One of the game-changing plays in Iowa’s shocking 20-19 loss versus Iowa State on Saturday was senior Cyclone receiver Jaylin Noel’s 75-yard touchdown.
To most, it appeared that Noel burnt Iowa junior safety Xavier Nwankpa. Fifth-year Hawkeye linebacker Jay Higgins went to bat for Nwankpa after Iowa’s defeat, though. Higgins said that the blame for the coverage bust can be laid at his feet.
“Yeah, so I got to get a better jam. Xavier, his job versus my job in that coverage is a lot harder than mine. We work on it every day. Coach (Seth) Wallace teaches us to jam receivers, so my job is to take some speed off that receiver running right at X.
“I mean, he’s guarding the whole field. X is counting on me to slow that guy down, re-route him, slow the timing off. I didn’t do that on that play. Everybody’s going to look at X and blame him, but it was on me. I’ll definitely make sure I’m more aware next week. Just try to eliminate those mental error plays where you don’t think the details matter, because obviously that play, just got to slow that guy down. That’s a detail play that an Iowa linebacker should make every time,” Higgins said.
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That 75-yard touchdown from Noel was a one-play, immediate response to Iowa’s 7-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard Kaleb Johnson touchdown run.
Noel finished with five catches for 133 yards with the one score. The 5-foot-11 receiver from Kansas City’s final grab was even more back-breaking.
Noel managed to work free from the coverage of graduate Iowa CASH Sebastian Castro down the sideline for a 30-yard reception to set up redshirt freshman kicker Kyle Konrardy’s 54-yard game-winner.
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