Iowa quarterbacks bond through unique fits to the same offense

IOWA CITY ― The outside perception of a quarterback battle is that it’s the veteran Matt Saracen vs. the dazzling, innovative J.D. McCoy who just came to town.

And if you don’t get that reference, watch “Friday Night Lights” on Netflix.

But that’s not the case with Iowa’s quarterbacks, especially junior Spencer Petras and sophomore Alex Padilla. The two are roommates at fall camp, and whether traveling across the country to see Tyler Childers in concert or comparing notes, their bond is a strong one.

“Alex is one of my best friends,” Petras said. “Same with Deuce (Hogan), he’s a friend first and a teammate also. He’s a guy I think I can help in a lot of ways.”

Of course, it’s unlikely they ever take the field together. Instead, they’re leading each other to take over the position they will eventually leave behind.

Since the pandemic interfered with redshirt freshman Hogan’s opportunities last year, Padilla and Petras guide him through not only learning an offense, but also how to deal with Iowa’s tough defense in practice. Hogan takes that on himself to pass down to true freshman Joey Labas, because he said, “it can feel like you’re drowning.”

“Especially at the quarterback position, it takes time to learn an offense like this,” Padilla said.

That offense, while structurally the same, does adjust with change of skills and physical attributes. Petras is the tallest of the group at 6 feet, 5 inches, while Hogan and Labas are 6 feet, 4 inches. Padilla is the anomaly at 6-foot-1, and as a result, throws more on the run because he has to create space to see what’s in front of him, according to Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.

Iowa recruits to fit its pro-style system, but there are minor tweaks, whether simplifying for the younger quarterbacks or adjusting for a different skill set. When it comes to recruiting, Ferentz said he’s will to adjust to quarterbacks who don’t fit his traditional offensive mold, but are the best available or catch his eye.

“If you're playing a game with Alex, we're spreading out a little bit more, maybe running just a little bit more naked where we have him on the move,” Ferentz said. “A guy like Deuce has a lot less volume of experience, so the breadth of what you're using is not going to be as big.”

Hogan’s inexperience is a product of the pandemic’s practice restrictions last year. Iowa quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe said that Hogan lost the 25-day camp experience with the third-team offense in his first season because players were out due to quarantine restrictions and Iowa didn’t have a full fall camp.

But he’s made improvements along the way. At Kids Day on Aug. 14, Hogan looked more at ease in the pocket as he set his feet and completed short passes along the sideline to sophomores Desmond Hutson and Alec Kritta and freshman Keagan Johnson to move the offense.

Part of Hogan’s learning curve is learning that he’s not always throwing bombs down field like he did in high school or in his college commitment video, where he launches a ball through the goal posts.

“You'll never go broke taking a profit is what we always talk about in the quarterback room,” Hogan said. “So we just continue to take our profit and trusting that big plays will come within the structure of the system.”

Petras’ greatest attributes are also his arm strength and quick release. Getting him to use both with more accuracy has been the focus of his offseason. Earlier this summer, he worked with private quarterbacks coach Tony Racioppi on body positioning and footwork.

“He needs to slow things down a little bit, which is actually the opposite of what a lot of young quarterbacks go through,” Ferentz said. “A lot of young quarterbacks get stuck, things happen slow, it doesn't happen fast enough. Things for him happen too fast, so in slowing things down, one of the things that I think he's really improved on over the course of the year is just the accuracy.”

As the starter, Petras is passing down more than his knowledge, but is carrying on the friendly competition that challenges others to step up their game. It’s something he learned from the guy before him, Nate Stanley.

“We had a little bit of friendly trash talk about who could throw farther,” Petras said. “If I remember correctly, I think he threw it 80 yards and I threw 79 yards. Now that was two years ago, I was still kind of a young buck. Maybe when it’s a Hail Mary and the adrenaline's pumping, it’s a little bit farther than that, but that's the only concrete answer I can give.”

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