Iowa Football vs. Minnesota preview: 3 Things to watch and a prediction
By Joe Kipp
2. Will Spencer Petras finally find his groove?
The Hawkeyes won in a blowout last week, but not because of quarterback Spencer Petras. There’s a reason Iowa ranks 111th in the entire FBS in yards per pass attempt (5.5). As a first-year starter, we expected Petras to look like a rookie. But with three games under his belt, it’s time to start seeing improvement.
Petras isn’t accurate enough when throwing deep, and he doesn’t have the touch to hit receivers in stride on intermediate throws. We’ve seen him throw high and hard several times. Accuracy isn’t a trait that can usually be taught, you either have it or you don’t. So far through Petras’ collegiate career, it appears he isn’t very accurate.
Through three games, Petras has shown the inability to throw into tight windows and doesn’t always place the ball where his receivers have a chance. He’s currently only completing 54.3 percent of his passes. Iowa will need Petras to have his best game of the season in order to defeat Minnesota, even if that means only throwing for around 150 yards. As long as he doesn’t turn the ball over, the Hawkeyes should have a chance.