From coaches. From players. Too often from TV announcers.
That team has got to learn how to finish.
But what exactly does it mean?
“It means six points, seven, actually,” Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi said matter-of-factly. “That’s what it means, putting it in the end zone. It doesn’t mean getting to the 20-yard line then fumbling a snap. It means getting all the way to the end zone, getting the points and then letting your defense go out and stop them.”
Too often this season, Iowa (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) has failed to finish, and that’s a big part of the reason why the Hawkeyes will ride a two-game slide into East Lansing, Mich., on Saturday, where they’ll take on the streaking Michigan State Spartans (4-1, 1-0) in an 11 a.m. game at Spartan Stadium.
Last week, in a 22-17 loss against Northwestern, Iowa drove inside the Wildcats’ 30 on the game’s opening possession before Stanzi fumbled a snap, turning the ball over. It was one of five Hawkeyes turnovers on the day.
Two weeks ago, in a 21-20 loss at Pittsburgh, Iowa forced a turnover at the Panthers’ 15 early in the first quarter but failed to capitalize, coming away with only a field goal. In that game, too, the Hawkeyes converted just 4 of 17 third downs and gave up six quarterback sacks.
Turnovers, a poor third-down conversion rate and a lack of success in the red zone — those three things have been the anti-finish for what has been an otherwise productive Iowa offense.
“We’re making drives, and we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot,” offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “Either it’s a turnover or a sack or something like that. We’re getting drives. We’re just not sustaining them. That’s what’s killing us.”
The statistics are telling. Iowa averages close to 400 yards of total offense and ranks second in the Big Ten in first downs, but the Hawkeyes also have committed 11 turnovers, given up 10 sacks and have converted third downs at a paltry 33 percent clip while reaching the end zone on only 12 of 22 trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Six more times they’ve been inside the 30 and have only two field goals to show for it.
After scoring 46 and 42 points, respectively, the first two weeks of the season, Iowa is averaging only 28.4 points a game, which ranks eighth in the Big Ten.
If the Hawkeyes had made good on just half their opportunities the past two weeks, they’d be taking an unbeaten record to Michigan State this weekend. Instead, they’ve been studying some frustrating game film.
“I think the United Way and Santa Claus would be very proud of us,” coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We’re definitely in the spirit of giving. We’re on the all-Santa team right now.”
Finishing will be of the utmost importance against the Spartans, who are led by Javon Ringer, the nation’s second-leading rusher. With Ringer averaging more than 37 carries and 179 yards a game, MSU leads the Big Ten in time of possession.
So, each Iowa possession becomes that much more valuable.
Finishing becomes that much more important.
“It comes back to finishing,” Stanzi said. “You can move the ball up and down the field all day, but if you don’t put it in the end zone, you’re going to have a ton of yards and no points. We know that, and we have to work on that. You can say it all you want, though. We have to go out and do it.”
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
