CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As Prince’s “1999” blared from the loudspeakers at Memorial Stadium, it seemed not only symbolic that Illinois should throw a millennium-caliber party for beating Iowa for only the second time in 20 years but the anthem fits an era when the Hawkeyes’ offense reached its apex.
It was 10:04 p.m., and Illinois outlasted Iowa 9-6 in a game that encapsulated the final score. Every point came in the kicking game, while the defenses kept the opposing offense in a vise for different reasons. Turnovers were the culprit for the Illini; ineffectiveness once again crushed the Hawkeyes.
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“In a 9-6 game, you’d probably say both offenses were a little bit lacking,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “But that’s disappointing. I’m not sure we took a step forward tonight.
“It’s frustrating. That’s frustrating. I think everybody is probably frustrated.”
This isn’t the time for both-sidesism. The Illini (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) have scored more than 30 points three times this season, including a 34-10 pounding of Wisconsin last week. Iowa (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) has broken 30 points just once during the past calendar year, and that was with one touchdown in all three phases in November. And the Hawkeyes haven’t scored more than 34 on the Badgers since 2008.
Iowa’s offense has drifted from stale to lifeless to now broken. Since a 6-0 start last year, the Hawkeyes are 7-7. They’ve scored 18 offensive touchdowns in 14 games, and six times they’ve scored seven points or less. The offensive players — to their credit — look inward and blame it on their lack of execution. But the issues are beyond their own abilities. Change needs to happen at a macro level, not with a few tweaks.
There are legitimate reasons for Iowa’s offensive woes. The Hawkeyes start four sophomores and a freshman along the offensive line. Any improvement by the unit is mitigated by the growth made by Iowa’s opponent. Only one receiver with any experience is older than a true sophomore. The quarterback play is inconsistent.
But this also is a problem of Ferentz’s own making. The Hawkeyes ranked in the 120s in most offensive categories last year save for points scored, in which they were 99th. There’s a nifty new mechanism in college sports called the transfer portal, in which programs can sign players with all types of experience without costing them a year of eligibility. Longtime quarterback coach Ken O’Keefe stepped down, which presented the opportunity to alter an offensive scheme that needed revisions.
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Instead, Ferentz figuratively doubled down on a pair of sevens and ended up with a two and a three. The program scoured the portal for players. The staff looked at a few quarterbacks, tried to recruit a lineman and bring in a receiver during the spring. Instead, Iowa signed only a backup tight end. It lost four receivers to the portal, including the prolific Charlie Jones, and responded with the status quo.
So, when an obscene rash of injuries wiped out five of the six scholarship receivers during preseason camp, Iowa had to rely on walk-ons. When none of Iowa’s seven scholarship offensive linemen panned out in the 2018 and 2019 classes, the program stuck to building for the future with a unit that struggles to protect quarterback Spencer Petras or run block consistently. Halfway through the season, the Hawkeyes average 2.6 yards per carry and 82 rushing yards per game. They’ve given up 18 sacks, including five by the Illini.
“We’ve got some issues up front right now,” Ferentz said. “We’re young and inexperienced. Again, I thought we made progress last week in that regard. Tonight, not so much. We couldn’t run the ball very successfully and didn’t protect when we had to. But it’s not all on them.”
Some numbers can be excused as long as an offense can score points. Through six games, Iowa has scored seven offensive touchdowns. The defense has two more, plus a pair of much-needed safeties in the season opener. It nearly scored another touchdown Saturday when an 82-yard fumble return by cornerback Riley Moss was rescinded after replay. Iowa has started 12 drives in opposing territory this season but scored on only six possessions, including four touchdowns.
The defense set up the offense twice in consecutive sequences only to see both opportunities squandered. The first took place midway through the second quarter. Linebacker Jack Campbell recovered a bobbled punt return by Illinois’ Isaiah Williams to give the offense the ball at the Illini 35. A sack, a short pass, a false start and an incompletion forced the Hawkeyes to punt from the 41.
