Game Notes: Iowa at Indiana

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1: Iowa is 10-0 since the start of the 2017 season when scoring 20 points or more.
 
2: Iowa has won six of the last seven meetings against Indiana. The Hawkeyes are 20-18-1 all-time against the Hoosiers in Bloomington. Iowa won, 35-27, on its last trip to Bloomington in 2015.
 
3: Iowa allows 2.7 yards per carry, sixth in the country, and is one of two defenses in the country to have allowed only two rushing touchdowns (Southern Mississippi).

4: TE Noah Fant has 17 career touchdown receptions, more than any other tight end in program history and tying Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for fourth all-time in program history. He has five touchdowns in 2018, tied for fourth in the Big Ten and tied for the most among all FBS tight ends (Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M). He leads the team with 19 receptions. Fant’s 17 touchdown receptions tie for third all-time in Big Ten history by a tight end (Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin).
 
5: The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten in total defense (272.4), rushing defense (84.4), and passing defense (188.0). The Hawkeyes rank third in scoring defense (16.6). The Hawkeyes are the only Big Ten school to rank in the top two in all three categories.
 
6: QB Nate Stanley has nine touchdown passes this season, raising his career total to 35. Stanley is tied for eighth all-time in program history with James Vandenberg. He is two shy of tying Chuck Hartlieb for seventh all-time.
 
7: Senior C Keegan Render leads an offensive line that has allowed five quarterback sacks, fewest in the Big Ten.
The Hawkeyes start two sophomore offensive tackles (LT Alaric Jackson and RT Tristan Wirfs) and rotate starting guards who have a combined 12 career starts (RG Cole Banwart, RG Dalton Ferguson, and LG Ross Reynolds).
 
8: The 2018 season is the first in Kirk Ferentz’s 20 years that the Hawkeyes opened the season without a linebacker with a single career start. Iowa has used four different starting linebacker combinations through the first five weeks. SS Amani Hooker made his first career start at linebacker Week 5 at Minnesota. Hooker is the sixth Hawkeye to start at the linebacker position this season. The others include first-time starters LB Djimon Colbert, LB Jack Hockaday, LB Amani Jones, LB Nick Niemann, and LB Kristian Welch.
 
9: The Hawkeyes have 18 sacks in five games, tied for second in the Big Ten. Ohio State has 22 sacks in six games. Michigan has 18 sacks in six games. DE Anthony Nelson recorded a career-best three sacks at Minnesota and leads the Big Ten with 5.0 sacks. DE A.J. Epenesa is tied for third in the Big Ten with 4.0 sacks.
 
10: WR Nick Easley, WR Brandon Smith, and WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette combined for 14 catches, 198 yards, and two touchdowns in Iowa’s 48-31 win at Minnesota in Week 5. The trio entered the game with a combined 24 catches, 311 yards receiving, and one touchdown).
 
    THE SERIES
Iowa holds a 44-28-4 advantage in the series that began with a 13-6 Iowa victory in 1912. Iowa has won six of the last seven meetings. 
The Hawkeyes are 20-18-1 all-time against the Hoosiers in Bloomington. Iowa won, 35-27, the last time the Hawkeyes visited Bloomington in 2015.

     6 THROUGH THE AIR
     QB Nate Stanley has nine touchdown passes this season, raising his career total to 35. Stanley is tied for eighth all-time in program history with James Vandenberg. He is two shy of tying Chuck Hartlieb for seventh all-time. Five of Stanley’s nine touchdown passes this season have gone to TE Noah Fant. He and Fant have connected for touchdowns 16 times over the last 18 games.
     Stanley threw 26 touchdowns last year, one shy of tying the single-season record held by Chuck Long (27, 1985). Of those 26 touchdown passes, Fant caught a team-high 11 touchdown passes, followed by Nick Easley (4). In total, 20 of Stanley’s 26 touchdown targets return in 2018. TE T.J. Hockenson caught three touchdowns from Stanley in 2017, and WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette pulled in two touchdown receptions.
     Stanley threw for a season-high 314 yards (third career 300-yard game) and four touchdowns in Week 5’s win at Minnesota.  His 3,652 career passing yards rank 12th all-time.
 
