You would think with a multi-year starter with a big-time arm at quarterback and two wide receivers designed perfectly to go deep in jump-ball specialist Brandon Smith and the speedy Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the Iowa football team could deep with regularity.
However, they don’t.
Last year, Stanley averaged 7.2 yards per attempt, which ranked 76th in the nation. His two leading returning wide receivers, Smith and Smith-Marsette averaged 12.9 and 15.7 yards per reception, respectively.
Smith-Marsette’s 15.7 yards per reception led the team, but a significant chunk of that came after the catch as the Iowa football team tried to get him the ball in space and utilize his speed and athleticism to break big plays.