Tuesdays with Torbee

Narratives, once they’ve gained traction, are extremely difficult to reverse. 

The narrative about Iowa football in 2023 – at least among a large segment, if not a majority of fans – is of a program in decline, headed by a foundering head  coach whose loyalty to his under-qualified offensive coordinator son is inexorably destroying a 20-plus year legacy of winning. 

This despite the fact Iowa is not losing more games than it wins. 

I am not immune to accepting this narrative. 

This past Saturday, I was traveling across several time zones when Iowa played a decimated but dangerous Michigan State team. I was only able to follow the course of events in brief text and social media bites in various airports, taxis and a hotel lobby with dysfunctional WiFi.  

What I read reinforced the narrative. 

Iowa flailed on offense, featured self-defeating play calling, looked disjointed and inept and was saved in the end only by the heroics of one defensive-side player who managed to overcome terrible coaching and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. 

Despite the lamentations of a fanbase thoroughly disgusted by a double-digit victory that wasn’t aesthetically pleasing enough, I decided to fire up the iPad and watch the replay anyway.  

It’s funny how watching a game with the foreknowledge of the ultimate outcome changes one’s perspective. What I saw was a gritty, tough team that overcame serious adversity, dug deep and found a way to win.  

What I saw was a coaching staff that kept belief alive in the face of injuries, bad field position, untimely turnovers and a raw and inexperienced underclassmen quarterback in his first Big 10 game and found a way to win. 

That doesn’t happen with a team lacking leadership in its coaching staff.  

With its star transfer quarterback done for the season and continuing hiccups on the offensive side of the ball, I’m not sure Iowa is still destined to win 10 or so games and likely take the Big 10 West Division crown. I am, however, certain this team is not going to go down without a tremendous amount of fight.  

Forced into action by Cade McNamara’s unfortunate non-contact injury, Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill showed poise in a tough situation. He made plenty of mistakes, put the ball into danger too many times and showed why he was second string by a fair margin. But he also showed confidence, a strong arm and belief in his teammates – even the wide receivers who dropped six catchable passes that likely would have made the game less of a nail biter.  

And embattled and much-maligned coordinator Brian Ferentz did not go full turtle mode with an untested signal caller under center. In fact, with a fully healthy quarterback,  he deployed more of the playbook – adding in rollouts, bootlegs and quarterback sneaks that were off the menu with a hobbled McNamara. 

A fully healthy Cade McNamara is clearly Iowa’s best option. But I am not convinced that an able-bodied Hill doesn’t give the Hawkeyes a better chance to win than a hobbled McNamara at around 70 Percent or less.  

Yes, the run game still struggled in fits and starts. Yes, the offensive line too often missed blocks. Sure the wideouts dropped too many passes. 

But the defense kept Michigan State out of the endzone. Drew Stevens bombed in critical field goals. Cooper DeJean single-handedly stopped the Spartans from scoring on one play and flipped the scoreboard for good with a scintillating punt return for a touchdown. 

Can someone explain to me why so many in our fanbase only want to dwell on the former rather than the latter, especially after a victory? 

I will never understand or respect any “fan” that boos its own team. 

And it happened frequently, at home, in a win. That is flat out embarrassing and a terrible look for what has traditionally been one of the most loyal, patient and supportive fan bases across college football. 

If you were one of the boo birds on Saturday, I’d encourage you to take a long look in the mirror and re-evaluate your fandom. As my dad was fond of saying frequently in my childhood: you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Those Iowa fans denigrating the coaches, the players and the program are a problem. Full stop.  

As I wrote last week, one deflating loss should not derail a season. And the players who gave it their all Saturday night in Kinnick looked extreme adversity in the face, rallied and won. 

Now it’s time for Iowa fans to be winners, not losers. Just like the team they claim to support. 

Follow me on Twitter at @ToryBrecht and the 12 Saturdays Podcast at @12Saturdays.