     DOWN, DOWN, DOWN IN FRONT
     The Hawkeyes have 18 sacks in five games, tied for second in the Big Ten. Ohio State has 22 sacks in six games. Michigan has 18 sacks in six games. DE Anthony Nelson recorded a career-best three sacks at Minnesota and leads the Big Ten with 5.0 sacks. DE A.J. Epenesa is tied for third in the Big Ten with 4.0 sacks. Ten Hawkeyes have contributed to the sack total. DE Parker Hesse has two, and DE Chauncey Golston, LB Amani Jones, DT Cedrick Lattimore, DT Brady Reiff, DT Matt Nelson, LB Nick Niemann, and LB Kristian Welch each have one.
 
    NELSON EARNS B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
    DE Anthony Nelson was named Defensive Player of the Week following a three-sack performance in Iowa’s 48-31 win at Minnesota on Oct. 6. The honor marks the second time Nelson has been recognized by the Big Ten. He was named Freshman of the Week for his play in a 2016 win over Miami, Ohio.
Nelson matched his career-high with three sacks at Minnesota, all in the first half. He School recorded four solo tackles and one assist in the contest; the Hawkeyes recorded five total sacks and held Minnesota to 86 net rushing yards. Nelson leads the Big Ten with five sacks and has 18 tackles through five games. He also collected three sacks versus Miami, Ohio, as a redshirt freshman.
Nelson is the second Hawkeye to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors this season, as sophomore defensive end A.J. Epenesa was the co-recipient following Iowa’s win over Iowa State. Moss is Iowa’s first Freshman of the Week in 2018.
 
    EPENESA NAMED B1G CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
    DE A.J. Epenesa was named Big Ten Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa’s 13-3 win over Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Sept. 8. Epenesa was also named the league’s defensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
The Big Ten honor was the first of Epenesa’s career. The native of Glen Carbon, Illinois (Edwardsville HS), recorded a career-best two sacks against Iowa State, causing a fourth quarter fumble that was recovered by teammate Chauncey Golston.  Epenesa had five tackles in the game, and added a pass break-up.
 
     HOLD IT RIGHT THERE
     The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten in total defense (272.4), rushing defense (84.4), and passing defense (188.0). The Hawkeyes rank third in scoring defense (16.6). The Hawkeyes are the only Big Ten school to rank in the top two in all three categories.
     Iowa allows 2.7 yards per carry, sixth in the country, and are one of two defenses in the country to have allowed only two rushing touchdowns (Southern Mississippi).
     The Hawkeyes limited Iowa State to just 19 yards rushing in Week 2, and held Northern Iowa to six rushing yards in Week 3 – a total that ranks second all-time in the Ferentz era (20 years).
     Iowa has allowed just 79 first downs, second in the Big Ten and 10th in the country.
 
     POCKET PROTECTION
     Senior C Keegan Render leads an offensive line that has allowed five quarterback sacks, fewest in the Big Ten.
The Hawkeyes start two sophomore offensive tackles (LT Alaric Jackson and RT Tristan Wirfs) and rotate starting guards who have a combined 12 career starts (RG Cole Banwart, RG Dalton Ferguson, and LG Ross Reynolds). QB Nate Stanley has increased his completion percentage from 55.8 in 2017 to 61.7 through five games in 2018.   
 
    YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE
    TE Noah Fant has 17 career touchdown receptions, more than any other tight end in program history and tying Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for fourth all-time in program history. He has five touchdowns in 2018, tied for fourth in the Big Ten and tied for the most among all FBS tight ends (Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M). He leads the team with 19 receptions.
    Fant’s 17 touchdown receptions tie for third all-time in Big Ten history by a tight end (Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin).
    Fant has four touchdown receptions over the last three games. He had two touchdown receptions against No. 18 Wisconsin in Week 4. It was the fourth multi-touchdown game of his career. Since 2000, the only Big Ten tight ends with four multi-touchdown games are Fant (4) and former Penn State TE Mike Gesicki (4).
    Sixteen of Fant’s touchdown receptions have come from QB Nate Stanley over the Hawkeyes’ last 18 games. His first career touchdown reception came from QB C.J. Beathard (5 yards, at Purdue on Oct. 15, 2016).
His 17 career touchdowns have come from near and far, listed in chronological order: 5, 2, 27, 23, 7, 45, 25, 3, 6, 4, 69, 8, 1, 5, 20, 1, 5.
    Fant was one of 10 conference players named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List. He had 30 receptions last season, including a team-high 11 touchdowns, tied for most in the country among FBS tight ends and the most by a Hawkeye since Marvin McNutt caught 12 touchdown passes in 2012. Fant led Iowa and all FBS tight ends with 16.5 yards per catch in 2017.
 
