Iowa Football: Who’s Fault is it Anyway?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Iowa Hawkeyes fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate.

It’s the bye week in Iowa City and that means Hawkeye fans have a full extra week to stew in the mess that was Iowa’s 9-6 loss to Illinois in week six. Making matters worse, Iowa is staring down the barrel of a trip to Columbus to take on the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes - a place Iowa hasn’t won in more than 30 years. That means the Hawkeyes are very likely to fall below .500 on the season with no real signs of optimism.

As has been the case all season, the cause for such pessimism remains the offense. Not to beat a dead horse, but it is the bye week and there is quite literally nothing else of importance for this football team than the offensive woes. Because as we have seen so far this season, it matters not how good the defense is (it’s great) or how special teams is (it’s been very special yet again). The only thing that matters right now is just how bad the offense will perform.

So far this season, the answer there has been inexcusably bad. We’ve all see the stats by now. Iowa is bottom-5 nationally in virtually every major offensive category and bottom two or three within the P5. It’s statistically the worst offense we’ve seen under head coach Kirk Ferentz and that’s saying something given the program has on average finished with the 83rd best total offense and 64th best scoring offense (unadjusted for defense and special teams scores, which...) in the nation.

That is to say, the Hawkeyes have had a middle of the pack team in terms of offensive production at best and more accurately a bottom half offense over the entire course of the Kirk Ferentz era. Those numbers have trended lower since the hiring of his son Brian as offensive coordinator in 2017.

So we’re back to ask Hawkeye fans who is truly at fault here. Is this on Brian? Is it on the offensive line and coach George Barnett? Does this come down to the head man? Or is it all of them?

Thanks again for your participation this week. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!