Tag: Iowa Football

On3 shares Iowa’s Big Ten power ranking ahead of Week 12

On3 shared its latest Big Ten power ranking for the Iowa Hawkeyes using its Massey Ratings.

The Iowa Hawkeyes get to enjoy a final bye week before they travel to take on the Maryland Terrapins next week on Nov. 23.

Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) entered its bye week on a downer. The Hawkeyes surrendered 414 yards of offense and 211 rushing yards to a UCLA team that ranked last nationally in rushing offense entering the game.

That helped the Bruins control the time of possession battle with 37:33 compared to Iowa’s 22:27 possession time.

In its limited opportunities, Iowa couldn’t find its own running game as the Hawkeyes were held to just 80 rushing yards.

It all added up to a disappointing 20-17 loss.

As the Hawkeyes use their bye week to fix what ailed them at UCLA, On3’s latest batch of Big Ten power rankings are out ahead of the Hawkeyes’ idle week.

Using its On3 Massey Ratings, On3 shared its new Big Ten power rankings following Week 11’s results. The On3 Massey Ratings rank teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

Iowa checks in at No. 6 in the Big Ten.

Iowa took a trip to the West Coast in Week 11, but it wasn’t one to remember for the Hawkeyes. They were defeated by the surging UCLA Bruins during a Friday night showdown, falling by three points.

Moving forward, Iowa has a bye week in Week 12, but they’ll be back in action in Week 13 against Maryland on the road. A home date with Nebraska will close out their season the following weekend. – Steve Samra, On3.

Despite the loss, Iowa is still in the upper third of the Big Ten according to the On3 Massey Ratings.

Oregon is No. 1, Ohio State No. 2, Penn State No. 3, Indiana No. 4 and Michigan No. 5.

The rest of the On3 Massey Ratings look like this

On3’s Big Ten Massey Ratings Teams 6-18

After its Nov. 23 date at Maryland, Iowa closes its regular season the day after Thanksgiving when it hosts Nebraska on Nov. 29.

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Iowa pair among 247Sports’ ‘All-Homegrown Team’

A pair of Iowa Hawkeyes made their way onto 247Sports’ “All-Homegrown Team.” The list is designed to celebrate players that didn’t transfer.

Iowa football prides itself on its ability to find and develop players.

Over the years under head coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes’ development track record has spoken for itself. Iowa and Ferentz have seen 89 NFL draft selections over the duration of his tenure.

That includes 13 first-round selections and 12 second-round NFL draft picks.

But, it’s deeper than that. It’s the tradition of players donning the black and gold and developing over their time in the program into legitimate Big Ten and national stars.

Add two names to that list. 247Sports released its “All-Homegrown Team” and two Hawkeyes made the cut.

Senior center Logan Jones and fifth-year linebacker Jay Higgins were recognized by 247Sports. The list is designed to celebrate players that didn’t transfer and instead truly bought into the path of development.

It shines a light on players and programs that value development.

Jones, a 6-foot-3, 293 pound center, began his career on the defensive line before making the switch to the offensive side of the ball. The Council Bluffs product has now started 36 games over the past three seasons.

Iowa develops homegrown offensive linemen, especially centers, better than anyone in the country, and Jones is having a great season for the Hawkeyes. Jones shows excellent quickness and tenacity as a finisher, along with the strength to move defenders off the ball. Jones is excellent in pass protection and can reach a 2i in the Iowa zone run game. Former defensive lineman who will have a chance at the next level. – Blake Brockermeyer, 247Sports.

Higgins bided his time at Iowa and learned from Butkus Award winner Jack Campbell. Higgins’ patience paid off as the 6-foot-2, 232 pound linebacker tied the single-season school record with 171 tackles last season.

Now, Higgins has tallied 98 tackles, seven passes defensed, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one sack during the 2024 campaign.

