The Return: Deacon Hill Talks Second Start, Facing Wisconsin
IOWA CITY -- Iowa starting quarterback Deacon Hill will start just the second game of his collegiate career on Saturday after he led the Hawkeyes to a 20-14 win over Purdue last weekend. Hill and the Hawks will hit the road to take on his previous school, Wisconsin. He transferred to Iowa after two seasons in Madison.
"I don't want to make [the game] any bigger than it is," Hill said on Tuesday. "I also don't want to diminish it and make it less than it is. I'm focused on myself and what I can do to be better for this team."
"Getting my first start out of the way was good," he added. "It was rough, but we got through it. I thought it showed great perseverance from our team to be able to pull out that win. Moving into this week there's more confidence since it's not my first start."
Following his performance against the Boilermakers, he knows there are things to clean up, and that a final line of 6/21 for 110 yards, a touchdown, and an interception won't cut it against the Badgers.
"I think it's just about giving our guys a chance," Hill said. "They ran a lot of man, so I need to give our tight ends and receivers a chance to make a play. There was a little frustration there, but the biggest thing for me is just learning from and it and trying to grow for this week."
"There were some good things to take away -- a lot of good and a lot of bad -- but there's that with every game. I want to learn from the bad but also take the good and let that build confidence."
Specifically, Hill said he's focused on improving his footwork going into this second start.
"Your footwork ties into your throws," he said. "If you're too open, the ball is going to sail on you a little, and if you're too closed it's not going to get there. So, I think footwork ties to an umbrella of throwing, your ball placement and all that stuff."
Though he has gotten his first start under his belt, he knows there will be jitters going into the game against his former team. He referenced pre-game nerves as one of the factors in his errant throws in the first half last week.
"I think there will be some nerves there," Hill said. "I used to get nervous before every high school game, too. I think it's just the normal nervousness before a game. It'll be there, I just need to do a better job of how I handle it."