Nearly a week later, James Daniels’ post-game interview still speaks volumes about him and the Iowa program
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – One of the most lasting impressions from the Iowa football team’s 56-14 demolition of Nebraska, besides all the touchdowns scored by the Hawkeyes and all the tackles missed by the Cornhuskers, was something James Daniels didn’t say.
Iowa’s junior center was given the chance to say that Nebraska’s spirit was broken in the third quarter by Iowa’s dominance, but he wouldn’t go there.
“No, I can’t say that,” Daniels said. “When I was out there, probably at the beginning of the fourth quarter, that was like my last drive and they were still coming off the ball hard. When I was in there, I thought they played hard the entire game.”
It has been almost a week since Daniels made that statement, but his words have stuck with me because they say a lot about him as a person, a lot about his head coach and a lot about the Iowa program as a whole.
Daniels could’ve easily taken the question and ran with it. He could’ve added insult to injury and kicked the Nebraska players when they were down, but he took the high road instead.
It certainly looked as if Iowa had broken Nebraska’s spirit in the third quarter while scoring 28 consecutive points in easy fashion, and we in the media presented it that way.
And maybe deep down Daniels feels that way. But there is a time and place to express those feelings, and this was neither the time nor the place.
Some might wonder why I’m focusing on a quote that was said nearly a week ago instead of on the breaking news from Thursday in which Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell and Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson combined to win three Big Ten individual awards.
Because the little things also matter when building and sustaining a successful football program. It's important to win with class and to lose with class.
Individual awards are a big deal to the players, to the coaches and to the fans because it’s important to be recognized for a job well done.
It also helps with recruiting as the Iowa coaches are sure to promote the fact that Jackson is the third Hawkeye defensive back since 2012 to win the Big Ten Tatum-Woodson award as the conference’s top defensive back.
Tyler Barnes wasted no time in promoting that fact as he posted it on Twitter shortly after the awards were announced. Iowa’s director of recruiting wanted to spread the word that defensive backs can thrive at Iowa.
The situation with Daniels was more subtle, but equally impressive in my opinion because he showed a level of maturity and a level of respect that sometimes gets ignored in this age of trash talking and divisiveness on social media.
The Iowa players certainly aren’t angels, but they mostly conduct themselves in a manner that is similar to their head coach.
The next time Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says something that an opponent could view as being disrespectful or as bulletin-board material will be the first time.
And it’s the same with James Daniels.
The strength of a program goes beyond just wins and losses and individual awards. It also matters how the players conduct themselves and Daniels is a star in that regard.
He respects his opponents and would rather praise a teammate than himself.
Daniels is an extension of his head coach.
All those thoughts came to mind when Daniels refused to say that Iowa had broken Nebraska’s spirit. To have said it might have given the impression that Nebraska quit, which is maybe the worst thing you could say about a team or about an athlete. And Daniels wanted no part of that.
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley caused a stir last season when he said after a 41-14 victory over Iowa that the Iowa players didn’t want to be there in the second half. That was another way of saying that Iowa quit in the second half.
It was disappointing to hear Barkley say that about an Iowa team, but equally disappointing that he would say it in the first place because it was disrespectful and unnecessary.