Just as it was easy to be pessimistic after the season-opening 17-16 escape against Northern Iowa, I suspect there may be a temptation this week for Hawkeye fans to get too optimistic after a 35-3 romp over Iowa State.

Don’t get me wrong, there certainly were positive signs. The offensive line, even without Bryan Bulaga, looked better. Brandon Wegher’s debut at running back was encouraging. The defense played well, especially that dynamic safety duo of Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood.

But to be honest, I think the Hawkeyes played a tougher opponent the first week. It’s hard to imagine Iowa State winning more than four games this season. Paul Rhoads has a lot of work to do to clean up the mess Gene Chizik left him. When the opposing team gives you six turnovers, as the Cyclones did, you’d better win by 30 or 40 points. Hostile atmosphere aside, this really wasn’t a major test.

We’ll learn a little more about the Hawkeyes next Saturday. Arizona isn’t a great team, but it definitely will be a step up in class. The Wildcats moved to 2-0 late Saturday night with a 34-17 victory over Northern Arizona, thanks largely to a career-best 207-yard effort by veteran running back Nic Grigsby. Arizona is very similar to Iowa right now. It is 2-0, but it has beaten two teams it was expected to beat. It has been solid defensively and has made progress offensively, but it’s still not clear how good a team it’s going to be.

It’s probably exactly the sort of game the Hawkeyes need right now – a slightly more challenging test before getting thrown into a major test the following Saturday at Penn State.

Tags: Arizona Wildcats, Brandon Wegher, Iowa football, Iowa Hawkeyes

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