Play with fire long enough, and you are going to get burned.
Today, the Iowa Hawkeyes got burned. And burned badly. The Hawkeyes went into Minnesota with a lackadaisical effort and paid for it in the form of a 13-10 walk-off win by the Gophers.
Iowa did nothing on offense. The Hawkeyes made more penalties than they normally do. The special teams unit had errors. And it all caught up to the Hawkeyes after four quarters, despite a heroic effort from Phil Parker's defense to keep this team in the game at each and every pivotal moment.
The Iowa Hawkeyes, as a whole, are the biggest losers of this game as they fall to 5-2, but let's dig into what went wrong in this game in its entirety, as plenty of things went sideways.
Winner: The Defense
Iowa's defense allowed a total of 10 points by itself today. The first three points were due to a blocked punt. What more can this unit do? They gave everything they had today, and the offense couldn't pick them up. Phil Parker's unit held Minnesota to 209 total yards. That has to be a win.
Drake Lindsey, an NFL prospect, had no answers for Iowa, going 14-for-27 for 137 yards and an interception. The run game was shut down just as much, only gaining 72 yards on 35 carries.
Iowa's defense put together a masterpiece that the offense put to waste.
Loser: The Quarterback Situation
Boy, oh boy. How bad have things just turned for Iowa's quarterback situation? After Jeremy Hecklisnki lit up Washington, things turned just as sour today. he was 9-for-16 for 62 yards and a pick.
Hank Brown, who entered the game in relief, went 11-for-21 for 136 yards, with a TD and 2 INTs. Iowa's quarterback situation went from joyful banter to a full-on circus and a disastrous situation in the span of three hours today.
Winner: Reece Vander Zee & Tony Diaz
When Iowa needed it most, the Hawkeyes turned to their playmakers. Tony Diaz and Reece Vander Zee were the catalysts who ignited Iowa's game-tying 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. The two combined for 5 catches, 126 yards, and a score. Why didn't they get more targets?
Loser: Tim Lester
What in the world was Iowa doing today on offense? On one drive, they wanted to be a downhill run time. The next, they wanted to be a spread passing team. Then they wanted to run RPOs against every look, no matter what. Tim Lester had no rhythm today, and it was glaringly obvious.
Winner: Bryce Hawthorne
In a game where defense was king, Bryce Hawthorne played at a level above anyone else on Iowa or Minnesota. The Hawkeyes' defensive tackle was a menace the entire day, helping Iowa limit Minnesota to 72 total rushing yards. His 8 tackles and 3 tackles for loss spurred on Iowa's defense.
Loser: The Run Game
I'm not really sure what there is to say here. Iowa ran for 90 yards in 30 carries against a Minnesota defense that let Purdue run for over 300 yards? Is it a scheme issue? A player issue? A blocking issue? I'm not sure what the issue is yet, but it's a glaring problem. This cost Iowa.
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