By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Ten thoughts/observations left over from a surreal Saturday at Kinnick Stadium:

1. Quarterback rising: Iowa sophomore quarterback Nate Stanley has made incredible progress since the open practice in April in West Des Moines when he struggled just to complete easy passes. Stanley wasn’t even Iowa’s best quarterback on that day in April, maybe not even the second best.

He struggled with accuracy and showed very little touch on short passes.

Turn the calendar ahead seven months and the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Stanley is having one of the greatest statistical seasons in the history of the Iowa program, with 22 touchdown passes and just five interceptions. He shredded Ohio State for five touchdown passes during Saturday’s 55-24 victory after having done the same to Iowa State almost two months ago.

Stanley’s most impressive throw on Saturday might have been his 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson in the third quarter. Stanley made the throw from his back foot and despite having Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard wrapped around his leg.

“I talked about our team growing, and that's part of it,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Saturday when asked to evaluate Stanley’s performance. “He's done a lot of good things this year and had some tough plays, which anybody that plays quarterback is going to. But the way he just keeps coming back, and he did a lot of really good things today against really good competition, so that was impressive.

“I think probably my favorite play is the one where he's got the guy bringing him down and he finds a way to get the ball in the end zone there for a touchdown. A lot of big throws by him, and he had five touchdown passes, so that's pretty good, too.”

Stanley still is a work in progress, but if he continues to improve at this rate, his future looks exceptionally bright.

The Wisconsin native will return home on Saturday when No. 25 Iowa faces sixth-ranked and undefeated Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.

2. Dynamic duo emerging at tight end: Any team should feel fortunate to have one productive tight end, but Iowa is showing signs of having two. And both are underclassmen.

Sophomore Noah Fant and redshirt freshman T.J. Hockenson combined for nine catches, 125 receiving yards and four touchdowns during Saturday’s beat-down against Ohio State.

Fant now has seven touchdown catches on the season. That is the most by an Iowa tight end for a single season, and Fant still has three regular-season games and a bowl game to pad his record.

“Both of those guys, they've got things they can get better at certainly, but I think they're certainly helping us out a lot,” Kirk Ferentz said of his two tight ends. “And Nate seems to find them, too, when they get that chance. There's no magic, nothing magic I can tell you. It's just, hopefully, a part of the process.”

3. Terrific triumvirate at linebacker: Senior Josey Jewell gets most of the attention at linebacker on the Iowa football team, and deservedly so.

But his two senior sidekicks, Ben Niemann and Bo Bower, are quietly having outstanding seasons, too.

The trio combined for 21 tackles against Ohio State, but their contributions can’t be measured by statistics alone. Jewell, Niemann and Bower also provide leadership, poise and maturity for an Iowa defense that has been rock-solid for most of the season.

4. An amazing ascent: It’s hard to think of an Iowa player whose stock has risen more in less than a year than junior cornerback Josh Jackson.

The Texas native has gone from being a key reserve last season to arguably the best cornerback in the Big Ten, if not the country, this season.

Jackson certainly helped his cause on Saturday by intercepting three passes against Ohio State. He leaped high and grabbed one of his interceptions with one hand, while on another he wrestled the ball away from the receiver.

“We knew we had to compete, and it was a great effort by him,” Ferentz said. “But all three of those, you come up with four turnovers like that, four picks, that's pretty good.”

Iowa’s fourth interception came on the first play from scrimmage when sophomore Amani Hooker intercepted J.T. Barrett’s pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.

Jackson was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Ohio State.

Jackson has performed so well that his name is now appearing on NFL draft boards as an early-round selection in the 2018 draft even though Jackson has one more season of eligibility.

5. Big Ten Bullies for a change: Injuries have certainly hindered the progress of Iowa’s offensive line, but so has poor execution.

You kept waiting for what many perceived to be Iowa’s biggest strength to live up to that reputation, and it finally happened on Saturday against Ohio State.

It helped that the Buckeyes didn’t load the box as did most of Iowa’s previous opponents. But the Iowa offensive line was on mission against Ohio State, and it showed from the beginning.

There were holes to run through and time for Stanley to search for receivers, while being protected in the pocket.

The fact that Iowa has two veteran starters on the offensive line from Ohio was huge from an emotional standpoint because Sean Welsh and James Daniels helped to set the emotional tone.

