A story that is becoming way too familiar for the Iowa offense: slow starts.
The offense struggled to get out to a good start, and it cost them a victory in the Cy-Hawk rivalry game against No. 16 Iowa State.
The Hawkeyes' offense finally gained some momentum at the end of the first half, but they could not make enough plays down the stretch or maintain drives late in the game to pull off the upset.
The Iowa defense played a solid game, but Iowa State made more plays down the stretch to pull off a late victory. The victory for the Cyclones is their second-straight win in the series after winning in Iowa City last season.
Veteran receiver Jacob Gill repeated the phrase "better execution as a unit" multiple times after the game. Gill did not have much to say following the loss, but attempted to put the game into perspective.
During a portion of his postgame press conference, which was posted by "The Hawkeye Report," Gill stopped short of blaming quarterback Mark Gronowski. He stated the group needs to execute better as a unit.
Gill said that Mark does great in practice and they see it everyday. They are "definitely capable," but need to be more critical of themselves.
Gill was also adamant that the group had success "here and there" during the Iowa State game, but now they need to put it all together.
He also stated that every loss hurts, and they took this one on the chin, but it is a 12 game season, and they need to get ready for the next game.
The Hawkeyes are sulking back to Iowa City after a rough game in Ames, and the squad will have to quickly regroup ahead of next Saturday's game against the University of Massachusetts.