Bohnenkamp: Petras, Iowa Offense Expecting Jump Forward

Hawkeyes Seeking Consistency After Uneven 2021 Campaign

Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras stands on the field before Kids Day practice on Aug. 13, 2022 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Spencer Petras figures he’s seen it all in two years, going on three, of being Iowa’s starting quarterback.

He knows that, starting with Saturday’s season opener against South Dakota State at Kinnick Stadium, he is in a good place as all eyes watch to see how much improvement he made from last season.

“I think with experience, everything gets better,” Petras said this week. “I’m happy with how I’m throwing the football right now, how I’m processing the offense. There’s obviously the mental side of it — it gets easier as you go. As a senior now, as a third-year starter, I’ve been through it all. There’s not much that could happen in terms of ups and downs in a season that will be new.”

Last season was more down than up for Petras, who struggled with inconsistency and a late-season injury. The offseason was an open competition with Alex Padilla for the starting job, and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said he liked how both quarterbacks improved.

“It's a long evaluation, and we evaluate everything, we tell our guys starting in January,” Ferentz said. “Just the time on the field, I think Spencer has out-performed Alex a little bit at this point. He's further ahead and gives us a better chance to be successful. That's not to diminish what Alex has done. Both have improved. Now the thing is can we put this whole thing together and be a little bit more productive offensively.”

Iowa’s offensive numbers from last season reflected the lack of production. The Hawkeyes finished 99th nationally in scoring offense at 23.4 points per game, 101st in rushing offense (123.6 yards per game), 109th in passing offense (180.1) and 121st in total offense (303.7).

Petras didn’t need to be reminded of the struggles.

Petras pointed out how Iowa’s defense and special teams played the biggest role in Iowa’s 10-4 season last year that included a Big Ten West Division championship.

“No one on the offense wants to be third fiddle,” he said. “We want to be contributing and winning games.”

Iowa’s passing game may have some patchwork to it for the opener, especially with the injuries at wide receiver. Nico Ragaini is out, and Keagan Johnson is still coming back from health issues during fall camp. So that position group feels like it’s in whoever-is-available mode.

“We've had some injury situations that make it a little bit frustrating, but I think collectively if we can get 11 guys out there that we want on Saturday, that'll be good, first of all, and then I feel like we're further along,” Ferentz said. “Usually it comes down to two things — dependability or availability, and then also the improvement that the guys make.”

Petras knows he may be throwing to players he doesn’t have a lot of experience with in game situations.

“We would obviously love to have everyone,” he said. “Football is a game of injuries, unfortunately. That’s probably one of the bad things about this game, that people get injured. I’m really excited for the guys we have. They’ve done a great job to this point, and I have the utmost confidence in them.

“They wouldn’t be on the field if we didn’t trust them to execute, from a mental standpoint and a physical standpoint.”

But Petras also knows there is a simple way to define Iowa’s improvement on offense.

“How we do it is by executing the game plan,” he said. “I think we have a solid game plan. The trick right now is go and execute.”

The offseason for Petras was about getting better. The season, now, is here.

Asked if he feels like he has something to prove, Petras said, “I’m not really looking at it from that lens, per se. I’m just excited to get out there and compete with our guys. It’s been a long road to get here as a team.

“It’s time to go out there and play.”