During No. 20 Iowa football’s (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) bye week preparation for their Saturday clash against No. 9 Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten), offensive coordinator Tim Lester was asked by the media what he envisions as realistic expectations for the Hawkeyes’ passing attack over the last month of the 2025-26 regular season.
While Iowa has had a successful offensive campaign so far this season, the bulk of that success has come from the Hawkeyes‘ running game, which averages 183.5 yards per game, compared to their passing average of 132.6 yards per contest.
In response to the inquiry, Lester stated that his expectations are based on their week-to-week opponents, rather than an overarching vision.
“Yeah, that’s a good question because it depends on who we play, what they’re giving us, what our match-ups look like. I really felt going into the Indiana game, we were climbing, and obviously, one injury in particular slowed that up a little bit,” Lester said.
“But I feel like we’re getting back, we’re getting healthy again. We’re throwing the ball more accurately than we did last week. But we have to keep at it. The plays haven’t changed. We came close on a couple of big ones last week. I am calling it the same way.”
Lester also explained that the mindset within each game dictates how he feels about the potential of the pass game, but noted that the entire unit needs to improve fundamentals and correct techniques to execute properly when called upon.
“It also depends on how the game goes. We had two interesting games where we had a 30-point lead and with 10 minutes left in the third — so that changes things when you get in a shootout, kind of like Rutgers, it’s a different style of game.”
“So I want to see them continue to improve and run the routes with the right technique, quarterbacks getting through the progressions like they should, getting to their launch points. They’re doing a really good job of getting to their launch points. We took two sacks last week, both on the quarterback. Had a chance to throw it, hesitated, and ended up taking a sack when the ball could have come out. Our line was doing a great job, so he knows that.”
“That’s the fun part about coaching Mark. You rarely have to correct him. He normally tells me what I’m about to say, like I have to hit that. You’re like, yes. Because I was about to say that. So it’s fun to have a guy that really gets it and is trying to improve and understand what we’re trying to do. We have to continue to get better at doing it.”
With Iowa’s matchup against Oregon on Saturday afternoon expected to feature cold, rainy conditions, the Hawkeyes’ passing attack may not be utilized as much, given the elements. However, the program will certainly be in a much different situation during its Nov. 15 matchup against USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Saturday’s highly-anticipated matchup between the Hawkeyes and Ducks from Kinnick Stadium will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on CBS.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Tim Lester discusses realistic goals for Iowa football passing game
