Iowa left Columbus with more than a loss to sort through. After Ohio State controlled the game from start to finish in a 31-14 Buckeyes win, Kirk Ferentz also had to address the health of three starters who exited with injuries: Hank Brown, Deshaun Lee and Zach Lutmer.
The early read from Ferentz was encouraging. On Brown, he said, “I don’t think anything too major” and described the issues for Lutmer and Lee as “cramping.”
That matters because all three have been important pieces in Iowa’s early stretch. Brown’s exit came late in the third quarter after he was shoved out of bounds, with the Hawkeyes already absorbing a rough day on offense.
Backup Jeremy Hecklinski finished the game after Brown went down, and Iowa’s best offensive series of the night came with Hecklinski leading the way. He drove the team downfield for Iowa’s only touchdown.
The quarterback situation is now back in the conversation, too. Iowa’s offense has been stuck in place for three straight weeks with Brown at the controls, and while a change under center won’t solve every issue, the conversation is very much alive. In two Big Ten games, the Hawkeyes are averaging 261.5 total yards on offense.
The ground game has been even harder to find. Over the last two games, Iowa has managed just 97 rushing yards combined.
And the problems haven’t stopped on the other side of the ball. After a strong start to the year, the defense has now been lit up in back-to-back games, including a night in which Ohio State piled up 484 total yards. For a Phil Parker defense, that kind of number stands out immediately.
That’s why the status of Lee and Lutmer is such a relief for Iowa heading into a short week. The Hawkeyes now turn quickly to Washington in Seattle, and Ferentz will almost certainly have more to say when he meets with the media again. For now, though, the first injury update is at least a positive one for a team that needed something to go right.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Got A Frustrating Reality Check Before Washington
Iowas trip to Ohio State turned into a sobering reminder of how thin the margin can be against the sports elite. The No. 14 Hawkeyes came away with a loss after struggling to get much going on offense, with quarterback Hank Brown throwing an interception before leaving the game with a mild sprain, while the defense had a hard time slowing down a Buckeyes attack that kept finding answers.
Jeremiah Smith was at the center of it, piling up 206 receiving yards and two touchdowns while also moving into Ohio States all-time lead in receptions and tying the program career touchdown record. For Iowa, the more immediate concern is what the performance and the injuries mean heading into Washington, where the Hawkeyes will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid carrying this frustration into another big matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Let Ohio State Hang Around Until One Problem Took Over
Iowa had Ohio State in a game for long stretches at Kinnick Stadium, even as the Buckeyes left with a 31-14 win. The Hawkeyes did a respectable job slowing the ground game, holding Ohio State to 3.4 yards per carry on 47 rushing attempts, and for stretches the defense gave the home crowd reason to think the upset was within reach.
Jeremiah Smith changed the feel of the night. The Ohio State receiver repeatedly found space downfield, finishing with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and Iowa never found a clean answer once the Buckeyes decided to lean on him. The Hawkeyes also had chances to tighten things up, but penalties and mistakes kept them from turning those openings into real pressure on the No. 1 team. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Faces Immediate AP Poll Trouble After Costly Missouri Loss
Missouris win over Florida was one of the weekend results that could ripple through the AP Top 25, and it came at a time when the rankings already had plenty of movement to sort through. Alabamas victory over Mississippi State also factors into the reshuffling, with both games feeding into a Sunday poll that figures to tighten the race for spots near the bottom of the rankings and the first teams outside them.
For Iowa fans, the interest is less about one result than the broader picture of who moves up, who slips back and which teams are hanging onto national relevance by a thread. The AP voters will have to weigh recent form against rsum, and there are enough teams on the edge of the poll to make this weeks release worth watching closely once the official rankings are unveiled. [Read more 🡒]