By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill has been an easy target for criticism this season, and with much of it deserved.

The Santa Barbara, California native entered Saturday’s game against Rutgers completing just 41.6 percent of his passes for an offense that is ranked at or near the bottom nationally in multiple offensive statistical categories.

He also threw an interception near the Rutgers end zone late in the second quarter that kept Iowa from scoring any points in a game in which points were extremely hard to come by.

But to his credit, Hill kept competing and kept pushing forward and he would go on to play by far his two best quarters in the second half on Saturday as Iowa defeated Rutgers 22-0 at Kinnick Stadium.

“I’m just trying to grow each week,” Hill said. “I felt like we’ve gotten a little better each week that we’ve been playing, and the same goes for the offense. We’ve all been trying and we feel like we’ve been growing each and every week.

“And not just me. I wouldn’t be able to do it without the guys around me. The offensive line played great today, the running backs, just everybody all around. And I thought Brian (Ferentz) called a great game. They put a great plan together.”

Iowa improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten and clinched at least tie of the Big Ten West Division title with two games left in the regular season. A victory over Illinois next Saturday at Kinnick Stadium would give Iowa its second outright division title in the last three seasons.

Hill, who transferred from Wisconsin before the season, passed for 223 yards and one touchdown in Saturday’s game, marking the first time this season that an Iowa quarterback has surpassed 200 passing yards in a game, and for just the fourth time since the start of last season.

His touchdown pass of 10 yards was thrown to sophomore receiver Kaleb Brown in the fourth quarter.

Brown has made a significant contribution in each of the past two games after having played sparingly for most of the season.

And though the first half ended with Hill throwing an interception, Iowa drove nearly 70 yards on that possession, gaining momentum and confidence that carried to the second half.

“Regardless of how it ended, obviously, not the way I wanted it or the way we wanted it to end, I think that built momentum,” Hill said. “And it was like, alright guys, let’s just keep doing this. We know we can do it. We just did it, so let’s keep it going in the second half.”

Perhaps the best word to describe the 6-foot-3, 258-pound Hill, besides large, is resilient because some quarterbacks might have buckled under the pressure and disappointment, and from the mounting criticism.

But Hill has stayed the course and now his team is just one victory from playing in the Big Ten Championship game.

“You talk about resiliency, that’s the first word I would use for him,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “Because I’m guessing he’s hearing a lot of negative things out there.”

Hill has had to endure the firing of Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, which will happen after the season, and a barrage of criticism from fans that are frustrated with the offense.

“He just keeps his head down and keeps working every day,” Iowa left tackle Mason Richman said of Hill. “He’s the same guy every day.”

Hill was thrust into a tough situation when starting quarterback Cade McNamara suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter against Michigan State in the fifth game of the season.

And it’s mostly been a struggle, until Saturday.

There have been times when Hill has looked overmatched, but Kirk Ferentz stuck with him, and both were rewarded with Hill’s gutsy performance on Saturday.

When Saturday’s game ended, multiple Iowa players ran up to Hill to congratulate him on the field, and it was well-deserved because the offense finally did its part by producing a season-high 402 yards against a respectable defense.

It marked the first time in 32 games that Iowa has finished with at least 400 yards.

Iowa also had 11 offensive possessions in Saturday’s game without one three-and-out, and the Hawkeyes have now won 16 of their last 17 games in the month of November.

The defense and special teams were rock-solid as usual, but they also had help from the offense for a change in what was Iowa’s best all-around performance this season.

Saturday’s shutout was the first for Iowa this season, and the third since the start of last season.

The Scarlet Knights entered Saturday’s game averaging 184.7 rushing yards per game, but they managed just 34 yards on the ground.

“That’s definitely a goal of ours every week,” senior linebacker Jay Higgins said of pitching a shutout.

The Iowa defense has only allowed one touchdown over the past four games.

Drew Stevens also made three field goals, while Tory Taylor averaged 47.7 yards on three punts.

The fact that Taylor only punted three times in Saturday’s game is proof of how well the offense performed.

It took a while for Hill and for his offensive cohorts to start clicking as the first quarter ended with neither team having scored, and with Hill having completed just 1-of-5 passes for one yard.

Leshon Williams gained nine and 24 yards, respectively, on the first two plays from scrimmage, but the drive ended with Stevens missing a 47-yard field-goal attempt.

Rutgers had 78 yards in the first quarter, but self-destructed by committing three penalties on third down, including false starts on back-to-back plays near midfield.

Iowa finally broke the scoreless tie on a 32-yard field goal by Stevens with 2 minutes, 50 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Hawkeyes were threatening to score again until cornerback Max Melton intercepted Hill’s pass at the Rutgers 8-yard line with nine seconds left before halftime.

Rutgers only had 107 yards in the first half, were 1-of-5 on third-down and had five penalties.

Iowa finished the first half with 184 yards, had zero penalties and converted on 5-of-10 third-down plays.

The Scarlet Knights drove to near midfield on the first offensive possession in the third quarter, and they were poised to go for it on 4^th-and-1 until being called for yet another false start.

Iowa then doubled its lead t 6-0 as Stevens made a 43-yard field goal with 4:18 left in the third quarter.

Iowa would go on to score 16 points in the fourth quarter to put the put the game away.

Rutgers 0 0 0 0 – 0

Iowa 0 3 3 16 – 22

I – Drew Stevens 32 FG

I – Stevens 43 FG

I – Jaziun Patterson 3 run (pass failed)

I – Stevens 24 FG

I – Kaleb Brown 10 pass from Hill (Stevens kick)