What did we learn in Iowa’s season-opening loss to Purdue?
By Tyler Devine
What did we learn in Iowa’s 24-20 season-opening loss to Purdue on Saturday?
We learned that Iowa has three capable running backs, Daviyon Nixon is a disruptive force on defense and Purdue receiver David Bell loves playing against Iowa.
We learned that sophomore quarterback Spencer Petras can be productive, but we also learned that mistakes are costly as Iowa committed 10 penalties for 100 yards and had two turnovers Saturday.
Offensive player of the game: Tyler Goodson. The sophomore running back finished with 136 all-purpose yards.
Defensive player of the game:Â Nixon. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle had seven tackles, including two for loss and a half sack.
Pivotal play: Senior running back Mekhi Sargent’s fumble with in Purdue territory with 6:00 left in the fourth quarter led to Purdue’s game-winning drive.
Key stats: The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Bell now has 26 receptions for 318 yards and four touchdowns in two games against Iowa.
Iowa converted four of 13 third down attempts.
Purdue rushed for four yards in the first half and 100 yards in the second half.
Iowa committed 10 penalties for 100 yards. The Hawkeyes averaged over four penalties for game in 2019.
In comparison, Purdue committed three penalties for 21 yards.
Weird Stat: Senior receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette did not record a reception, breaking his 15-game streak with at least one catch.
Notable number: 80. Senior offensive tackles Coy Cronk and Alaric Jackson have combined for 80 career starts.
Cronk started his 41st career game and Jackson started his 39th.
It was Cronk’s first start as a Hawkeye. The Lafayette, Ind., native made 40 starts at Indiana before joining Iowa as a graduate transfer in the spring.
Did you know?: Spencer Petras is the first Iowa quarterback to lose his first career start since Jake Rudock against Northern Illinois in 2013.
The only other quarterback to lose his starting debut in the Ferentz era was James Vandenberg against Ohio State in 2009.
Here is how the last nine quarterback in the Ferentz era have fared in their first career starts.
Nate Stanley vs. Wyoming (2017) – 8-of-15 passing for 125 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
C.J. Beathard vs. Purdue (2014) – 17-of-37 passing for 245 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Jake Rudock vs. Northern Illinois (2013) – 21-of-37 passing for 256 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
James Vandenberg vs. Ohio State (2009) – 20-of-33 passing for 233 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Ricky Stanzi vs. Florida International (2008) – 8-of-10 passing for 162 yards and three touchdowns.
Drew Tate vs. Kent State (2004) – 13-of-22 passing for 136 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Nathan Chandler vs. Miami (Ohio) (2003) – 12-of-19 passing for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Brad Banks vs. Akron (2002) – 5-of-8 passing for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Iowa fell to 45-5 in games in which it rushed for over 100 yards, dating back to 2015.
Series update: Purdue has one three of the last four meetings in the series.
The Boilermakers now hold a 49-39-3 advantage in the series, dating back to 1910.
Injury report: Sophomore linebackers Jack Campbell and Seth Benson missed Saturday’s game due to undisclosed injuries.
The 6-foot-5, 243-pound Campbell was set to make his first career start after playing in 11 games last season.
The 6-foot, 231-pound Benson played in all 13 games in 2019, primarily on special teams.