Desmond King held a draft party Thursday night with hopes of being selected in the first round. Many others pictured him as a mid to late second round pick. King a former Thorpe Award winner for the nation’s best cornerback returned to school to improve his draft stock.

Tight end George Kittle caught the eyes of scouts with his combine performance, particularly in the 40-yard dash. He climbed into some expert’s top-five tight ends list. Those lists include three who were selected in the first round.

Both defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson and quarterback CJ Beathard, the only Friday selection, played in the Senior Bowl as an extra opportunity to show their talent. Neither attracted as much hype as the others but still showed potential to get early selection.

The local excitement around the draft built the expectation that Iowa players would go very high. Possibly higher than deserved. Now that the draft has come and gone, those watching got a clear explanation of how the team evaluated the former Hawkeyes.

CJ Beathard, QB, 49ers (Round 3)

Beathard, the highest Hawkeye selection, joins the San Francisco 49ers after they called his name late in the third round. Beathard threw for 17 touchdowns each of the last two years.

He joins a roster that is home to veteran Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley. Having those two leading him on the depth chart creates completely different scenarios.

Option one, Beathard ends up sitting behind and learning from two other quarterbacks. Despite neither having a huge amount of success, they have more experience than Beathard. This leaves him as either a potential starter after learning in a few years or as a career backup.

Option two, he finds himself starting as a rookie. The 49ers 2-14 record a year ago presents endless opportunities for a young quarterback. Any of the third could end up under center when the 49ers play Carolina week one.

Jaleel Johnson, DT, Vikings (Round 4)

Johnson came off the board quickly as Saturday began when the Minnesota Vikings grabbed him with the 109^th pick. He won’t be playing far from Iowa City.

Johnson will fit well into the defense in Minnesota especially since defensive line is one of their biggest needs. They have a good amount of players at the position but none have been extremely impressive.

He leaves Iowa as one of many notable defensive linemen over the years including recent player Adrian Clayborn. Johnson has starter talent and could see action as soon as next season in Minnesota.

Desmond King, DB, Chargers (Round 5)

At the completion of his junior season, King was a lock in the first round. He chose to come back for another year at Iowa.

His explanation for returning revolved around the scout’s interest in him developing his speed. King used the opportunity to graduate from Iowa and continue to develop his overall game.

The change was he dropped from a first round selection, as late as the college seasons final week, to a fifth round selection by the Los Angeles Chargers. King was the 151 overall selection.

Whether or not King will fit into the Chargers secondary remains to be seem. What King does have is versatility. In the NFL, he will be able to shift freely between corner and safety.

His ability to impact the game as a hard hitting safety makes King a valuable pickup. He also plays well in coverage, intercepting eight passes his junior season.

King slipped on draft boards leading up to the draft but falling into the fifth round came as a shock for many.

George Kittle, TE, 49ers (Round 5)

George Kittle will join Iowa teammate CJ Beathard as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

Kittle, who could’ve gone as high as the third round, found his name picked slightly before King at 146. He climbed many teams draft boards after he ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at the Combine.

It may be too soon for comparisons but Kittle has potential similar to former Hawkeye Dallas Clark. Kittle is slightly taller but possesses similar on field skills to be a receiving tight end that can block when asked.

Kittle showed up less this past season with the Hawkeyes due to injury but the previous year spoke prominently for him.

Left Undrafted

Four notable Hawkeye players went undrafted. Offensive lineman Cole Croston, running back LeShun Daniels, defensive back Greg Mabin, and punter Ron Coluzzi. None were expected to be drafted but all are looking to continue their football careers.

Croston, as an Iowa offensive lineman, led the group as the most likely to hear his name called Saturday.

The post Breaking Down the Hawkeyes Taken in the NFL Draft appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Ben Colin

Iowa City, Iowa – Not your typical Friday night lights.

First off, it’s a mild spring evening, not a chilly fall night. Second, this was a Hawkeye football game of 16,500 people instead of a local high school. Third, the final score; Gold (defense) beat Black (offense) 63-47.

The high scoring affair under the lights that combined to a grand total of 110 points. The missing detail, one team scored on nearly every play, in one way or another. The Hawkeyes spring game uses an intricate scoring system to add a level of excitement.