    THE OTHER HALF OF THE TWO-HEADED MONSTER
    While TE Noah Fant receives national headlines, TE T.J. Hockenson has hauled in a team-high 287 receiving yards on 18 catches, one fewer than Fant. The duo rank 1-2 on the team in receptions, and have combined for 483 receiving yards on 37 catches, including six receiving touchdowns.
Hockenson added a rushing touchdown to his career stats at Minnesota, taking a direct snap on a fake field goal and rushing four yards for the score. Hockenson has been Iowa’s leader in receptions in Weeks 1, 2, and 4. His 15.9 yards per reception rank second on the team to Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
 
    RECEIVERS COME ALIVE AT MINNESOTA
    WR Nick Easley, WR Brandon Smith, and WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette combined for 14 catches, 198 yards, and two touchdowns in Iowa’s 48-31 win at Minnesota in Week 5. The trio entered the game with a combined 24 catches, 311 yards receiving, and one touchdown).
WR Nick Easley had a team-high six receptions (52 yards, 1 touchdown).
    Smith-Marsette finished the game with three catches for a career-high 78 yards. His 60-yard touchdown reception was a career-long reception. It was also Iowa’s longest play from scrimmage this season. Smith-Marsette added two kickoff returns for 83 yards.  
    Brandon Smith set career highs in receptions (5) and receiving yards (68). He entered the game with five catches for 78 yards this season.
 
     FOSTER INHERITS FRESH LEGS
     Running backs coach Derrick Foster is in his first season on Iowa’s staff in charge of a position group that graduated 75 percent of its rushing yards in 2017, and entered 2018 with one combined career start (Toren Young).
     RB Ivory Kelly-Martin made his first career-start and had a team and career-high 16 carries for 62 yards and one touchdown in Week 1. He missed Weeks 2-3 with an injury, but returned to the starting lineup and led Iowa with 72 yards on 14 carries in Week 4. Kelly-Martin started Week 5 at Minnesota and rushed a career-best 20 times.
     Young got the start in Weeks 2 and 3 rushed for a team-high both games. He is Iowa’s top rusher with 54 carries for 286 yards.  
     RB Mehki Sargent set career highs in rushing attempts (15), rushing yards (72), rushing touchdowns (2), and receiving yards (48) in Week 3. The junior college transfer leads the team with four rushing touchdowns, and ranks second in rushes (53) and rushing yards (184).
     The committee has combined for seven rushing touchdowns, four by Sargent, two by Young and one by Kelly-Martin.
     The Hawkeye do not have a junior or senior among the position group. Sophomores Kelly-Martin, Sargent, and Young are the elder statesmen of the group. Henry Geil is a true freshman (15 carries, 37 yards).
     Iowa graduated running backs Akrum Wadley (1,109 yards) and James Butler (396 yards) in 2017. The duo combined for 1,505 rushing yards in 2017.
    
