Defense and special teams have carried Iowa throughout this strange season. Why would the regular season be any different?
In an Iowa football season that’s been all about surviving, why would Friday’s regular-season finale be any different? The Hawkeyes’ offense looked horrible at times. But it delivered just enough when it mattered most. The Iowa defense was sputtering early but rallied for another shutdown performance. And Kirk Ferentz’s special teams again stole the show as the No.12 Hawkeyes rallied for a 28-21 win over Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. As a result, Friday’s report card looks like many others from this season. Let’s dive in and check the grades. The continual mention of Spencer Petras in any answer to questions about Alex Padilla seemed to be only a courteous move. Padilla was going to start Friday and everyone knew as much. But when Iowa flipped back to Petras to start the second half, it became clear Padilla’s leash was shorter than originally believed. Make no mistake, Padilla was off. You can look at the stats (6-for-14 for 76 yards) or the throws, and both reveal his struggles. The overturned touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta in the first quarter happened, in part, because the pass to him was poor. A near interception almost cost Iowa a field goal early in the second quarter. Petras was better but far from perfect. However, he at least jumpstarted an offense that was badly spinning its tires. That allowed Tyler Goodson room to finally warm up. As he often does, Iowa’s lead back saved his best for last. After a crushing red-zone fumble earlier in the game (that only happened because Goodson ran into center Tyler Linderbaum), No.15 made up for the error with a 55-yard run on Iowa’s final scoring drive. Holes were open all day long, and Goodson finally broke through with the game on the line.