The best way to score points is obviously a touchdown, just like in a normal game. Tonight, sacks and interceptions loaded the scoreboard for the defense. Junior safety Jake Gervase contributed 15 points through interceptions alone.

Gervase had himself a night. Intercepting starting quarterback candidate Tyler Wiegers twice in the first half, one of which resulted in a 59-yard touchdown. He picked off a Nate Stanley pass in the second half as well.

“I was in the right spot at the right time,” Gervase said. “I just try to take advantage of every opportunity. Nothings guaranteed and I really tried to make the most of it.”

Gervase joined the first team defense after starting safety Brandon Snyder went down with a season ending knee injury just over two weeks ago. Iowa has always plugged the next man in even when a crucial starter goes down.

“Jake was practicing well before that, he got off to a good start this spring,” Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’s been on a track that way and its paying off for him.”

Notably missing from the offense was last year’s leading rusher Akrum Wadley. Running backs Toren Young and Toks Akinribade claimed the majority of the carries in Wadley’s absence. Junior Marcel Joly also had a few rushes.

Young, who rushed for a score, is already reminding people of last season’s other thousand-yard rusher LeShun Daniels. Young, who led all rushers in the spring game, has excited his teammate Akrum Wadley.

“I feel like Toren and Toks coming in are capable of doing anything,” Wadley said. “You’ve seen bursts from Toren and ability from Toks, those guys are hungry. It’s entertaining to watch them play.”

The combination of Wadley, Young, Akinribade, and Joly elicited memories of two years ago but Wadley didn’t want to get too far ahead of himself.

Like most positions, nothing is set in stone and Ferentz wants to keep the door open at running back. Seeing multiple running backs is something he said they count on.

“Those two are different kinds of backs, and that’s fine,” Ferentz said. “Both have a lot of growth to go so not having Akrum play was probably a good thing.”

Wadley’s also still been growing, physically and in his game, over the offseason.

“The biggest thing is his weight and he can be a little flighty at times but he’s focused on the right things,” Ferentz said.

Despite quarterback CJ Beathard walking the sideline last night, he won’t be suiting up for the Hawkeyes any time soon. Since he has wrapped up his career, the quarterback competition has taken off. All throughout spring ball the question of who will start day one against Wyoming has been at the forefront.

Both Nate Stanley and Tyler Wiegers played a substantial amount but the battle didn’t get any closer to a decision. Neither played outstanding nor did they play horribly bad. They combined for three interceptions but showed signs of improvement.

If the game were tomorrow the Hawkeyes would have their work cut out for them.

“We’d probably do a coin flip,” Ferentz said. “Luckily we’ll have 15 to 18 practices before we have to make that decision.”

The decision will come

somewhere in camp. Wiegers and Stanley both agree they still have work to do. Stanley threw the game’s only touchdown to Devonte Young for four yards in the first half.

“We are still working on some chemistry and getting everything in the playbook,” Stanley said. “Coming out here and playing live we did alright but there’s a long way to go.”

Wiegers echoed his position partner.

“There’s some plays I’d like to have back, obviously there’s good stuff too,” Wiegers said. “Being more consistent going forward is a big thing.”

Every issue wasn’t completely the quarterbacks fault, multiple receivers dropped fairly catchable balls. Similar to last year, the receiving core has the ability to make or break the offense.

Iowa targeted five tight ends during the game. The most notable positive for the future is youth at tight end. Noah Fant, who played at times last year, plus redshirt freshman Shaun Beyer, TJ Hockenson, and Drew Cook all had multiple targets. Senior Jon Wisnieski joined them on the stat line.

“They have to keep pushing, there’s nothing magical to it,” Ferentz said. “It’s harder to be out there blocking sometimes, but they just have to keep pushing.”

Overall the spring game is an opportunity for everyone to check out the team in live action. The talent level on this team is close, and will make for a competitive summer and fall. The first game is Saturday, September 9 at Kinnick.

The post Iowa Spring Game Leaves More to be Learned appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I know it’s not what you had hoped for and it’s certainly easy to pick out the negatives by pointing the finger at the coaching staff and players. Even in the 30-3 blowout, there are a few positives to focus on.

We have to stop for a minute and recognize how lucky we have all been to watch Desmond King play in these last four seasons and especially in his senior season. King could have easily passed up his final year at Iowa for first-round money in the NFL Draft.

