Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

October 02, 2018 at 8:56 pm.

Defenses in spotlight as Hawkeyes travel to Minnesota

Iowa goes on the road for the first time this season to play border rival Minnesota on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN) in Minneapolis in the annual Floyd of Rosedale game.

The Hawkeyes (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) had a bye week to recover from a disappointing 28-17 loss at home to Wisconsin on Sept. 22. They held their own against the Badgers but were done in by some costly mistakes in the second half.

As disappointed as Iowa players were after their first loss, “We can’t let this one game define our season,” safety Jake Gervase said.

The Hawkeyes will find out against the Gophers (3-1, 0-1), who also had a bye, whether or not the extra preparation benefited them.

“We just have to keep improving as much as we can,” running back Ivory Kelly-Martin said.

Iowa coaches and players were discouraged after the loss but encouraged for the most part with the way the offense played while putting up more than 400 total yards against a typically strong Wisconsin defense.

“We look at the film and there’s still plays we left out there,” Iowa center Keegan Render said. “As far as going through the bye week, it’s making sure we don’t take any steps back. Don’t get comfortable.

“Yeah, we ran the ball pretty good (148 yards, 4.8-yard average against Wisconsin). It’s just realizing there’s still always growth and we’re still young at some spots. Just bringing guys along and making sure that they know that if we want to be a championship-level outfit you’ve got to practice like it.”

Iowa’s defense has overcome uncertainty at some positions with toughness and resiliency in the first four games. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense (260.5 yards per game), No. 4 in rushing defense (84 yards per game) and No. 5 in scoring defense (13.0 points per game).

The offense, led by quarterback Nate Stanley, wants to match the level of the defense. Stanley is ninth in the Big Ten in pass efficiency and Iowa is 10th in the conference in total offense (393 yards per game), but Stanley appeared to be more in command during the loss to Wisconsin.

The offensive line is getting healthier and didn’t give up a sack. Kelly-Martin, who was slowed by injury, contributed 73 rushing yards against Wisconsin and Stanley passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns after the Hawkeyes were held to 66 total yards by the Badgers last year.

“If we do what we do and we know what we’re capable of, we’ll be all right,” Render said. “If it does come down to a shootout, we’ve got to be comfortable in those games and be able to outscore those guys. … It’s making the plays that are makeable.”

The question is whether Iowa will be able to make plays against Minnesota, which has the Big Ten’s No. 3 defense in points allowed (17.3 per game) and yards allowed (300.3).

“I think we’ve had a good two weeks of practice overall,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I think the effort’s been good. The players’ attitudes have been good. I think we’ve made improvement, incremental improvement, and that will show up hopefully as we get out on the field.

“Really what it gets down to we’ve got to play hard. You have to play hard every conference game. But we’ve got to play a little cleaner, a little smarter, a little better if we’re going to get a victory in conference play.”