Howe: Even Moral Victory Out of Iowa's Reach

Ohio State Drives Hawkeyes Further into Abyss

Oct. 22, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Alex Padilla (8) is sacked by Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Steele Chambers (22) during the second half of Saturday's game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. (Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch)

The odds of Iowa upsetting No. 2 Ohio State Saturday in Columbus were long. The Buckeyes were favored by more points (29.5) than any Hawkeye opponent since 2000. 

As cringey as it sounds in Year 24 of a coaching regime, Iowa at least was positioned for a moral victory. It couldn't even accomplish that. 

Embarrassment has come in many forms this season. It arrived Saturday in a 54-10 dismantling, the most points scored by an opponent in coach Kirk Ferentz's almost quarter of a century leading the Hawkeyes. 

If you didn't watch the game and only saw the final score, you might think Iowa's vaunted defense fell apart. It didn't. The lopsided final tally resulted from inept offense, a Hawkeye staple the last two seasons. 

Did the unit hit rock bottom at The Shoe? Maybe. The performance ranked right up there with the three total field goals it managed against South Dakota State and Illinois. Perhaps it happened in the 10-7 home loss to Iowa State, where the lone touchdown came on a two-play, 16-yard drive following a blocked punt. 

The latest disaster started on a high note. Defensive end Joe Evans stunted his pass rush, hit Buckeye quarterback CJ Stroud, jarring the ball loose, scooping it up and scoring a touchdown. The visitors led 7-3 with 13 minutes to play in the opening quarter. 

The Hawkeye defense would smother the high-powered home team for the rest of the first half, holding it to 133 yards at the break. Meanwhile, the Iowa offense continued putting the team in peril. It ran more than six plays on only one of eight first-half drives and managed three or fewer plays on five possessions before the break adding three turnovers in the meltdown.

At that point, the Hawkeye fans got what they wanted, a quarterback change. Alex Padilla replaced starter Spencer Petras to begin the third quarter. Padilla turned it over on two of his first three plays.  

As has happened throughout the last 15 games, during which the Iowa offense has scored 18 total touchdowns, the defense wore down. Ohio State eventually broke through and rolled up 227 yards after the break. The Buckeyes finished with seven scores in as many red-zone trips, while the visitors never made it to the red zone, converting just 1 of 13 third-down attempts. 

Perhaps the most disheartening development Saturday was the much-anticipated quarterback change failing to spark the offense. Padilla missed multiple makable throws but also was handicapped by continued leaky offensive line play, questionable coaching strategy and receivers unable to consistently get open. 

Coming off a bye week, the hope was the Hawkeyes found answers for an offense that entered Saturday's action ranked 127 out of 131 FBS programs in scoring offense (14.7 points per game) and dead last in total offense (238.8 yards per game). It managed 158 yards and a field goal Saturday. 

The complementary football on which Iowa hangs its hat hasn't been working even with one of the country's best defenses and a strong special teams. Unlike last season when those phases overcame offensive ineptitude to win 10 games, the offense is single-handedly sinking the ship this year. 

Seven games into the season, sitting at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten, it's foolish to think this offense can be relied on this fall. With five winnable games against Big Ten West Division opponents remaining, it's a matter of improving enough to keep from killing the other two phases. 

That falls on a coaching staff that told us all offseason that results would improve on that side of the ball, that players would be put in position to succeed, that they'd simplify the offense. It's somehow worse than the '21 unit that ranked 121 out of 131 FBS programs in total offense (303.7 YPG). 

The Hawkeyes last fell short of bowl eligibility in '12. Saturday's collapse meant they needed to finish at least 3-2 the rest of this regular season to avoid staying home for the holidays. 

Iowa heads into that crucial stretch with no momentum thanks to the inability in at least achieving a moral victory against the mighty Buckeyes. It's fair wondering at this point if any competence on offense can be achieved this fall.