Rewind to 1958, in the midst of a great era for Iowa football. Forest Evashevski had assembled a true powerhouse in iowa City, winning the Big Ten and returning to the Rose Bowl for the second time in three seasons. In a span of those three campaigns, the Hawkeyes would only lose a total of three games. Such was Evashevski's prowess that he was strongly considered by the Green Bay Packers, and preferred by many of their fans, to take over as head coach in 1959. Of course, the job instead went to Vince Lombardi, and you know the rest of that story.
Back to the late 50s at Iowa, however, and an examination of the offense that would eviscerate Cal in the '59 Rose Bowl presents some interesting reading... especially in comparison to recent Hawkeyes attacks. To wit: In 1958, Iowa passed for 161 yards per game; in 2022, the Hawkeyes gained 157 yards per game through the air. In 1958, Iowa quarterback Randy Duncan tossed 12 touchdown passes; in 2022, three different Hawkeyes signal-callers combined for all of seven. Iowa really let it rip on the ground in 1958, with a bone-jarring running game that gained better than seven yards per carry; in 2002, the Hawkeyes gained only 95 yards per game on the ground, at a per carry of a measly 2.9 yards. Iowa scored 26 TDs on the ground in 1958; in 2002, the Hawkeyes managed only 12 rushing TDs all season while playing three more games (13 vs. 10). In 1958, Iowa gained 417 yards per game; in 2022, the Hawkeyes barely chugged for 251 YPG.
So, has offensive football really evolved in the last 65 years? Apparently not in Iowa City...
Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Iowa's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big Ten season.
Big Ten preview: Conference winner | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin
What do you need to know about Iowa before locking in your Big Ten futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big Ten futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!
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