The good, bad and ugly of Hawkeye football in Week 1

IOWA CITY — How much can we really take away in Week 1?

Though Iowa football’s 34-7 win over Albany was an early benchmark, the Hawkeyes finally got to show off what they could be the season.

Well, sort of.

With a limited playbook and a handful of surprises pregame, the Hawkeyes got their first win. There were some good things, and not-so-good things.

But what exactly is worth worrying about? Here’s the unsung good and a few red flags from Saturday night.

The Good

A career kick

Drew Stevens had two field goals against Albany — the opening 28-yarder and a 55-yard kick in the fourth quarter.

That long ball was a career-long kick, and the fourth-longest kick in program history. Just to top it off, it was the longest kick made since Marshall Koehn made a 57-yard field goal in 2015.

Stevens was a quiet and consistent staple on special teams all last season. There hasn’t been much the Hawkeyes had to worry about with him.

Then of course, it’s helpful knowing Stevens isn’t afraid to go for it — especially since Iowa State’s kicker, Kyle Konrardy, made a 63-yarder during the Cyclones’ game against South Dakota.

The Bad

The injury bug bite

It seems like Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz jinxed himself a little bit. After coming away with minimal injuries throughout the preseason, the Hawkeyes were dealt with a handful of injuries by the end of the first game.

Reece Vander Zee and Jarriett Buie were both listed out before the start of the game. Ferentz said Vander Zee had a “freak” accident outside of practice, and wasn’t sure when he’d be back — he simply said “week-to-week” during the Hawkeyes pregame radio show.

“Reece was really disappointed, too, because he's had a great camp and done a lot of good things,” Ferentz said. “But he'll be back. He'll get back.”

Then in pregame, left tackle Bryce George went down during warmups with an apparent left arm injury. That was, Ferentz admitted, was a first for him. George didn’t play during the game, and there wasn’t any formal update on his status postgame.

Finally, starting running back Kamari Moulton had three carries against Albany before he was in a right arm sling. Every player who couldn’t play against the Great Danes was expected to carry some load in the offense this season, and Moulton’s early departure certainly turned a few heads.

The silver lining

Xaiver Williams and Terrell Washington Jr. didn’t waste time proving themselves on the gridiron. The two running backs took care of the runs for most of the game, and helped propel Iowa to nearly 400 rushing yards in the season debut.

Kaden Wetjen and Sam Phillips both had standout moments. The two also had chances at punt and kick return, where Phillips ran a whopping 46 yards to put the Hawkeyes at midfield in the fourth quarter.

There’s concern for the injured players, yes, but Iowa had four players standout without much issue, too.

The Ugly

Passing the ball

Maybe it was the heightened expectations placed on Mark Gronowski, but throughout the first half, the passing game wasn’t great. Blame isn’t entirely on the starting quarterback, though. There were a few balls dropped and some routes overrun.

Gronowski isn’t used to playing Big Ten football just yet, and he missed a large part of the offseason with his shoulder surgery. It’s not out of the question that he may have been a bit nervous.

At least, he looked nervous. The broadcast described him as “off platform” at times — he didn’t look settled and controlled. Gronowski even admitted postgame he knew it wasn’t his best performance.

“I was a little too excited at the beginning of the game,” he said. “I got to get settled in a little bit more. I feel like going at the next week and the rest of the season, we’re going to continue to get better on that side of things.”

Is it fixable?

Definitely. Whether it was pure nerves, unsteady footwork or simply a rough mental day, Gronowski is a mature enough quarterback that he’ll clean up the errors. Saturday’s performance through the air was underwhelming, Gronowski was the first to admit that, but it’s also one game.

He’s won 50 games as a college starter. One bad game won’t tank his abilities as a signal caller.

“Sometimes you've got to play through that and experience it,” Ferentz said. “I think this will benefit him moving forward because he's a good player and a good quarterback.”

In fact, it could be a blessing in disguise for the Hawkeyes. The limited passing game means that section of the playbook remains unknown to everyone, including Iowa State.

Would it have been fun to see a few deep shots and a handful of successful slant routes? Sure. But whatever Gronowski, Ferentz and offensive coordinator Tim Lester had sitting in their binder of play calls remains a question mark. If Gronowski can shake off the nerves heading into Week 2, that could open up a plethora of options that never made it on tape this week.

Comments: madison.hricik@thegazette.com