Iowa football: Five observations from win over Miami

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IOWA CITY, IOWA- AUGUST 31: Wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette #6 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs up field during the second half past defensive back Zedrick Raymond #14 of the Miami Ohio RedHawks on August 31, 2019 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

Where was Ihmir Smith-Marsette?

This one really shocked me. Ihmir Smith-Marsette is electrifying as a return man and the depth chart heading into the Miami (OH) game had him listed as the number one punt returner. But come game time, it was redshirt freshman Nico Ragaini out there fielding punts.

This isn’t a huge concern to me as Smith-Marsette didn’t return punts last year either, but the Hawkeyes need to get the ball in the hands of their top playmakers and best athletes, and I would argue Smith-Marsette is both on the offensive and special teams side of the ball.
Was it just for the Miami (OH) game or longer?

We will likely find out more when the Iowa football team opens up their Big Ten conference play versus Rutgers next weekend. If Smith-Marsette again is not back there fielding punts, my guess is it will be Ragaini’s job to lose.

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