Does Iowa Have Pass Game to Win?

That final qualifier is a huge specificity in this specific scenario. Sure, you can get by with a couple hundred rushing yards in a dominant win against an FCS opponent - see the Hawkeyes' dominant, ground-game-reliant, 34-7 win over UAlbany in week 1.

But what about a battle with a nationally ranked opponent? Well, even given the admittedly narrow final margin, the Hawkeyes' fell short to the Iowa State Cyclones on the road in their second game. Quarterback Matt Gronowski completed 13 passes on 24 attempts, tallying just 83 in the air with three sacks and an interception on the back-end.

Yet, interestingly enough, he finished second on the team in rushing yards in the loss with 37; in total, the Hawkeyes stacked up 131 yards on the ground. While that metric is a far cry from their 300+ performance in game one (to just 44 yards passing,) the chasm between positive yardage through the air and across the dirt paints a clear picture of what a successful version of this Iowa Hawkeyes team looks like.

It's an image of a team that identifies itself with the run game across the board, full stop.

The difference in usage and approach between the Hawkeyes' first two tests goes beyond the quality difference in their opponents, although that certainly plays a relative part. Not only did Iowa attempt nine more passes against the Cyclones, but, as a natural byproduct of that shift, much of what worked offensively in week one was stiffened as a result.

Against UAlbany, the team eclipsed 50 rushing attempts across seven total carries; those numbers were each cut in the second week, down to sub-40 and four, respectively. The difference in scoring and apparent comfort level for all involved begs the aforementioned question at hand. Iowa has, for a long time, been a run-first program with consistent question marks appearing in the pocket; the more the team attempts to stray from their own identity, the harder it will be to play to their strengths.

And while the Hawkeyes have struggled to consistently rely on anything on the offensive end throughout the past few seasons, breaking the 300-yard mark in their first game out this season - scoring three touchdowns by that method - is a suspiciously positive sign. With the FCS-representative UMass Minutemen coming into Iowa City on Saturday, the Hawkeyes have the perfect opportunity to fortify the run game once more before their B10 schedule begins.

Seeing a quarterback dial up a deep ball to a speedy receiver is one of the most thrilling experiences in football, perhaps second to only one thing: winning. Sacrifice what it takes to achieve the latter, even if that includes the former.

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