Higgins has been consistently excellent his entire career for the Hawkeyes’ stingy defense, and this year is more of the same. He is racking up double-digit tackles once again this season, averaging almost 10 tackles a game with 98 for the season. He has two forced fumbles and a career-high three interceptions. A must-watch player with his consistency and attention to detail, Higgins is one of the best linebackers in modern Iowa football. – Brockermeyer, 247Sports.

It’s nice to see Jones and Higgins’ contributions, their patience and their loyalty rewarded by 247Sports.

For a program that prides itself on development, both Jones and Higgins are the gold standard of what that looks like for the Hawkeyes.

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Tim Lester credits WRs for Iowa run game success

Iowa football has had a ton of success on the ground. Offensive coordinator Tim Lester credited his wide receivers.

There’s plenty of credit to go around for what the Iowa Hawkeyes have been able to get accomplished in the run game over the course of the 2024 season.

Junior running back Kaleb Johnson is tied for second nationally in rushing yards with 1,328 to join UCF’s RJ Harvey in that distinction. Johnson has already broken Iowa’s single-season touchdown record and has tied Shonn Greene’s single-season rushing touchdowns mark with two games left to play.

As a team, Iowa ranks 19th nationally in rushing yards per game with 208.1 per contest. It’s a massive leap from last season when the Hawkeyes ranked 107th in the country with just 115.9 rushing yards per game.

On Tuesday, first-year Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester shared what he feels has spurred on the Hawkeyes’ record-setting rushing season.

“I do believe that—and I have told Kaleb this a hundred times, I’ve told the offensive line this a hundred times, I’ve told the tight ends—our wide receivers are blocking. It’s an impressive thing to see and it’s hard. I don’t know if that was done or I don’t know what the formations were in the past, but it’s a huge part of this offense,” Lester said.

Lester said the headache that coordinators run into when trying to implement this offensive scheme is that teams just can’t or don’t block effectively. In Iowa’s case, they’ve even had 10 hats involved at times.

“Our guys have done such an unbelievable job at being involved. We’ve got nine guys blocking and shoot, our quarterback, we have 10 sometimes. The quarterback will get in and run block. It’s really just the all-in mentality of the group…

“The schemes have helped. Having Sully run around a little bit has definitely lightened the load a little bit, but, man, those receivers… when Kaleb gets through the first line and all of a sudden we crack on a safety and then the corner’s got to crack replace and it’s too late because my man two is gone,” Lester said.

As Lester knows, many of the explosive plays happen when wide receivers get involved down the field.

“The explosiveness of our (run game), because you have to be explosive on offense. Now, I’d love to be explosive in both, but we’ve been explosive running the ball, which is really hard to do, but it’s what we do right now and we’ll continue to expand and you always work on your weaknesses. Just make sure your strengths are always going to be your strengths and work on your weaknesses.

“But those guys really, I think they’ve done an unbelievable job. Also, the shifts and motions have helped. We’ve put them in positions where hopefully we can slow up linebacker play a little bit,” Lester said.

The hope is that it will continue to help open up the passing game, too. At times, it has.

“I know we ran a lot of 13 last year and we’re running 12 and 11, but we’re blocking it just like we’re in 13. I mean, those guys are in there and that’s why on a quick play-fake, Jacob Gill ran right by everybody and right down the middle of the field, because he’s willing to go in there and throw his body on the line in the run game.

“I wish we’ve had more of those. They’ve blocked hard enough to earn some more of those. I need to call them and call them at the right time. Those guys I really think have been a key to the explosiveness we’ve been able to have in the run game,” Lester said.

Iowa closes its 2024 regular season with a date at Maryland on Nov. 23 and then Senior Day versus Nebraska on Nov. 29.

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Tim Lester reflects upon coaching journey, lessons learned en route to Iowa

Green Bay and Iowa have something in common for Tim Lester: His focus is back on the football itself.

On Tuesday, first-year Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester spoke on what he has learned about himself and the game of football from his previous coaching experiences.

