Beathard has shown exactly why he’s QB1

C.J. Beathard didn't win the job in January because he won a football flinging contest. He's good at that and can win those, too, but that wasn't totally it.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz flipped the switch with Beathard over Jake Rudock because he saw growth in maturity and the mental side of what it takes to be an effective quarterback (and, yes, Ferentz knew the football flinging already was there and something he knew Iowa certainly could use).

Beathard's mental command of the game has been a major factor in the No. 13 Hawkeyes' 7-0 (3-0 Big Ten) start to the season. That along with the football flinging and feet moving have made Iowa's offense into something that's hard to pin down.

Yes, with Beathard limited with leg injuries the last two weeks, the Hawkeyes have fallen back into familiar ground-and-pound territory, rushing 102 times for 572 yards the last two weeks. (Actually, the Hawkeyes have averaged 4.98 yards on 160 first-down rushes. That keeps the offense from a lot of stressful third-and-longs and sets the table to do the bigger things.)

And, who knows, Beathard might battle the hip/groin/hamstring injuries the next five games and this might be what Iowa is now (which is OK, because the Hawkeyes are 10-1 since 2008 when they rush 50-plus times in games, the lone loss was Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium last season).

Wherever this goes, everything Beathard is has shown up during this 7-0 stretch. Arm, feet, decision making, toughness. Check, check, check and check.

This is a top 10 list of what the first QB in Iowa history to win his first eight career start does:

10. 81-yard TD pass to wide receiver Tevaun Smith vs. North Texas

- One of the big questions for the Hawkeyes in 2015 was explosive plays. Through seven games, the Hawkeyes have 12 40-plus plays, which is No. 11 in the nation. Iowa had 12 plays of 40-plus yards all last season.

Beathard beat a blitz on this play, thanks to fullback Macon Plewa. It also gave Beathard a pass efficiency at this time in this game of 332.32. It stands as the longest reception in the Big Ten so far this season.

9. 99-yard drive vs. Illinois State

- This was Iowa's second possession of the season and first 99-yard drive since 2002 at Miami (Ohio).

Beathard hit WR Jacob Hillyer on an 18-yard quick slant. He completed a shovel pass to running back Jordan Canzeri for 21 yards. He scrambled and hit WR Matt VandeBerg for a 17-yard gain. He hit VandeBerg for a 17-yard WR screen.

8. 14-yard TD pass to Smith vs. Iowa State

- Beathard took a shotgun snap and hopped back to the Iowa State 21-yard line. From there, he unleashed a rocket ball that beat the Iowa State defender by a nanosecond.

It was a back-shoulder throw to Smith, along the sideline and into the left corner of the end zone. The Iowa State defender was right there. His right hand probably felt the breeze from the pass. This was the arm talent.

Beathard put that ball in the clown's mouth. You know, you've played mini-golf. You've had to putt the Day-Glo ball along the fake turf and through the clown's mouth.

'Clown's mouth? What's that?” Beathard asked.

You know, like from mini-golf.

'Oh yeah,” he said with a laugh. 'I gotcha.”

7. 17-yard middle screen to Canzeri vs. Pitt

- This was second-and-16 from Pitt's 30 in the fourth quarter. The middle screen was clogged with Iowa offensive linemen. Beathard had to loft a perfect pass to Canzeri, who at 5-9 was kind of lost in the wash.

The play went for 17 yards. The drive ended in a TD.

6. First-and-goal from Wisconsin's 1

- We had to pick something from Wisconsin, right? Why not the only TD?

The reason this play worked - Wisconsin safety Tanner McEvoy lost this play by less than a yard - was the play-action fake to Canzeri that Beathard sold to freeze UW outside linebacker Vince Biegel.

Beathard hit tight end George Kittle for the TD, with Beathard slightly changing the angle on his pass to beat McEvoy.

5. 93-yard drive vs. Iowa State

- Little bit of everything here from Beathard.

On first down, he was nearly sacked for a safety that would've given ISU a 12-3 lead and the ball. Somehow, Beathard slithered over the goal line to make it second-and-16 from Iowa's 1.

Beathard took the next play, a play-action naked bootleg, 44 yards, handing out dead-leg moves and breaking tackles. This gave the drive some life.

Beathard pushed the ball into scoring territory with a 19-yard pass to Canzeri on a play that blew up seconds after the snap, with Beathard dodging a free-running defensive end.

He ended the drive with the 14-yard clown's mouth pass to Smith.

4. Third-and-13 from Iowa's 39 vs. Illinois

- The Illinois game was the 'Canzeri game,” with his 43 rushes, 256 yards and two TDs saving the day, but this was a play that moved the margin in a 29-20 victory.

Beathard found nothing on the call and bailed out to the right. He had a tight end open short for a first down, but he instead threw across his body and put a catchable ball up for true freshman wide receiver Jerminic Smith.

Beathard put up a ball, but Smith made the play for 49 yards. The drive ended with a TD.

3. Timeout, timeout, timeout, run for a first down

- The Northwestern game ended up a 40-10 cruise, but it was arm wrestling early.

On Iowa's first drive of the third quarter, it faced third-and-5 from Northwestern's 8. Beathard was in shotgun and saw the playclock was running out and looked to the official and signaled for timeout. Center Austin Blythe also had his eye on the playclock and snapped the ball with 1 second left and just as Beathard made the international sign for timeout.

The official didn't see it. Beathard, clearly ailing from the leg injuries in this game, took the ball and followed running back Derrick Mitchell on his route.

It ended up a 6-yard gain and first-and-goal from the 2. Running back Akrum Wadley scored his second TD on the next play and Iowa was off to a 23-10 lead.

2. Canzeri 75-yard TD run for 23-13 lead vs. Illinois

- This play was born out of adjustments. Illinois surprised Iowa with something up front. Ferentz said the staff and players adjusted. Beathard, whose injuries limited him to 6 yards total offense in the second half against Illinois, saw something he didn't like in the Illini's defensive front and called an audible from a zone run to a power running play.

'We didn't want to run that play into how the defense was lined up,” Beathard said. 'So, I checked into a different play and it ended up being a big play.”

1. Pitt scramble

- Beathard has delivered game-winning drives in fourth quarters twice this season. Against Iowa State, he was 4-of-4 for 46 yards and a touchdown. He did it the other way against Pitt, rushing three times for 27 yards to set up Marshall Koehn's 57-yard game-winning field goal on the final play.

Beathard's final 8-yard scramble set up Koehn for success.

It's hard to tell on TV, but you can see that Beathard's eyes were locked on the Kinnick Stadium game clock. He ran into space and stayed in control of when the clock could be stopped. He sprinted toward the sideline and dove before a Pitt defender could get to him. The Iowa sideline was ready with the timeout.

Beathard said in the postgame that he wanted to hit the deck with three seconds left. He missed it by one, but he masterfully controlled that play.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com