     NEW FACES IN THE CROWD
     The 2018 season is the first in Kirk Ferentz’s 20 years that the Hawkeyes opened the season without a linebacker with a single career start. Iowa has used four different starting linebacker combinations through the first five weeks.
SS Amani Hooker made his first career start at linebacker Week 5 at Minnesota. Hooker is the sixth Hawkeye to start at the linebacker position this season. The others include first-time starters LB Djimon Colbert, LB Jack Hockaday, LB Amani Jones, LB Nick Niemann, and LB Kristian Welch.
     Week 1 starting linebackers Jones, Welch, and Niemann started for the first time in their careers in Iowa’s 33-7 win over Northern Illinois.
     Niemann started Week 2 alongside first-time starters Hockaday and Colbert in Iowa’s 13-3 win over Iowa State.
     Welch returned to the lineup in Week 3, starting alongside Niemann and Hockaday. The same trio started Week 4.
     Colbert, Hockaday, and Hooker got the start in Week 5.
     Niemann had not missed a start until Week 5. He suffered an injury in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin and is expected to miss 1-2 weeks.
     Hockaday (28) is the team leader in tackles (33), but he exited Week 5 with an injury and did not return. Jones played in his absence and led the team in tackles at Minnesota, but he was penalized and ejected for targeting in the final minutes, and could miss the first half of Week 6 at Indiana.
     Welch ranks third in tackles (27), despite missing Week 2 and seeing limited time in Week 5 due to injury.  
     The five linebackers (not including Hooker) entered the season with a combined 40 career tackles, 832 fewer career tackles than Iowa’s three starting linebackers in 2017 (Josey Jewell 437; Bo Bower, 234; Ben Niemann, 201).
     The last time Ferentz had this little starting experience at the linebacker position was in 2014. That year, Quinton Alston, Bo Bower, and Reggie Spearman were Iowa’s starting linebackers in the season opener. Only Alston had a previous career start (2012 at Michigan).
     In Ferentz’s first season in 1999, the opening day starting linebackers — LeVar Woods, Aaron Kampman, and Derrick Davison had two career starts combined. Both starts belonged to Kampman, who started the final two games in 1998.
 
     FERENTZ BECOMES IOWA’S ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH, MOVES UP BIG TEN CHARTS
     Head coach Kirk Ferentz (147-98) became Iowa’s all-time winningest coach on Sept. 1, 2018. The Hawkeyes defeated Northern Illinois, 33-7. It was Ferentz’s 144^th win as Iowa’s head coach, one more than his predecessor, Hayden Fry (143-89-6). Fry coached Iowa for 20 years (1979-98). Ferentz is in his 20^th season.
     Ferentz’s 147 wins in all games coached as a member of the Big Ten Conference rank fifth in league history. Iowa has at least eight wins in three straight seasons and owns a 32-13 mark since 2015.
     Ferentz has 87 Big Ten wins as Iowa’s head coach. The 87 conference wins rank sixth among the conference’s all-time winningest coaches in Big Ten games.
     Both Ferentz (147, 86) and Fry (143, 96) rank in the top six in overall wins and Big Ten wins. Only Iowa and Michigan have two coaches ranked in the top 10 of both win categories (Bo Schembechler 194, 143; and Lloyd Carr 122, 81).
     Iowa is the only school in the country to have just two head football coaches since 1979.
 
     FERENTZ TOPS IN LONGEVITY
     Kirk Ferentz is in his 20th season as Iowa’s head football coach. He is the longest tenured active head coach in college football. Ferentz was named Iowa head coach on Dec. 2, 1998. Gary Patterson of TCU is No. 2 in coaching tenure. Patterson’s first year with the Horned Frogs was 2001. Among Big Ten coaches, only Pat Fitzgerald (2006) and Mark Dantonio (2007) have been at their current schools for 10 seasons or more. Iowa is the only school to have just two head football coaches since 1979.
     Defensive coordinator Phil Parker and strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle are also in their 20^th seasons on Iowa’s staff. Defensive line coach Reese Morgan joined the staff in 1999 and is in his 19^th season. Quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe was on Ferentz’s original coaching staff before he left for the NFL following the 2011 season. He returned to Iowa in 2017 to coach Iowa’s quarterbacks.
     Ferentz is the only Division I coach to coach three sons. Brian Ferentz, a former Hawkeye letterman and captain (2003-05), is in his seventh season on Iowa’s coaching staff. James Ferentz was a three-year starter on the Hawkeye offensive line and a team captain before graduating in 2013. Steven was an offensive lineman and letterwinner in 2015 and 2016.
 
    TROPHY GAMES
    Three of Iowa’s first five games of the season were trophy games. The Hawkeyes defeated Iowa State, 13-3, to retain the Cy-Hawk trophy in Week 2, lost to No. 18 Wisconsin, 28-17, in a battle for the Heartland Trophy in Week 4, and defeated Minnesota, 48-31, to retain Floyd of Rosedale in Week 5.
Iowa is 12-3 in its last 15 trophy games, with all three losses coming to Wisconsin. 
The Hawkeyes defend the Heroes Trophy, their fourth of four trophy games, on Nov. 23 against Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium.
 
