College Football

Iowa Football: End Of Season Unit Grades

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:20 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Jeremy Karll/FanSided via Dear Old Gold

Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

A look at how each unit on Iowa football performed in 2016

Iowa football finished the season 8-5 with a loss in the Outback Bowl, and Clemson won the national championship over powerhouse Alabama to conclude the college football season. With the football season officially over, it’s the time when everyone starts to reflect on the 2016 season.

Iowa entered the year as Big Ten West favorites but could not live up to expectations. Instead, they went 6-3 in conference play and 4-2 in their own division. A 17-9 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, who finished ninth in the final AP Poll, was the difference between the Outback Bowl and another shot in the Big Ten Championship Game for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes ended up falling out of the AP Poll after starting the year ranked 17th and climbing back in after dropping out following their loss to North Dakota State. It’s telling of the rollercoaster season Iowa endured after a perfect regular season in 2015.

With Brian Ferentz taking over as offensive coordinator in 2017 and multiple offensive coaches not returning, as well, Iowa will have a much different look next year. Although this year brought headaches along with great memories.

Here are grades for the offense, defense and special teams in 2016.

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Offense: D+

Outside of Akrum Wadley, Iowa’s offense lacked any true playmaker. Sure, the play-calling was terrible for most of the year and losing Matt VandeBerg to a broken foot after week four was a big loss, but the Hawkeyes’ offense simply didn’t show up many times throughout the season.

Their offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in the nation, yet Iowa still only managed 24.9 points per game. Plus, Iowa struggled pass blocking, which led to Riley McCarron being the only receiver with more than 25 catches and Wadley finishing second on the team with 36 receptions.

Iowa did have their first pair of running backs to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season, which is a testament to their banged-up offensive line, but Iowa didn’t move the ball well and forced the defense to play near perfect to keep them in games.

When it comes down to it, Iowa simply did not perform well despite having multiple weapons around them.

In fact, only seven teams in the FBS gained fewer yards per game than Iowa. The Hawkeyes also ranked just 117th in total plays and 104th in yards per play at just 5.2. It led to Iowa relying on big plays for most of their scoring.

Iowa took 14-7 leads against Rutgers and Minnesota on 26 and 54 yard runs by Wadley, respectively. Also, the Hawkeyes could not find the end zone against Wisconsin and struggled to move the ball against Penn State’s backups.

For a team who scored 40-plus points four times, once against ranked Nebraska, their offense was as bad as it could have been for an eight win team.

They only had 12 turnovers and had six turnover-less games, however they had almost no pass game — C.J. Beathard finished with 1,929 passing yards — and would have scored fewer than 15 points more than six times if Wadley and LeShun Daniels Jr weren’t explosive, big play backs.

Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Defense: B+

Iowa’s stifling defense that allowed just four yards per carry and 50.4 percent of passes to be completed against them kept the Hawkeyes in almost every game. It’s hard to fault a defense that had little help from the offense, but their bend but don’t break defense cost them at times and kept them from earning an A this season.

Iowa only allowed 30-plus points in four games this season, although Iowa only went 1-3 in those games. It’s fair to say that Iowa would have reached 10 wins if they had a better offense this year, however, the Hawkeyes lost 38-31 to Northwestern and their defense never gave them a chance against Penn State.

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Still, Iowa allowed the 23rd fewest yards per game in the nation and 28th fewest per play. They did so being led by a strong defensive line, headlined by Jaleel Johnson, Matt Nelson and Anthony Nelson, as well as a secondary led by former Jim Thorpe Award Winner Desmond King.

Iowa forced 18 turnovers, including three by each Brandon Snyder and King. Also, Josey Jewell finished second in tackles in the Big Ten. Outside of Northwestern and Penn State, teams couldn’t figure out Iowa’s defense until they tired out late in the game.

North Dakota State scored nine points in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin scored 10 of their 17 points in the second half and even Florida only scored 10 points in the first half of the Outback Bowl. The Hawkeyes’ defense ended up getting tired late in games and couldn’t create the same havoc in the backfield.

That said, it’s hard to fault them considering the amount of plays they were on the field for. Despite owning the 13th ranked scoring defense in the nation, Iowa was on the field for the 56th most plays in the nation. Eventually it takes a toll on a defense that relied heavily on their stars.

Although, the defense stayed strong in their upset win over Michigan, as they held the Wolverines to just 2.8 yards per rush and 3.3 yards per play. Holding Michigan to 13 points and just three in the first half cemented the Hawkeyes as one of the best defensive teams in the nation.

It wasn’t a perfect season for Iowa, but it’s scary to think what Iowa’s record could be if their defense was even mediocre, let alone bad. A great defense saved the Hawkeyes in 2016.

Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams: A-

Iowa didn’t have any special teams disasters this season. They made 38-of-39 extra points, 10-of-14 field goals, with freshman kicker Keith Duncan making 9-of-11, and their return game returned to being one of the best in the conference.

Riley McCarron scored the Hawkeyes only return touchdown of the season, but Desmond King finished 13th in the nation in kickoff return average and 20th in punt return average. For the second straight season, King cemented himself as one of the best returners in the nation, along with being a top-tier corner.

Due to an inconsistent offense, punter Ron Coluzzi also had a huge role on the Hawkeyes in 2016. He finished 11th in the nation with 3,080 punt yards this season. The senior punter was an integral part to Iowa’s success, as he switched field position or pinned opponents deep multiple times.

Some of Iowa’s biggest plays of the year came on special teams, too. Against Michigan, two special teams plays were a big reason Iowa pulled the upset.

Right after halftime, Iowa forced Khalid Hill to fumble with Brady Ross recovering it for Iowa. It led to a 25-yard field goal and Iowa taking a 13-11 lead at the time.

Then to win the game, freshman kicker Keith Duncan nailed a 33-yard field goal as time expired to upset Michigan 14-13. He showed a lot of poise for a freshman against a top five team in the nation at the time.

Sometimes people took Iowa’s special teams for granted, but winning the field position battle was huge for the Hawkeyes all season.

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