries
Penalties at inopportune times. Critical turnovers. Iowa’s opening second half kickoff goes out of bounds. It’s a long list and really not necessary to hash through all the painful woes. Confidence and focus are critical in sports, and great teams rise to the occasion. Should Iowa right the ship and make the playoffs the lights will get a lot brighter and hotter than they were on this stage in the psychologically safe confines of Kinnick stadium. Iowa needs to play to its usual level of discipline and not beat themselves when the pressure is on.
Defensive Pressure on the Quarterback
Julian Sayin had a ton of time to pass during Ohio State’s first three series, giving Jeremiah Smith and Devin McCuin time to zig and zag and get open. Then on OSU’s fourth series in the second quarter Iowa’s defensive edges and Cam Buffington at MLB turned up the pressure. It worked. Sayin was in process of getting sacked and fumbled the ball, which OSU was fortunate to recover. On the next play Iowa blitzed Sayin again, his throw was hurried, and his pass was incomplete. For the first time in the game, Ohio State had to punt. At the time it felt like it could be a turning point in Iowa’s defensive strategy, but it wasn’t used consistently the rest of the game.
Defensive Standouts
Jayden Montgomery, Zach Lutmer, Deshaun Lee, and Jaylen Watson were all active on defense on Saturday. Unfortunately, Lutmer and Lee both left the game in the third quarter with injuries and did not return. Once they departed, Iowa’s secondary was overwhelmed by Jeremiah Smith. Per Kirk Ferentz during his post-game interview, both Lutmer and Lee were dealing with cramping.
Punting is Winning
Boston Everitt once again performed excellently from a field position standpoint. His first was a 50-yard punt downed at the 2-yard line, and the second was downed at the 16. Everitt now has 9 of 13 punts downed inside the 20 on the season for 69%. His longest punt of the season was 58 yards. You may recall Iowa’s punter from last season, Rhys Dakin, followed LeVar Woods to Michigan State. On the season, Dakin is 4 of 12 punts inside the 20 for 33%.
A Fresh Start
Jeremy “Heck” Hecklinski was sporting a new haircut for the OSU game. When asked by reporters about the new look after the game, he said he wanted a “fresh start” moving forward. Here’s hoping the rest of the team will follow his lead to shore up the deficiencies when they head west on Friday. The running game would be a good place to start as Washington is not a rushing defense juggernaut. And go crazy and clean up the false starts by the O Line.