While Lester has 22 years of coaching experience, he was asked to reflect on his journey over the past two years, starting with his 2022 dismissal as head coach from his alma mater, Western Michigan.

“It’s been wild to be honest with you,” Lester said. “People don’t understand when you get to be the head coach of your alma mater, you think you never want to leave. You have opportunities to leave and you don’t plan on it, and then you don’t have a choice. You have to leave. So, those were dark days.”

Lester, a member of the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame, threw for 11,299 passing yards with 87 touchdowns during his four-year Broncos career.

Unfortunately for Lester, he took the head coaching reins in 2017, a year removed from Western Michigan’s 13-1 season and Rose Bowl appearance under then-head coach P.J. Fleck. Lester would be fired in 2022 with a 37-32 record in six seasons as head coach.

Kimberly Moss-USA TODAY Sports

Following his dismissal from Western Michigan, Lester joined the Green Bay Packers as a senior analyst under head coach Matt LaFleur’s staff. LaFleur and Lester were teammates at Western Michigan during LaFleur’s two seasons in Kalamazoo from 1998-99.

Lester continued his reflection by stating that his lone season in Green Bay was refreshing as it reintroduced him to a familiar system of plays.

“Having a chance to go with Matt in Green Bay was refreshing. To coach in the NFL, to kind of reintroduce myself to this system, which has always been my favorite system. I ran it for years early on in my career, which is really unique to get back,” Lester said.

He added that his six seasons as a head coach in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) showed him that head coaches don’t just get to coach football.

“The one thing that I’ve learned about coaching, at least in the MAC—I don’t know how many places are like this—but you do a lot, you wear a lot of hats, so you get further and further away from football, which is what I love to do. Sitting in a room with the quarterbacks talking ball, trying to teach is why we do what we do,” Lester said.

In his time with Green Bay, Lester’s focus was able to return solely to football.

“As a head coach at least at that level—I know there’s coaches, like in the NFL, they only want head coaches that are play callers. In college they don’t. They want you to go raise money. So, it was refreshing to get back to all about the ball.

“That’s what you do in the NFL and to be in a place at Green Bay with Matt and all the coaches really, that was an enlightening year for me. Even though I was there until 1 in the morning. I was the grunt guy. I’d get somebody coffee if they needed it. They didn’t make me do it, but I would have. It was a lot of fun.”

At Iowa, it’s similar to Green Bay. Lester’s focus is on the teaching.

“And then coming here and getting to be a football coach and be around these guys and introduce something brand new that they’ve never heard of or seen and watch the way they’ve worked at it.

“I’m glad they’ve had a little bit of success and not even close to what we need to be, but it’s been a great journey. Learning a lot about what makes me happy and what makes me feel fulfilled and have better relationships and so it’s been a journey, but it’s been fun,” Lester said.

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lester and the Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) are currently on their bye week but will resume play on Nov. 23 from SECU Stadium in College Park, Md., when they take on the Maryland Terrapins (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten).

Kickoff for next week’s game is slated for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Iowa Hawkeyes return specialist Kaden Wetjen named Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist

Kaden Wetjen is among an elite group in all of college football.

Once again, LeVar Woods and the Iowa Hawkeyes have done it by finding another electrifying returner for the special teams unit. Cooper DeJean manned the duties before his departure to the NFL.

The responsibilities were handed over to Kaden Wetjen, a lesser-known JUCO transfer, who has taken them and ran with them all the way to the end zone.

The senior return specialist from Williamsburg, Iowa, and Iowa Western Community College has found his role with Iowa and owned it. His return abilities have landed him as a Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist.

Every year, the Burlsworth Trophy is awarded to college football’s best player who began their career as a walk-on student-athlete.

Wetjen has been a weapon for Iowa in the return game. He has found the end zone and has helped win the field position battle.

This season, Wetjen has returned 21 punts for an average of 12.9 yards per punt return with one 85-yard return for a touchdown against the Northwestern Wildcats that erupted Kinnick Stadium.

