Iowa Football: Offensive problems and how to fix them

Punting (and punt returning) is winning

The offense has not been particularly complimentary of Iowa football’s defense, but they aren’t the only unit not pulling their weight.

I really do not want to take anything away from Penn State’s punter, because Iowa football fans truly appreciate good punting. However, isn’t it weird that the standout Big Ten Special Teams player of the week always seems to be on the team that plays against Iowa?

Rutgers and Penn State both have had punters put up fantastic numbers against Iowa. At a certain point, we need to start looking at our own special teams.

Nico Ragaini made a lot of progress against Michigan. His 13.5 yards per return in Ann Arbor really helped the cause. Against Penn State, Nico did not have a single return.

I am not suggesting that Iowa should put a guy out there to try to return every kick. I am, however, suggesting that Iowa should at least fair catch the ball so drives aren’t starting inside our own endzone.

Iowa’s punting also hasn’t been great. Sleep-Dalton’s 35-yard average on 5 punts is not good, but it is worse when considering that one of those punts was for 11 yards.

Iowa cannot continue to give up field position when playing the field position game is part of our strategy.

The offensive line, the usage of our receivers and running backs and our special teams are all fixable problems. For Iowa to have a slim chance at the Big Ten West or a 10-win season, it is imperative that the Hawkeyes solve these issues sooner rather than later.