Iowa football experiencing youth movement that could point to bright future
Editor’s note: This is the third part to a series in which Pat Harty from Hawk Fanatic answers a question from a fan/reader about the Iowa football team. The series will run for the rest of the regular season and appears about once a week.
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – With exception to fifth-year senior Spencer Petras scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the first quarter, every point scored by the Iowa football team in last Saturday’s 33-13 victory over Northwestern was scored by either a freshman or a sophomore.
True freshman kicker Drew Stevens led the way with 15 points that came from four field goals and three point-after kicks. He has made 11-of-12 field-goal attempts this season, including a personal best from 54 yards against Northwestern, and he also excels at handling kickoffs.
Sophomore tight end Luke Lachey and sophomore receiver Arland Bruce both scored six points on touchdowns as Lachey caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Petras late in the second quarter, while Bruce scored on a 23-yard receiver sweep in the fourth quarter.
True freshman running back Kaleb Johnson also led Iowa in rushing with 88 yards on 14 carries, while redshirt sophomore defensive end Deontae Craig led Iowa with two tackles for loss, and he also had a sack and forced a fumble on his 21st birthday.
“We went out there and battled the full sixty (minutes) and gave this kid the best birthday present he could ever have,” Craig said to the media after the Northwestern game.
Sophomore defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness had one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss against Northwestern, while true freshman defensive lineman Aaron Graves had three tackles.
Sophomore cornerback Cooper DeJean had four tackles against Northwestern and has arguably been Iowa’s best player in a secondary that includes seniors Riley Moss and Kaevon Merriweather.
That’s a lot of contributions from underclassmen, and a reason to be encouraged, assuming they all stay at Iowa and stay healthy.
I bring this up as my answer to a fan who asked if there was any reason to be optimistic about the future of Hawkeye football.
This is the third part to a series in which I answer a question from a fan about Iowa football.
A cynic might try to downplay the win over Northwestern, which has lost seven games in a row, but a win is a win, and Iowa desperately needed a win after having lost its previous three games.
Iowa is 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten heading into Saturday’s game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Much of the attention will be focused on Purdue receivers Charlie Jones and Tyrone Tracy Jr. because they both transferred from Iowa, and because they both play prominent roles, especially Jones, who leads Purdue with 72 catches for 840 yards and nine touchdowns.
Jones is a sixth-year senior, while Tracy is a fifth-year senior.
Iowa will have to rely on some of its younger players as it tries to defeat Purdue for just the second time in the last six games.
Kaleb Johnson started the season no higher than third on the depth chart, but his playing time has increased throughout the season to where he is now probably the first option at running back.
Bruce has played a key role since joining the team last season, and he has added punt returning to his workload this season to help fill the void left by Charlie Jones.
Lachey leads the team with two touchdown catches, and he has been a nice complement to senior Sam LaPorta at tight end.
The fact that Lachey leads the team with just two touchdown catches speaks volumes about Iowa’s deficiencies on offense.
But he’s only a sophomore and just continues to get better.
So, while this season has been frustrating due mostly to the problems on offense, there is a nice blend of youth and experience on the roster, and to have so many underclassmen playing significant roles could speak well about the future.
So, there’s my answer.