Offensive issues aside, Iowa trudges up the standings and into the polls

Iowa's quarterback averaged 2.6 yards per pass attempt against Wisconsin last week, yet the Hawkeyes still won 15-6.

Iowa's offense ranks dead last in total yards in major college football, yet the Hawkeyes are 6-1 and ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25.

Iowa's punter, Tory Taylor, had to boot the ball nine times against the Badgers, yet he's celebrated by Hawkeyes fans with T-shirts that proclaim, "Punting Is Winning."

Halfway through the 2023 season, the Hawkeyes remain a conundrum. Their offense can lull a crowd to sleep, but an opportunistic defense and superior special teams have them sitting atop the Big Ten's West Division at 3-1 and in the driver's seat to reach Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 2.

"There's a lot of ways to win football games," said Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz, who's won 192 of them in his 25 years in Iowa City. "That's been the theme for 20-some years."

Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium, the Gophers will try to solve the Iowa riddle that's frustrated the program for 20-some years. Minnesota (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) has not won in Iowa City since 1999, Ferentz's first year as Hawkeyes coach. The Gophers have lost 10 in a row at Iowa and eight in a row overall to the Hawkeyes, including the past six under coach P.J. Fleck.

Two of Fleck's losses to Iowa — in 2019 and 2021 — cost the Gophers berths in the Big Ten title game. They've seemingly done everything but beat the Hawkeyes, as evidenced by the past two seasons, when Minnesota outrushed Iowa by a combined 501-130 yet lost 27-22 and 13-10.

The Gophers spent much of the extra time during last week's bye preparing for the Hawkeyes. Fleck sees an opponent that stays true to itself and its beliefs.

"They understand who they are more than most teams, they stick to who they are more than most teams, and then they beat you in every area," Fleck said. "That was a prime example last weekend against Wisconsin."

Last Saturday afternoon, Iowa and Wisconsin took viewers back to the 1970s in a battle of attrition that featured four field goals, one safety and one touchdown. For the Hawkeyes, though, the end justified the means. They started backup quarterback Deacon Hill, a Wisconsin transfer who went 6-for-14 for 37 yards, in place of Cade McNamara, the Michigan transfer who was lost for the season because of a knee injury.

During the game, Iowa also lost tight end and top pass-catcher Erick All, another Michigan transfer who will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ACL. Tight end Luke Lachey, second on the team in receptions, is expected to miss the rest of the season because of an ankle surgery.

None of this bodes well for embattled offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the coach's son. The younger Ferentz, whose offenses finished 130th and 121st nationally in 2022 and 2021, has performance objectives in his contract tied to the Hawkeyes winning seven games and averaging 25 points per game. Presumably, Iowa will reach seven wins, but the Hawkeyes are averaging 21.25 points, putting the coordinator's job in jeopardy.

Against Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes were bailed out by Leshon Williams' 25 carries for 174 yards, including an 82-yard TD run. That staked them to a 7-0 lead they would not relinquish. Hill's best passing stat, in Kirk Ferentz's mind, was zero interceptions.

"Don't get us in trouble. Don't make bad decisions. Don't press," Ferentz said. "All the things that can make you lose games really quickly."

Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is impressed with the patience with which the Hawkeyes play.

"They've done a very good job of picking their spot to get aggressive, picking their spot to take a shot, picking their spot to get the ball down the field," Rossi said. "It's given them an opportunity to score points, get a lead, and then quite frankly, they're a tough team to beat when they have the lead."

How does a team that's so offensively challenged still win most of its games? By excelling in other facets of the game: defense, special teams and takeaways.

Under defensive coordinator Phil Parker, the Hawkeyes are a greedy bunch. Last year, Iowa's defense scored 46 of the team's 230 points. Back from that squad is defensive back Cooper DeJean, who returned three of his five interceptions in 2022 for touchdowns. This year, he has two interceptions, five pass breakups and 36 tackles, which ranks fourth on the team.

The Hawkeyes are allowing 14.9 points per game (10th fewest in the nation) and are tied for seventh best nationally in red zone defensive percentage, allowing seven TDs and five field goals in 18 opponent trips inside the Iowa 20-yard line.

"Everyone describes them as a bend-but-don't-break defense. I don't look at them that way," Gophers co-offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. said. "I just look at it as an extremely sound, aggressive, physical defense."

On special teams, Taylor is the key weapon. The 26-year-old Australian averages 48.6 yards on his 46 punts. Of those, 18 have pinned the opponent inside its 20-yard line and only one has been a touchback. That puts pressure on opposing offenses to mount long drives to score.

"I've seen that in the NFL," Fleck said of Taylor. "He's that type of leg; he's that type of talent."

DeJean contributes on special teams, too, averaging 13 yards on punt returns.

Together, the defense and special teams help mask the offense's warts. It's a winning formula that Iowa embraces and that opponents try to solve.

"We're just trying to find a way to win," Kirk Ferentz said.