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Like the two offseasons before it, the biggest story and question surrounding Iowa football following the conclusion of 2023 was how much could its offense improve?
The Hawkeyes hired former Western Michigan head coach and Green Bay Packers analyst Tim Lester as its new offensive coordinator to replace Brian Ferentz.
The first impression of Iowa’s new offense under Lester was a great one. Though it took a half to get going, Iowa racked up its best offensive output since its Sept. 28, 2019 win over Middle Tennessee. Iowa’s 492 yards of total offense in its 40-0 shutout victory over Illinois State was the Hawkeyes’ most in a season opener since compiling 593 yards against Akron in 2002.
It was also the best offensive output in an OC’s debut with the Hawkeyes dating back to 1979.
After taking in Iowa’s season opener on TV from home, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz shared his first thoughts on what he saw from Lester’s offense during his Tuesday press conference.
“Yeah, it felt a lot better watching, from where I was watching. Life was a lot better in the second half. Again, that’s the study in offense. Execution is a huge part of the game. It takes a lot of concentration, a lot of detail.
“I think one thing for sure, the penalty situation did impact us in the first half. Second thing, we didn’t really throw or catch. The throws weren’t always accurate. Then we made some of those throws in the second half, and we caught the ball well. It gives you a chance to get going. Then the run game was a little cleaner and crisper. Those are things you go through,” Ferentz said.
Iowa totaled 345 yards of offense in the second half. Junior running back Kaleb Johnson accumulated 119 rushing yards with a pair of scores after halftime.
“We’re going to go through a series of things over the course of the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kirk-ferentz-shares-first-reaction-221533250.html
Author : Hawkeyes Wire
Publish date : 2024-09-04 22:15:33
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