There’s one part of Iowa's offense that is so astounding that it’s almost unbelievable: the red zone.
theathletic.com
"Spanning the past 14 games, during which the Hawkeyes are 7-7, Iowa quarterbacks have attempted 15 passes from inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. They have seven completions and one touchdown, which took place in the waning seconds of a 27-14 loss to
Michigan on a 5-yard route from quarterback
Spencer Petras to tight end
Luke Lachey. But the head-shaking statistic is that Iowa’s seven completions during that 14-game period have totaled 3 yards.
It sounds almost impossible, yet it’s completely true. In six games this year, Iowa is 4-of-5 passing from inside the 10 for 5 yards. Along with Lachey’s touchdown catch, the other completions included a shovel pass that lost 1 yard against
Illinois and a pair of short flat routes against Michigan that totaled 1 yard.
This year’s numbers align with the final eight games from 2021. From inside the 10-yard line, there were three completions for minus-2 yards. A slant route gained 4 yards, an out picked up 1 yard and an outlet to a running back lost 7.
Perhaps even more telling than the total yardage is the ball location. Only four of those 15 attempts were thrown into the end zone, and just one this year — Lachey’s catch — which was placed at the goal line. In the final eight games last year, only three attempts landed in the end zone, and all were incomplete."