In a season of highs and lows, the Hawks are sitting right where most thought they would be after 3 quarters of the season are complete. 6-3, with no unexpected wins or losses. We lost each of the big games that could have made us an upper echelon team, and won the games against the weaker opponents. We are favored to win all three games left this season (likely by double figures), and if all goes well, we end up 9-3. That would put us in a solid bowl game in large part to our schedule and not having to play OSU, Michigan, or Michigan State. So where do we stack up against the Big 10 after 3/4 of the season?
1. Total Offense - 9th (up from 10th after 1st Q) (D): The Hawkeye offense is averaging just 391 yards per game despite bringing back last year's top QB, WR, TEs, and most of the starting OL. While the opportunities have been there, they are often missed due to lack of execution, poor throws, missed blocks, or mental mistakes. The offense is frustrating to watch because the talent is out there but the mental game doesn't seem to be there.
2. Total Defense - 2nd (down from 1st after 1st Q) (A): The Hawks are giving up 284 yards per game. Opponents have scored just 21 touchdowns against us all year (2nd in the Big 10), and we are giving up just 4.7 yards per play (2nd in the Big 10). While there is a lot of youth on this defense, the leadership has been solid and they are keeping us in games in spite of our offense. Aside from maybe Michigan, we would have no problem competing with anyone in the conference this year.
3. Passing Offense - tied for 6th (6th after 1st Q) (C+): The Hawks are throwing for 235 passing yards per game. Stanley's completion percentage has dropped dramatically as the season has gone on (from 63% after the 1st quarter to just 57% now, a sign of inaccuracy similar to last year). While he's thrown 17 touchdowns (many in one blowout), his 8 interceptions are more than all but two Big 10 QBs. We have two of the top tight ends in college football, but it is not enough to have a legitimate passing attack this season.
4. Rushing Offense - 9th (down from 8th after 1st Q) (C-): We are averaging just 157 yards per game despite being a "power running" offense. Our yards per carry has dropped since earlier in the season from 4.1 yards per carry to just 3.9 yards and 11th in the Big 10. We have yet to have a 100 yard rusher in 9 games, and I'm not sure we've settled on a true #1 back. The good news is that all of the backs are sophomores and come back next year. The bad news is, the best sophomore back we had is running for 150 yards per game and 30 receiving yards per game at Arizona State.
5. Sacks - 4th (down from 3rd after 1st Q) (A-): While the talk of a record breaking sack year has died down since the 1st quarter, we have still accumulated 26 sacks to date. In comparison, we only had 27 sacks all last year. No one has been able to get a solid explanation why Epenesa doesn't play more than he does, but all of our DEs have played well. Putting pressure on the QB will be key in the coming weeks, as Northwestern's QBs always seem to burn us, and Nebraska has a mobile QB.
6. Punting - 12th (down from 3rd after 1st Q) (D-): The biggest statistical decline we have seen all season is at the punter position. Early on, Raestetter seemed like the team's biggest success story, showing a vast improvement over last year. It turns out, he's the same guy who finished 117th in the NCAA in punting last year. In spite of his regression to the mean, he has still taken every snap at punter this year. Last I checked, we had a scholarship punter on the roster who hasn't been heard from since the middle of last year. Regardless of who is out there, it is safe to say that the drastic drop in punting has killed us in field position and contributed to our two recent close losses.
7. Kick Returns - (unranked after 1st Q) 1st (A+): I searched far and wide to find a stat that the Hawks can feel great about, and found one in kick returns. While Smith-Marsette suffers from the drops at WR, and has made some questionable decisions this year, his electricity at kick returner cannot be questioned. He is averaging 28 yards per return, and every time he gets the ball back there he has a chance to take it to the house. It's unfortunate that they changed the kickoff rules in college football and most kicks sail through the end zone, as Marsette is as fun to watch out there as Wadley or DJK.
