Hawkeyes searching for answers after suffering first loss of season

IOWA CITY, Ia. — The Cyclones spoiled Coach Kirk Ferentz’s return to the sideline with the Hawkeyes, and handed them a 20-19 loss in front of a sold out crowd at Kinnick Stadium.

Although Iowa shutout Iowa State in the first half, and led by 13 points at intermission, a collapse in defensive coverage, plus a scoreless fourth quarter didn’t help Ferentz in the clutch. The Cyclones made the necessary adjustments, and outscored the Hawkeyes 20-6 in the second half.

Ferentz expected a close battle because of the rivalry’s intensity through the years, but he never thought his team would surrender a double-digit lead. After all, Iowa’s recipe for success under Ferentz is stifling defense, attacking special teams, and field position.

Which is why he’s taking full responsibility for the Hawkeyes’ second half woes, and vows to correct all of the mistakes in practice this week.

“You never want to lose a game certainly, but the biggest thing is, like any time of the season, it’s how are you going to respond to it,” Ferentz said. “It’s important for our guys to understand, and I believe we have a good football team here, good leadership, good coaching staff, and when you lose, you have to move forward and respond.”

A lot of Iowa fans are pointing their fingers at quarterback Cade McNamara as the root of the issues on offense. McNamara looked solid, and played with poise in the first half. However, once the smoke cleared, he completed 13 of his 29 passes for 99 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. McNamara was even picked off by the same defender.

The signal-caller displayed accuracy issues, and the receivers couldn’t get open downfield. Iowa’s play-action passes lacked execution, which was a head-scratcher, because running back Kaleb Johnson had a monster day carrying the ball. He even finished with a game-high, 187 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Johnson’s heroics wasn’t enough. Ferentz still has confidence in McNamara though, and expects him to rebound after this humbling loss.

“I’ve been saying for a while now, he (McNamara) is working his way back, and still trying to get back in game shape, if you will, or game mode,” he said. “He’s working hard, and he’ll do just fine.”

The mental errors made by Phil Parker’s defense was the biggest surprise of the contest. Iowa State quarterback found a wide open Jaylin Noel behind Iowa’s defense for a 75-yard touchdown. The momentum was on the Cyclones’ side, and remained there for the remainder of the game.

Linebacker Jay Higgins forced a fumble, picked off a pass and led Iowa with 11 tackles. Fellow linebacker Nick Jackson added eight stops, and Kyler Fisher had six. Still, Iowa’s defense couldn’t stop Iowa State’s offense from chipping away. Kicker Kyle Konrardy took advantage of his opportunities in the second half, and nailed two fourth quarter field goals, including a 54-yarder that gave the Cyclones lead.

Ferentz thought the game came down to more than just a long kick. On paper Iowa ran more plays than Iowa State, converted more third downs, and had fewer penalties, but still came up short. It was obvious the Cyclones wanted it more. Ferentz had to watch Iowa State (2-0) celebrate, and hoist the Cy-Hawk Trophy.

What’s going stay fresh on Ferentz’s mind is watching Hawkeye fans exit the stadium in disappointment. Iowa (1-1) also dropped out of the AP top-25 after the loss. Now Ferentz is determined to put together a better game plan for week three against Troy, and expects the leaders on the team to take accountability during this time of adversity.

“This one is going to hurt for a while, but we’ll move forward, learn from it tomorrow and go back to work on Monday.”