Iowa State quarterback Spencer Petras (7) scrambles in the fourth quarter against South Dakota State University at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (Savanna Break/Gazette)
Iowa City — Spencer Petras was quick to see footage of Iowa’s aesthetically-defying football win, 7-3.
The game ended at 2:38pm. Before the day ended, he was reflecting on what happened hours earlier.
“It’s 11am kick-off. We have plenty of time,” Petras said.
He saw an 11-for-25 performance that included several mistakes to open receivers and one interception, so I won’t go into the details of what was going on in his head.
“I’m not going to go into all that,” said Petras. “Moving on to next week. The last game is a thing of the past. It’s behind us. We’re focused on getting ready for Iowa State.”
With Iowa looking to put an unsightly and aggressive show from Saturday into the past, it’s unlikely any major changes many of the booing fans will be craving.
“There is no going back to square one,” said Petras. “We have a sound plan. We have a really good plan. We have really good players.”
Head coach Kirk Ferencz said aggressive fatigue was “an execution issue.”
“And that’s our job for the week,” said Ferenc.
One of the most obvious things a coach can do in this situation is to change quarterbacks, but Ferenc is reluctant to entertain the idea.
Before delving into the film, Ferencz revealed at Saturday’s postgame press conference that Petras will be the starting quarterback against Iowa State.
Ferenc declined to say on Tuesday how long Petras could be detained if the Cyclone woes continue.
“We value everything,” Ferenc said. “But that’s not noticeable in my view right now. My view is fairer in terms of our group as a whole. I hope they can offer a plan that they can execute well. I expect him to do his part well if he plays well.”
Other aspects of the offense seem less certain than the quarterback spot, the offensive line.
Conor Colby was listed as the starting guard on Monday’s depth chart, but Ferenc said Tuesday his “right now intention” is to keep Colby in the tackle.
Tyler Elsbury and Jack Plumb didn’t see any aggressive snaps in Week 1, but “both are in the mix,” said Ferentz.
“Right now we have eight or nine players competing for playing time,” Ferentz said. “We’ve seen Jack play on the field and play well, and I think Tyler is improving every step of the way.”
The Iowa offense has one addition in Week 2, and Gavin Williams could return. Ferenc said he was “optimistic” about Williams’ chances of facing the Cyclones after missing Iowa’s season opener.
But the wide receiver position remains thin.
Keegan Johnson, Nico Ragaini and Diante Bynes have been ruled out of Saturday’s Rhy Hawk game, and it may be a while before some of them see the field.
Ferenc has declined to give Johnson a timetable for his return.
When asked how many weeks he expected it to take, Ferenc said, “I wish I was that smart.”
Ragaini, on the other hand, is “improving and gaining ground.”
“I’m sure he’ll be back later this month,” said Ferenc.
Vines’ return is “further ahead.”
Brody Brecht appeared in the SDSU game, but after missing countless training opportunities due to baseball and health, he caught up in what Ferenc described as a “race against time.”
“The important thing for him is to condition him so that he can play regularly just because he missed a significant amount of time,” Petras said.
Injury swarms at wide receivers are uncommon, but overall offensive trouble is nothing new for this Iowa team.
Iowa’s offense, which dates back to last year’s Big Ten Championship, has gone without a touchdown in two of its last three games.
Iowa’s defense and special teams have outperformed the offense in four of their last five games.
Over the last eight games, Petras has one touchdown and eight interceptions.
Iowa will try to solve the problem with an offensive run against Iowa — a defense with more scholars than FCS team Iowa overtook on Saturday.
“It’s never going to be easy because of our opponents,” Ferenc said.
Comments: (319) 398-8394; john.steppe@thegazette.com
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