Stat Pak: OK, back to QB

FIVE BULLET POINTS FROM THE PURDUE RESULT

1. All right, let's get right into it

- Last week, we covered the politics of this. I'm not going to rehash that. I asked Kirk Ferentz those questions in the Purdue postgame expecting what? Well, I felt they needed to be ask, and, really, I was looking for assessment of CJB more than anything else. But, yes, I did ask if the QB converstaion remains open during the bye week.

If I read what I wrote here last week, I would've known how political that discussion is and how we can pan for answers all we want, but we're more likely going to come up with a chunk of gold than a honest guide for where this might go.

Quarterback 'discussions” aren't made in public. I know that. I had to see. I will try to temper that question from here on out.

That doesn't mean we all won't discuss it. C'mon, this isn't the Soviet Union.

So, I came away from C.J. Beathard's first performance rather impressed. He struggled mightly early. The struggles didn't surprise me as much as some of the balls. The arm punt that No. 9 should've picked except for Kevonte Martin-Manley with the heads up D-up. The pass that drew a PI on No. 10 wasn't a great decision, but it ended well. There also was a play-action rollout on that series where he gave TE Ray (that's what I'm calling him, I don't think he'd mind) no lead on the pass.

CJB snapped out of it. I gave credit to OC Greg Davis (that's what I'm calling him) for throwing out some easy, makable plays for CJB to make. He did and the drive ended in a score.

On Iowa's next scoring drive, CJB went 5 of 9 and it ended in a field goal. When Iowa took the lead 17-10, CJB went 2 of 3 for 50 yards, including the 23-yard TD to KMM (called incomplete, reviewed, overturned for a TD). On Iowa's final scoring drive, after Purdue had broken, CJB put a rocketball on Jacob Hillyer's numbers for an 18-yard gain and a first down.

I still believe Iowa goes into bye week and think Jake Rudock sticks as the starter. He has the trust. Ferentz said afterward that he expects him to be 100 percent. But I don't think that's the end of the conversation. I think CJB is in the lineup to stay in some fashion. Instead of the courtesy series he got against Ball State, I think he gets a predetermined amount of series. And then I think it plays out as a 'hot hand” thing from there.

There's no reason to state that publicly until after it happens. CJB had some moments good and bad. That also was Purdue, which isn't good but bad.

2. Hey, Jonathan Parker

- You knew the 5-8, 180-pounder's career wasn't over after two fumbles against Ball State. He's only a freshman.

Here's what he did against Purdue: His 47-yard kick return set up the offense's first TD drive. The O was dead, and, maybe it's overstating it, Parker gave it some spark. He caught a tipped pass and turned what should've been, and usually is, a broken play into a 34-yard gain in a drive that ended in a FG. And then he had another catch and a run for 4 yards.

In all, four touches for 94 yards. That's 23.5 yards a touch. That's what Jordan Canzeri gave Iowa when he emerged last season.

3. Could use more consistency out of punter

- We don't need to belabor this. Coaches obviously see it. Dillon Kidd wants to do well. Where's Connor Kornbrath? It looks like this is one of those 'the decision has been made and there's no looking back” deals.

For what it's worth, Kidd is No. 95 in the country with 38.13 yards on 23 punts.

4. Drops

- I really do think this is a subjective number. I put Iowa drops at four during halftime and Twitter wanted to debate. And that's cool. When we see drops, I say to colleague Scott Dochterman, 'Drop?” And then we debate. In what nature does the QB deliver the ball? Is it catchable? Does a defender influence the ball and that pass?

All good points. Here's the one great decider on this topic: Receivers always will tell you they should've had it, so I probably should learn to be more liberal in my calling of this number. I talked to Matt VandeBerg: 'As a receiver, of course, I'm going to tell you it was a catch.” (VandeBerg suffered an injury during the week and was out, no determination on his status.) Damond Powell said, ditto. You have to be ready for when you're number is called.

I settled at six drops with the most costly being Hillyer's on what would've been a 10-yard TD (Iowa settled for a field goal). Wait, going through the box score, Iowa was hit with seven drops (KMM, LeShun Daniels, Powell, Hillyer, Hamilton, Derrick Willies and Tevaun Smith).

Was it the new QB?

'Dropped balls happen, you can only stay confident,” Martin-Manley said. 'We told ourselves, we could only have a better second half.”

Difference?

Don't really notice. 'We practice with both of them and the timing is pretty much the same,” KMM said. 'It's not really a big difference.”