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Two plays into the next Illinois drive, Moss hit Williams on a perimeter pass and the ball squirted to the Illini 5, and linebacker Seth Benson recovered for Iowa. This is the type of scenario the Hawkeyes have used every year to bury Illinois. Instead, the offense self-destructed per usual. With two backs and two tight ends in the game, Petras rolled to his left — not his strength — was rushed and threw incomplete toward running back Leshon Williams.
On second down, running back Kaleb Johnson was thrown for a 3-yard loss against a stacked defensive line. Freshman guard Beau Stephens was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after pushing defensive lineman Calvin Avery, who had stepped on Stephens while he was on the ground. That sequence took Iowa back to the 23 on a drive that ended with a field goal.
On the half’s final drive, Iowa moved from its 21 to the Illini 18. But a dropped pass followed by a 9-yard loss on a potential trick pass led to a missed field goal. Those three possessions turned into three total points.
“They are great when they work, and when they don’t work, they’re not so great,” Ferentz said about Iowa’s attempt at a trick play.
Here’s when Iowa’s play-calling patterns come into play. At first-and-goal from the Illinois 5, the playbook has plenty of options. With the incompletion, Iowa went back to a comfortable, yet non-productive, tendency. In 2021, the Hawkeyes threw a first-down incompletion that didn’t result in penalty 61 times, according to Pro Football Focus. On the ensuing second-down play — excluding sacks and kneel downs — the Hawkeyes ran the ball 40 times. But when the fourth quarter is excluded, the likelihood is 69.6 percent with 32 rushes after 46 first-down incompletions.
Ferentz’s son, Brian, is Iowa’s offensive coordinator. He’s in his sixth year in that role. When O’Keefe resigned in February, the elder Ferentz turned to his son to take over the quarterbacks. Petras has taken every snap and completed 53.7 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Petras’ performance has improved, but the passing game remains dysfunctional.
Is that Brian Ferentz’s fault? Kirk Ferentz’s fault? Everybody’s fault. Does it even matter?
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As expected, Kirk Ferentz showed unwavering support for his son, who faces even sharper public scrutiny than his two previous predecessors, O’Keefe (1999-2011) and Greg Davis (2012-16).
“He’s a good football coach,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I thought Greg Davis was good in ’14; he got killed, and we ended up having a pretty good year the next year. So, he’s a good football coach, and we’ve had three good coordinators in my opinion.
“We got to play better. We have to do what we can to help our players. As coaches, we have to do better to try to help them. And we’ll try to move forward. It’s easy to point fingers and just call people out, and I don’t think I’ve ever operated that way in 23 years and don’t intend to right now.”
Last year the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten West Division despite the offensive woes. This year, they are worse in every category and better on defense. In five of Iowa’s six games, the defense has given up 10 or fewer points. Yet, the offense lost two of those games. In a near-identical game against Iowa State last month, the Hawkeyes blocked two punts inside the Cyclones’ 20-yard line only to come away with seven points. This time, it was three points after a pair of takeaways inside the Illini 35.
Yet it appears nothing will change, not schematically, in play calling or on the staff.
“Making a change? No, no, no, no,” Ferentz said. “We won 10 games last year. I’m not sure if you’re aware of that. It’s not only that, but we’ve won a lot of games since 2015. So, we’re not doing well enough right now. I think that’s fairly obvious, and we’re working on solutions.
“We are where we are right now. And we can’t change dramatically, but hopefully, we find some ways to be more effective. To the point earlier, I think, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand we need to score more points.”
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Iowa’s offense is broken. It needs more than a revision; it needs an overhaul. But until Ferentz admits he can’t fix it without outside help, the offense will remain trapped. And more than just the Illini will party like it’s 1999 against the Hawkeyes this year and beyond.
(Top photo of Spencer Petras: Michael Allio / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