He has also been a factor in the kick return game. Wetjen has returned 19 kickoffs for an average of 25.3 yards per return to help give the Iowa offense some breathing room to start their drives.

As Iowa continues their Big Ten slate with two more games, Wetjen will surely have more opportunities as he looks to break a game open with the ball in his hands.

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Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson named Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist

Kaleb Johnson’s historic season is garnering national award attention.

There is no question that Kaleb Johnson is putting up an all-time historic season for the Iowa Hawkeyes this year. The junior running back is having the best season of his career and one of the best that Iowa has ever seen a running back have.

After starting the year as part of a running back stable that rotated backs, Johnson has become a household name as one of the best running backs in all of college football.

That distinction continues as Kaleb Johnson has been named a Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist.

The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given out each year and it is given to the best college football player in the country. This award remains an elusive one that the Iowa Hawkeyes have yet to lay claim to.

Kaleb Johnson, a product of Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio, has broken out this year in a big way. He has set personal bests in yards, carries, and touchdowns. Johnson has also tied Shonn Greene for the single-season rushing touchdown record.

On the year, Johnson has carried the ball 188 times for 1,328 yards at an average of 7.1 yards per carry with 20 rushing touchdowns. He has added in 19 receptions for 109 yards and one receiving touchdown.

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Tim Lester details plan if Jackson Stratton is Iowa’s starting quarterback

Tim Lester discussed Iowa’s plan if Jackson Stratton is QB1.

Jackson Stratton was thrust into an almost impossible situation when he had to take over as the Iowa Hawkeyes’ quarterback late against UCLA. He nearly pulled off the impossible, though.

Stratton stepped in and completed two critical third downs to help Iowa punch in a touchdown to tie the game. He came in cool, calm, collected, and confident.

That sort of attitude and ability to handle the situation has given Iowa and first-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester confidence in Stratton if he is called upon.

This week, Lester was asked about Iowa’s plan if Stratton were to be the starting quarterback.

“I’ve stood up here and told you that there’s no replacement for reps and he hasn’t gotten a lot, so would I be confident? No. I’d be encouraged because I know the human being and I know how he’s worked at it.

“He did a pretty decent job progressing. Now, it was a panicked progression. His feet, there was panic. I always tell guys, ‘If I want to know what’s going on in your brain, all I’ve got to do is look at your feet, and, if your feet are panicked, you’re panicked. And if you’re nice and calm, then I know how you’re processing information.’ He was definitely panicked, but he was progressing. He had a panicked pace.

“He stepped with the wrong foot on the one he hit Gill on, but he made up for it with a quick hitch, so we’re still trying to get him to the footwork. This whole offense works on this certain footwork and he’s working on it. When he steps with the right foot and gets into rhythm, it helps him a lot.

“He has a natural ability. I mean, he can throw it. It is an impressive thing to watch. And the fun thing for him is, footwork is something you can train. He just needs time. He got here three months ago or he got here like a week before we started camp or something like that, so he has not had much time to work at this thing.

“I’m encouraged about one, his biggest ailment is just reps, which we can give him, especially this week. Two is going to be working on his feet which is really one of the easier things to work on at the quarterback position and it’ll be fun to see kind of how far he can take it.

“I didn’t want to throw him into that situation, but I thought he handled himself fairly well. He’s just mad he missed the last throw. I gave him his hinge. He throws that route better than (any other route). It’s his favorite route.

“So, on that third route, I called that one and he hesitated a little bit and then he threw it inside. He had it. That’s the first thing he said to me after the game. You took us down there and tied the game. That was impressive for a first-time, walk-on quarterback to do and Sully was encouraging him about how he played. He was so hung up on that last ball on 3rd-and-9 or something like that, which is also encouraging, because he has high expectations and he wants it. I’m encouraged by that and we just need time and drilling. We might not have time and drilling, but we’re going to put our best foot forward,” Lester told the media regarding Stratton.