Instead, he chose to return to Iowa and he didn’t disappoint in his final season. Opposing offenses looked the other way early and often allowing the Hawkeyes to often neutralize the opponents best weapon.

King finished out his career and at Iowa with an interception, the 14th of his career, and a kick return out to the 50-yard line.

Although the defense struggled today, we can still look forward to seeing middle linebacker Josey Jewell back for his senior season. Jewell finished the season with 124 tackles and will be the core of this Iowa defense in 2017.

Another bright spot is safety Brandon Snyder who looks like a completely different player compared to guy we saw in September. He’s managed to become a smarter while still aggressive safety who will instill fear in opposing wide outs. Snyder had a diving interception in the first quarter against Florida.

We didn’t get to see true freshman Manny Rugumba play today due to injury. Iowa fans have plenty to be excited about in Rugumba. He impressed everyone in the final 3 games of the season including a standout performance in knocking off #3 Michigan.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawkeyes will lose star quarterback CJ Beathard, RB LeShun Daniels, and their top TE, George Kittle. Although CJ will certainly be missed, Iowa fans can look forward to Nathan Stanley in 2017. Stanley was good enough as a true freshman that Kirk Ferentz was willing to burn his redshirt even with Beathard still clearly ahead of him.

We haven’t had the chance to see much of Stanley but in the chances we have, he’s been impressive. He helped lead the Hawkeyes down the field for a touchdown against North Dakota State when Beathard left temporarily with against injury.

We will all miss George Kittle being a reliable target and the life of the party but true freshman Noah Fant has given us plenty to look forward to. He didn’t play a major role in 2016 but he could be Iowa’s breakout performer next season.

Probably the biggest positive of this season was the rushing attack. Iowa had two running backs finish with over 1000 rushing yards. The best part? The better of the two, Akrum Wadley, might be returning to Iowa City for his senior season. Wadley is a versatile and elusive back who finished with 1081 rushing yard on the season. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and he was second on the team with 32 receptions. We’ve now seen Wadley outperform Daniels multiple times on the big stage. LeShun Daniel finished his senior year at Iowa with 1058 rushing yards.

“I’m fifty-fifty about coming back,” said Wadley. When asked if he felt he was ready for the NFL he responded with, “I definitely feel like I’m ready.” Make sure to follow KRUI on Twitter for more news regarding Akrum Wadley.

Did I mention that Iowa also gets Matt VandeBerg back? The wide receiver had his senior season cut short after breaking his foot but he was awarded a medical redshirt and will be a boost of experience for the 2017 team.

One last player to highlight has yet to appear in a black and gold uniform. A.J. Epenesa is a four-star defensive end that is expected to wreak havoc in the Big Ten next season. If you haven’t heard about this kid yet, you’ve missed all the hype. He received offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Florida State, Alabama, and many others but he is committed to play in Kinnick Stadium.

So was it the season that we had all hoped for? Maybe not, but it was still a successful year. Just remember the good times like the complete domination against Iowa State and the stunning upset of Michigan. And of course, there’s always next year. If that doesn’t seem to be enough, just ask yourself this. Why are you an Iowa fan?

The post Focusing on the Positives appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Keith Duncan’s 33-yard field goal as time expired lifted Iowa to a thrilling 14-13 upset victory over #3 Michigan (9-1, 6-1) as the Iowa faithful stormed the field to celebrate the team’s first home win over a ranked opponent since they beat Michigan 37-6 in 2010.

“It was an incredible feeling kicking that in front of 70,000 fans,” said the freshman kicker following his first career game-winner. “I can’t even speak right now.”

The kick sent Kinnick Stadium into an all out frenzy, and it sent Michigan back to the pink visitor’s locker room (that they decorated maize and navy before the game) with their first loss of the season.

“We didn’t make enough plays to extend drives and convert first downs,” said Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. “Give Iowa credit, they tackled, they blocked, they played a really good football game.”

The Iowa defense certainly brought their A-game as they went up against one of the most efficient offenses in the country. The Hawkeyes kept the Wolverines 35 points below their season average, 296 yards below their season average, and held them to 77 total yards in the second half.

“We put our minds to it before the game,” said cornerback Desmond King. “We knew we had an opportunity (to win) coming into this game and you have to be ready.”

