After four solid weeks to start the season, Iowa returned to reality with a humbling loss vs. Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa's offense was rolling, and its defense was ranked among the best units in college football heading into week four, but back-to-back poor performances on both sides of the ball have raised more questions. Iowa's offense has averaged 261.5 total yards through two conference games against Ohio State and Michigan, which won't help win many games in a tough conference. Although the passing game finally woke up in the fourth quarter against Michigan, Hank Brown and the passing game have been inconsistent lately. The inconsistency came back to bite the Hawkeyes against Ohio State, prompting a poor grade for Brown.
Hank Brown grade: D
Brown had a solid first four weeks, including a game-winning touchdown pass in a pivotal week-four win over Michigan, but week five was a whole different story. It started badly for Brown after a strip-sack fumble on the first drive set Ohio State up for an early touchdown. It was all downhill from there as the offense couldn't get anything going. The running game was equally bad, but Brown missed a lot of throws, and his timing wasn't as good as it has been. Tony Diaz (59 receiving yards) and DJ Vonnahme (64 receiving yards) were solid, but it was far from a good game for Brown.
He finished with 132 passing yards and an interception on 12/27 passing, averaging 4.9 yards per pass. It was easily Brown's worst performance since becoming QB1, compounded by an injury he suffered late in the third quarter. Kirk Ferentz said postgame that he isn't concerned about Brown's injury, but he appeared to injure his throwing shoulder after a hit out of bounds. Even before Brown's injury, something looked off, and the offense struggled as a result. Brown isn't the only one to blame, but as the quarterback and signal-caller, if he has a bad game, it trickles down.
Brown's worst game of the season came at a bad time against a good opponent, and his poor grade reflects it.
Final grade: D
Jeremy Hecklinski grade: B+
Jeremy Hecklinski has been itching to get back on the field, and he finally got his chance against Ohio State. Brown injured his shoulder late in the third quarter, forcing Hecklinski to play for the fourth. Although he got limited snaps, Hecklinski anchored the best offensive drive of the game that resulted in Iowa's only touchdown. He finished 5/5 passing for 65 yards and looked better than Brown in just one quarter. Hecklinski got a haircut before the game, calling it a fresh start, and he definitely looked fresh out there.
If Hecklinski had gotten in the game earlier, he could easily have earned a better grade, and going a perfect 5/5 against the Ohio State defense is no small feat. Capping off the drive with a passing touchdown would have been the icing on the cake and bumped his grade up, but his final line warrants the grade he received. Hecklinski played well, and it will be interesting to see what happens in week six against Washington if Brown's shoulder is worse than we thought. Murmurs have also resurfaced about a renewed quarterback controversy given Brown and the offense's struggles over the past two games.
Credit Hecklinski for being ready to go and playing well in relief. While we won't go as far as saying he should be the guy moving forward, he proved he can run the offense if an injury pops up or Ferentz and the coaching staff decide the offense needs a change.
Final grade: B+
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