This year, the Iowa Hawkeyes have thrown the ball with some success. Honestly, it has been an improvement from the past few seasons, which has opened up Iowa's offense in so many ways. The Hawkeyes can run the ball, throw it out of shotgun, and utilize play action.
Against the Minnesota Golden Gophers this week, the Hawkeyes would be wise not to be lured into slinging the ball all around the yard. There are a few reasons it makes sense for Iowa to stick to its bread and butter in this year's Floyd of Rosedale showdown.
Does Iowa want to get into even more QB drama?
Let's face it: opening things up and throwing the ball around the field can create explosive chunk plays, but the other side of that coin is the possibility of things going awry. As the old saying goes, two out of three things that can happen when passing can be bad results.
Those bad results could create a ton of noise for the Iowa Hawkeyes this week, especially considering the loud storylines around the quarterback drama. On Iowa's Week 8 depth chart, the Hawkeyes listed Jeremy Hecklinski OR Hank Brown as the starter.
Jeremy Hecklinski has since been named the starter for Iowa this weekend, but I don't at all think we are in the clear of quarterback drama if things look clunky, forced, or the offense gets off to a slow start due to a sluggish passing game early.
It plays into Minnesota's hands to throw the ball
Minnesota is a top-10 passing defense in America right now. The Gophers defend the pass very well, allowing under 160 yards per game along with having given up just seven passing touchdowns through six games.
Iowa can make some serious hay by pounding the rock against Minnesota, a middle-of-the-road run defense, halfway through its season. The Gophers are giving up almost four yards per carry and 130 yards per game on the ground.
What jumps off the page is Minnesota's games against Mississippi State and Purdue. Against MSU, Minnesota allowed 252 rushing yards at 5.5 yards per carry. Purdue also ran rampant, rolling up 305 yards at 6.5 yards per carry in the Gophers' last outing.
Iowa is ranked 35th in total rushing offense this year by way of a lot of ups and downs. What is most telling about Iowa's rushing game is where the Hawkeyes rank in yards per carry. Iowa is No. 3 in the country, getting 6.1 yards per carry.
This has to be Iowa's emphasis offensively against Minnesota. While Tim Lester has used the pass to set up the run in the past, I think the matchup here flips the script to the classic strategy of pounding the rock, then taking shots to Tony Diaz and Reece Vander Zee.
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