Big brother’s last dance as a Hawkeye
By Ryan Murkan
For Allhawkeyes.com
By rule, postseason awards and recognitions go to individuals.
The Joe Moore Award is the exception to that rule.
Awarded to the top offensive line, the Joe Moore Award is the only major college football award that goes to a unit rather than an individual.
So, when it was announced earlier this month that Iowa was selected for the award over the offensive lines for playoff teams Alabama and Ohio State, it was an honor for every Hawkeye.
“It’s a collective team effort,” senior running back LeShun Daniels said of the award. “Obviously, the offensive line is well deserving, the tight ends have a part of it, the fullbacks have a part in it and the receivers as well as they help to open up big plays down the field. It’s just a humbling experience for everybody on the offense and it’s a true honor to win that award.”
The award meant a little extra to the eight different offensive linemen who started at ;least one game for Iowa this season.
Daniels, who rushed for a career-high 1,013 yards this season, said he was like a proud parent when the award was announced.
His younger brother, James Daniels, is the starting center for an offensive line that had seven different starting combinations this season.in 12 games.
“It was a humbling experience, everybody on the team really enjoyed that announcement,” LeShun Daniels said. “Obviously, I was extremely proud because those guys make my job extremely easy.”
Despite the injuries, the Hawkeyes still managed to average 171.9 rushing yards per game this season and ran for an average of 230 yards per game during a three-game winning streak to end the season.
The three-game winning streak turned around Iowa's season and helped earn a fifth bid to the Outback Bowl where Iowa (8-4) will face Florida (8-4) on Jan. 2 at noon (ABC) in Tampa.
James Daniels was a big part of that success in his first season as the full-time starter at center, earning third team all-Big Ten accolades as a sophomore.
“I think he’s beginning to mature more especially with him being at the starting center role this year, that is something that you have to be a mature person to play,” LeShun Daniels said of his brother. “When you are the center you are practically the leader of the line. You are calling out the different looks and the different calls for the offensive line. You are running that unit. As the season has gone on he is starting to mature a little bit more and obviously you have seen his play just get better and better throughout the year.
The 6-foot-4, 295-pound James Daniels helped Iowa end the regular season in dominant fashion on the ground. The Hawkeyes rushed for 262 yards in a 28-0 win at Illinois and 264 yards in a 40-10 pounding of Nebraska.
LeShun Daniels reaped the rewards of the offensive line coming together, closing the season with back-to-back 100-yard, two-touchdown performances.
Daniels ran for 159 yards and two scores at Illinois and had 158 and a pair of touchdowns in the win over Nebraska.
LeShun Daniels is the first Iowa running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Marcus Coker gained 1,384 yards in 2011.
“You’ve got the long, flashy punt returns and stuff like that, which are awesome, but I think kind of the backbone of this program is you love seeing a running back just run guys over,” Iowa fullback Brady Ross said. “LeShun does a tremendous job of that.”
Daniels is hoping for one more strong performance running behind his younger brother to close out his Iowa career.
“You have to know that if I keep grinding and keep doing whatever I can that something good will eventually come out of it, I think that’s how this last year has played out and we still have one more to go,” Daniels said. “I’m really happy with how things have gone throughout the year and I’m ready to end it with a high note.”