Iowa football: The most confusing team in college football

Defensive prowess

Continually having a top defense in the country is a staple of Iowa football. As a way to protect their poor offense, Phil Parker and the Iowa defense have to keep games close in order to give Iowa’s offense a chance. This approach can make the Hawkeyes vulnerable to teams with explosive offenses.

When Iowa falls behind early, they can struggle to catch up. This was evident in their 2021 season opener against Indiana when they fell behind 14-0 and were never able to recover. However, on the other hand, when Iowa explodes with offense as it did in the 2017 upset of Ohio State, they can run away with a game.

This year, with “Portal Kirk”, Iowa was able to land multiple transfers (including Cade McNamara) that could turn the offense around.

Although Brian Ferentz is still the play-caller for Iowa’s offense, changes in the offensive production could be coming this year (hopefully this means no more baseball scores).

In the end, the Iowa Hawkeyes can be difficult to understand. They can beat anyone on any given day, yet also play close games against teams they should have no trouble with. Their style of play can be effective, yet also make them vulnerable.

But for fans of the Hawkeyes, that’s just part of life.