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Iowa football: Points off turnovers remain a huge issue for Hawks

By Andrew Wade

IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 23: Defensive back Jack Koerner #28 of the Iowa Hawkeyes makes a tackle during the second half on running back Dre Brown #25 of the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 23, 2019 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 23: Defensive back Jack Koerner #28 of the Iowa Hawkeyes makes a tackle during the second half on running back Dre Brown #25 of the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 23, 2019 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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The Iowa football team’s offense has struggled this season, and this couldn’t be more evident than their inability to get touchdowns after turnovers.

Despite getting the win against Illinois this past Saturday, there was one thing that stood out to me as incredibly problematic for the Iowa football team. And when reviewing the previous ten games before it, I realized it wasn’t just an issue at Illinois, it’s been an issue all season.

The Iowa football team is atrocious at putting points on the board after a turnover.

Versus Illinois, they managed three points off of three turnovers, and one of those turnovers was in Illinois territory.

When looking at the full season, here is what their points off turnover success looks like:

  • Miami (OH): Interception, Iowa scores a touchdown in the 4th
  • Rutgers: Interception at Rutgers 30, Iowa kicks a field goal
  • Rutgers: Interception at the beginning of the 4th, Iowa gets a field goal
  • Iowa State: Fumbles, Iowa manages a field goal
  • Penn State: Interception midway through the first, Iowa throws an interception two plays later
  • Purdue: Interception in the third, Iowa kicks a field goal
  • Northwestern: Interception in Northwestern territory, Iowa gets the ball at the 21 and misses a field goal
  • Wisconsin: Fumbles at the 15-yard line, Iowa kicks a field goal
  • Wisconsin: Interception on the 41-yard line in the 4th, Iowa kicks a field goal

By my calculations (and I admit there is a possibility I could have missed a turnover in my research), the Iowa football team is averaging 2.33 points per turnover. While I wasn’t able to find a statistic that shows how inept that is, the fact that the Iowa football team is averaging less than a field goal off of turnover is not good no matter how you spin it, especially considering where many of these turnovers are occurring.

Versus Wisconsin, converting those opportunities into touchdowns could have been the difference between a win and a loss, and the same could be said about the Penn State game.

Moreover, scoring after a turnover is about as demoralizing as it can get for an opponent. They just gave up the ball on offense and their defense can’t hold up. When a team misses a field goal, as the Iowa football team did against Illinois, it almost gives the opponent a sense of new life.

Next. Hawks hit multiple milestones in win over Illinois. dark

Hopefully, over the next two games, we see improvement from the Iowa football team in this arena if not then hopefully next year when they take another stab at contending for a Big Ten West title.

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