Arguably the most important play of the game came with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter when Jaleel Johnson recorded a safety after dropping Michigan running back De’Veon Smith for a two-yard loss in his own end zone. The play was set up by a booming 54-yard punt by Ron Coluzzi, which pinned Michigan at their own 1-yard line. The Wolverines only managed three points the remainder of the game following that play.

“That definitely gave our team momentum,” said Johnson after the game. “It kind of gave our offense some juice to go out there and perform at their best.”

That’s exactly what the offense did. Just a couple possessions later, the Hawkeyes capped off their most impressive drive of the game with an Akrum Wadley touchdown reception that made the score 10-8 after a failed two-point conversion.

Wadley proved to be the team’s most dynamic player yet again as he led the team with 115 net yards on the ground and 52 receiving yards.

“I guess I had the hot hand today,” said Wadley following his performance. “We needed this really bad for ourselves and for our fans.”

“He came up with a lot of big plays,” said Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz of Wadley. “I think he really rose to the occasion and did a great job for us.”

History repeated itself in a weird way as the game played out, and it all worked out in the Hawkeyes’ favor. In 1985, the #1 ranked Hawkeyes defeated #2 Michigan at Kinnick Stadium on a game-winning field goal as time expired. The Michigan quarterback for that game? Current head coach Jim Harbaugh. While that stat is intriguing for fans, the players thought nothing of it. They were only worried about the task at hand.

“The only time I saw (that stat) was today watching Penn State-Indiana,” said quarterback C.J. Beathard. “The Aflac Trivia question was ‘When was the last time Iowa beat a number one or two ranked team?’ and it was 1985.”

While Beathard and his teammates weren’t worried about the past, it’s possible that one of the guys on the team knew what was coming up in the future. Apparently in a conversation earlier in the week between Beathard and linebacker Josey Jewell, the senior defensive captain had a good idea of what it would take for Iowa to pull off the upset.

“Josey told me ‘We’re ready to go. Give us 14 points and we’ll win the game,’” said Beathard. “It just happened to be that exact thing.”

“I believed it,” said Jewell of his prediction after the 14-13 victory. “We trusted in ourselves and trusted in everybody else around us, and if we did our jobs I thought we could play a good enough game.”

Even though the season hasn’t gone as planned for the Hawkeyes, a signature win on national television against a solid Michigan team might just be exactly what they needed as they try to finish out the regular season on a good note.

The Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3) are back in action Saturday November 19^th as they travel to Champaign to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini (3-7, 2-5) at 11 a.m. on BTN and KRUI Sports 89.7 fm.

The post Hawkeyes Upset Wolverines Thanks to Last-Second Field Goal appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Penn State is coming off a 62-24 drubbing of Purdue last week and is ranked #12 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings released earlier this week. The Nittany Lions still have hopes of winning the Big Ten East if they get a little help and win out the rest of the way. Here are some keys for the Nittany Lions to come out victorious tonight:

Establish their pass rush early and often:

Penn State is among the Big Ten leaders in both total tackles and sacks, and Iowa’s offensive line has struggled at times protecting quarterback C.J. Beathard. The offensive line as a unit has allowed 20 sacks through eight games, while the Penn State defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 27 times so far this year. The Hawkeyes pride themselves on winning the battles in the trenches, so this should be one of the marquis personnel matchups of the evening.

Big plays in special teams:

Both the kickoff and punt return teams for Penn State have been among the worst in the conference when it comes to return yardage. In what should be a close game, getting a big return and winning the field position battle could tip the scales in Penn State’s favor.

Establish Saquon Barkley to open up offense:

Iowa will key in on stopping the big, bruising tailback for the Nittany Lions. Barkley has rushed for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns so far this season. Both of those marks are among the best the Big Ten has to offer. Getting Barkley going will force Iowa to not stuff the box and respect the receivers on the perimeter allowing Barkley to do his thing between the tackles.

Kickoff is less than an hour away from State College. Be sure to check our website krui.fm for more content from tonight’s game. You can also follow our Twitter page @KRUISports.

The post Penn State Looking to Keep Momentum Alive Against Iowa appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Get the run game going early: With the loss of star WR Matt VandeBerg, it’s no surprise that the Hawkeyes go to plan will be running the football. The Hawkeyes will need set the tone early with the run game to help open up the passing game and to keep their defensive fresh.

