Hawkeyes have oasis coming to forget their passing woes: the UMass Minutemen

“Don’t Look Back in Anger.”

Oasis performed that song and 22 others in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday night and are scheduled to do so again Sunday evening. Which, based on Iowa’s 16-13 loss to Iowa State Saturday, will give that reunited band a 2-0 advantage over the Hawkeyes in Rose Bowl appearances during the 2025 football season.

Revived discontent sprouted back up in Hawkeye World after Saturday’s game, with plenty of looking back in anger. Losing to the Cyclones is always a prickly matter, but the primary reason for the unhappiness is an older wound that just won’t heal. Iowa’s offense in general and passing game in specific have remained uninspiring, to put it kindly.

You’ve probably heard or thought that over the last several years as often as Oasis’ “Wonderwall” has been played on satellite radio. The difference, of course, is that the Gallagher brothers’ song still is enjoyable.

At Iowa, the next quarterback always is the best quarterback until the next quarterback is the starting quarterback. Then after a little while, the public starts looking wistfully toward the next quarterback. So how about that Hank Brown!

After the Summer of Love in Iowa for Mark Gronowski, he has played two games. Umpteenth verse, same as the first. Only at Iowa would a 10,000-yard career passer and winner of two FCS national titles not hit the 100-yard mark in his first two starts.

If whatever is in the water on the UI campus turns proven passers into something less, switch them to herbal tea or mango dragonfruit lemonade.

The play that defined Saturday’s game from the Hawkeyes’ standpoint came early in the second quarter. Iowa had a 3rd-and-7 at the ISU 17, trailing 6-0. Gronowski completed a pass to Jacob Gill. For five yards. Iowa then kicked a short field goal.

Welcome to the Five-Yard-Route-on-Third-And-7-Club, Mr. Gronowski. It’s not an exclusive community at Iowa.

The Hawkeyes’ 83 yards of passing were enough to keep them out of 136th and last place in FCS for passing yards per game at 65.5. That spot belongs to Rice, at 48.0. The Owls, however, have thrown just 11 passes per game to Iowa’s 20.

The 63.5 is an absurd number for any modern-day college team that doesn’t utlize the triple option. In other words, the three service academy teams. Even Air Force, Army and Navy, though, are gaining more ground through the air.

Whoa. It’s time to for this physician to follow his own advice. Don’t look back in anger. Why? Because it’s UMass Week!

Finally, the Massachusetts Minutemen are coming to Kinnick Stadium, and for a Saturday prime-time game at that. If the UMass defense isn’t a prescription for the Iowa passing game’s fever, there’s no amount of cowbell that can cure it.

This is it. It’s all Big Ten for the Hawkeyes from next Sunday through Black Friday. UMass is the last spot of comfort on the schedule, the only remaining wet paper bag for the Hawkeyes to tear through.

This is being portrayed as a competition, which is mildly amusing. There are 136 FBS teams. Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings have UMass ahead of only Kent State. But Sagarin combines the FBS and FCS teams. His ranking for the Minutemen is 214th, two spots ahead of Drake, but behind Lafayette, Lamar and Lindenwood.

Saturday night, UMass lost 27-26 on a last-second, 25-yard field goal. Competitive ballclub, those Minutemen. Right?

Errrr, the opponent was Bryant. The Bulldogs of Smithfield, R.I., outgained UMass, 399 yards to 358. It was the FCS program’s first win over an FBS team, but it’s an FBS team that hasn’t had a better record than 4-8 since 2011. The attendance for UMass’ home-opener was 3,714.

Yes, Bryant fans called the UMass ticket office to ask what time the game started and were told “What time can you get here?”

UMass has allowed 297 passing yards per game. Bryant passed for 205 yards Saturday in the second half. Bryant!

Don’t look back in anger. Saturday night, in a game that counts in Iowa’s won-lost record, all will be right in Kinnick. Because, if nothing else, the Hawkeyes can rush for 300 yards.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com