5. Take a bow, defense

- Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback. Something, something, something.

The defense was outstanding against Purdue. Sure, Purdue was awful. QB Danny Etling was horrible and wasn't protected well and kind of went blame game in the postgame.

A couple of numbers:

- Iowa's 2.5 yards a play allowed was the lowest number since 2.24 against Ball State in 2010.

- Purdue's 47 percent pass efficiency rating was the third lowest in the nation this week.

- Iowa held Purdue to 2.2 yards per pass attempt. That was the lowest in the nation this week.

- Purdue completed 40.62 percent of its passes on Saturday. That was 10th-lowest in the nation this week.

- The 156 yards Purdue produced was fourth lowest in the nation this week.

- 2.4 yards per play was third lowest this week.

- And the defense is doing it when Iowa needs it most. The Hawkeyes are No. 14 in the country, allowing just 2.5 points per game in the last three games.

THREE STARS

1. SS John Lowdermilk

- The senior led Iowa with seven tackles and two fourth-quarter interceptions. Lowdermilk might get some notice for national defensive player of the week. He was a big part of a brilliant effort by Iowa's secondary, which has been a huge factor for both of Iowa's wins going into the bye.

2. WR Kevonte Martin-Manley

- Let's give it up for the old cat (he's not old). His foot-tapping 23-yard TD was turned into a TD by review. He got one foot in and what a difference that makes between college and the NFL. It makes offense a heckuva lot more fun, doesn't it? No? Fun haters. Martin-Manley finished with five catches for 74 yards and his first TD of the season. He has 148 career receptions, No. 5 on Iowa's career list.

3. DE Nate Meier

- The junior defensive end had a rough day in the first half against Pitt, but has brushed that off and gone ahead and continued with his season anyway. He was great against Purdue, with 1.5 sacks and at least one other QB hurry. Purdue's stat folks didn't track QBH, but it did track drops. Weird, huh? Anyway, Meier ran a twist and shared a sack with DT Carl Davis. He muscled not quite completely through a tackle, but he did so enough to push unto Etling and grab him and bring him down with one arm.

They stuck this dude at noseguard in goal line at Pitt. Pitt still scored, but what does that say about Meier? It says they really, really like something about him.

FILM ROOM

Staying with it

- Ferentz talks it all the time. Coaches everywhere always talk it all the time.

Right guard Jordan Walsh lived it in the first half.

Iowa first drive went boom after No. 54 beat Walsh one-on-one for a sack. Did CJB hold the ball too long? Maybe a count. Should Walsh have had help? Did the loss of Bullock hurt on this one? I don't think so. This seemed to be a one-on-one loss.

Drive two was hindered after Walsh was called for a false start. This drive started at Iowa's 9. The false start came on the first play after a dead ball. After a 9-yard completion to Parker, it looked as though this drive might make it with a third-and-3. Iowa ran an inside zone out of a double-TE formation. Walsh missed No. 92 and it was dog pile on the rabbit and punt.

This was a slow starter for a two-year starter. Coaches don't give up on players. That's how this game works.

On Iowa's first scoring drive, four drives later, the left side of Iowa's O-line caved in the right side of Purdue's D-line. Walsh popped out of the play and was one-on-one with a linebacker in space. He locked up and RB Jordan Canzeri cut off that block for a 9-yard gain. Iowa scored three plays later.

You don't dispose of players every other play. You win the right to screw up and fix it in practice. That eventually paid off here.

TWO PLAYS

1. Back-to-back sacks

- Purdue's first drive had to throw a scare into Iowa. The Boilers reached Iowa's 24 and moved the ball with a nice mix of pass-run.

Iowa broke a little tendency on a second-and-10. It's a blitz DC Phil Parker has shown before, but you haven't seen freshman Josey Jewell do it. He lined up as outside linebacker (I think it was OLB). He covered a slot receiver on the wide side of the field, but then, closer to the snap, showed blitz steps. Ball was snapped and remember when Parker mentioned how well Jewell tracks the ball last spring (this came in the same span when he mentioned how much he liked CB Greg Mabin and Jewell)? Jewell deserves a wolf T-shirt for how well he tracked Etling. He was on him like a wolf on a rabbit. Etling tried to make a late move, but this was over.

You don't think wolf T-shirts are cool? Get with it.

