Iowa FB notebook: Iowa QB Hank Brown joins select company
Iowa players, coaches keeping former Iowa LB Jack Campbell in their thoughts
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Nate Stanley still is the last Iowa quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards in game, achieving that milestone as a senior in 2019 against Illinois.
He also was until Monday the last Iowa quarterback to be named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, earning that honor in 2018.
Stanley now has to share the stage Hank Brown, who was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Brown was honored for his performance in this past Saturday’s 30-0 victory over Wisconsin as he completed 20-of-24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
The Nashville, Tennessee native, who transferred from Auburn prior to last season, was also selected as one of the Manning Awad Stars of the Week.
Iowa improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten and now faces Northwestern (6-2, 3-2) on Saturday in Evanston, Illinois, and in the newly renovate Ryan Field.
“I’ve learned just throughout my career like the balance of flushing it, but also still allowing that to propel us as a team just forward,” Brown said Tuesday. “And I think there’s plays that I can use to build on confidence, like hey, I’ve done this before, and so I know that I can allow that to just kind of stem into this week of practice and into this game.
“But ultimately, we’ve got to flush it and move forward and know where are feet are each and every day.”
Brown wasn’t aware of how long it had been since an Iowa quarterback had been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week until a member of the media told him on Tuesday.
“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet,” Brown said. “I think ultimately looking at our team and the game we played on Saturday, I think I might be getting the credit for that one, but that’s credit to our team. Our defense did an amazing job of getting us in good field position each time. Our offensive line allowed me to be comfortable out there, and then obviously, on the outside, playmakers made plays.
“It’s obviously cool that we get those awards, But just credit to the guys around me, too, that allow me to do that.”
Brown has a 5-1 record as Iowa’s starting quarterback this season and he has completed 109-of-169 passes for 1,190 yards and eight touchdowns.
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Kirk pays tribute to Jack Campbell: Former Iowa All-America linebacker Jack Campbell, who now plays for the Detroit Lions, has been on the minds of Hawkeye fans since he suffered what was described as a neck injury in this past Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
Campbell was injured on a play in which he and a teammate were tackling former Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson.
The Detroit Lions posted on social media that “Jack Campbell continues to rest and recover at a local hospital. Preliminary indications are positive and out of respect for Jack and his family, we will not share further information at this time.”
“You know, with Jack Campbell, we all became aware on Sunday shortly after what was going on there, and I want to share our support certainly to the family and, most importantly, to Jack,” Kirk Ferentz said at the beginning of his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “Been in contact with the family, expressed that to them, and they’ve kept us updated, but we’re going to respect their wishes right now. They’ll handle the information that comes out. When they think it’s appropriate, they’ll release that information and go from there.
“I think all of you know just how impactful Jack was in our program, what a tremendous person he is, what a tremendous player he’s been for us, and now he’s moved on and done the exact same thing in Detroit. Not only playing really well, but just a tremendous leader and tremendous addition.
“We’re all keeping him in our thoughts, and certainly hope everybody that’s a Hawkeye fan does the same.”
Campbell, who is from Cedar Falls, is the older brother of current Iowa defensive end Drew Campbell.

“We got great, young guys on our team, and they all care about each other, and they’re close,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Certainly everybody has been there for Drew. It’s just a tough thing.
“Your whole world stops when there’s a medical issue typically in the family, so I think everybody is being respectful of that and appreciative. We’re doing all we can to help him out. What we’re all hoping for is good news with each and every day.”
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Injury report: Ferentz said Tuesday that he doesn’t think starting center Cael Winter will play against Northwestern due to an injury.
“We’ll see, but not optimistic there,” Ferentz said. “Then we have a couple of other guys banged up. It’s that time of year, so we have some guys nursing injuries. Hopefully they’ll make it by game time. Optimistic they will, but we’ll wait and see how the week pans out on that one.”
Winter was injured in the win over Wisconsin.
He was replaced at center by Florida native Michael Myslinski, who is in his sixth season as a Hawkeye.
“Mike jumped in and did a really good job Saturday, not surprisingly,” Ferentz said. “I think he’s our most veteran player, quite frankly. Just had a 25th birthday last week.
“He did a great job Saturday, and every confidence he’ll play really well this weekend.”
Myslinski has had his Hawkeye career interrupted by multiple injuries, but he has stayed the course, earning the respect and admiration of his head coach.’
“The fact that he’s still doing this really I think speaks volumes of him because he’s dealt with some tough injuries, season-ending injuries,” Ferentz said. “.You get the physical rehab part of it, but there’s a mental game that gets played too. I have always felt like dealing with injuries is the hardest thing for any player to go through.
“So credit to him for working through the lows and the highs, and all he’s done this year is practice well. That was just like we got done talking about with the quarterback thing. He and Cael really battled it out, and Cael had him by a nose or whatever, but he was playing really well.”
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Not interested in watching: With the calendar having turned to November, members of the College Football Playoff are poised to release their first official rankings and bracket projection on Tuesday.
Kirk Ferentz was asked on Tuesday if he planned to watch the show on ESPN.
“Geez, I can’t wait!” Ferentz said sarcastically. “Yeah, that’s tonight? Not to be a smart ass, but no.”
Ferentz wants the focus to be on Saturday’s game at Northwestern.
“All I’ve learned in coaching is good things come with winning, so that’s really what we need to worry about,” Ferentz said. “Just like this (holds up paper), I mean, I doubt anybody had those two records down in July, so you can’t predict any of this stuff. If you are worried about that, you really are wasting time.
“I’m a lot more worried about getting ready for Northwestern, quite frankly, and then we’ll see where we’re at on Sunday. Then we’ll turn the page onto the next one.”
The college playoff currently consists of 12 teams, though the field is expected to climb to 24 teams possibly as soon as next season.
Iowa is currently ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press poll and No. 20 in the Coaches’ poll.