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Iowa football: Hawk’s bye week couldn’t come at a better time

By Andrew Wade

AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 14: Defensive back Lawrence White #11 of the Iowa State Cyclones tackles quarterback Nate Stanley #4 of the Iowa Hawkeyes as he scrambled for yards in the second half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa Hawkeyes won 18-17 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 14: Defensive back Lawrence White #11 of the Iowa State Cyclones tackles quarterback Nate Stanley #4 of the Iowa Hawkeyes as he scrambled for yards in the second half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa Hawkeyes won 18-17 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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A bye week before a non-conference game against Middle Tennessee State isn’t usually ideal, but for the Iowa football team, it couldn’t be better timed.

I don’t have any data to back this up, but it sure seems like the Iowa football team hasn’t been this banged up this early in the season in quite some time.

It could also just be that injuries are impacting a few high-profile players and absolutely decimating a position group that is typically a strength of a strong Iowa football’s team defense, but either way, the injuries are piling up.

As of right now, here is a breakdown of the guys currently injured:

Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson (Knee)

Starting wide receiver Brandon Smith (Shoulder)

Starting defensive tackle Brady Reiff (Leg)

Starting cornerback Matt Hankins (Leg)

Starting safety Kaevon Merriweather (Foot)

Backup cornerback Julius Brents (Knee)

Backup cornerback Riley Moss (Leg)

That is 5 of 22 starters that are banged up right now and 4 of the top 6 defensive backs for the Iowa football team.

Against teams like Miami of Ohio, or Rutgers, or Middle Tennessee State, these injuries aren’t going to impact the flow of the game, but we saw Iowa State quickly take advantage of a new and youthful secondary Saturday afternoon/evening.

And with games against Michigan, Penn State, Purdue, and Northwestern in the month of October, this bye week could not be more perfectly timed. Considering Middle Tennessee State’s relative ineptitude, the Iowa football team will have essentially have two weeks to get a few of these guys healthy while also working in some of the younger guys to continue to build that chemistry.

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With an additional two weeks, we could see Jackson, Hankins, and Reiff return to action against Michigan. As far as starting wide receiver Brandon Smith goes, my guess is the staff will play a wait and see approach with him. If his shoulder is still causing some issues, I see no reason to play him against Middle Tennessee State when there is such great depth at the wide receiver position.

After three straight weeks of football and a fantastic 3-0 start, the Iowa football team gets the rest they probably didn’t initially want but absolutely need now.

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