Iowa football scores tracker: Hawkeyes offense craters against Minnesota, needs to score 325 points in 2023

Iowa has lengthy been referred to as a program occupied with successful with elite protection and particular groups beneath tenured trainer Kirk Ferentz. The effects were constant, if not anything else: In 24 seasons beneath Ferentz, the Hawkeyes have received a median of just about 8 video games in line with 12 months — oftentimes with middling offensive output. 

Iowa was once specifically abysmal on offense all over the 2022 season, on the other hand, completing 123rd nationally whilst averaging 17.7 points and 156.7 yards passing in line with sport. Even worse, Iowa completed one hundred and thirtieth — out of 131 FBS groups — in general offense at 256.1 yards in line with sport. 

In another state of affairs, such lowly numbers would nearly usually outcome in a staffing alternate. Complicating issues is that Kirk’s son, Brian Ferentz, is the staff’s offensive coordinator. In the face of a lot of requires alternate, the more youthful Ferentz signed a revised one-year contract in February decreasing his wage and including efficiency incentives, hanging force at the offense to strengthen. 

In order for Brian Ferentz to go back to his earlier two-year rolling contract, it’s been mandated by means of Iowa’s management that the Hawkeyes score a minimum of 25 points in line with sport (together with a bowl sport) — in any way, together with protection and particular groups — all over the 2023 season. (Additionally, Iowa will have to achieve seven wins, together with a possible bowl sport.) If Ferentz fails to meet both of the 2 targets, his contract will formally terminate on June 30, 2024.

Iowa was once working smartly sufficient against this objective in the course of the first 3 weeks, sitting 3.08% forward of tempo after a rousing 41-point scoring affair against Western Michigan. And then crisis struck in Week 4 when it visited Penn State. Not simplest did the Hawkeyes fall off tempo, they failed to score a unmarried level against the Nittany Lions.

A month later, Iowa is painfully off tempo sitting just about 14% at the back of the typical it will have to be scoring via 8 weeks. Iowa has simplest scored 25+ points as soon as in the closing 5 weeks (26 vs. Michigan State), and it is only projected to score 25+ points 3 mores instances in the course of the finish of the season, which is able to by no means be sufficient for Brian Ferentz to stay his activity.

Against Minnesota this week, Iowa scored a paltry 10 points in a sport that started with a projected general of 30.5 points, a number of the lowest in fashionable school football historical past. Not simplest that, the Hawkeyes have been totally close out in the second one part whilst gaining simply 12 yards. Yes, Iowa won simply 12 yards (-8 dashing, 20 passing) in the general 30 sport mins, falling to the Golden Gophers at house for the primary time this century with Minny’s closing such win coming in 1999.

For Iowa to achieve its 325-point objective, it is going to want to score 33.8 points in line with sport, together with a bowl look.

CBS Sports shall be monitoring Iowa’s points in line with sport all through the season whilst calculating whether or not the Hawkeyes are not off course to meet the edge important for the staff’s offensive coordinator to stay his activity. Let’s spoil it down in higher element.

2023 Iowa football time table, points scored

Projected points by the use of SportsLine | Goal = 325 points (25 in line with sport)

* Placeholder projection for Iowa’s bowl sport given the opponent is unknown.