The world is upside down: USC leads the nation in punting and Iowa's offense is on fire
By Sam Fariss
The college football scene has entered the upside down. No, this isn't about the conference realignment, the ever-updating NIL deals, or the impending head coach carousel. This is about which team leads the country in punting and another team whose offense has looked unstoppable.
While Iowa, led by quarterback Cade McNamara, has lit up their opponents' defensive units, the No. 13 USC Trojans have usurped the Hawkeyes' usually-dominant special teams unit to become the best punting team in the nation.
Eddie Czaplicki, the Trojans' punter, transferred to USC from Arizona State where he earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors for the Sun Devils.
Czaplicki has booted the ball for 573 total yards over the Trojans' first three games, averaging 191 yards per game. His punts have averaged 52.1 yards per kick. Against the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines, Czaplicki had seven punts for a whopping 372 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Iowa's offense which usually struggles to put points on the board, has stolen the show from the Trojans' offensive unit as one of the more dominant units in the country.
The Hawkeyes and McNamara have averaged 32 points per game over their 3-1 start to the season. In Week 1, the Hawkeyes shut out Illinois State. Even in their Week 2 loss, Iowa produced 19 points, just one less than the Iowa State Cyclones. Over the past two games, Iowa has scored 69 points to blow past Troy and Minnesota.
Currently, the Hawkeyes stand at No. 3 in the Big Ten, behind only No. 19 Illinois and Indiana. While Iowa has a bye in Week 5, the Hawkeyes have to face the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes on the road.