Iowa Football vs. Northern Illinois: Scripting the Hawkeyes' Perfect First Offensive Drive

Let's get wild with it. Well, as wild as one can get when predicting what the Iowa Hawkeyes will do offensively.

There is a limit to the creativity Iowa will show against Northern Illinois for multiple reasons. First, well, it's Iowa. The Hawkeyes play their game and are unabashedly themselves. Second, they play Northern Illinois. Why show any more than you must and put it on film?

With kickoff approaching, here's what I would script for the Hawkeyes' opening drive, which, for the sake of this, is a long touchdown drive starting on their own 25-yard line, because Kaden Wetjen is no longer making weekly house calls.

Iowa's Opening Drive vs Northern Illinois

First & 10, own 20-yard line: Everyone knows Iowa can run. They expect Iowa to run. Here comes an easy pass to DJ Vonnahme over the middle that has been worked countless times throughout camp to build some quarterback confidence.

2nd & 4, own 26-yard line: Now we get the run game. Trevor Lauck is on the left side, and Iowa follows him for a Kamari Moulton six-yard rush and a first down.

1st & 10, own 32-yard line: Iowa sticks with the ground game to find some early rhythm, and Kamari Moulton hits Northern Illinois for eight yards on a stretch run.

2nd & 2, own 32-yard line: This down and distance is a play-caller's dream. Unfortunately, the play-action attempt is sniffed out. Incomplete.

3rd & 2, own 32-yard line: L.J. Phillips Jr. makes his Iowa debut and converts the first third down of the year with a run right up the gut for an ugly, hard four yards.

1st & 10, own 36-yard line: It's only a matter of time before Tony Diaz is featured, and it comes here. Iowa goes into the shotgun and frees up Tony Diaz on a 15-yard crossing route to get Kinnick going.

1st & 10, NIU's 49-yard line: Iowa gets back to the ground game, but the Huskies flex their muscles a bit and stop Iowa for a loss of one, giving Iowa its first real test.

2nd & 11, 50-yard line: Iowa is in an obvious passing down for the first time today, but times up a screen to Kamari Moulton perfectly for an easy completion that pops for 18 yards. The scoring threat becomes real.

1st & 10, NIU's 32-yard line: After the catch-and-run, Iowa gets Xavier Williams an early touch in this one, which goes for a modest gain of three yards to keep things moving forward.

2nd & 7, NIU's 29-yard line: With the drive in a bit of a rhythm, Iowa stays on the ground this time and chunks another three yards up the gut to set up a manageable third down.

3rd & 4, NIU's 26-yard line: Do you throw it for the first down? Play it safe having a chance at a field goal? Or treat it as two-down territory? Iowa does the latter. It's another run, and this time L.J. Phillips breaks a tackle and gains seven.

1st & 10, NIU's 19-yard line: Iowa goes back to the play-action, and this time it's there. It's vintage Iowa. Heavy play-action to the boundary, with DJ Vonnahme getting lost in the mix as he leaks out to the wide side of the field. It's a short, easy throw that Vonnahme takes and strolls in for the touchdown untouched.

Add us as a preferred source on Google