By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – This is the first of what will be a weekly column during the rest of football season in which I answer a question from a Hawkeye fan.

I get asked a lot of questions during the course of the week, especially during football season.

Some questions come on social media, in e-mails, and some come during trips to the grocery store, or to other places.

The most asked question this week has been about Saturday’s game against No. 4 Michigan at Kinnick Stadium, and what I think Iowa’s chances are of winning.

I picked Iowa to win 16-15, so that question has been answered.

Another question that intrigued me is if I could make one change to Hawkeye football, what would it be?

I’m guessing a lot of readers are inserting their own answer right now, and it probably has something to do with the Iowa offense.

My answer has something to do with the Iowa offense, but it’s probably not what you think because I‘m not asking for anyone to be fired or benched.

But if I could make one change to Hawkeye football under Kirk Ferentz it would be to start recruiting, not necessarily dual-threat quarterbacks, but quarterbacks that can move the pocket and escape from the pocket when it collapses.

Iowa appears to be moving in that direction with verbal commitments from 2023 New Jersey quarterback Marco Lainez and 2024 Florida quarterback James Resar.

They both are listed as pro-style quarterbacks, but their film shows two quarterbacks with good mobility and with good speed.

Resar, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and approximately 200 pounds. reportedly has run the 100 meters in less than 11 seconds, and that’s moving.

Football has seen dramatic changes in how both offenses and defenses play these days.

Defenses are quicker, faster and more aggressive, almost always in attack mode.

The problem with having a pro-style quarterback who lacks speed and mobility, such as Iowa senior Spencer Petras, is that broken plays often lead to rushed passes that fall incomplete, or that got intercepted.

Broken plays also sometimes lead to sacks when the quarterback lacks mobility.

Petras doesn’t have the luxury of being able to make something out of nothing with his legs because he just isn’t built that way.

He needs time in the pocket to survey the field, but time isn’t always available in the pocket because of the speed and quickness on defense.

Junior quarterback Alex Padilla showed last season when Petras was injured that he could move the pocket and run a little bit.

But Padilla also completed less than 50 percent of his passes while starting three games and playing extensively in a fourth game last season.

He was replaced by Petras in the second half of the Nebraska game in the 2021 regular-season finale, and hasn’t played since.

Iowa hasn’t had a true dual-threat quarterback since Brad Banks, who will serve as honorary captain for the Michigan game on Saturday.

The 2002 team, which will be honored during Saturday’s game to mark the 20-year anniversary of its Big Ten championship season, was loaded with talent on offense, but it was all built around Banks’ ability to challenge defenses with his arm and legs.

Banks went from being the backup quarterback in 2001 to the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2002 in what was one of the greatest individual success stories in program history.

His running ability made him unique as an Iowa quarterback, but Banks also had good accuracy and touch as a passer.

It doesn’t make sense to have a dual-threat quarterback that can’t throw because that would sort of be like just having another running back behind center.

Kirk Ferentz tried to recruit dual-threat quarterbacks in the wake of Banks’ rise, but that approach didn’t last long.

Drew Tate and C.J. Beathard were two of the best quarterbacks to have played under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, and it’s probably no coincidence that they both had pretty good mobility.

They weren’t dual-threat quarterbacks, but they both could move.

It just makes things easier when the quarterback can improvise with his legs after a play breaks down.

So, there’s my answer.

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