Pro Football Focus Grades: Iowa Defense
Another game, another opponent held in check by the Iowa defense.
At this point it's almost stunning when the Hawkeye defense gives up any points. They did allow a touchdown in the first quarter, but the second score occurred after the game was clearly decided.
The story of the game was the turnovers that the Iowa secondary created. There were six interceptions and one forced fumble on a kickoff return and once again this week the Hawkeye offense cashed in.
Overall, Iowa held Maryland to 97 yards on the ground and 174 yards in the air on 56 plays. We take a look at how the Hawkeye defense graded out on Friday evening.
| SNAPS | RUN D | PASS RUSH | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Zach VanValkenberg |
32 |
61.7 |
66.8 |
73.1 |
|
Yahya Black |
21 |
71.6 |
60.3 |
69.8 |
|
John Waggoner |
27 |
56.6 |
72.9 |
69.2 |
|
Louie Stec |
13 |
61.2 |
69.5 |
69.1 |
|
Logan Lee |
15 |
55.9 |
75.0 |
68.8 |
|
Lukas Van Ness |
27 |
62.9 |
62.7 |
64.7 |
|
Noah Shannon |
15 |
61.1 |
63.1 |
64.6 |
|
Joe Evans |
24 |
67.0 |
56.2 |
61.8 |
|
Chris Reames |
13 |
64.4 |
55.3 |
61.0 |
|
Deontae Craig |
23 |
67.4 |
53.7 |
60.8 |
|
Isaiah Bruce |
13 |
51.4 |
56.7 |
50.1 |
If there was one slight disappointment from the Iowa defense it was probably along the defensive line and the grades kind of reflected it. There were seven other players at different positions graded higher than the first defensive line.
Facing a more mobile quarterback, Iowa didn't log any sacks, but they did created a bit of pressure in the game. In fact the first interception was in part due to pressure to the quarterback. Overall, Iowa had seven total hurries and pressures according to Pro Football Focus.
It is nice to see Yahya Black continue to rise up the ranks each week and as that continues his snaps will rise.
| SNAPS | TACKLING | COVERAGE | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jack Campbell |
39 |
82.1 |
80.1 |
79.3 |
|
Jay Higgins |
17 |
76.7 |
63.9 |
74.0 |
|
Jestin Jacobs |
28 |
81.1 |
65.7 |
71.3 |
|
Kyler Fisher |
8 |
77.2 |
64.5 |
70.5 |
|
Logan Klemp |
1 |
N/A |
N/A |
60.0 |
|
Seth Benson |
25 |
32.0 |
56.6 |
50.2 |
Last week was a big game for Jack Campbell and Seth Benson. This week, both were much quieter as far as tackles. After having 18 stops last week, Campbell had only three tackles. Benson was in double figures last week and he only had two stops.
Overall it was just a strange game with more passing and all the turnovers. That limited Iowa's exposure to their offense. With Iowa playing a lot more "Cash" in this game it was encouraging that Jestin Jacobs played half the defensive snaps.
| SNAPS | COVERAGE | TACKLING | OVERALL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jamari Harris |
18 |
80.9 |
77.9 |
82.0 |
|
Kaevon Merriweather |
47 |
73.7 |
71.3 |
74.5 |
|
Quinn Schulte |
17 |
75.5 |
76.4 |
74.4 |
|
Sebastiano Castro |
16 |
73.1 |
79.6 |
74.2 |
|
Riley Moss |
39 |
70.2 |
80.1 |
74.0 |
|
Terry Roberts |
18 |
71.7 |
N/A |
71.8 |
|
Dane Belton |
39 |
64.1 |
23.4 |
63.9 |
|
Reggie Bracy |
3 |
60.0 |
N/A |
60.1 |
|
Matt Hankins |
39 |
59.1 |
76.2 |
59.6 |
|
Jack Koerner |
39 |
47.9 |
57.0 |
49.6 |
It was an interception fest for the Iowa defense on Friday night. Moss, Merriweather, Roberts, Koerner, Belton, and Schulte all had interceptions in the game.
The tackle numbers weren't huge this weekend. In fact, Riley Moss led the team with just five tackles. Merriweather was responsible for four tackles.
It was kind of surprising that the grades weren't higher for this group given the number of turnovers they created. It is worth noting that six of the top ten rated players were defensive backs, so as a group the position had a very good day.