Iowa Offense Comes Alive Against Nevada

Hawkeyes Getting Healthy with Big Ten Portion of Schedule Upcoming

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Spencer Petras saw some familiar faces in Iowa’s huddle.

Wide receiver Nico Ragaini was back for Saturday’s game against Nevada at Kinnick Stadium. So was fellow receiver Keagan Johnson. Running back Gavin Williams was starting after missing the Hawkeyes’ season opener and only getting a couple of carries in last week’s game against Iowa State.

Those faces meant Iowa’s offense was at full strength. Well, maybe not all the way, but it was something.

And it showed in the 27-0 win over Nevada in a game that started on Saturday night and ended on Sunday morning.

The seven hours at Kinnick — three lightning delays for almost four hours extended the game — provided a sign that maybe the Hawkeyes’ offense was shaking out of the two-game slumber that had fans howling for a quarterback change and maybe some employment changes as well.

The Hawkeyes nearly doubled their production in points — they had 14 in their first two games. They more than doubled their production in yardage — 316 over the first two games, 337 in this one.

If you want to temper your enthusiasm by saying this came against a Nevada team that came in ranked 82nd nationally in scoring defense and 95th in total defense, well, that’s understandable.

But it was a sign that the help that wasn’t available in the 7-3 win over South Dakota State and the 10-7 loss to Iowa State is there now.

“It made us more multiple, less predictable,” said Petras, who completed 14-of-26 passes for 175 yards.

“It felt a little bit more like the kind of football you want to play,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Spencer, I thought, made some beautiful throws tonight and some real near-misses. Hopefully in time those will be completions. Whether it's a throw a little off or maybe the receiver a little bit off, that type of deal. It was encouraging because it looked like we were going to go somewhere there with it. If we can combine that with a good run game hopefully we can be able to do the things we want to do. It was encouraging. It’s always good to get guys back that you think are going to be in the mix for you.”

The Hawkeyes, bottled up by defenses who knew they weren’t going to take shots downfield, got more aggressive with their passing game. Seventeen of Petras’ 26 passes were targeted to wide receivers. Ragaini’s 46-yard catch coming out of the last lightning delay of the night was a welcomed sight for a passing game hamstrung by the loss of so many options.

Arland Bruce IV, who caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Petras, was targeted four times. So was Johnson, who is still working his way into more time. Brody Brecht, another option that has only seen sporadic time early in the season, was a deep option with four targets as well.

“Keagan (Johnson) hasn't really played since last December,” Ferentz said. “Brody (Brecht) really hasn't played -- a little bit last December and last three weeks. It was good to get him on the field. He'll get better. He'll keep improving.

“Probably the biggest gain for us was Nico, because he's a veteran. He has a veteran presence in a very young room. He's a good player, he's nifty and he knows how to play, he really does. That was good. I want to compliment Arland (Bruce), too. Arland had a heck of a game, not only on offense, but special teams. He's really playing hard. We knew that. We need more help there and it was good to see.”

The Hawkeyes were without running back Leshon Williams, who was gone for the week after the death of his father. Freshman Kaleb Johnson stepped in and in seven carries had 103 yards and touchdown runs of 40 and 55 yards.

“I’ve been waiting for this since I got here,” Johnson said. “It’s just a blessing.”

“He has a little energy to him that's fun,” Ferentz said. “He's not -- naive is not the right word -- but it's all new to him, so it's kind of fresh. He has been fun to work with and he has done things. He has been in the other games, but hasn't really looked great. It was good to see him run with confidence tonight and he got a little bit of daylight and knew what to do with that, that's for sure.”

Ferentz answered Petras’ critics, and the critics of the offense, in the last two weeks saying the quarterback and the offense deserved a better assessment once there was a full complement of the players expected to contribute this season.

The Hawkeyes got that on Saturday, and it looks like they’ll have that when Big Ten play begins next week at Rutgers.

“Everything clicked tonight,” Bruce said.

For the Hawkeyes, that’s significant progress.