Take what the defense gives you: Even when there’s nothing there, we’ve seen CJ Beathard try to make a big play happen. With the lack of explosive playmakers, Iowa will need to take any yardage they can get to move the chains. The offense will have to sustain lengthy drives to keep the dynamic Penn State offense off the field.

Force Penn State RB, Saquon Barkely inside: Barkley has 888 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season while averaging 6.0 yards a carry. He is an athletic back who does most of his damage on the outside. Iowa will try to force Barkely back inside where their big body defenders dominate.

Get creative: Iowa has one of the most predictable offensive schemes in college football and they have lacked explosiveness throughout the season. For the first time in 2016, the Hawkeyes will have both LeShun Daniels and Akrum Wadley on the field at the same time. Wadley will line up in the slot in an attempt to give the offense some spark. Simply lining him up in the slot won’t be enough. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis will have to get creative with his offense and play aggressively if he wants to keep up with the Nittany Lions.

Focus on the game… not the environment: The Hawkeyes don’t have any players who have played in front of nearly 107,000 crowd at Beaver Stadium. The hostile and deafening environment helped the Nittany Lions upset the Ohio State Buckeyes just two weeks ago and you can bet that this crowd will bring the same type of energy.

Survive and advance: For those who are hopeful for an Iowa return to Indianapolis, they know this is a must win game. Iowa can’t afford another loss if they realistically want a shot at returning to the Big Ten Championship. The Hawkeyes are currently on a 9-game road-winning streak and will have the opportunity to extend that streak to double digits.

The post Keys to Success: Iowa vs. Penn State appeared first on KRUI Radio.

over six inches of snow by kickoff but the grounds crew had the field ready to go for senior day and the 2015 home finale at Kinnick Stadium.

The undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes (10-0) took on the Purdue Boilermakers (2-8) for a chance to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship game. The Hawkeyes dominated the first quarter of the game. Purdue had the first crack in the game but the Hawkeyes forced a three and out. Iowa drove down the field in just five minutes and Leshun Daniels punched in a 2-yard touchdown.

The Hawkeyes forced another three and out and got the ball back in Purdue territory. The Hawks marched down the field for a second time and Leshun Daniels added his second score of the day, extending the Iowa lead to 14.

Iowa appeared to have all momentum heading into the second quarter. During Purdue’s third possession  Hawkeye safety, Jordan Lomax, put a devastating hit on Purdue quarterback, David Blough. The hit forced a fumble and forced Blough out of the game. Iowa turned the fumble into points when C.J. Beathard found Matt VandeBerg for a 7-yard touchdown.

Momentum began to shift when Iowa missed the extra point; their fourth missed PAT on the season. Austin Appleby replaced Blough at quarterback and Appleby came off the bench firing. In the second quarter he led Purdue down the field, resulting in a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Markell Jones.

Iowa made its first mistake when C.J. Beathard fumbled on a QB run. Appleby helped hurry the Purdue offense down the field allowing them to kick a field goal before the half making the score 20-10 in favor of Iowa. Austin Appleby was nearly unstoppable completing 10-11 passes for 98 yards in the quarter. Appleby finished the day 23 for 40 with 259 yards and one touchdown.

Iowa came out flat in the third quarter and gave the ball right back to Purdue. Purdue tacked on another 3 points and then forced another punt by the Hawkeyes. Both teams failed to move the ball until C.J. Beathard found George Kittle wide open for a touchdown completing a 91-yard touchdown drive.

The Hawkeyes controlled the game from there on out and added another touchdown to Henry Krieger-Coble. Senior Running back broke off a 42-yard touchdown with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Canzeri was Iowa’s leading rusher on the day with 95 yards and a touchdown.

The final score was 40-20 in favor of the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes are officially the Big Ten West Champs and are now 11-0 on the season. The victory guarantees Iowa a spot in the Big Ten Championship on Dec. 5^th. Their opponent has yet to be decided. C.J. Beathard told reporters after the game “We aren’t where we want to be yet.” The Hawkeyes have more than just the Big Ten West title on their minds.

Iowa travels to Lincoln Nebraska for what looks to be a Friday thriller against the Cornhuskers. Nebraska beat Iowa last year leaving a bitter taste in the Hawkeyes mouth. Desmond King talked about the game last year and said, “It does bother him(Coach Ferentz).” Kickoff is at 2:30 Central Time.

The post Iowa vs. Purdue Recap appeared first on KRUI Radio.

