Iowa Football: 2017 post-regular season position grades

Iowa football finished the year 7-5, but had a nice win over Ohio State in the mix. What do the Hawkeyes’ post-regular season grades look like?

The 2017 season was surely an adventure Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ferentz began his 19th season as head coach in Iowa City with a 3-0 non-conference slate, including an overtime win against in-state rival, Iowa State. The Hawkeyes came up just short in their first test against Penn State, losing on the last play of the game. The Hawkeyes then proceeded to split the following four games.

In the first weekend in November, the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes came into Kinnick with hopes of another appearance in the College Football Playoff. Those dreams crashed and burned as the Hawkeyes throttled the Buckeyes, 55-24. Iowa then followed up the win with their worst offensive performance in the Ferentz era, producing only 66 yards of total offense in their 38-14 loss to Wisconsin.

Following splitting the last two regular season games, the Hawkeyes finished with a 7-5 record and a trip to New York City for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College. Here are the final regular season grades for each position group for Iowa.

At the start of the year, the Hawkeyes offensive line looked poised to once again be the best offensive line in the country, with a front five including three seniors and two juniors. However, senior tackle Ike Boettger was lost due to an Achilles injury following the Iowa State game and Boone Meyers was lost due to an ankle injury following the Minnesota game. These injuries thrusted freshmen tackles Alaric Jackson and Tristan Wirfs into the starting lineup.

The constant key for the offensive line was First Team All-Big Ten guard Sean Welsh, who started every game this season and played tackle and guard at various points throughout the season. Welsh appears to be the next in a long line of NFL linemen that Kirk Ferentz has produced at Iowa. Even through the ups and downs of this chaotic season, the Iowa offensive line once again proved to be a vital part of the Iowa team.

Worst Game:

The Iowa offensive line greatly struggled in Iowa’s 38-14 loss at Wisconsin. The Iowa offense only mustered 66 yards of total offense as the Badgers continuously baffled the offensive line by disguising their blitzes and moving players around before the snap. Quarterback Nate Stanley was sacked four times in the game and the Hawkeye ground game was held to 25 yards on 26 carries as the Wisconsin defense showcased its dominance.

Best Game:

Iowa’s offensive line turned in its most dominant performance of the season against the highly-touted Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hawkeye’s rushing attack gashed the Buckeyes front seven for 243 yards and a touchdown. They were also able to give Nate Stanley plenty of opportunities to throw the football as Stanley threw for five touchdowns on the afternoon. It truly was one of the best performances by an offensive line in the Kirk Ferentz era at Iowa.