Iowa Football Stock Report: Hawkeyes' Portfolio is Volatile After Week 2

It appears that the Iowa Hawkeyes are trying to mimic the real stock market with the ups and downs they are giving us after Week 2.

It was a 16-13 Cy-Hawk win that came in classic Iowa fashion. The Hawkeyes played defense, hung around, and took the lead late to slam the door shut. It was a vintage Kirk Ferentz win.

Still, we are seeing some stocks in their portfolio act pretty volatile at this point in the season, with some market corrections inevitably coming for both good and bad.

Buy as much as you can: Tony Diaz

Buy. Buy. Buy.

Tony Diaz had the hype before this season began, and he has only taken it to a new level with his play through two games. He has hands of glue. He can take the top off of defenses. And he consistently wiggles his way open to make throws easy.

With 15 receptions for 179 yards through just two games, Diaz should continue to give Iowa a talent out wide that it hasn't had in some time. Expect Iowa to continue scheming him touches.

Stock Down: Run game

The run game struggling was concerning last night. Iowa State and Jimmy Rogers deserve credit for standing strong against Iowa's offensive line, but it is worrisome for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes mustered just 93 yards on 29 carries, for an average of 3.2 yards per rush. After a career game, Kamari Moulton ended the night with 57 yards, which was made worse by a late injury that knocked him out of the game on Iowa's final drive.

Stock Up: Hank Brown

Before this game kicked off, there was the expectation that Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski would split reps as they did in Week 1. As we know, that never came to fruition. Hank Brown took every snap on offense, making the most of the opportunity.

It wasn't a flash day, but a 21-for-30 outing for 191 yards, with 22 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown, is what Iowa needs from its quarterback. Hank Brown didn't turn the ball over. He made some big throws. It feels like this is his job at this point, unless he proves otherwise.

Stock Down: Tight end usage (buy the dip)

I don't know if I would call it a concern yet, as it's such a small sample size, but Iowa's tight end usage is not there yet. I didn't expect it to be in Week 1 with that game in hand so quickly, but last night saw the trend continue. In a game Iowa struggled on offense, DJ Vonnahme had just two catches for 25 yards.

Through two games, DJ Vonnahme has six receptions for 67 yards. It isn't bad, but you would expect a bit more for Iowa's focal point on offense. I know there is an emphasis on Tony Diaz out wide, but it seems like a matter of time before Vonnahme gets going, which in turn opens up Iowa's offense and run game even more.

Add us as a preferred source on Google