After the sudden death of former Hawkeye safety Tyler Sash on Tuesday, Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have been dealing with not only preparing for a game against their biggest rival but also mourning the loss of one of the greatest players to put on an Iowa Hawkeye uniform.

“It’s tough to deal with things like this, but the support of former players and fans have been outstanding for not only us but Tyler’s family,” Ferentz said.

After the Hawkeye’s 31-17 victory inside Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Ferentz was just glad they escape Ames with a big victory.

“We had some very difficult circumstances this week, and our guys battled.”

Junior quarterback CJ Beathard, who is only starting his third game in an Iowa uniform, had himself quite the game through the air and on the ground. He completed 15 of his 25 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns on the day.

He also had 10 rushes for 114 yards on the ground, one of two 100-yard rushers for Iowa. Beathard saw good pressure from the Iowa State defensive line most of the game, and he used his legs to make something out of nothing and give Iowa a needed lift on the ground with runs of 44 and 57 yards on the day.

“Coach (Greg) Davis called a few quarterback draws and the offensive line gave me some nice holes,” Beathard said.

“I was dying after those runs though,” Beathard joked.

Beathard’s favorite target on Saturday was receiver Matt Vandeberg. Vandeberg seemed to take the role of security blanket for Beathard, especially on third down. He caught a team high nine catches for 114 yards and a touchdown on a fumble recovery, including a big 48-yard catch on a 3^rd and 21 for the Hawkeyes.

Despite the win, however, Iowa did have two key players get hurt and miss the majority of the game. Senior defensive lineman Drew Ott left the game in the first quarter with a wrist injury. Ott did go to the locker room for further examination, and was back on the sidelines in the second half wearing a sling and no pads.

Also, senior running back LeShun Daniels Jr. did not play in the second half after suffering an ankle injury. Coach Ferentz said he would know more about both players and their availability for next week’s game against Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Without Ott on the defensive line, Iowa struggled at first with getting pressure on Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson. However, they did sack the Cyclone quarterback four times. The defense also held the Iowa State offense to 67 yards on 31 plays an no points in the second half.

Nate Meier and Josey Jewell led Iowa defensively with seven total tackles apiece. Desmond King had an interception and a 50-yard punt return to overshadow his rough start to the day on special teams. The Hawkeye defense also had six tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries.

“If we want to be competitive in November like we want to, we have to win games like these and I thought our guys did an awesome job closing things out,” Coach Ferentz said.

Iowa moves to 2-0 on the season, and they will be action next Saturday at Kinnick Stadium under the lights against the Pitt Panthers. We will have the game on KRUI and krui.fm. Kickoff is set for 7:00 P.M.

The post Beathard, Hawkeyes take down Cyclones in Ames appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Hawkeyes ultimately responded the call and will leave Champaign with a 30-14 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini this afternoon.

Jake Rudock had a nice game after struggling last weekend against Minnesota completing 14 of his 21 attempted passes for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns. His counterpart, CJ Beathard came in about midway through the fourth quarter and threw an outstanding touchdown pass to Damond Powell in the corner of the end zone to give Iowa the eventual 30-14 final score.

Offensively, the Hawkeyes put forth their best effort of the season in total offense, as well as rushing yards. Iowa amassed 587 yards of total offense, with 304 of those yards coming on the ground.

Coach Kirk Ferentz was proud of his team after getting a season saving victory.

“We just needed to win today,” Ferentz said in his press conference. “The yardage is not that important.”

Mark Weisman had the best game of his senior season to this point with 134 yards on 23 carries. After the game, Weisman talked about the success of the running back corps as a whole.

“Seeing that 300-yard rushing number was really cool,” Weisman said. “We just took it one play at a time, not looking forward or looking back.” “It is a credit to the guys up front for doing all the dirty work,” he added.

Another senior who stepped up big for Iowa was tight end Ray Hamilton. Hamilton is not known as a pass catching tight end, but for more of a blocking tight end. He ended up catch four passes for twenty yards, but the big kicker was the two touchdowns that he hauled in from quarterback Jake Rudock. Those were the first touchdowns as an Iowa Hawkeye for Hamilton.

He talked about the collective effort of the tight end group, which also saw fellow tight end Jake Duzey catch 3 passes for 110 yards including a 53-yard connection from Rudock to the junior tight end.

