Iowa Football Week 2 Report Card Aces Some Subjects, Passes All

Not every test is going to be an A+, and not every report card is going to carry a 4.0 GPA. Sometimes passing classes is okay to get the job done, and that is what the Iowa Hawkeyes did against Iowa State in the 16-13 Cy-Hawk victory.

It wasn't Iowa's best performance, but looking too deep into that is a tricky proposition. The Cy-Hawk is a weird, odd game every year that is inevitably close. It often doesn't tell the full story of who these teams are, and I believe that to be the case for Iowa the rest of the way.

Offense

Offense Grade: C-

By no means did Iowa ace the day on offense. Things were a struggle for the most part, but there has to be some credit given for putting together a 16-3 run to come back and win the Cy-Hawk.

The run game plummeted Iowa's grade with 93 yards on the ground, but Hank Brown's turnover-free performance, throwing for 191 yards and rushing for a touchdown, along with Tony Diaz looking explosive, did enough for Iowa to barely scrape by with a passing grade on offense.

Defense

Defense Grade: A

It's tough to put together much better of a performance than allowing 13 points and 255 total yards to a Power Four team, but that's what Iowa did. The defense was fast, physical, and, as it often does, kept Iowa in this game while the offense found the right time to strike.

It's getting nitpicky, but the only reason this isn't an A+ is the lack of turnovers. It would have been nice to see this defense take the ball away, but all things considered, there are no complaints from this unit.

Special Teams

Special Teams Grade: A

Iowa's punt unit and field goal operation were the MVPs of this game. Boston Everitt deserves a ton of credit for his punting efforts, which kept Iowa State deep in its own territory for most of the day, while Caden Buhr announced his arrival at Iowa, leading the way to a victory.

The only thing that draws this grade back from an A+ is that Iowa let a few Iowa State punts bounce and cost them hidden yardage. In games like this, those 10 or 12 yards can play an even bigger role. Iowa's punt returner, be it Reece Vander Zee or Evan James, doesn't have to be Kaden Wetjen, but they can't let the ball bounce.

Coaching

Coaching Grade: B+

Iowa knew what it was signing up for and getting into with this game. It was a classic Cy-Hawk game. Fortunately, Iowa embraces these close, gritty, physical games, and doesn't press when things get tight.

The special teams and defense had phenomenal game plans. For offense, I enjoyed 85% of Tim Lester's play calls, but some third-down runs and quarterback draws left me scratching my head.

Overall

Overall Grade: B

It wasn't Iowa's best performance, and it likely won't be the worst. It was a satisfactory job that got the win, and in the Cy-Hawk, that's all that matters. The Hawkeyes found a gutsy way to get to 2-0, which is never a bad thing.

This game doesn't reflect who Iowa is as a team. Take the win. Flush the bad. Fix it against Northern Illinois.

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