IOWA CITY — You can forgive Iowa fans for the existential dread coming into Saturday's game, given the Hawkeye state of affairs with quarterback Deacon Hill leading the offense. Iowa had averaged just 206 yards of total offense per game in Hill's four starts in relief of injured QB Cade McNamara, and that included only a few more first downs per game (11.0) than punts (7.5) in that stretch.
Hill, in particular, had completed just 41% of his passes for a meager 82.5 yards per game in his four starts. His scattershot accuracy and decision-making often made him look, well, exactly like a guy who hadn't played meaningful snaps since 2020 and who was destined for FCS Fordham before Iowa came calling.
Maybe it's the 3-1 record the Hawkeyes racked up in that timeframe, often in spite of Hill's play. Maybe it's the sheer lack of alternative at center, with sophomore Joe Labas and true freshman Marco Lainez some distance behind Hill in terms of preparedness. Maybe Hill's just too young to know he's supposed to be discouraged by the offense's frequent failures.
Regardless of the "why," the "what" on Saturday was a sensational step forward, as Hill completed 20 of 31 passes for a career-high 223 yards, including a touchdown and an interception, as Iowa blanked Rutgers 22-0. The win guarantees Iowa at least a share of the Big Ten West crown with two games left to play.
That one interception was a bad, bad decision — we'll get to it later — but it was one of scant few missteps for Hill, who looked downright comfortable at times out there. Hill even completed eight straight passes during the first half as he and the Iowa offense started to click. Finally.
"It's just a rhythm you get into," Hill said. "Trust your fundamentals, trust your base, and building a rhythm within it."
Hill said this was the first game of the season where he had gotten into that zone. "Today was big," he said. "I really felt I trusted myself in what I was seeing and trusted what the coaches have been telling me, and it worked out.”
The passing game also showed some freshness and diversity in its targets.
Hill completed passes to seven pass-catchers, and eight of his 20 receptions went to wide receivers — including three catches for 27 yards and a score for Kaleb Brown, who continued his ascension in the Iowa offense as starting WR Diante Vines continues to miss time with injury.
Moreover, and perhaps most crucially, the Iowa offense had no three-and-outs on Saturday, after 24* such failures in the last four weeks. That's not for lack of opportunity, either; Iowa faced six possible three-and-out situations on Saturday, and converted all of those third down attempts en route to a 9-for-18 day overall on third-down conversions. Hill threw for three of those conversions (including the touchdown pass to Brown) and ran for another on a third-and-one Deac Sneak.
"Yeah, I'm a fan of the QB sneak," Hill said with a laugh. "Don't think that's a secret."
Hill's growing confidence in the rollout game was especially evident, as he was 8-for-8 (!) throwing to Addison Ostrenga — mostly on play-action to the flat, which Ostrenga was able to convert for yardage with regularity.
That play-action success had a cascading effect, as Rutgers' defense wasn't able to key as readily on filling gaps when Iowa showed run. As a result, all three of Iowa's now-healthy Backfield Hydra of Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson topped 50 yards on the ground in the win.
"Play-action, he did a nice job," Ferentz said. "He did a good job in the drop-back game, which was critical. Made some really nice third-down plays. We had the two-minute drive right before half. A lot of things that we couldn't have done four weeks ago."
Another impressive stat of the day for Hill (albeit with a caveat)? No sacks, after routinely falling victim to pressure on passing downs in weeks past. Even with footwork that could charitably be described as "unorthodox," Hill navigated the pocket with surprising poise on Saturday, routinely stepping up when rushers crashed the edges and keeping his eyes downfield.
As for that caveat: Hill was in fact sacked once, but defensive holding wiped it off the board (and led to an Iowa field-goal drive). And that was it.
Well, that was it for sacks. Then there was the pick.
With Iowa nursing a 3-0 lead and less than 15 seconds until halftime, Hill threw a fade to Seth Anderson from the 5-yard line, with no attempt to deceive cornerback Max Melton standing nearby. Anderson's route was hardly a winner either, and looked more like a decoy action.
It was a mystifying play all around — and almost a 96-yard touchdown for Melton and Rutgers.
Ironically, the throw being off-target and late is probably the only thing that saved it from being a pick-six, as Melton had to bobble the ball and fall to secure the pick.
Once again, though, Hill didn't get the memo that he should be discouraged.
"Obviously not the way we wanted [the drive] to end," Hill said. "But I think it built momentum. It was, 'all right guys, let's just keep doing this'."
Hill completed 9-of-13 passes in the second half, leading the Hawkeyes to 19 points and even finishing his day with a 3rd-down touchdown throw to Brown.
"I thought clearly he was playing with more confidence out there," Ferentz said. "We were helping him a little bit more. But most importantly, he did the job. You talk about resiliency; that's the first word I'd use with him because he's probably been hearing a lot of negative stuff out there. Instead of worrying about that, he's been focused on trying to get better, working hard with the coaches and practicing better."
Progress is not always linear, of course, and Hill will find himself facing an Illinois defense that will doubtless be well-prepared for Iowa's offense by Illini head coach Bret Bielema, who will be especially eager to force his old school (and old boss) to become one-dimensional on offense again. There are certainly frustrations awaiting Hill in that game and in weeks to come, to say nothing of the inevitable 2024 competition when McNamara is back on two healthy legs.
Ferentz is ready to see his quarterback attack those challenges.
"The guy just shows up," Ferentz said. "He's quality. He's a good person, and he has a really good attitude. If you're going to play this game, you'd better be able to take a punch, and he's taken a few of them. If you play quarterback, you'd better be able to get back up on your feet after you get knocked down, and he's done that."
Hill's got something undeniable now, though: a 223-yard passing performance in a Big Ten game, against a legit Big Ten defense. That's not just progress, that's validation — for Hill and the guys around him.
"We've all been trying to work, and we feel like we've been growing each and every week," Hill said. "I think that really showed today, as a whole. Not just me, I wouldn't be able to do without the guys around me. I think it just shows as an offense how much we've grown."
