Iowa vs. Miami (Ohio) Game Report: Grades, numbers, notes and more

No. 20 Iowa opened its 2019 football season with a 38-14 win over Miami (Ohio) at Kinnick Stadium. Check out our play of the game, grades, noteworthy numbers and more in the Game Report.

Play of the Game

THE SETUP — Iowa is nursing a 10-7 lead but has taken its initial possession of the second half from its 18 to the Miami 9. It has a first-and-goal. Ballyhooed Michigan transfer Oliver Martin, who was given an NCAA waiver earlier in the week to play immediately, is in at receiver on the left side, about to get in just his second snap of the game.

WHAT HAPPENED — Martin does a quick juke to the inside, then runs a fade to the corner of the end zone, beating Miami cornerback Zedrick Raymond. Quarterback Nate Stanley lofts a perfect pass, Martin goes up and snags it.

THE RESULT — A touchdown for the hometown kid and a two-score spread for his new team. Quite the perfect story.

Please sir, can we have some more? September 1, 2019

Please sir, can we have some more? @HawkeyeFootball TD: pic.twitter.com/oxSWOrssDD

— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN)

Oliver Martin hauls in the

Grades

Marc Morehouse: B-

This wasn't bad for an O-line that had to wear name tags most of the night because of injury.

Mike Hlas: B

A big advantage in resources over a mid-major prevails yet again.

Jeff Johnson: B

UNI dang near upset Iowa State. Miami did not dang near upset Iowa.

By the Numbers

1 — This was the first season-opening home night game for Iowa.

5 — Oliver Martin's jersey number. The Michigan transfer didn't play in the first half but on his second snap (in the third quarter) he caught a 9-yard touchdown pass.

21 — Seasons at Iowa for head coach Kirk Ferentz, defensive coordinator Phil Parker and strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle.

153 — Wins for Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz. He's fifth all-time in the Big Ten Conference, nine behind Joe Paterno.

Notes

• Iowa alum and former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was the Hawkeyes' honorary captain Saturday. Stoops played at Iowa from 1979 to 1982 and was a graduate assistant and full-fledged assistant coach at the school from 1983 to 1987. He won a national championship at Oklahoma in 2002. Stoops is the head coach and general manager of the rebooted XFL's Dallas Renegades.

• Miami had four players with Iowa ties. Transfer Manny Rugamba was a starting cornerback for the RedHawks, backed up by fellow Iowa transfer Cedric Boswell. West Des Moines Dowling grad Pete Nank was Miami's starting left guard. Cedar Rapids Washington grad Andrew Todd also traveled with the team as backup center.

• Keith Duncan handled all of the placekicking duties for Iowa, going 5-for-5 on extra points and hitting a 21-yard field goal. Caleb Shudak was Iowa's kickoff kicker. Australian Michael Sleep-Dalton handled all of Iowa's punting chores. He's a graduate transfer from Arizona State.

• Your true freshman alert for this game was somewhat minimal. Offensive lineman Justin Britt played on the extra-point and field-goal teams the entire game and was rotated into the offensive line at right guard in the second half for a series. He's from Indianapolis and enrolled at Iowa last spring. The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder did not play his senior season at Warren Central High School because of injury. Tight end Sam LaPorta got in a couple of plays in the second half. He is from Highland, Ill. Running back Tyler Goodson got fourth-quarter carries and caught a short pass. He's from Suwanee, Ga.

• Former North Linn prep Kyler Schott played his first meaningful minutes for Iowa at right guard, after an injury to starting left tackle Alaric Jackson in the first quarter. Schott is a 6-2, 290-pound redshirt sophomore walk-on who played in one game last season.

• Jackson's injury made Iowa shuffle its offensive line from series to series. Tyler Linderbaum played the entire game at center, with tackle Tristan Wirfs getting snaps on both the left and right sides. Landan Paulsen played both guard and tackle. Levi Paulsen, Cody Ince, Mark Kallenberger, Schott and Britt all got snaps up front.

• Tight end Shaun Beyer had his first career reception for Iowa in the first quarter: a 3-yarder. Beyer is a redshirt junior from Cedar Rapids Kennedy. He added an 18-yard catch in the third quarter and another catch in the fourth.

• Ten Iowa players wore special decals on their helmets to signify they already have received their undergraduate degrees. The 10 were tight end Drew Cook, defensive back John Milani, offensive linemen Landan and Levi Paulsen, punter Colton Rastetter, fullback Brady Ross, quarterback Ryan Schmidt, tight end Nate Wieting, defensive lineman Riley Reiff and long snapper Jackson Subbert.

Injury Report

Offensive lineman Cole Banwart missed the game for Iowa, as expected, with an undisclosed injury.

Jackson came out of the game in the first quarter with an apparent right knee injury and did not return. He left the field on crutches.

Wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette went to the locker room at one point with what appeared to be some sort of shoulder problem but returned to the field and playing field.

Up next

From a night game to a morning game for Iowa. Rutgers comes to Kinnick for a Big Ten Conference opener that is slated for an 11 a.m. kickoff. The Scarlet Knights won their season opener Saturday at home over Massachusetts, 48-21. The Iowa-Rutgers game is the second of three in a row televised by FS1.