Iowa reached new levels of ineptitude in the first half against Nebraska

The Iowa Hawkeyes entered their matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers knowing they had already secured a bowl spot, but a win would do them a world of good for a number of reasons.

First, it would ensure them a better bowl game. Second, it would give Iowa a victory over a bitter Big Ten rival.

The problem is that the Hawkeyes didn’t look anywhere near prepared in the first half of the game.

Iowa failed to score in the first 20 minutes as quarterback Jackson Stratton went 2-for-7 with eight yards. Even standout running back Kaleb Johnson struggled, carrying the ball 10 times for just 16 yards.

Nebraska leads 10-0 at halftime.

The Hawkeyes’ offense has been a major point of contention all season, but we saw in the first half against Nebraska that it was just another level of ineptitude.

It’s understandable for Stratton, who is Iowa’s third option under center. Neither Cade McNamara nor Brendan Sullivan were available, so he should get some pass.

But let’s be honest: Iowa’s offense didn’t look much better, with both McNamara and Sullivan taking snaps for large portions of the year.

You have to give credit to Nebraska’s defense for doing a great job, but that’s also on the Hawkeyes because they just weren’t very good on offense.

Iowa managed just 20 total yards of offense in the first half, averaging a minuscule yard per play. In some ways, it’s a miracle that the Hawkeyes are only 10 points behind.