Bye week brings major questions after Iowa's offense fails again at Illinois

Following a disappointing 27-14 loss to Michigan, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and players preached optimism. The Hawkeyes' record fell to 3-2 but they said they saw signs of improvement and were confident it wasn't far from showing on the field.

The Hawkeyes' next chance on the field, Saturday at Illinois, represented a turning point in their season. It was the final game before the bye week, splitting the season into two six-game sections with No. 3-ranked Ohio State on the other side of the bye. The question loomed all week: How would Iowa enter the bye, with a share of first place in the Big Ten West or facing a third straight loss on the road in Columbus?

The answer proved to be the latter. The Hawkeyes fell to Illinois 9-6 in Champaign, Illinois. Iowa's record fell to 3-3 and 1-2 in Big Ten play.

The first drive of the game began in similar fashion to last week against Michigan: Iowa's opponent methodically drove down the field for an early score. Illinois' offense capped off a 16-play drive with a field goal, consuming nearly six minutes of clock time and immediately putting pressure on Iowa's offense.

The Hawkeyes responded with their best opening drive of the season, a 10-play, 59-yard drive that resulted in a short field goal to tie the game. Starting fast has been a point of emphasis for the struggling unit and it appeared to be a sign of progress from last week's effort.

But then the wheels fell off of Iowa's offense. Five of the Hawkeyes next seven possessions finished with a negative yardage output, the most frustrating sequence of all came in the closing minutes of the second quarter.

Iowa punted from its own 16-yard line with 6:16 remaining but immediately got it back when Illinois punt returner Isaiah Williams muffed the punt into linebacker Jack Campbell's hands. Iowa had the ball on Illinois' 35-yard line. Three plays and minus six yards later, Iowa was forced to punt. Two plays later cornerback Riley Moss forced a fumble that set Iowa's offense up with 1st-and-goal from the Illinois 4-yard line. The next three plays went incomplete pass on first down, run loss of three yards in addition to a 15-yard personal foul on second down, then 3rd-and-long. The Hawkeyes settled for a field goal to tie the game at 6-6 with 2:48 until halftime. The Iowa offense had one more opportunity right before halftime inside of Illinois' 20-yard line but a failed reverse resulted in a nine-yard loss and a missed field goal left them without points.

Every possession in the second half (seven possessions) for Iowa resulted in a punt or turnover. For the game, Iowa's offense only managed 226 total yards, 3.5 yards per play and 1.7 yards per rush. The biggest glaring weakness was the offensive line yet again that surrendered five sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

On the other side, the Iowa defense delivered another masterful performance, allowing just nine points and forcing two turnovers. But bad field position as a result of Iowa's struggling offense put them in one too many compromising situations.

With 9:56 remaining in the game, safety Quinn Schulte intercepted a pass at the Iowa 1-yard line, erasing a potential go-ahead score. However, Iowa's offense only mustered three plays and five yards and punted it away, setting Illinois up at Iowa's 49-yard line. The Illini offense gained 26 yards over nine plays and kicked the deciding field goal with 2:49 left in the game. Quarterback Spencer Petras threw an interception on the following drive to stall a comeback attempt. The offense had one final chance with 1:11 remaining but a sack surrendered followed by two penalties by the offensive line doomed any chance for overtime.

Iowa enters the bye week with a 3-3 record and an offense that had perhaps its least effective performance. With Saturday's result, Iowa's only scored seven offensive touchdowns in six games. Iowa's next opponent, Ohio State scored seven touchdowns alone on Saturday in its 49-20 win over Michigan State.

Iowa's bye week will bring major question marks. Will any significant changes be made? How can Iowa salvage what's left of the season? And the biggest of all, what is to make of the offensive coordinator situation?

For Hawkeye fans, the most discouraging part of this season is that it's likely going to get worse before it gets better, as a matchup with one of the hottest teams in the country looms after the bye week.