That made it third-and-21. Purdue was still in FG range. Then came Meier's sack. It was the 'raider” third-down blitz package. He beat tackle J.J. Meier won the race. DE Drew Ott drove the left tackle Cermin into Etling. DT Louis Trinca-Pasat and Jewell also got in on the pile.

This made it fourth-and-28 at the 42. This erased the field goal.

2. #Zoomp

- If you listen to the #oniowapod podcast (if you like wolf T-shirts, you're in, I know it), you've heard me describe the GJB rocketball with the made-up verb 'zoomp.” CJB had a couple of zoomp moments Saturday, but none more zoompier than this one.

Third-and-8 at the Purdue 22. Iowa leads 17-10. There's 5:30-something left in the game and it's still, at least by scoreboard standards, a contest.

Iowa lines up in 11 personnel with trips on left. Smith runs the horizontal route to nowhere that is really hard to complete, all you guys hate and makes the sidline a defender. Amazingly, No. 24 bites on it but just for a step. The window creaks open a little.

KMM runs a streak across 24's face. 24, who returned the pick six, is frozen solid.

Hillyer runs what looks like a post behind 24, in front of 4 and to the right of LB 10. The window is open and the time is now. Now. Now. Now. Meow.

Zoomp. Ball is out and past 24 before he can react. 10 is closing and might've gotten a piece of the tackle. 4 tackles Hillyer but only after an 18-yard gain and first-and-goal at the 5.

Next play, zombie Purdue, totally broken now, is herded like goats. Iowa's OL runs out of dudes to block. Everyone gets a wolf T-shirt.

Is this the difference between CJB and Jake R? This is the second week CJB has shown the zoomp. Don't think that Rudock hasn't. In fact, last year at Purdue, Ricardo Allen baited him into making a bullet throw to KMM in the end zone and Rudock could've gone Shooter McGavin six-gun after the TD pass. He's got a decent arm, too. CJB has the stronger arm. CJB has zoomp. He just does.

But look at that pass. It's between three defenders. It gets tipped at all, it's picked. If Hillyer bobbles, it's picked. Is this something CJB has consistently shown? Is this where Ferentz and staff get squeamish? Without a dominant running game (it was close vs. Purdue), can they afford to be squeamish about the definite plus of a QB who can fit it in the clown's mouth?

NEXT UP

It's a bye week! (I'm calling it 'bye” even though there's no bye. I'm calling it 'bye” because you know what it means.)

- Probably going to be a Marc Morehouse movie festival this week. 'There Will Be Blood,” 'Blade Runner,” 'Super Troopers,” 'Animal House,” 'Dr. Strangelove” and . . . 'The Big Lebowski.”

- I'm reading Richard Ford's 'Canada.” It's been on my iPad forever and I'm still training myself to think about the iPad as a book. My real book right now is a Gram Parsons biography by Ben Fong Torress.

- I'm going to Toppling Goliath on Friday. I will buy the first two people who come up to me and say 'gum ball” a growler of Sue.

THE NUMBERS GAME

Touchdowns in the red zone

Iowa

- 2 of 5

Purdue

- 0 of 1

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. UNI - 4 of 6 (off), 3 of 3 (def); Week 2 vs. BSU - 2 of 6 (off), 1 of 2 (def); Week 3 vs. ISU - 2 of 2 (off), 1 of 2 (def); Week 4 vs. Purdue - 3 of 3 (off), 2 of 4 (def)

The takeaway

: Dominant defensive effort shows up here. Those numbers that read Purdue went nowhere translates to nowhere being zero points. The offensive number? It gets better and closer to acceptable if Hillyer latches on to that 10-yarder in the second quarter.

3 and outs (forced by defense)

Iowa

- 7

Purdue

- 8

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. UNI - 3 (off), 3 (def); Week 2 vs. BSU - 5 (def), 3 (off); Week 3 vs. ISU - 2 (def), 3 (off); Week 4 vs. Pitt - 0 (off) 2 (def)

The takeaway

: Iowa's first five drives on offense went three-out, three-out, pick six, three-out and three-out. The Hawkeyes also had drives of 15, 17 and 12. After Purdue went nine plays for a field goal and 10-0 lead with 11:48 left in the second, it was all punts and interceptions from there. Again, wolf T-shirts for the defense (wait, you've seen Ott, he probably owns a formal wolf T-shirt).

