Iowa football rewind: Offensive line depth, Quinn Schulte’s first start, true freshmen in action

IOWA CITY — Kirk Ferentz had an optimistic message for his team after the 7-3 win over South Dakota State.

“The first thing I reminded the team is that we're 1-0,” Ferentz said after the Week 1 win in his 24th season as head coach. “Good to get the win certainly."

When it comes to bowl eligibility in December, getting the win Saturday will be what matters.

But when taking a closer look at how Iowa reached that result, it’s not representative of the “complementary football” that Ferentz preaches.

Iowa’s offense relied heavily on the running game, but it averaged a paltry 1.6 yards per carry. The passing game wasn’t much better, with quarterback Spencer Petras completing just 44 percent of his passes. A chorus of booing frequently greeted the unit.

The defense and punting, however, thrived. The Hawkeyes had two safeties for the first time since 2018 and held SDSU to 120 total yards. Some fans started an “MVP!” chant for punter Tory Taylor.

Here are a few takeaways after re-watching Saturday’s season opener:

Offensive line not as deep as expected

Iowa’s offensive line certainly did not have its best day on Saturday, as evident by the lack of protection for Petras and lack of space for Leshon Williams to run.

The youth at the position group — four of the five starters were underclassmen — is an obvious factor.

It also doesn’t help that an already-young position group is not very deep.

The starting five on Iowa’s Week 1 depth chart were (from left to right) Mason Richman, Tyler Elsbury, Logan Jones, Connor Colby and Jack Plumb. Ferentz said Tuesday the Hawkeyes had “maybe eight guys that we feel comfortable putting out there.”

But when it came to game time, there weren’t eight guys. There were six, according to Pro Football Focus’ snap counts, and not the six that the depth chart would’ve suggested.

Richman, Jones and Colby started, but Colby was at right tackle instead of right guard. It was Colby’s first start at tackle at the collegiate level.

Then Nick DeJong and Beau Stephens started at the two guard spots.

Gennings Dunker, who wasn’t on the depth chart, was the only other lineman to play significant offensive snaps.

The six-man rotation meant Richman, Jones and Colby didn’t get a break on offense — not an easy situation for Jones to be in as he played his first collegiate game as an offensive lineman.

Quinn Schulte makes some big plays in first start

Cedar Rapids Xavier grad Quinn Schulte made quite the impression in his first start at free safety.

He had a team-high four pass breakups in Saturday’s win, including two on back-to-back plays at a critical point in the second quarter.

SDSU was in field-goal range on a drive set up by Petras’ interception. The Jackrabbits had the ball on the 27-yard-line with 28 seconds to go on second-and-11.

SDSU’s Mark Gronowski threw to his top wide receiver Jaxon Janke, but Schulte had tight coverage and broke up the pass. (The commentators thought it might’ve been pass interference, but there was no flag.)

Then on third down, Schulte’s big hit on SDSU’s Isaiah Davis kept him from holding onto the completion, forcing fourth down and a field-goal attempt.

“Two really good plays right out there in the open,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz described Schulte as someone who isn’t “flashy,” but instead “quietly steady.”

“He has practiced well. He's played well on special teams, and now he took the next step,” Ferentz said. “We forget sometimes that this guy hasn't started a game.”

True freshmen see playing time

Five true freshmen saw game action in Saturday’s season opener — kicker Drew Stevens, defensive backs Xavier Nwankpa and T.J. Hall, running back Kaleb Johnson and tight end Addison Ostrenga.

They can play another three games this season before deciding whether to redshirt.

Nwankpa, Hall and Ostrenga’s impacts were on special teams. Johnson had three carries for zero net yards along with his special teams contributions.

Stevens handled kickoff duties Saturday while Aaron Blom had Iowa’s two field-goal attempts. Blom was 1-for-2, missing from 40 yards and hitting from 46 yards.

Ferentz did not say whether he’ll continue to have Blom on field goals and Stevens on kickoffs.

“We'll evaluate it each week, just like we do every position, but it was good to see Aaron come back and hit that one because those things can weigh on you,” Ferentz said. “That was really pleasing to see.”

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