Twenty-eight rushing yards. Two total yards in the second half. Three turnovers and 10 total points.

Iowa’s offense didn’t get the job done in their 12-10 loss to Minnesota. Fans may point to Cooper DeJean’s touchdown being taken off the board, but the Hawkeyes could’ve avoided being in that position. Quarterback Deacon Hill takes accountability for the unit’s lackluster day.

“It was inexcusable,” said Hill, who threw an interception and lost two fumbles. “I’ve got to hold on to the ball whether a guy’s hitting me or not. I’ve got to hold on to the ball. That’s on me, no one else. I’ve got to eat that one. Obviously, not the way we want it to go. Not the way I want things to go, you know, it stinks. Every loss does, but we’ve got to keep moving forward.”

“They did a really nice job, but we have to find answers,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We’re going to have to find answers moving forward. They clearly made Deacon uncomfortable and that led to some bad things for us. We have to find a way to protect him a little bit better and get the ball out of his hands a little quicker, and he’s got some ownership in that, too.”

“Those are some of the things I think we saw maybe back in August and I thought he moved past it, and there was a little bit revert on it. We have to get him back on his feet and get him playing a little bit more decisively, and we have find a way to get the running game going because that’s obviously going to take some pressure off of him.”

Iowa’s found ways to win games despite putrid offensive play. Against Minnesota, the cluster of injuries finally caught up to the Hawkeyes. They now fall to second in the division, but maintain a 6-2 record heading into their bye.