Second half adjustments

Iowa

- 284 yards, 5.65 yards per play (50 plays)

Purdue

- 56 yards, 1.86 yards per play (30 plays)

Tracking the Hawkeyes:

Week 1 vs. UNI - 190 yards, 5.93 yards per play (32 offensive plays), 199 yards, 5.68 yards per play (35 plays on defense); Week 2 vs. BSU - 247 yards, 5.61 yards per play (44 plays on offense), 128 yards, 3.55 yards per play (30 plays on defense); Week 3 vs. ISU - 102 yards, 3.64 yards per play (28 plays on offense), 190 yards, 5.27 yards per play (36 plays on defense); Week 4 vs. Pitt - 183 yards, 5.90 yards per play (31 plays on offense), 173 yards, 5.40 yards per play (32 plays on defense)

The takeaway

: Here's your game-winner. The adjustment on defense? There wasn't one. The adjustment on offense? Not really any, either. Iowa was pretty much the Iowa it was under Rudock when it was the Iowa with CJB in at QB.

20-plus plays

Iowa

- 4

Purdue

- 1

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. UNI - 3 (off), 7 (allowed); Week 2 vs. BSU - 1 (off), 1 (def); Week 3 vs. ISU - 1 (off), 3 (def); Week 4 vs. Pitt - 2 (off), 7 (def)

The takeaway

: Completely different deal than last week. Iowa had four pass plays of 20-plus yards (34 Parker, 27 Smith, 23 for KMM TD and 46 Powell). Let's talk the Greg Davis explosive plays number here, too. Iowa piled up nine of these, five rush and four pass. CJB had two of those rushes and, obvs, threw all of those passes (including two to Hillyer, going back to the WR who had a drop).

Can't read too much into it with this being Purdue, a program that's still in transition and still very, very vulnerable. Iowa's offense seemed to have a wider range this week. Probably says more about the opponent, but CJB gave the O some room to work in the YAC area. Iowa had 13 plays with big range this week.

The Iowa/Greg Davis definition of explosive (this is a holdover stat from last year, it's 12-plus runs and 16-plus passes):

13 (UNI 6, BSU 6, ISU 1, Pitt 4)

Magic points (scores inside of two minutes)

Iowa

- 3

Purdue

- 0

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. UNI - 3 (off), 0 (allowed); Week 2 vs. BSU - 7 (off), 0 (allowed) Week 3 vs. ISU - 0 (off), 3 (allowed); Week 4 vs. Pitt - 0 (off), 3 (def)

The takeaway

: Scott Dochterman said on our podcast this week that it'd be great if Marshall Koehn could kick a 35-yard field goal. The 28-yarder with 13 seconds left before halftime will have to do. Koehn is rounding into the guy at kicker. He also handled all PATs. The job is his.

Short yardage (converted second-5 and third-5)

Iowa

- 8 of 18

Purdue

- 7 of 18

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. UNI - 9 of 15 (off), 5 of 10 (def); Week 2 vs. BSU - 9 of 13 (off), 5 of 7 (def); Week 3 vs. ISU: 14 of 19 (off), 10 of 14 (def); Week 4 vs. Pitt - 10 of 17 (off), 8 of 15 (def)

The takeaway

: Going into early second quarter, Purdue was 4 of 7 in short yardage. It converted just three more in the rest of the game, including one in mop-up. CJB was 2 of 4 in short-yardage passing situations. He also completed two passes on third-and-8. I think it was at least five converted third downs with his arm.

Disruption numbers (number of TFLs/sacks, QB hurries, passes defended and turnovers divided by total number of opponent plays)

Iowa

- 5.0 TFL/sacks (4.0), 3 PBU, 3 QBH, 2 interception = 13 divided into 68 = 19.1 percent

Purdue

- 7 TFL/sacks (2.0), 1 INT, 2 QBH, 4 PBU = 14 divided into 88 = 15.9 percent

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. UNI - 14.2 percent (off), 29 percent (def); Week 2 vs. BSU - 18 percent (def), 18 percent (vs. off); Week 3 vs. ISU - 17 percent (def), 22 percent (vs. off); Week 4 vs. Pitt - 16.7 percent (def), 11.3 percent (vs. off)

The takeaway

: I feel like I should give double bonus for sacks. They are so elusive. Anyway, Purdue tracked zero QBHs. I had Iowa with three (I was conservative) and Purdue with two. Does it feel like 15 percent should be the standard for against the offense? I think it's kind of shaping up that way. A good day for the defense is looking like 20 percent. Iowa was closer to that this week. Still, the 29 percent against UNI remains the best mark.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@sourcemedia.net