The Hawkeyes picked up a much needed win on Saturday afternoon over Michigan State. We have all your news and notes from the victory over the Spartans and we also hand out three game balls to deserving Iowa players.
OFFENSE: TYLER LINDERBAUM – I wanted to go a little unconventional this week for a game ball and give one to Linderbaum. Iowa needed their offensive line to really come through and it did, led by the center. Linderbaum was really out there leading by example and moving people around very effectively. Many of us have been very high on Linderbaum and his potential and he’s always been solid, but this might have been his finest game as a Hawkeye.
DEFENSE: CHAUNCY GOLSTON – This was likely the last time that Golston will end up facing a program from his home state and he rose up and had his best game this year. The senior defensive end finished the day with six tackles and was all over the field flying around the pile. Golston also had a pair of tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Iowa needed a pass rush on Saturday and they got it, led by Golston.
SPECIAL TEAMS: CHARLIE JONES – We could have easily gone with Tory Taylor, who is a punting artist every Saturday, but Jones was the star of the day. The obvious play is a great decision to look left on a line drive punt late in the second quarter that further blew open the game before the break. Jones finished with 5 punt returns for 105 yards. It was Iowa’s first punt return for a touchdown since 2018 when Kyle Groeneweg scored from 61 yards out.
NEWS AND NOTES
INJURY UPDATE
Iowa’s offensive line had a different look on Saturday. Coy Cronk, who left the game last week due to injury related issues, was out again this week. Mark Kallenberger again stepped at right tackle and played well. The surprise was Iowa lost started Kyler Schott to what remains undisclosed as far as an illness/injury. He was replaced by Cody Ince, who has played well and did so again on Saturday.
Following the game, Kirk Ferentz said defensive tackle Austin Schulte is working his way back in practice and they should also get Jack Campbell back in practice on Monday, so potentially he could be available on Friday against Minnesota.
MORE FRESHMEN PLAYING
While there are no real true redshirt guidelines this year due to Covid-19, the number of true freshman playing this year grew quite a bit on Saturday. Reggie Bracy and Jay Higgins have played special teams, but Bracy saw some snaps at safety on Saturday. And of course, Tory Taylor continues to be a star at punter.
On the offensive side of the ball, Iowa had four true freshman play with the second unit. Gavin Williams saw his first action at running back and rushed for 28 yards. Tight end Luke Lachey played in his first game as did a pair of offensive lineman Mason Richman and Tyler Elsbury.
FERENTZ MOVES UP THE CHARTS
With the victory over Michigan State, Kirk Ferentz officially took another step up the win chart in the Big Ten Conference. He picked up his 163rd victory, which is fourth all-time in league history, passing Joe Paterno, who had 162.
MAKING A POINT
The Hawkeyes scored 49 points against the Spartans, the most by Iowa in the series. This was also the most points scored by the Hawkeyes in a game at Kinnick Stadium since 55 points against Ohio State. The Hawkeyes 35 point first half is the most since scoring 35 against Illinois in 2018.
Speaking of the 2018 Illini game, this was the first three interception game since then with picks by Barrington Wade, Jack Koerner, and Riley Moss. The Hawkeyes now have at least one interception in 10 straight games.
This was also the first time Iowa had an interception and punt return for a touchdown since the Nebraska game in 2014 when John Lowdermilk returned an interception and Drew Ott returned a punt.
TAYLOR SHINES
The outstanding season from Tory Taylor continued on Saturday. The true freshman averaged 45.9 yards per punt, including a 61 yarder. He had a pair of punts over 50 yards and five of the seven were inside the 20 yard line.
GOOD DAY FOR GOODSON
It was a good day for Tyler Goodson, who went over 100 yards for the second time in his career. The sophomore back was helped by a 71 yard jaunt in the third quarter. He also scored a pair of touchdowns, which is the first time he achieved that in his career.
TACKLE LEADERS
Seth Benson led the Hawkeyes with 8 tackles. Nick Niemann had seven stops. Chauncy Golston had 6 tackles and Jack Koerner and Dane Belton chipped in with five. Iowa had a pair of sacks, three interceptions, and seven tackles for loss.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes hit the road with Floyd of Rosedale on the line. Iowa heads to Minnesota for a Friday night game. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the contest will air on Fox Sports 1.
