Hawkeye Report Card
With the long offseason officially in the rearview mirror, the Iowa Hawkeyes welcomed the Wyoming Cowboys to Kinnick Stadium to kickoff the 2017 season. Wyoming (0-1) was first on the scoreboard thanks to a successful field goal, but Iowa (1-0) responded with 24 unanswered points to walk away with a 24-3 season-opening victory. Let’s take our first look back this season and grade the Hawkeyes’ performance.
Quarterback
After two-plus seasons with C.J. Beathard behind center, Iowa had to break in a new starter at quarterback this season. The question before the opener was who would be that quarterback, Nate Stanley or Tyler Wiegers? Iowa fans got the answer in the week leading up to game day, as Kirk Ferentz named Stanley as the No. 1 quarterback. How did Stanley fare in his debut as a starter? Well, it was a bit of a mixed bag.
On the positive side, Stanley displayed remarkable poise in the pocket for such a young and relatively inexperienced quarterback, as he stood in the pocket and rarely had happy feet from the pressure. Stanley also showed off his strong arm and passing touch on many occasions, the most impressive of which came on a perfectly placed 27-yard TD pass late in the first half.
On the flip side, Stanley was responsible for three turnovers; one interception and two fumbles, though it must be noted the pick came off of a tipped pass. The fumbles, however, came from a lack of ball security. He actually fumbled three times but was able to recover the third. That said, it is something that he should be able to improve upon in short order, so it shouldn’t become a lasting concern. Overall, Stanley was 8 of 15 for 125 yards and three TDs. Grade: C
Running Back
With the graduation of LeShun Daniels, there was little doubt who was going to be the featured back for the Hawkeyes. For the first time in his tenure in Iowa City, Akrum Wadley was the undisputed No.1 guy. How would he handle both the increased workload and the full attention of the opposition? If the first game is any indication, he’ll be just fine.
While the running lanes weren’t always open against the Cowboys, Wadley was able to use his quick feet and create his own path. On several occasions, the senior tailback was able to cutback away from the defense to pick up big yards on plays that looked dead in the water. Although he surprisingly didn’t catch a pass, Wadley did just about everything that could be expected of him on Saturday and finished with 116 yards on 24 carries.
Wadley may have been the main the attraction, but he wasn’t the only 1,000-yard running back in the backfield on Saturday. Making his Iowa debut was graduate transfer James Butler. The senior from Bloomingdale, Ill., made his way to Iowa after two consecutive years of 1,300-plus rushing yards at Nevada. If the first game is any indication, the Hawkeyes should have another effective 1-2 punch at the position. Butler ran strong on Saturday, as he was able to shed tackles and move the pile. It may not be a timeshare like it was last season, but Butler should still see his fair share of carries going forward. He finished his day with 10 carries for 47 yards. Grade: A
Wide Receiver/Tight End
With the exception of senior Matt VandeBerg, the Hawkeyes entered 2017 with a general lack of experienced targets for Stanley to look for. Sure, there were some intriguing young players who could grow into bigger roles, but proven commodities were at a premium. Although it is just one game, two guys took big steps forward against Wyoming, as they looked to prove that they could be players at a position in need of production.
After seeing sporadic action as a true freshman in 2016, tight end Noah Fant appeared to be a strong breakout candidate this season. With one game in the books, Fant seems to be living up to that potential. The sophomore from Nebraska was targeted six times by Stanley with the two connecting twice; once for a 2-yard TD on fourth-and-goal and again on a 27-yard touchdown just before halftime.
The other name to emerge on Saturday was Nick Easley. A walk-on transfer from Iowa Western Community College, Easley caught a team-high four passes for 77 yards, including a 45-yard TD reception in the third quarter. He showed sure hands, ran solid routes and made some nice adjustments on a couple of off-target passes.
