IOWA CITY -- Iowa's second-half explosion for 40 points against Illinois State was a shock to the system for anyone who has followed along with the Hawkeyes' offensive struggles over the past several seasons. A 34-0 route over the final 30 minutes separated the Hawkeyes from the Redbirds and exorcised a few of those demons from yesteryear.
Starting center Logan Jones and right tackle Gennings Dunker were at the forefront of the major offensive output it on Saturday, and they saw what ignited it in the second half.
"It was our tempo coming out," Jones said "We came out a lot faster -- we broke the huddle and got into the snap cadence a lot faster which got us down the field."
The change in speed made things more difficult for the Redbirds to adjust.
"It didn't give them time," Jones said. "We were wearing them out, and that's our goal, too. They're having to run after the ball play after play. So, if we can do all these things -- get off the ball quick and get to the line quick -- that definitely makes things hard on them."
A lot of that change in tempo starts with Jones, who, as the team's center, begins every play with a snap.
"I have to get down to the ball, then I have to make the call quick," he said. "It can definitely be hard sometimes, but if you just go and get off the ball, it'll end up right somehow. That's definitely the biggest thing."
Dunker said he got a bit of a feel for the tempo changing things in the second half as well, but he recognized a different facet of the game that Illinois State struggled with.
"I think the main thing was that they were having a hard time reading our formations," he said, adding that there wasn't anything fancy going on with the offense for the most part. "At the end of the day, it's still blocking people."
Dunker could feel the momentum build for the offense in the second half, thanks to both factors.
"It's definitely nice to see," he said. "We go against a great defense every day in fall camp -- it's definitely nice to see that hard work pay off. ... I only watch the offensive line, so it's good to see the guys work well together. But, you're still not perfect. There are still things to work on. You take the good with the bad and work on the bad."
Having the type of offensive performance they did this weekend has already translated to improved confidence for the offense in practice.
"This was probably the best Tuesday practice we've had in a while," Jones said. "I think that starts with the tempo. I think that's the biggest thing. Coach (Tim) Lester always harps on it, 'Get off the ball, get to the ball.' It just makes it so much harder on the defense when you're moving quick and they can't see everything."
Heading into the CyHawk battle this weekend, Jones says the way they keep the offensive momentum going is by focusing on the moment.
"We can't overthink," he said. "We just have to run. Whenever I start to overthink, I just have Coach (George) Barnett in the back of my head just screaming 'Run your knees! Run your knees!' That's all you've really got to do -- that's how we block. If you run and overwhelm the defender, it's going to make it a lot harder on them."
Focus on the moment, and don't look too far ahead -- though there may be reason to look back on their matchup with the Redbirds from time to time going forward.
Iowa doesn't collectively look back on the past much -- but this last Saturday's game may be what turns into a rallying point for a group that has seemingly struggled for an eternity on the offensive side of the ball.
"I think we saw the potential that's there," Jones said. "If we can continue to push this offense forward and get better at the things we need to get better at, that's super exciting."
