Iowa Football: This troubling stat highlights Spencer Petras’ inaccuracy

It’s been a tough season for Spencer Petras. One particular stat from PFF shows how inaccurate the Iowa quarterback has been.

It’s hard to expect much from a first-year starting quarterback. Spencer Petras has been the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ starter for each of the team’s four games this season, but he’s failed to meet expectations thus far. Petras has been wildly inaccurate and hasn’t provided the spark needed in the passing game.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 127 FBS starting quarterbacks, with Petras coming in at No. 93. One particular stat highlighted just how inaccurate Petras has been this season.

According to PFF, since the Hawkeyes opened the season four weeks ago, no Power 5 quarterback has thrown a higher rate of “quarterback-fault incompletions” when throwing 10 yards or more downfield than Petras. He has just a 55.3 passing grade from PFF.

“Spencer (Petras) has done a good job. He has led our team and is learning quickly,” said coach Kirk Ferentz on Tuesday. “Spencer has a good feel and grip on things. He will get better with experience.”

In four games this season, Petras has thrown for just 759 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s completing just 53.7 percent of his passes and averaging a meager 5.7 yards per pass attempt.

For reference, Nate Stanley completed 59.4 percent of his throws while averaging 7.4 yards per pass attempt last season.

“It’s been an interesting year. I feel fortunate to be standing here in front of you guys,” said offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. “Things are getting more serious in the Midwest. You worry about the health and safety of our community. We’re fortunate to have the chance to compete. Spencer has done a tremendous job of maturing and becoming a better player regardless of the circumstances.”

Petras has not shown much progress through his four starts, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team turn over to backup Alex Padilla if he continues to struggle against Penn State this Saturday. It’s unknown how short Petras’ leash might be, and Iowa’s coaching staff would never admit to his struggles, but the time is now for Petras to show his true worth.