The Iowa Hawkeyes won on Saturday over the Purdue Boilermakers, but to sweeten up the weekend just a little bit more, the lore of Iowa tight ends won the top dog on NFL Sunday. Sam LaPorta once again had a massive output and has the “Tight End U” flame shining brighter than ever.
As they have all year to up to this point, the Detroit Lions got things going with their rookie tight end, Sam LaPorta. He is among the top tight ends in the NFL already with his statistical output and it was on display today. LaPorta ended the day with 3 receptions for 47 yards and found the endzone twice.
The most interesting part of the day may come when the Lions ran a reverse flea-flicker that had LaPorta leaking up the sideline for an easy walk-in touchdown. To not be outdone, the San Francisco 49ers ran a nearly identical play to their Iowa tight end, George Kittle, on his way to a monster day as well. The side-by-side view of it shows how identical the two touchdowns are.
Here are the #Lions' and #49ers' touchdowns from earlier today side by side.
Laporta for Detroit
Kittle for San Fran.pic.twitter.com/5ZeiKVhGlJ— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 9, 2023
On the year, LaPorta has 25 receptions for 289 yards and three touchdowns. LaPorta is fourth in receptions but is tied for the league lead in tight end touchdowns and has the most receiving yards for a tight end. Iowa produces tight ends, it is up to the NFL to use them the right way. Sam LaPorta’s skillset is being used in all the right ways and has given Iowa a stranglehold on “Tight End U.”
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