An anemic offensive performance put a damper on a solid defensive effort by the Gophers in Iowa City. Quarterback Demry Croft completed just 9 of his 29 passes as Minnesota dropped their eighth straight road game against Iowa, 17-10.
Defense settles down after quick score
The Hawkeyes quickly went in the direction of a Gophers secondary without starting cornerbacks Kiondre Thomas and Antonio Shenault. Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley connected for gains of 22 and 25 yards on the first drive, exploiting a missed assignment by safety Duke McGhee. Defensive end Nate Umlor added a personal foul penalty to push the drive forward. Hawkeyes running back Akrum Wadley finished the drive by busting through a Duke McGhee arm tackle for a 12-yard score. The Gophers tackled poorly throughout the first drive, but settled down. Minnesota’s defensive front created pressure and won the battle up front. After allowing 80 yards on the opening drive, the unit surrendered just 15 yards on the next five series. Jacob Huff added an interception and Iowa didn’t convert a single third down until early in the third quarter.
In the second half, the Hawkeyes caught the secondary sleeping with a play-action look. Quarterback Noah Stanley found Noah Fant deep for a 45-yard touchdown. He went toward true freshman quarterback Justus Harris, who bit on the play-action and had no help over the top. The defense responded by forcing three consecutive punts, but the offense was unable to take advantage. Harris had a rough night in his first start, including a key pass interference call late in the game. However, it’s worth noting the progression of cornerback Kunle Ayinde, who had another solid game after being thrust into a larger role. He had a key pass breakup and was effective in run support.
Defensive line creates pressure
The defensive front was causing consistent disruptions throughout the game. Defensive coordinator Robb Smith was dialing up delayed blitzes and twists inside. It caused interior pressure and collapsed the pocket. Carter Coughlin corralled a quarterback hurry when he twisted inside. He is starting to refine his pass rushing moves and is winning with his hand technique. Later in the game, Blake Cashman caused pressure off the edge when sent as a rusher. Defensive tackle Gary Moore was getting a great push and picked up a pass deflection. He continues to make more plays as he gains valuable experience. Veteran Steven Richardson was blowing plays up throughout the night, including a key third down run stop. After the first drive, Minnesota’s defense prevented chunk plays and put the Iowa offense on their heels. The coaches did a great job of making adjustments throughout the game. They ran double A-gap pressure looks, taking a page out of Mike Zimmer’s defensive playbook. It really caused some headaches for the Iowa offensive line.
MORE: http://www.1500espn.com/gophers-2/2017/10/struggling-offense-proves-costly-gophers-17-10-loss-iowa/