Howe: Hawkeyes' Heart Not Enough in Citrus

Depleted Kentucky Takes Advantage of Iowa Inconsistency

With the final chapter being written Saturday in Orlando, the 2021 Iowa Football season should be remembered for the heart of the Hawkeyes. It's how a flawed team reached 10 victories for just the 10th time in program history. 

Ending with a gut-wrenching, 20-17 loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl  highlights how we'll recall this campaign. There were fun times, but each of the sport's three phases must at least be competent if the philosophy of complementary football expects to reach its ceiling. 

Iowa's offense simply was not good enough this season. It's why the team lost four games and left a potentially super season on the table. 

Saturday's setback can't soley be hung on coordinator Brian Ferentz's unit. It generated two second-half touchdowns, the total it managed in the previous three games. 

The Hawkeye defense yielded an eight-play, 80-yard, game-winning touchdown drive with five minutes remaining. It missed tackles and broke down. 

Still, it allowed only 20 points. It kept Iowa in the game while the offense generated only a first-half field goal. The Hawkeyes could have easily trailed 21-3 at the intermission had the defense not bowed up in the red zone. 

The defense also looked gassed on Kentucky's final scoring drive. It spent the day putting out fires in temperatures reaching 110 degrees on the field. It generated seven sacks against a potent Wildcat attack and set the offense up with opportunities. 

It seemed fitting that this game ended with Iowa's offense coming up short. It mirrored 2021. 

Head coach Kirk Ferentz decided to punt instead of going for it on a fourth and less than a yard around midfield with 3:38 remaining in regulation. A first down would have all but ended the game with Kentucky out of timeouts. 

The choice spoke to Kirk Ferentz's faith in his defense and lack of it in his son's offense. 

Iowa still had a chance to tie or win the game. It took over on its own 25 with a timeout and 1:48 left in the fourth quarter. It moved to the Wildcat 40 with a minute left and the timeout. 

Kentucky sent a blitz off the edge on second and five. The Hawkeyes failed to pick it up. The defender hit quarterback Spencer Petras, who threw his third interception of the day. 

Game over. 

Season over.

Iowa needed to be better offensively, especially when you consider the Wildcats were without several top defensive players, including first-team all-SEC edge rusher Josh Paschal. 

Again, the offense wasn't listless for 60 minutes as it has been at times this season. Brian Ferentz called a good second half after head-scratching decisions before the break. The two touchdowns felt like eating a filet mignon after starving for a week. 

It's been so bad that the second half looked great. In actuality, it was what should be expected much more frequently. 

No doubt Iowa needed better quarterback play this fall. Petras and backup Alex Padilla struggled with consistency. The offensive line did as well. Receivers dropped too many passes.

While the players failed to execute too often, that's not the root of the problem. The offense looks like it's running in mud. And that's on the coaches, particularly Kirk and Brian Ferentz, who have the most say in the plan. 

Iowa came into Saturday ranked 95th nationally in scoring offense at 23.9 points per game. It averaged 31.8 in a COVID-shortened '20, good for 40th in the country. From '17-'19, Brian's first three seasons as coordinator, the Hawkeyes ranked 66th, 43rd and 88th. When it comes to total offense, Iowa has been 116th, 91st, 99th, 87th and 123rd among 130 FBS programs. 

Brian was asked this week about Iowa's offensive identity. He provided a word salad that left people with more questions than answers about the unit's direction. 

Iowa featured elite defense and special teams units in 2021. The other phase held it back. 

Ten-win seasons around here should never be frowned upon. But it's sure fair to wonder how good this year could have been with an average offense. 

How many offensive coordinators would be replaced after the five-year run illustrated above with such a big step back in Year 5? That's a fair question. 

If the Hawkeyes are to reach their potential, Kirk and Brian Ferentz must change. The offense needs to be modernized. It must better complement the other phases, not drag them down to the point where the program wins just one January bowl in the last 12 years and not claim a Big Ten title since '04. 

Iowa is a consistently successful program, but it boasts the talent to be even better. Reaching those heights falls on the coaches, as we saw again Saturday.