The 3-2 Iowa Hawkeyes hit the road and will try to improve upon their 1-1 Big Ten Conference record when they travel to Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini. Illinois comes into this matchup at 4-1 overall and also 1-1 in conference play. Iowa will also be looking to put an end to Illinois perfect 3-0 home record this season. The opening kick is scheduled for 4:30pm EST.
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The Iowa Hawkeyes have typically lived by a tough defense and an efficient offense that specializes in a ground and pound attack. Thus far this season, the Hawkeyes have struggled mightily on offense and have had a hard time producing enough offense to support a still very stout defense. Last Saturday, the Hawkeyes spotted the Wolverines a 10-0 lead that eventually went to 20-0 in falling 27-14 at home to #4 Michigan. Iowa is now 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.
“I’m never discouraged by our players. I thought the effort was there. I thought we had a good week of preparation and practice. I thought the guys were wired in, and we knew what we were up against, what we had to do today to be successful. Credit our opponent; they did a good job of setting the tone and made it difficult for us in offensive and defensive phases, special teams maybe not as much, but they did a good job there. As cra zy as it may sound, from where I stood, I thought our guys played hard and I saw some growth in our football team. Time will tell. We’ll go from there. We’ll look at the tape tomorrow. We’ll go back and lick our wounds a little bit, hopefully learn and grow. We’ll move forward on Monday, and that’s our plan right now. We have a bye week coming up after this, and we’ve known that, and our request to our players is be focused on these six weeks, the six-week block, and we’ll figure things out afterward, and that’s our plan.” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said in his postgame press conference.
Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras went 21-of-31 for 246 yards and one touchdown throw. The touchdown was corralled by wide receiver Luke Lachey, who finished with four catches for 84 yards. The Hawkeyes ground game was ineffective with Leshon Williams finishing with 34 yards on eight carries and Kaleb Johnson had 32 yards on 12 carries. Johnson had a touchdown run as well. Iowa, as a team, rushed 24 times for just 35 yards, a 1.5 yards per carry average. For the day, the Hawkeyes had 281 yards of total offense.
On the other side of the ball, Iowa allowed 327 yards of total offense and was unable to force any turnovers. The Hawkeyes had one sack on the day and three tackles for loss. The game's only turnover came on special teams as Iowa fumbled the opening kick which led to the first Michigan touchdown.
It's time. Freshen up that ?? lock screen.#Hawkeyes | #WallpaperWednesday pic.twitter.com/DVms8sRSQw
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 5, 2022
Iowa has really struggled on the offensive end this season and will need more production to topple a much-improved Illinois team. Iowa ranks as the 109th ranked scoring offense this seasons. On the ground, the Hawkeyes are ranked 110th in the nation. That number is particularly discouraging for a team that prides themselves with its power brand of football. Iowa ranks just 111th in the country in passing offense this season. The defense has been forced to carry the load for Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes have the fifth best scoring defense this season. They are 23rd against the run and 15th against the pass this season. In turnover differential, the Hawkeyes are ranked a respectable 12th in the country.
Key injuries: Keep an eye on updates about Iowa's #1 wide receiver Keagan Johnson, who has been battling nagging injuries and missed the Michigan game on Saturday.