VandeBerg was the only other receiver to catch a pass, as he hauled in two passes for 19 yards in his first game action since suffering a broken foot last season. Grade: B
Offensive Line
After injuries caused frequent shuffling up front last season, Iowa made sure to be prepared for the possibility, as the coaches had players practice at different spots throughout the offseason. When word broke Saturday morning that James Daniels would be unavailable and Boone Myers would be limited, that proved to be a wise decision. Into the revamped lineup stepped Alaric Jackson and Ross Reynolds. Although there were some bright spots, as a whole, the production was a bit up and down. Missed assignments led to pressure on Stanley and the running lanes were hit and miss at times. Despite the mixed production, the O-line should be able to round into form in short order. Grade: C
Overall Offensive Grade: C
The offense wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders Saturday, scoring 24 points on 263 yards of total offense, but some bumps along the way were expected with a lack of experience at two positions.
Defensive Line
Going up against a quarterback largely expected to be a first round pick in next year’s NFL draft, one key to slowing down Josh Allen was to get production from the defensive line. It was mission accomplished on Saturday, as the front four were able to bottle up the Cowboy running game while also making sure to put enough pressure on Allen to make him uncomfortable. Even when they were unable to get into the backfield themselves, the linemen often occupied enough space to keep the linebackers clean and allow them to make the play.
Parker Hesse paced the group with three tackles (1 TFL), while true freshman A.J. Epenesa made his presence known in his debut, finishing with two tackles and a sack. Nathan Bazata and Brady Reiff each had one stop, with Reiff adding an interception. Grade: A
Linebacker
The rest of the defensive units may have lost starters from their ranks, but the linebacker corps returned intact. That experience was on full display Saturday against Wyoming, with all three starters finishing with double-digit tackles and generally making an impact all over the field. Whether out in coverage or against the run, the linebackers were outstanding and helped to shut down the Cowboy offense.
Preseason All-American Josey Jewell predictably led the way, finishing with a team-leading 14 tackles (2.5 TFL), a pass breakup and two sacks. That performance was enough for Jewell to be named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week. Not a bad way for the senior to start the season. Jewell wasn’t alone, however, as both Ben Niemann and Bo Bower stood out as well. Niemann finished with a career-high 13 tackles (0.5 TFL) and a forced fumble, while Bower added 11 stops (0.5 TFL). Grade: A
Defensive Back
The defensive backs came into this game as the most inexperienced of the defensive units. After all, they lost Desmond King, Greg Mabin and Anthony Gair to graduation, Brandon Snyder to an ACL tear suffered during the spring and Manny Rugamba to a one-game suspension. Although Miles Taylor and Joshua Jackson have plenty of game experience, that is still quite a bit of turnover. That didn’t seem to matter much, however, as the DBs helped to shut down Allen and the Wyoming offense.
Sure, there were some missed plays, including one that would have resulted in a long touchdown had the Cowboy receiver not bobbled the ball, but overall it went about as well as one could have hoped for.
Taylor had eight tackles to lead the group, while Jackson had five to go along with an interception. Jake Gervase had four tackles (1 TFL) and Michael Ojemudia added three. Grade: A
Overall Defensive Grade: A
Not much surprise with this one. That’s what happens when you shutdown a much ballyhooed quarterback and hold his offense to three points and 233 yards of total offense.
Special Teams
Key positions on offense and defense weren’t the only places breaking in new starters this season, with both kicker and punter seeing departures to graduation. Miguel Recinos won the job at kicker and did well on Saturday, drilling his lone field-goal attempt (44 yards), converting all three extra points and booting three of his five kickoffs for touchbacks. At punter, Colten Rastetter earned the start and was solid, punting four times for a 38.2-yard average. In the return game, VandeBerg had a nice 23-yard punt return, while Wadley had a 30-yarder on a kickoff return. Grade: A-
Overall Grade: B+
The defense brought up the average here, but all-in-all, it was a solid start to the season for the Hawkeyes. The offense will need to improve, but that should come in time as players get healthy and gain experience.
Stat of the Game: 4
The Hawkeyes turned the ball over four times on Saturday (three fumbles, one interception) and had they not recovered another fumble, it would have been five. Despite the turnovers, Iowa was able to limit the damage, holding Wyoming to just three points on the ensuing possessions.