Iowa Hawkeyes 2018 Football Preview

Iowa Hawkeyes 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: Was the 2017 season perfect for the Iowa Hawkeyes? No. Wa it better than it could have been? Absolutely. Iowa won 8 games, culminating in a 27-20 win over Boston College in the bowl game that really placed Iowa into a situation where expectations are probably higher now than they would have been if they had not exceeded some expectations last season. There are questions this fall, however, and answers must be found if the Hawkeyes are to build on a season in which they finished 4-3 after a 4-2 start.

Breakdown Offense: Iowa far surpassed some expectations on the offensive side of the football last season by managing to average 28.2 points per game last fall. Iowa was 7-0 when they managed to score 24 points or more last season, and 1-5 when they did not. Iowa passed for 190.2 yards per game, while they rushed for 139.23 yards per game, which was the more disappointing number of the two.

Nathan Stanley returns at QB after averaging just 187.5 yards per game last season. If the Hawkeyes had managed to run the ball more effectively, that number does not mean as much, but a game manager like Stanley cannot get beaten up too much by coming in with low numbers if the run game does not develop, and last season, despite having solid talent on the depth chart, the run game never really got going like it should have. Stanley passed for 2437 yards, and a very effective 26 scores to just 6 INTs, but he will need some help in 2018 from his supporting cast. Freshman Peyton Mansell is pushing for the backup job. Brady Ross is the starting FB, with Austin Kelly backing him up.

The run game has some holes to fill, as Akrum Wadley has moved on after rushing for 1109 yards and 10 scores. He was not as explosive last season as some would have liked, averaging just 4.4 yards per carry. James Butler also never lived up to the hype after transferring from Nevada, as he finished with just 396 yards and one score.He is gone as well, and now the Hawkeyes are in start ovr mode at the RB position. Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin are next in line, but combined for 65 carries last season with 5 scores. Expect both to have a major role in the run game.

Nick Easley led the Hawkeyes in receiving a year ago, and returns as the starting WR after posting 51-530-4. After Easley, however, the position is thin on returning talent. Brandon Smith is expected to win the SE spot, but caught just 3 passes last fall. He would be replacing Matt VandeBerg, who caught 28 passes before graduating. Ihmir Smith-Marsette backs up Easley once again, but caught just 18 passes last fall. Kyle Groeneweg, a senior, backs up Smith as we head into fall camp.

Noah Fant was one of the more effective TEs in the nation last season, as he caught 11 TD passes, while catching 30 total balls for 494 yards. He averaged 16.47 yards per catch, and should be a primary red zone weapon in 2018. Nate Wieting and Shaun Beyer were battling for the TE2 spot with TJ Hockenson still in play as a sophomore. Hockenson started several games when the Hawkeyes went into a 2 TE set.

The line appears to be in decent shape, and the two deep is set as we head into fall camp. Tristan Wirfs (LT), Ross Reynolds (LG), Keegan Render (C), Levi Paulson (RG), and Alaric Jackson (RT) are set as the starters. Mark Kallenberger and Dalton Ferguson are the reserves at OT, Coy Kirkpatrick and Landen Paulson backup the OG spots, and Cole Banwart is the backup at C.

Breakdown Defense: The Iowa defense is still, and has been, a stalwart unit that wins football games for the Hawkeyes. Iowa allowed 21 points or less 9 times during the 2017 season, and allowed 212.8 yards passing per game, while allowing 144.62 yards per game.

Anthony Nelson and Parker Hesse are projected to win the starting DE spots. Hesse finished 2nd on the team with 10.5 TFLs last season, and could be one of the better DEs in the Big 10 this fall. He finished with 4.5 sacks on the season, while Nelson led the team in sacks with 7.5 on the season. Nelson finished with a total of 9.5 TFLs. Sam Brinks and AJ Epenesa are the backups at the DE position, with Epenesa being a key member of the rotation on the line, as he added 5.5 TFLs last fall.

Cedrick Lattimore and Brady Reiff are the starting DTs. They were not as active as the ends when it came to making plays in the backfield, combining for just 2.5 TFLs. They do gum up the interior line allowing plays to be made by the LB corps and off the edge by the ends. Dallas Jacobus and Garrett Jansen are the reserves. Nathan Bazata (6.5 TFLs) and Matt Nelson, both key members of the D line rotation last fall, are gone.

The LB corps has a major void to fill, as the top 3 tacklers from this football team last fall all came out of this unit, and all are gone. Josey Jewell (136 tackles), Bo Bower (90 tackles) and Ben Niemann (78 tackles) all need replacing, and that may be next to impossible. Nick Niemann and and Aaron Mends are the new starters at OLB. Niemann is just a sophomore, while Mends finished with just 5 tackles last fall. Kristian Welch is projected to win the MLB job after finishing with just 6 tackles last fall. This will be a thin, and very inexperienced unit as a whole. Barrington Wade and Amani Jones are projected to be the backups at the OLB spots, while Jack Hockaday may be the senior member of the group as the backup at MLB, but he finished with only 3 tackles last fall.

Losing Jewell hurt in the pass defense area as well, as he finished with 11 PBUs last season. Josh Jackson, who finished with 18 PBUs, is gone as well, leaving yet another huge void in the back seven. Matt Hankins and Michael Ojemudia are projected as the Corners coming out of spring ball, and they combined for 2 PBUs last fall. Trey Creamer, a freshman, and Manny Rugamba are the backups. Rugamba could push his way into a starting job with a strong fall camp, as he finished with 4 PBUs last fall.

Amani Hooker will start at SS, while Jake Gervase is the starter at FS. They are the top returning tacklers on the football team. Gervase finished with 58 tackles, while Hooker added 56. John Milani and freshman Geno Stone are the backups heading into the fall.

Breakdown Special Teams: Miguel Recinos is back at PK after hitting 11/13 FGs last fall. He should be near automatic points when deployed into action. Caleb Shudak is the backup if needed.

Ryan Gersonde looks like he has shunted Colten Rastetter to the side, after Rastetter struggled last season to average just 37.78 yards per punt. Gersonde came on to average 42.46 yards per punt, and is projected as the starter heading into the fall.

Kelly-Martin returns as the KR man after averaging just over 21 yards per kick last fall, with Smith-Marsette joining him. Max Cooper is the leader for the PR job heading into fall camp.

Final Analysis: Kirk Ferentz isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and win or lose, it appears he is the guy until he decides to walk away from the game. He is going to have to do one of his finest coaching jobs in years to push the Hawkeyes into contention in the Big 10 West, however, as the holes that he has to fill in the run game, and in the back seven on defense, are massive. Nathan Stanley cannot give more than he has, and the run game certainly under performed as a whole last fall, and that has to be changed with a raw, thin group in the RB corps, and how do you replace all of that lost talent at LB and in the secondary in one year? It's likely there will be some repercussions from those losses, and Iowa may slip a bit in what is a rather weak division. Still, even with all of those concerns, Iowa should still have just enough in the tank to push for another bowl bid in 2018.