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Iowa football is struggling in all phases with a loss to Michigan State

Vaseline October 20, 2024

EAST LANSING, Mich. – There was no broad consensus on the reason for Iowa football’s disappointing 32-20 loss to Michigan State on Saturday. This was not a one-sided setback.

Should the defense take the majority of the blame? The Hawkeyes (4-3 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) gave up 468 yards, a far cry from the 316 per game they averaged through the first six games of the season. It’s unlikely that Michigan State didn’t score a single time on Saturday.

But is it fair to put the onus solely on Iowa’s defense — a unit that has bailed out a troubled offense so many times in recent seasons?

There is also a case for Iowa’s offense. That unit was almost lifeless in the first half. The Hawkeyes managed just two first downs and were shut out at halftime. Iowa could get away with a slow start against Illinois State and Troy. But not Saturday, on the road against a Big Ten opponent.

Discuss blame for the Hawkeyes’ loss on Saturday all you want. It won’t change where the Hawkeyes are right now. Iowa is a mediocre football team that is firmly on track to fall short of the team’s goals for the season.

“Thank you to Michigan State,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “They played an excellent match. And we clearly didn’t do that. I haven’t really played well enough at any stage to expect any wins tonight.”

It looked like Iowa had finally turned the corner the week before in a dominant 40-16 win over Washington. Meanwhile, the Spartans entered Saturday far from great, with an overall record of 3-3 – with their trio of wins over Florida Atlantic, Maryland and Prairie View A&M. If Iowa had truly righted the ship, this was the kind of game Ferentz’s team should win.

But Michigan State had other plans. The Spartans were not behind for a second on Saturday.

Iowa’s rushing defense, which had been a strength this season, was taken apart by Michigan State, which racked up 212 yards on the ground. Quarterback Aidan Chiles was an efficient 22-for-30 passing for 256 yards. Iowa’s cornerback spot opposite Jermari Harris is a glaring weakness and a revolving door of players continues to rotate.

Iowa was not at full strength defensively on Saturday. Sebastian Castro, a standout cash position, was injured and was unavailable. Koen Entringer, who replaced Castro and provided a first-half interception, left the match due to injury.

But injuries are no excuse for sloppy tackles and an inability to get off the field. Michigan State had the ball for almost 40 minutes (double Iowa’s total) and rushed for 212 yards (more than double the Iowa opponents’ average).

“There were a lot of makeable plays that we didn’t make,” Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins said. “Like you’re going to look at it and you’re going to ask if it’s the plan or if it was a play. But I think it was only us who missed tackles. Being there, being in the right place, but not executing.”

Video: Jay Higgins on what went wrong defensively in the loss to Michigan State

Star linebacker Jay Higgins discusses Iowa’s loss to Michigan State.

Much of the Hawkeyes’ offensive success this season has been placed on the shoulders of star running back Kaleb Johnson. It is remarkable that Johnson has been able to produce at an exceptionally high level, despite all the attention the defense gives him.

That was not so much the case on Saturday. Seventy-five of Johnson’s 98 rushing yards came in the fourth quarter on one touchdown scamper. Other than that run, Michigan State has done a great job of bottling him up. Johnson finished with 98 yards on 14 carries.

What was revealed is an offense without many answers outside of Johnson.

Quarterback Cade McNamara, a paltry 3-for-9 in the first half, wasn’t as bad in the second, but also threw a head-scratching interception. His latest statistical score of 11-for-23 for 150 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception won’t do much to quiet the attention around him.

Iowa’s special teams were mostly fine on Saturday, although the normally reliable Drew Stevens missed his only field goal attempt (58 yards).

“In short: we didn’t play well enough offensively in the first half,” said Ferentz. “I actually couldn’t hold on much, couldn’t get much going. And defensively, it just seemed like an unusual play. It’s been a long time since we played like this. We weren’t really sharp at any stage and didn’t tackle well. So that’s just a bad combination.”

Video: Kaleb Johnson on the challenges facing Michigan State’s defense

Star running back Kaleb Johnson discusses Iowa’s loss to Michigan State.

Iowa’s roller coaster of a season, once filled with hope, has reached a new valley of uncertainty.

The optimism heading into the season was fueled in part by the return of all the pieces from last year’s Big Ten West championship team. With the option to move forward with the program, Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson and a handful of others decided to run it back with the Hawkeyes.

Entering the season, the thought of competing in the College Football Playoff was not out of the question for this group. Instead, those dreams have gradually deteriorated in recent weeks.

Iowa’s blunder against Iowa State, blowing a 13-point halftime lead, signaled a team falling further short of what some had hoped. A 28-point loss to Ohio State was further evidence of a program unequipped to beat college football’s elites. And on Saturday, Iowa’s loss to Michigan State carved out its own place in this season’s disappointments.

Suddenly, the prospects for the rest of the season in Iowa look much bleaker.

The Hawkeyes do not have a particularly difficult last five games of the regular season.

Home vs. Northwestern
Home vs. Wisconsin
At UCLA
Bye week
In Maryland
Home vs. Nebraska

Still, Saturday’s defeat makes those games look much less manageable. Iowa is on track for a six- or seven-win season, which would be considered a disappointment given what expectations once were.

There is not one solution. Right now, Iowa has a deteriorating defense, an offense that is frustratingly one-dimensional and a fan base whose patience is slipping dangerously quickly.

“We’ll figure it out,” Ferentz said of his team’s mental state. “When you’re in conference football, it’s week to week. We have no choice. We have three conference games coming up before our next (bye week). We can’t sit there for too long and feel bad. We will definitely feel bad (Sunday). We’ll look at the tape and see what we can learn from it.”

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