My viewing experience for this game was odd. Exhausted from a whirlwind trip to Chicago, I was damn near my limits. Our plane home was missing a screw on a wing, and that delay for repair/paperwork led to more delay with the inevitable afternoon storm in Denver hitting right as we should have been in the air. So I had the pleasure of watching this on a delayed flight back, on my phone with choppy wi-fi, all while getting bumped by various people going up and down the aisle. The trip? Great. My wife
blacked out and bought tickets to Oasis months ago and it was an amazing show (seriously; take a trip back to mid-90s Manchester and put Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? on. Fantastic albums that absolutely hold up. And hey, nice bonus – no obvious drug use by anyone on stage and, crucially, no fighting amongst family in the band!) She booked a flight back that would have me on the couch shortly after kickoff. Perfect.
Having to watch on my phone on a bumpy flight instead? Not for me!
Did that feel as bad as it felt watching on my tiny screen? Because those first few drives for new Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski felt…deflating? Off in nearly every way? More of the same? Whatever the case, it felt bad. Real bad. Like we need to be prepared for several games of under 100 yards passing again bad. Which, with this schedule, won’t get it done. It probably wouldn’t be enough to get it done in Ames next week.
The bad was on display from the first drive. If this particular pass is completed and Iowa immediately goes up 7-0, we’re probably singing a different tune. But the pass to an open Sam Phillips in the end zone was a one-hopper. Then the next play, a swing to the running back, is sailed to the point of hilarity? It’s a major concern.
Still more – a pitch to the wrong shoulder of a running back that kills a play and then a drive (the drive with the bizarre early whistle and a “sack” for Albany.) Later, another one-hopper to Seth Anderson on Iowa’s third drive of the day. Anderson made a really nice play after the catch but it was overruled on a review. Mark? Seth Anderson was wide open. Make the makeables, please. He seemed a beat or two late on everything, missing his first option often and checking down. That has to be tighter starting next Saturday or this will be a long fall.
Now The Good – if Iowa can go ground and pound this year, they’ll have enough to win the standard eight games. The running back room, even with Kamari Moulton out, looks deep and the line ready to beat some people up. The Gronowski angle – he will be crucial to that effort in the run game. He looks all of that listed 6-2, 235 pound frame. Even watching on a tiny phone, he looks like a big dude that will make real hay with the RPO. He was not an easy man to tackle for Albany, dolling out a few punishing runs along the way. This part will be fun – we have a quarterback that can actually get around and isn’t compromised. He extended a play on Iowa’s first drive that would have been a 10+ yard loss in other seasons by slipping through traffic and picking up 6 yards down the sideline. Those are plays Iowa hasn’t had from their quarterback in I don’t know how many seasons. He will keep drives alive.
We saw glimpses of good in more than just the run game so not all is lost. His second-to-last completion of the night was a rope of a throw, a beautiful pitch and catch with Jacob Gill to pick up a 3rd and 13. It was his best throw of the night by a mile. I have to remain positive – the guy is a winner, he’s a good athlete, he’ll figure it out, and he was missing a couple of targets today in Reece Vander Zee and Jarriett Buie. He’ll get better. I hope those early misfires were jitters and Gronowski being so hyped it caused Drew Tate-like cramping in his first start. He has to get better or we have a tough season upon us. At least this man will be a hand up guy? Other recent signal callers haven’t been that.
We all need a hand up guy in our lives.
Other thoughts:
- As Jerry so ably noted, Kirk is now sitting in a tree with Woody Hayes in the win column. WILD. 205 wins and counting for Kirk.
- Xavier Williams is a tough dude to tackle. His inclusion on the depth chart seemed like a mistake while Nathan McNeil was getting the camp hype. Instead, he’s the first freshman to go over 100 yards in his debut since…Shonn Greene. YO. I feel good about this room though the Moulton injury is a bummer.
- The run game as a whole was immaculate. Iowa was at nearly 6 yards a carry. Everyone involved was dishing out punishment.
- Other than Albany’s single touchdown drive that seemed to feature 10 really excellent diving catches, Albany was bottled up by Iowa’s defense for the whole game. The Great Danes finished with 177 yards of total offense. 68 yards came on their lone scoring drive. The rest of that is 109 yards over eight full drives plus a little extra on a ninth drive as time expired. Their quarterback, Jack Shields, seemed like a fun player, but there was a toll to pay for all the hits he took in the first half. By the end of the first half Iowa adjusted and Shields was pretty well cooked.
- Drew Stephens – what a leg! Guy has a howitzer. That 55-yarder would’ve been good from around 70 yards out.
- We’re on to Ames.
