Iowa Formula Fails Against Michigan

INDIANAPOLIS - Iowa Football should be proud of its last three seasons. The Hawkeyes won two Big Ten West Division titles and compiled 28 wins, the third most in the conference during that time. 

Despite the success, respect has alluded them in most college football circles. A lot of that can be attributed to a feeble offense. It's become a national punchline for futility. 

Iowa was presented with an opportunity to silence the critics Saturday night in the Big Ten Championship Game here at Lucas Oil Stadium. Take down second-ranked and undefeated Michigan as a three-touchdown underdog, the naysayers eat crow. 

Instead, the Hawkeye offense was putrid again. The play-calling was stale and conservative. Execution left a lot to be desired. 

Yes, there was a questionable call at a critical time. It hurt the Hawkeyes. It did not cost them the game. Only accumulating 155 yards on 56 offensive plays was what did them in. 

The Wolverines methodically defeated Iowa, 26-0. Playing the Hawkeyes for a third time in as many years, Michigan knew what to do. Stay patient and don't let the Hawkeye defense help its offense. 

Iowa posted a 10-2 mark this season by fielding one of the nation's top defenses and excellent special teams. Outside of Michigan's long punt return, those phases played well again Saturday. Punter Tory Taylor was great again. 

The Hawkeyes reached this game with a formula calling for grinding out wins by winning field position and cashing in on offense with short fields. It worked against teams in the Big Ten West and 6-6 Rutgers from the East Division. 

It didn't work against the two ranked teams they played this season.  Penn State and Michigan outscored them 57-0. 

The Hawkeyes can beat Illinois and Nebraska with their formula. They look very overmatched against the top teams. That's the case three years running. 

It's why they left here Saturday night carrying the same negative narrative with which it arrived. They were who we thought they were. 

We saw it in lopsided losses to Ohio State and Michigan last year. The Wolverines boat-raced Iowa in this game two seasons ago, 42-3. Even a Hawkeye win against Top 10 Penn State in '21 lost luster after the Nittany Lions finished with a 7-6 record.   

Credit Iowa for fighting through impactful injuries this fall. This team maximized its resources and was the fourth best team in a Power 5 conference. Any West team would have traded places with it to be here Saturday night in a heart beat. 

It just couldn't win the big one against the best. Its last Big Ten title came in 2004. 

The task of ending the drought becomes more difficult moving forward. Divisions are going away and four of the PAC-12's top teams join the league. The odds of making it back here will become much longer. 

That's not to say the Hawkeyes won't be back here, but they just must change to do so. That process is underway with them moving on from offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz after the season. 

Now it's up his father, long-time head coach Kirk Ferentz, on how he wants to proceed if he comes back in '24 for Year 26. We have enough evidence that the offense he's putting on the field isn't going to get this program where it wants to go. 

If he continues on the way he has the last three years, this is the ceiling. Hire a new offensive coordinator with creativity and modern ideas. Then let him do his job.