“I have gotten a hard time in the past about not having any touchdowns,” Hamilton said when asked how if his teammates have given him some playful jabs throughout his time at Iowa. “We just continue to work together as a group, and we are happy for each other,” he added when asked about his teammate Jake Duzey and the day he had. We just have to keep swinging and keep the foot on the gas pedal, nothing else matters.”

Despite the success of the offense, Iowa struggled in the first half finding the end zone and converting on fourth down. Iowa was among one of the best teams in the country converting on fourth downs, but went 0 for 3 on fourth down conversions Saturday afternoon.

Defensively, it was a bounce back game for a unit that was blown of Minneapolis to the tune of 51 points. The Hawkeye defense only allowed 235 yards of total offense to the Fighting Illini.

The defense got the first points on the board for Iowa after Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety and an early 2-0 lead for Iowa.

John Lowdermilk and Nate Meier led the Iowa defense with seven tackles apiece, Greg Mabin and Jordan Lomax each had six tackles, and Josey Jewell and Quinton Alston tallied five tackles. The defense desperately needed this game to get back some confidence leading up to the last two games of the season.

Iowa still somewhat controls their destiny in the Big Ten West. With Minnesota’s loss to Ohio State earlier today, the winner of the Nebraska-Wisconsin game will take over sole possession of first place in the division. That sets up well for Iowa, as Wisconsin and Nebraska are the two remaining teams on Iowa’s schedule.

“We have some things we need to work on,” Ferentz said about preparation for the next two weeks. “We’re playing two excellent opponents.”

Minnesota plays Nebraska and Wisconsin the two weeks of the season, so if Iowa wins out and Minnesota loses at least one of those games the Hawkeyes would be heading to Indianapolis the first weekend of December to play in the Big Ten title game presumably against Ohio State.

The start time for the game at Kinnick Stadium between Iowa and Wisconsin has yet to be announced. We will have the game on 89.7 KRUI. Jeremy Meyer and Blake Jorgenson will have the call next Saturday, so be sure to listen to the battle between the Hawkeyes and Badgers next Saturday.

The post Weisman, Hamilton lead Hawkeyes past Fighting Illini appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Minnesota offensive attack was lead by sophomore quarterback Mitch Leidner, who finished with 10 completions on 13 attempts for 138 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also led his team in rushing with 77 yards on 11 carries.

Leidner’s tight end Maxx Williams was clearly the go to guy when attacking through the air. Williams hauled in 5 receptions including 3 touchdowns. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Williams is a “Heck of a player.”

After a tie game heading into the second quarter, Minnesota quickly pulled away scoring 28 unanswered points. Leidner threw for over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns in the second quarter alone.

The Hawkeyes dug their own hole turning the ball over 3 times in the first half. When Kirk Ferentz was asked about the loss he responded, “Our special teams did nothing to help us. They were bad.”

Iowa’s junior quarterback Jake Rudock struggled to find his rhythm after the first quarter. Rudock finished the afternoon with 10 completions on 19 attempts, and two turnovers.

When asked what changed after their first offensive drive, Rudock responded, “I can’t put a finger on it.”

Sophomore quarterback C.J. Beathard later replaced Rudock in the fourth quarter.Beathard also struggled, but managed to connect with senior receiver Andrew Stone for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers started right where they had left off to begin the second half. They held Iowa to just one score in the second half.

The Iowa offense was able to scrap out only 205 net yards on the day. It was a different story for the Minnesota offense as they netted 429 total yards on the day. The Iowa defense struggled in the trenches allowing 291 yards on the ground. Coach Ferentz said, “They controlled both lines.”

This leaves the Hawkeyes in a tough position for the remainder of the 2014 season, as they would need to run the table to have a shot at the Big Ten Championship game. When asked if his team has mental toughness, Kirk Ferentz responded, “We’ll find out.”

Iowa will travel to Champaign, Illinois next week to take on a 4-5 Illini team who is coming off a bye. Iowa will finish the season out with two home games, as they will host both Wisconsin and Nebraska.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will be tied with Wisconsin for second place in the Big Ten West heading into the final three games of the season, and will face three strong teams to finish.

The Gophers will host Ohio State next week and finish up on the road against Nebraska and Wisconsin. Despite the tough schedule ahead, the Gophers are in full control of their own destiny.

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