Iowa reaches new levels of ineptitude in first half vs Nebraska

The Iowa Hawkeyes went into their matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers knowing they had already earned a bowl, but a win would do them a world of good for several reasons.

First of all, it would ensure them a better bowl game. Second, it would give Iowa a win over a fierce Big Ten rival.

The problem is, the Hawkeyes didn’t even look that much prepared during the first half of the game.

Iowa failed to score a point during the first 20 minutes as quarterback Jackson Stratton went 2-for-7 with eight yards. Even running back extraordinaire Kaleb Johnson has labored, carrying the ball 10 times for just 16 yards.

Nebraska leads 10-0 at halftime.

The Hawkeyes’ offense has been a major point of contention all season, but what we saw in the first half versus Nebraska was just another level of ineptitude.

That’s understandable for Stratton, who is Iowa’s third option under center. Neither Cade McNamara nor Brendan Sullivan were available, so he should get something of a pass.

But let’s be honest: Iowa’s offense didn’t look much better when McNamara or Sullivan were taking snaps for very large parts of the year.

Credit Nebraska’s defense for doing a good job, but this is also on the Hawkeyes for just not being very good offensively.

Iowa managed just 20 yards of total offense in the first half, averaging a minuscule one yard per play. In a way, it’s a miracle the Hawkeyes are only down 10 points.