For a change, I will start with the good news.

Compared to the ineffective and feeble offense on display in Ann Arbor against Michigan, the Hawkeyes moved the ball with some alacrity at times against a fast and aggressive Penn State defense Saturday night.

Nate Stanley bounced back to sling the ball for 286 yards and a touchdown, and chunk plays - including a 29-yard Tyler Goodson scamper and a nearly 40 yard-pass to Ihmir Smith-Marsette - indicate that Iowa’s offensive struggles are more a matter of consistency and execution than a fundamental structural deficiency. Believe it or not, Iowa actually outgained the Nittany Lions by 60 yards on offense.

And of course, for the second week in a row, the Iowa defense played lights out, putting major pressure on a blue blood squad and forcing it to slug it out in a battle of which team could make the fewest mistakes.

Unfortunately, we know how that seems to always turns out of late.

Despite the Hawkeyes cutting penalties and turnovers in half from the week prior, the two times they did cough up the ball were twice as many as Penn State’s, and helped prevent Iowa from springing an upset.

That’s about it on the “positive” side of a disheartening loss that came before a revved up and raucous Kinnick crowd on a picture-perfect football night in Iowa City.

Again, Iowa shot itself in the foot at the most inopportune times, particularly late in the first half when – gasp – Iowa got aggressive in the two-minute drill and got all the way down to the 4-yard line before settling for a ho-hum field goal and a 1-point halftime deficit.

Again, Iowa was this close to pulling out a win and putting itself right back in the thick of the Big 10 conference championship race.

But here we are, once again trapped in that not-bad, not-great purgatory of being fans of an above average team that will be a “tough out” against even the best opponents. As noted, ad nauseum and probably nauseatingly to some, it must be pointed out that things could be a LOT worse. Such as being on the wrong end of a 34-7 beat down from boat-rowing PJ Fleck like Nebraska or getting shutout 38-0 by the Badgers like our old 2015 foe Michigan State who are even farther away from being nationally relevant again than our beloved Hawks.

But you don’t want to hear that. We aren’t Hawkeye fans because we relish schadenfreude and moral victories. We want to see our team win some of these big games, not just be competitive. It’s great and all to be close, but what can be done to close that gap? And I don’t mean close it so that Iowa dominates and wins every single game against top 10 teams – that is wholly unrealistic. But we have seen this program, under this coach, regularly win some of them. And it needs to start happening again, soon.

Here are some things I, as a relatively ignorant fan, would like to see and which I feel could move that razor-thin margin just a bit closer to the consistently winning side. I realize I am 100 percent not an expert, but I do watch a ton of college football, ha!

· Get thee a mobile QB. I am a Nate Stanley fan. I think he will have a decent shot at making an NFL squad and he has the stature and arm strength to make all the throws necessary. All that said, in today’s college football, you absolutely must have a signal caller who can at the very least scramble around and make plays with his feet. With Iowa’s interior line lagging at protecting the pocket, far too often Stanley is a sitting duck, forced to take an untimely sack or throw the ball away, leading to far too many third and longs.

Last week, Urban Meyer talked about the five criteria separating decent from great quarterbacks. They are: competitive spirit, toughness, leadership, intelligence and ability to extend plays. Stanley surpasses the requirements for the first four, easily. But he is woefully inadequate in the fifth. Now, it would be amazing to have a true dual threat quarterback. The last time Iowa did under Ferentz, it went undefeated in the Big 10 and secured an Orange Bowl berth. But a Brad Banks clone is likely not walking through that recruiting door again any time soon. But please, please start finding guys that can make key plays with their feet. Sean Clifford threw for a relatively paltry 117 yards Saturday for the Lions and I don’t know if any of his passes traveled more than 15 yards in the air. But his 52 yards on the ground, including some key third down conversions, helped Penn State secure victory. This ability is sadly lacking in Iowa’s offensive arsenal and it is so key to winning in today’s college football climate. I’m not asking for the next Baker Mayfield. But how about the next Drew Tate?

· Seriously consider the efficacy of the zone blocking scheme. As noted, I am far from a general football expert. I am even more ignorant about offensive line play. But even an armchair amateur like me can see that Iowa’s blocking strategies are complex, intricate and require athleticism and synchronization. And when it works, oh man, it’s a thing of beauty. But is it asking too much of 18-21-year-old student athletes to master such a complicated skill? Look at our pals up to the northeast in Madison who recruit much the same type of blue collar, big fellas. They have decided to get big and just maul. And they are reaping the rewards. Is this a case of Iowa coaches being too prideful in what they’ve long considered themselves experts in? If so, get over it.

· Pick a running back, any running back. I get the appeal of the “running-back-by-committee” strategy. You have your bruiser, your scat back and your utility knife back. But none of them are ever given a chance to settle in and get a groove going. It’s hard to “ride the hot hand” if no one gets sufficiently warmed up! When Iowa can run, Iowa wins. One reason I think Iowa keeps giving up on the running game too soon in the past few games against good opponents is it sees backs stuffed for short gains or losses too often. And then a new back comes in, maybe has a little burst, but then he gets stuffed and then it’s time to bring in the next guy. I really think Iowa thrives best when it has a bell cow back. Pick one and ride him and use the other guys as intermittent change ups.

Two of these proposed tweaks are long-term and one is short-term. And none, of course, are guaranteed to be a difference maker. But I think it’s time to try them, if for no reason than to give Iowa fans something new to chew on. We have seen this current show for the past three seasons, and frankly, it’s losing its luster.