5 Takeaways from the Iowa / Penn State Game

Oh, man, I haven't yelled at my TV like that in a long time. Did I yell too much or not enough? Either way, my behavior is unlikely to change, although my wife did bring up a good point that maybe I should watch intense games inside instead of outside as my yelling may have been enough to get the cops called (although this would be a very fitting Florida Man arrest story). Alas, the Hawkeyes fell 30-24 in a total rollercoaster of a game.

Let's Talk About Dominique Dafney
He blocked a punt and tried out for the wrestling team with a double leg takedown on kickoff coverage. The West Des Moines product is not a guy that is going to have many opportunities to get love, so let's love on Dominique Dafney. Great game, DD.

LeVar Woods Does What He Wants
LeVar Woods clearly has full control of what happens on fourth downs. First, he runs a play where they may have been looking to pull off a fake when Recinos ran out wide, but they didn't, so that one gets to stay in the holster. Last, he ran a fake punt where Iowa had two quarterbacks and Peyton Mansell was the QB who got the ball. They never really showed any route running or coverage, so I have no idea what the plan is, but I really would have liked for Mansell to throw the ball up and hope for the best.

But then there was that play in the middle. They didn't try to take Penn State by surprise. They just straight up lined up the punter in shotgun, and from ten yards out, everyone knew it was going to be a pass. Colton Rastetter did a slight role to his right, then threw back towards his left and threw a perfect pass to Sam Brincks who managed to haul it in while being hit. There is absolutely no way that Ihmir Smith-Marsette makes that catch, but Sam Brincks did. I don't know why that is a play. That is not a good play at all, but then again, maybe it is? It worked, and it will likely never have to work again. God bless LeVar Woods for spending all of his free time researching trick plays, because I'm pretty sure we have a bigger playbook for our special teams than we do for our offense.

Nate Stanley's Three Step Drop
A three step drop is a great way to get the ball out quick and easily let your quarterback throw it in rhythm. Iowa has really tried to incorporate this with Nate Stanley, but the problem is that Stanley's first option never seems to be open, and then he just kind of waits there while only being about two yards behind his offensive linemen. Then it gets so cramped that he has limited vision and space which is not a great recipe for success. I'm guessing the issue is that Stanley is not able to identify the defenses as well as he needs to in order to make these type of plays work as most times, he should know presnap where that ball is going. If Iowa wants to go with a three step drop, maybe try it from shotgun to give everybody a little bit more space.

TJ Hockenson's Two Chances
TJ Hockenson had what may have been the two biggest "What if" plays in this game. The first was so painful as Iowa both called and executed a beautiful play on third and one. Nate Stanley executed a beautiful fake, and Penn State came crashing in to stop the run while Hockenson snuck behind the defense and was the most wide open any player can possibly be without evacuating the stadium. The only thing that was not executed was Stanley's throw as he horrifically overthrew him and cost Iowa an easy touchdown. That would have put Iowa up 21-7 and would have changed the complexion of the rest of the game.

Then on Iowa's final drive, Hockenson made an incredible catch while diving out of bounds. On review, it was borderline. Whatever happened to indisputable evidence? With my black and gold colored glasses, I saw it as a catch but can understand that it was close. Still, I have a hard time with that catch being overturned. TJ Hockenson did everything he could to execute on these two plays; it just wasn't meant to be.

Somehow, Iowa Still (basically) Controls Its Own Destiny
With Northwestern beating Wisconsin, it actually sets up pretty damn well for the Hawkeyes. If Iowa wins out, and Northwestern only loses to Iowa in conference play, even if Wisconsin wins out, it will leave three teams at 7-2 in the conference. With everyone going 1-1 in head-to-head matchups, Iowa should get the tiebreaker with the best overall record. So Big Ten Championship, here we come, somehow.

But yeah, that loss hurt.

5 Takeaways from the Iowa / Minnesota Game

Iowa overcame all the odds and somehow managed to win a game after a bye week. Although the final score was 48-31, that doesn't show how dominant Iowa managed to be in this game.. Here are my five takeaways from Iowa keeping Floyd of Rosedale with its proper owners.

Nate Stanley Is Improving
The most lasting memory from this game may be Nate Stanley's awful interception, but I'm going to chalk that up to a case of Nate Stanley hearing how awful Minnesota is at football and truly testing the limits of how awful they could be. It turns out they can catch an interception if you gently loft it directly into their chest. Good to know.

But the biggest takeaway is that Nate Stanley has improved leaps and bounds from last year in his ability to move within the pocket. He is seeing pressure and stepping up while keeping his eyes down the field, and it was instrumental in keeping Iowa marching down the field.

Feeling the pressure is still an issue as it led to a fumble and an errant throw, but considering the improvement that he has made in handling pressure, I certainly won't bet against him in getting a better feel for pressure. Nate Stanley is getting better, and that should make future Iowa opponents very concerned.

Trick Plays Are Fun When They Work
Could Iowa craft an entire offense out of plays where the offensive line is far away from the center? I think so. Anyway, the trick play for a TJ Hockenson touchdown was magnificent, and I enjoyed it so, so much. But I heard a lot of people complaining that it was "wasted" on Minnesota. Iowa showed they were way better than Minnesota, but that trick play meant that I could relax when Nate Stanley had a turnover, so it was totally worth it. Also, this trick play worked to perfection, and it gained four yards. It looked like if Hockenson needed to, he is getting five, maybe six yards. If we don't use that play then, when exactly are we going to find a more ideal time to use it? Just be happy and enjoy the good times, and know that LeVar Woods has at least 30 more of these.

Julius Brents...Yes Please
(Insert Heart Emoji Eyes Here) My God, Julius Brents. Minnesota tried multiple strategies against Brents yesterday. The first was to avoid him at all costs. That strategy was definitely the most effective. The second strategy was try to throw his way. That strategy led to Brents continually breaking up passes and making an incredible interception. And this is not a man who has grinded with the program and refined his skills. He is a true freshman who made his first start yesterday. Iowa has had some incredible defensive backs. Bob Sanders, the criminally underrated Jovon Johnson, and Desmond King and Josh Jackson over the last couple years. Brents showed the skills where he could be mentioned along those greats at the end of his Iowa tenure. I already love this guy.

Riley Moss - The Best Bad Debut Ever
Instead of attacking Brents, they went after another Freshman making his first start, Riley Moss. Now, anytime a white cornerback shows up, all simple football brains must immediately think, "Is this the next Jason Sehorn?" As an Iowa fan, I realized that Adam Shada was a very real possibility, and that is more what we got. Minnesota went after Moss, and they had a lot of success doing it. Even addressing the bad, it's still good to see that his fundamentals were strong and he was staying close to guys, just not quite close enough.

On the bright side, he ended up with two interceptions, and interceptions are the ultimate way to judge a good cornerback. Therefore, as much as I like Julius Brents, I must admit that Moss is twice as good.

In all seriousness, Moss played admirably, but he's not quite ready for the big time. Still, two interceptions is really freaking cool, so good for him.

Shout Out to TJ Hockenson
I just want to give a shout out to TJ Hockenson as the Iowa pass catcher that I trust the most. If I see a ball thrown near Hockenson, I have so much confidence that he can actually come down with it, where I don't have anywhere near that confidence with anybody else. Brandon Smith might be second in my completely arbitrary rankings, but let's shout out Hockenson, Iowa's other tight end, because he's a guy who knows how to create separation and catch footballs. Noah Fant may be the most talented tight end in Iowa history (I know that's a bold statement, but NFL.com currently ranked him as the sixth best prospect in the nation), but Hockenson ensures that even though Fant will be missed, it won't likely be a huge dropoff in production.