Should Stratton be thrust into the starting role against Maryland after Iowa’s bye week, he will have had two weeks of practice and time with Tim Lester to work through progressions, footwork, and the process.

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Tim Lester discusses if he would start Cade McNamara or Brendan Sullivan

Given a clean bill of health, who would Tim Lester start at quarterback for the Hawkeyes?

The Iowa Hawkeyes find themselves in a bit of a quarterback conundrum once again and, unfortunately, it is not due to play, but rather injuries plaguing both graduate Cade McNamara and junior Brendan Sullivan.

McNamara has been out with a concussion and missed the last two games while Sullivan exited the UCLA game due to injury. The one silver lining is that the Hawkeyes have a bye week to get them both healthy.

But, if they are healthy, the starter is still an unknown. In an effort to see who would start, offensive coordinator Tim Lester was asked who he would start if both were healthy.

“I would let them compete. It would be a great week. It would be like a real live, you know, ‘You guys have both done a lot of great things and you affect our offense differently. Let’s see who’s playing well.’ It would be a great battle. I wish that was the case, but rarely is that the case. Camp’s like the one time that you can have a real live competition. But, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. My guess is that’s not going to be the case this week,” Lester told the media.

Lester took the smart path here with a diplomatic answer on who he would hand the keys to.

Reading between the lines of Lester’s comments, it sounds like the starting quarterback will be a forced hand due to lingering injuries plaguing the quarterback depth.

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Iowa football LB Jay Higgins named a Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist

Defensive greatness continues running through Iowa.

Defensive greatness is something that has always been consistent with the Iowa Hawkeyes. That trend has seen A.J. Epenesa, Jack Campbell, Cooper DeJean, and many others don the black and gold.

Linebacker Jay Higgins is the latest defensive great who will long be remembered at the University of Iowa. The heart and soul of the Hawkeyes’ defense, Higgins is everything you want in a linebacker and leader.

He is a coach on the field, lives in the film room, and is an exceptional athlete on top of it. This combination has led to his massive success once again this season.

That success has Jay Higgins named a Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist.

The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the best defensive player in college football. The Hawkeyes have yet to have a player grab the Chuck Bednarik Trophy despite their defensive excellence over the years.

Through 10 games, Jay Higgins has tallied 98 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 7 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions.

In his career at Iowa, which began in 2020, Higgins has been a mainstay. He has appeared in 55 games and has a whopping 315 career tackles.

As Higgins winds down his career at Iowa, he has three more chances to build upon these numbers and add to his career lore which is already certain to be up there among the Hawkeyes greats.

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Iowa star named Maxwell Award semifinalist

Say hello to the Maxwell Award semifinalist.

In the middle of a career year with the Hawkeyes, junior running back Kaleb Johnson has been named as a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award. The award is presented to college football’s Player of the Year as voted by the Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors, and selected national media.

Johnson, who is Iowa’s first Maxwell Award semifinalist since quarterback Ricky Stanzi in 2010, is having a record-breaking year for the Hawkeyes with a school-record 126 points scored on 21 total touchdowns.

In terms of his running game, Johnson’s 20 rushing touchdowns ties Shonn Greene’s single-season record set in 2008. Johnson’s 1,328 rushing yards in 10 games this season currently ranks second nationally and is already the seventh-most in program history.

Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Semifinalist voting for the Maxwell Award began Tuesday and will close on Nov. 23. Three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 26, and a finalist round of voting will take place at that time.

In addition to being named as a Maxwell Award semifinalist, Johnson was also added to the Doak Walker Award Watch List.

Iowa is one of seven schools to have at least one Maxwell and Bednarik Award semifinalist (Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas). Hawkeye linebacker Jay Higgins was selected as a Bednarik Award semifinalist, which goes to the most outstanding defensive player.

Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) is currently on its bye week and returns to play against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, Nov. 23, from SECU Stadium in College Park, Md.

Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network as well as the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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