“Talking about our line growing up, I thought the guys I need to give credit to are James and Sean Welsh, our two elder statesmen,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Both happen to be Ohio natives, but those two guys are our veteran guys, and I think they're starting to show the other guys how to act a little bit.”

6. Respect for Miles Taylor: This hasn’t been an easy senior season for Iowa strong safety Miles Taylor, and yet, all signs suggest that he has handled his demotion with dignity and class.

Taylor was in the midst of starting for the third consecutive season when he lost his position after six games to Amani Hooker.

Taylor now plays almost exclusively on special teams, but he still plays hard and does what he can to help the team.

A person’s character often shines brightest during times of adversity, and right now Taylor’s character’s is aglow. His body language, his effort and his attitude all seem positive and that helps to build and sustain team chemistry as it only takes one or two players to ruin a locker room.

7. Sympathy for Ike Boettger and Boone Myers: Iowa's two senior offensive linemen deserve better. But sadly, in sports, you don’t always get what you deserve.

That thought immediately came to mind after Saturday’s game as I watched Boettger and Myers both work their way through the swarm that had enveloped the field at Kinnick Stadium. They were headed to the Iowa locker room to celebrate with their victorious teammates, each wearing street clothes and limping.

Boettger has been out since suffering an Achilles injury against Iowa State in week two, while Myers has been hampered by an ankle injury throughout the season. He suffered the injury in preseason camp and hasn’t been the same since.

Boettger’s college career is over, while time is running out on Myers as you could tell from the expression on his face on Saturday. He was thrilled for his teammates for recording one of the biggest wins in program history, but it’s not the same when you’re sidelined by an injury.

Myers, a former walk-on from Webster City, and Boettger, a former two-star recruit from Cedar Falls, both had big plans for this year, individually and as a team. They were among four starters returning from an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award last season as the nation’s top collegiate offensive line.

They were team leaders and symbolic of Iowa football under Kirk Ferentz, as homegrown Hawkeyes who defied the odds.

Both are still very much a part of team as leaders, friends and teammates. And they both should have a chance to play in the NFL.

But this was their last chance to be a Hawkeye, and it’s sad to see it end this way.

8. Miguel makes them: Junior Miguel Recinos is quietly having a solid season in his first season as Iowa’s starting kicker.

The Mason City native made both of his field-goal attempts against Ohio State on Saturday, with each coming from 30 yards, and is 9-for-11 on the season. He also had four touchbacks on Saturday.

Recinos served noticed that he was on the rise when he moved ahead of sophomore Keith Duncan on the depth chart in preseason practice. That is the same Keith Duncan who endeared himself to fans by making a field goal as time expired to defeat Michigan last season.   

9. Iowa joins the wave: The Iowa players and coaches participated in the wave for the first time this season on Saturday, much to the delight of some fans who had wanted it to happen sooner.

The tradition, which occurs after the first quarter when fans inside Kinnick Stadium wave to the kids on the 12^th floor of the adjacent UI Children’s Hospital, has soared in popularity.

Iowa’s opponents are now participating in the wave, and now so are the Hawkeyes. Whether Iowa continues to do the wave is uncertain at this point.

Personally, I think it’s nice to have Iowa involved, but I also didn’t have a problem with the Iowa players and coaches not participating.

Kirk Ferentz said early in the season that the wave is meant for the kids and that is where the focus should be.

It also is hard to criticize Kirk Ferentz for anything related to showing compassion for the kids in the children’s hospital, considering everything he and his wife, Mary, have given to the hospital, including a $1 million donation this past summer.

10. Alternate appearance:  I’ve always thought that alternate uniforms were a little silly, but the players feel otherwise and their opinion is all that matters.

The alternate uniform that Iowa unveiled on Saturday was actually pretty cool. The numbers were hard to read from the press box. But if that’s the worst thing you can say about Iowa’s alternate uniform, then consider it a success.

Some former Iowa players, including Jaleel Johnson and Desmond King, attended Saturday’s game and gave the alternate uniform a thumbs up.

“They all loved them,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Our players loved them, our former players love them. We'll do it again at some point, but I know we won't next week. But like I told the guys on Tuesday, I'm glad you guys like them, I just hope people say we looked good playing in them. I hope that's what they said, and that certainly happened tonight, so I'm more pleased about that.

“We'll do uniforms again next year, I guess. Keep the pressure on them. Those guys thought they were the best ones we've worn, the former player committee, so talking to those guys, including my son James. He's a critic, also. We've got a lot of them around.