Report card: Grading the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 27-14 home loss versus No. 4 Michigan
It didn’t turn into the top-5 shocker that previous Iowa teams have been able to deliver at Kinnick Stadium over highly-ranked opponents. Instead, Michigan controlled this game from the word go.
The Wolverines (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) dropped Iowa (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten), 27-14. Pull up a chair. Class is in session once again. It’s time for our postgame report card.
Offense
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: C-
Quarterback Spencer Petras actually wound up with his best statistical game of the season, passing for 246 yards with a score on 21-of-31 attempts. Petras was sacked four times in this game, though, and penalties on Iowa’s third drive killed any early offensive momentum.
Ultimately, five punts on the Hawkeyes’ first five possessions—the one-play rush before halftime is omitted here—simply doesn’t pass the smell test. Iowa wasn’t good rushing the football either, and it wasn’t ever winning this game if they couldn’t do that effectively. Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson combined for just 67 rushing yards on only 20 carries.
Iowa did manage to put together a nice seven-play, 44-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard Kaleb Johnson touchdown run. The Hawkeyes followed that up with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that got all the way down to the Michigan 6-yard line. The inability to finish that drive illustrated many of Iowa’s offensive failures on one 4th-and-2 snap.
Defense
Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images
Grade: C+
It was Iowa’s worst performance of the season. Granted, they’ve set the bar extraordinarily high for themselves and they held the Wolverines to a season low 27 points. Still, allowing Michigan to score opening-drive touchdowns in both halves and on four of its first five possessions wasn’t a recipe for an upset. The Hawkeyes did force Michigan into one first-half punt and a string of three straight punts in the second half to set the stage for a potential comeback that just wasn’t ever to be.
Luke Lachey
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
Grade: A+
Luke Lachey caught a couple of deep passes in traffic for gains of 26 and 34 yards, finishing with four receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. He was the Hawkeyes’ highest-graded offensive player per Pro Football Focus. More importantly than that, it further proves that the Hawkeyes have themselves a legitimate one-two punch that most don’t in the Big Ten for the rest of the schedule.
Spencer Petras
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B+
Some of the stats late were a little hollow. Michigan’s defense wanted to let seconds roll off the clock versus shutting down the Hawkeye offense. Still, Petras finished with his best day of the season, throwing for 246 yards and a touchdown. He also made several nice throws downfield to both Lachey and wide receiver Nico Ragaini. It was his best performance of the season against the best defense he’s seen this season. It was also the most passing yards for Petras since the road game at Maryland last season when he threw for 259 yards. For that, he gets marks that reflect his progress. As the starting quarterback, though, he gets some of the blame as well for Iowa punting on its first five drives.
Iowa linebackers
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: C+
The final game stats would tell you that both Jack Campbell and Seth Benson had great games. The film would probably say otherwise. Of course, that’s partially due to their teammates up front not consistently moving the line of scrimmage, but Michigan managed to rush for 172 yards and a pair of scores. Michigan running back Blake Corum finished with 133 yards on 29 carries with a score.
Really, this is more a grade that reflects the overall pace of the game. At times, Iowa was great and got the football right back for its offense. See the three consecutive punts in the second half. At other times, like the start of both halves, Michigan did whatever it wanted to in the run game. For that, like the defense as a whole, it’s a slightly above average grade.
Seth Benson ended his day with 14 tackles and one tackle for loss and he deserves credit for the big statistical day. Meanwhile, Jack Campbell also had 11 tackles and 0.5 tackle for loss. It was a day where Michigan wanted to run the football. The Wolverines ran it 42 times compared to 24 passes.
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