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Iowa Football: Three Takeaways From Win Over Minnesota
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Three takeaways from the Hawkeyes 14-7 win over Minnesota
Iowa football squeaked out another win this past week over Minnesota. While it proved that they still have many holes to fix, the Iowa Hawkeyes also proved they can go on the road and find a way to win against a decent team. Therefore, while a lot of questions surround them heading into the second half of the year, there are a lot of positives that came out of their win, as well.
Minnesota was a make or break game for the Hawkeyes, and they answered. Despite this being just the second game without Matt VandeBerg, and only Iowa’s second road game, they stayed poised and found a way to win.
Iowa will take on three ranked opponents in their last six games, therefore finding ways to win, no matter how pretty it looks, will be important. The Hawkeyes still have a lot riding on the second half of the season after keeping their Big Ten West dreams alive.
Here’s a look at three takeaways from the Hawkeyes win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
C.J. Beathard Needs to be Smarter
C.J. Beathard threw two interceptions on Saturday, his third in the past two weeks, but the biggest worry is the amount of hits he’s taking in and outside of the pocket. Minnesota only sacked him once on Saturday, although, despite Iowa’s effort to get off quick throws to protect him, the Gophers delivered big blows as he threw all game.
It’s become a theme for C.J. Beathard to be pressured on every throw, and needing to stand in the pocket knowing that a defender is about to light him up. While Iowa improved on the six sacks they allowed to Northwestern a week earlier, it’s evident that teams will record multiple QB hits on Beathard every week.
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Even if Beathard continues to stay in the game and start every week, the multitude of hits he takes on every week has had an impact on his health. His mobility has suffered at times this year and he had to leave the game for nearly a whole drive against North Dakota State and missed a play against Minnesota, as well.
To be fair, Beathard had to leave the game after being hit on attempted runs, however the multiple hits he takes in the pocket doesn’t help his health. That being said, Beathard needs to be a smarter runner, too.
On an offense that struggles to gain yards, it’s easy to love Beathard’s hard-nosed, never give up attitude. At the same time, his unwillingness to slide to save himself from a big hit is tough to watch. It’s great that he wants to fight for the extra yard to try to gain a first down, although sliding for a seven-yard gain and saving his body is much better than being hit hard on an eight-yard gain.
Beathard refused to slide all game, and it eventually cost him midway through the fourth quarter when he had to be taken out of the game for a mandatory play because the training staff came out to check on him. While it didn’t look serious then or later in the game, for a brief second after the hard hit, the Hawkeyes season flashed before everyone’s eyes.
Then, late in the fourth quarter, on a 3rd and 7, Beathard ran to the outside and tried to hurdle a defender, forcing him to be flipped into the air and landing out-of-bounds. Besides the fact that he didn’t stay in-bounds during a time when Iowa was trying to run out the clock, there was no reason for him to dive for the first down. He landed three yards short and it could have resulted in a serious injury.
I get it, in the heat of the moment it’s not always easy to slide when your brain is telling you to fight for every yard. Although, C.J. Beathard needs to know how important he is to the Hawkeyes offense. He might not be able to control the constant pressure he feels in the pocket, but he can slide and save his body from a couple of big hits every game.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Riley McCarron Isn’t Great, But He’s All Iowa Has
No one questioned how big of a loss Matt VandeBerg would be to this offense. He led the team in all three major receiving categories and was the only consistent receiving threat C.J. Beathard had through the first four weeks of the season.
Most people expected tight end George Kittle to step up and take on an expanded role. However, Kittle has recorded just five receptions for 57 yards over the past two weeks. He is coming off a four-reception game against Minnesota but it’s evident that Beathard isn’t shying away from targeting his slot receiver, as Riley McCarron once again led the team in receptions and receiving yards.
A week removed from recording eight catches, 78 yards and a touchdown, while looking impressive, against Northwestern, he struggled mightily on Saturday. McCarron still reeled in six grabs for 62 yards, although he had multiple costly plays.
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He dropped two screen passes that could have gone for big gains and also lost a fumble at the start of the fourth quarter after a decent gain on a screen pass. McCarron has dealt with drops all season but they’re exemplified more now that he’s the most targeted receiver on the team. Although, it’s hard to blame Beathard for targeting McCarron so often.
Jerminic Smith and Jay Scheel are both deep threat targets and Beathard simply doesn’t have enough time in the pocket to wait for deep plays to develop. Not to mention, Smith overran a potential 52-yard touchdown which ended up resulting in an interception instead.
Simply put, the Hawkeyes lack any great receiving options. It’d be nice to see Kittle utilized more, although Iowa’s offensive line hasn’t given Beathard enough time in the pocket to allow a play to develop. Therefore, short passes proved to work well and helped Iowa move the ball against Minnesota.
Either way, Iowa’s pass game revolved around the slot receiver with VandeBerg and it’s evident they’ll keep that game plan. Like it or not, Riley McCarron will continue to see a heavy amount of targets, but he has to be better.
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Defense Wins Games
Iowa is a perfect example of why solid defensive play is crucial to winning football games. After a bend but don’t break mentality through the first five weeks of the season, Iowa laid down the wood against Minnesota and shut them down. The Hawkeyes defense forced three turnovers, held Mitch Leidner to 39.4 percent passing and the Gophers run game to a mere 3.5 yards per carry.
For a defense coming off a week in which they allowed 38 points, the most they’ve allowed since the 2015 Tax Slayer Bowl against Tennessee, this was a much-needed defensive performance. Iowa is still trying to channel how they played last season, when they gave up 20.4 points per game and 3.6 yards per carry, but they once again did enough to help lead the Hawkeyes to a victory.
Despite the Hawkeyes allowing Shannon Brooks to find the end zone in the third quarter, they played very well on the defensive side of the ball for most of the game. Iowa took advantage of mistakes Minnesota made and put constant pressure on Leidner, while also stopping the run.
Although, once again, their ability to keep a team off the scoreboard was almost wasted. It seems like Iowa’s offense can only score when they absolutely need to and can’t give the defense any cushion. No matter who Iowa plays, the defense is always facing a critical drive where one bad play could cost the Hawkeyes.
Besides their struggling performance against Northwestern, the Hawkeyes defense has given the offense plenty of chances to pull away in every game. They held North Dakota State to just seven points in the first half, and didn’t allow them to consistently march down the field until the fourth quarter. Not to mention holding Rutgers to seven points all game.
Sure, the offense might be without Matt VandeBerg and the offensive line is struggling, but they have to find ways to score at some point. The defense can keep them around against Minnesota and Rutgers, however the Hawkeyes are in for a rude awakening against Nebraska and Michigan if their offense can’t find a rhythm.
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