A few weeks ago, it looked like the Iowa Hawkeyes were stuck in the mud when they tried to run the ball. They couldn't get into a rhythm, the running backs were getting hit in the backfield, and it was a struggle to find any success.
Last week, Iowa rolled up 263 yards on Washington to silence some of that noise and look like the strength of this team that many expected before the season began. This week, Kirk Ferentz discussed the group's growth and getting better down the stretch.
Kirk Ferentz is showing patience with the offensive line
Let's face it: 93 yards against Iowa State, 58 yards against Michigan, and 39 yards against Ohio State weren't good enough. It's okay to say it. Iowa would agree. That said, it's a work in progress. The group is getting better, but a combination of rest and patience is key to this unit.
"The biggest thing for them last week was not to have any contact. These guys work pretty hard for six weeks, and obviously four weeks before that, so it's really ten straight weeks of them going pretty good and seen them progress each and every week.
"I know there was some concern a couple weeks ago about our run game and all that stuff, but it's going to be like everything. It's going to go up and down during the course of a season. I think you have to be careful about jumping to conclusions," Kirk Ferentz said about having patience.
Iowa's offensive line continues to improve
"Again, we're pretty young in terms of game experience as a team, and the line's the same way. We have two guys that were one-year starters, and the other guys really had no significant game experience coming in.
"The good news there is if we're doing things right, we'll improve. But who you play and the competition, what they choose to do against you all factors into that.
"Pleased with the progress so far. Again, like our whole team, I think if we're doing things right, we'll keep getting better. That's going to obviously help our cause if we'll do that," Ferentz said of the line play.
As Iowa readies for Minnesota, a team that will demand physicality in the run game, the offensive line is going to shoulder a lot of the responsibility of getting the offense moving in this one. If they put on a showing anything like last time out, Iowa has a great chance down the stretch.
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