Iowa’s offense has ‘found a rhythm’ at pivotal time of 2023 season. Is that momentum here to stay?

IOWA CITY — Nico Ragaini has noticed something different in Iowa football practices this month.

“We have been practicing at a different tempo,” the sixth-year Iowa wide receiver said. “Our practices have been better since then. … We’ve been communicating better. Everything’s been better.”

There was not necessarily an “aha moment,” as Ragaini remembers it.

“I feel like we all just kind of found a rhythm within each other,” Ragaini said.

That rhythm was evident as Iowa had its best offensive showing against Big Ten competition this season in the 22-0 win over Rutgers.

The offense surpassed 400 total yards for the first time in the last 32 games, which dates back to the 2021 season.

Iowa averaged 5.2 yards per play against the Scarlet Knights. That number does not quite leap off the page when compared to the rest of college football. For perspective, a team averaging that over the course of an entire season would rank 95th out of the 130 non-reclassifying FBS teams.

But 5.2 yards per play looks rosy compared to what Iowa’s offense had been producing in recent weeks. The Hawkeyes averaged 3.0 yards per play a week earlier against Northwestern and 2.7 yards per play before the bye week against Minnesota.

The improvement in overall offensive production correlates with Iowa’s improvement in passing production as quarterback Deacon Hill has acclimated himself to the starting role in Cade McNamara’s absence.

After hitting rock bottom with a mere 2.6 passing yards per attempt against Wisconsin, Hill and the Hawkeyes have improved each week in the statistic — from 2.6 to 4.1 to 4.3 to finally 7.2 against Rutgers.

The significant offensive improvement prompts the question of whether it marks a turning point or solely a mirage.

Iowa’s offense also seemed to be taking steps forward earlier in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes improved each game in yards per play and passing yards per attempt in the three-week span of the Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue games.

Then Iowa’s offense statistically saw a significant setback against Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Last year’s offense also saw ebbs and flows. The offense averaged more than 5.0 yards per play against Rutgers and Michigan before falling well below that mark against Illinois.

Iowa’s best Big Ten game last season from a yards per play standpoint — the 24-3 win over Purdue — immediately preceded Iowa’s season-low 2.1 yards per play against Wisconsin.

Should the offense's production continue flowing rather than ebbing, there is plenty of upside for the 8-2 Hawkeyes with two regular-season games remaining.

A win against either Illinois or Nebraska — both of which are unranked — would send Iowa to a Big Ten championship game. It would be the Hawkeyes’ third conference championship appearance since the annual game began in 2011.

After previously being ranked No. 22 in the College Football Playoff rankings, Iowa moved up to No. 16 after the Rutgers win.

A New Year’s Six bowl bid remains unlikely, but not impossible. It would likely require either Iowa, with a growing list of key injuries, to upset the Big Ten East champion or several top-15 teams to lose.

Iowa already has secured at least a share of the Big Ten West title, but that is not enough to earn a spot in Indianapolis or satisfy many fans and players alike.

“What does the share of the Big Ten (West division title) even mean?” Ragaini said. “Who cares about that? So, we’ve got our business to take care of, and we’re ready for it.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com