Easy to overlook most impressive part of Iowa’s much-needed offensive surge
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Of course, it was only one game against an overmatched FCS opponent that is picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference.
So, if you want to take a wait-and-see approach about the down-and-up performance of the Iowa football team’s offense in Saturday’s 40-0 drubbing over Illinois State in the season opener at Kinnick Stadium, okay, fine.
That certainly makes sense under the circumstances because one game, or more specifically, one half of good offense, doesn’t erase two years of misery and ridicule.
But perhaps the most encouraging part of this win, even more encouraging than Cade McNamara throwing three touchdown passes and true freshman receiver Reece Vander Zee catching two of them, was the performance of the Iowa offensive line in the second half.
The same group that barely had any surge in the first half suddenly started owning the trenches in the second half, and then look what happened.
Iowa gained 168 of its 241 rushing yards in the second half.
A big chunk came on Kaleb Johnson’s 64-yard touchdown run with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Ohio native, who didn’t play in the first half, bolted through a wide opening near the middle of the line of scrimmage and then outraced the Illinois State defenders to the end zone.
Johnson showed an impressive burst, but he also had something to burst through.
While so much attention will be focused on McNamara’s performance, and on the immensely talented Vander Zee, the most important thing about Saturday’s lopsided win is that the Iowa offensive line finally played at a high level for two quarters.
And when Iowa stays ahead of the chains with its running game, the same offense that sometimes looks inept suddenly becomes the driving force.
Even though Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz wasn’t on the sideline for Saturday’s win, it played out almost exactly how he would have drawn up, at least in the second half.
Kirk Ferentz likes to rely heavily on the running game and then mix in enough passing to create balance.
Former Iowa head coach Hayden Fry was known for his exotics on offense, and for his willingness to take chances. But at the core of his success was almost always a productive and persistent running game.
Fry once had Sedrick Shaw carry 42 times in a 21-7 win over Michigan State in 1995 because those conservative play calls led to Shaw gaining 250 yards.
Fry’s play calling that day was a classic example of scratching where it itches.
Former Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri carried 43 times for 256 yards in a win over Illinois in 2015.
Kirk Ferentz has never been Iowa’s play caller, but you could assume that he was more than happy with Canzeri carrying that many times because it was safe and effective.
Everything becomes easier for everybody on offense when the running game is productive and stays ahead of the chains.
And while you could say that about a lot of teams, it just seems more pronounced and impactful with Iowa’s offense.
Much has been said and written about how Tim Lester’s offense would look different than Brain Ferentz’s offense.
But that really wasn’t the case on Saturday.
The passing routes didn’t look much different, nor did the running plays.
It’s just that the running plays worked at a level in the second half that hasn’t been reached much lately.
Even Brian Ferentz’s offense could be effective when the running game was effective.
Sadly, for him, it just didn’t happen nearly enough and he was ultimately fired as his father’s offensive coordinator last season and replaced by Lester.
It’s easy to overlook Iowa’s success on the ground with McNamara having his first breakout performance as a Hawkeye, and with the 6-foot-4, 207-pound Reece Vander Zee turning his Hawkeye debut into a breakout performance.
But from a strategical importance standpoint, the running game should always be front and center, especially with this team, due to its lack of depth and explosiveness at receiver.
Now again, this was just one game against a heavy underdog.
But it was also a pleasant reminder of what has to happen for this season to truly be special.
Lester has to trust his running game and use it to help make everything else easier on offense.
Up next on Iowa’s schedule is Iowa State next Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
If the Iowa offensive line picks up where it left off against Illinois State, then the Cyclones will be in serious trouble.
But that’s big if because the Cyclones are a big step up in competition.