     FILLING HOLES IN TAKEAWAYS
     Iowa had four interceptions in Week 5 at Minnesota. True freshman DB Riley Moss and true freshman DB Julius Brents both recorded interceptions in their first career starts. Moss had two interceptions for 36 yards. Brents intercepted one pass (0 yards). Sophomore Geno Stone intercepted Minnesota inside the five-yard line on the Gophers’ final play of the game. Iowa last had four thefts in a game vs. Ohio State in 2017.
     The Hawkeyes have six interceptions in 2018, sixth in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes led the nation with 21 interceptions in 2017. The Hawkeyes return nine of the 21 thefts, led by safeties Jake Gervase (3) and Hooker (2). Returners DE Parker Hesse, S Geno Stone, LB Kristian Welch, and DL Brady Reiff also recorded interceptions last season.  Iowa lost the nation’s leader in interceptions, Josh Jackson (8), and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Josey Jewell (2), to the NFL. Both players were consensus All-Americans.
     Iowa has at least one interception return for a touchdown in each of the last 10 seasons (entering 2018), and 15 of the last 17 seasons.
 
    MOSS EARNS B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
    DB Riley Moss was named Freshman of the Week after recording a pair of interceptions in Iowa’s 48-31 win at Minnesota on Oc.t 6. The conference weekly honor is the first of his career.
Moss joined the Hawkeye program as a walk-on from Centennial High School in Ankeny, Iowa, and played primarily on special teams in Iowa’s first four games. Moss started for the first time at Minnesota and responded with four solo takles and one assist, to go with two interceptions. He collected his first career theft in the end zone late in the second period.  His second interception and 36-yard return led to a Hawkeye field goal and a 41-24 advantage in the fourth quarter.
 
     IOWA LEADERSHIP GROUP
     The University of Iowa football program has 12 players among its 2018 Leadership Group. The group includes six seniors, five juniors, and one sophomore. The Leadership Group votes on the weekly game day captains, is involved in team decision-making throughout the season, and provides feedback to the head coach.  Players were selected by team vote.
     The group consists of seniors WR Nick Easley, DB Jake Gervase, DE Parker Hesse, LB Aaron Mends, DL Matt Nelson, and OL Keegan Renders, juniors DB Amani Hooker, LB Amani Jones, DL Anthony Nelson, FB Brady Ross, and QB Nate Stanley, and sophomore RB Toren Young.
 
     BACK ON CAMPUS
     Four former players are on the University of Iowa football staff in 2018. Brian Ferentz, a three-year letterman from 2003-05, is in his seventh year on staff, his second as offensive coordinator. 
     LeVar Woods, a three-year letterman from 1998-2000, enters his 11th year on the Iowa staff. Woods was named Special Teams Coordinator in 2017. He coached tight ends from 2015-17 and linebackers from 2012-14. He rejoined the program as an administrative assistant in 2008.
     Kelvin Bell joined the Iowa program as a defensive lineman in 2000, but had his career cut short due to injury. He returned to the program as a graduate assistant and served as director of on-campus recruiting from 2012-13, before being named recruiting coordinator and defensive assistant coach in February, 2016.
     Broderick Binns, a four-year letterman from 2008-11, was named director of player development in April, 2016. Binns previously served as a graduate assistant in 2014 and 2015, working with Hawkeye special teams.
 
     HAWKEYE LEGACIES
     Iowa has six players on its roster whose father played for the Hawkeyes: TE Drew Cook (Marv in 1985-88), DL A.J. Epenesa (Epenesa in 1997), WR Henry Marchese (John in 1985), DE Anthony Nelson and DE Nathan Nelson (Jeff in 1990-92), and QB Ryan Schmidt (Rick 1984-85).
     Iowa has four sets of the brothers on the team: DL Jack Kallenberger and OL Mark Kallenberger, DL Anthony Nelson and DL Nathan Nelson, OL Landan Paulsen and OL Levi Paulsen, and TE Ben Subbert and LS Jackson Subbert.
     Iowa has two players whose brothers played at Iowa: LB Nick Niemann (Ben in 2014-17) and DL Brady Reiff (Riley in 2008-11). Both older brothers are currently playing in the NFL.
     LS Austin Spiewak is the grandson of Gary Grouwinkel, who played for Iowa in the 1957 and 1959 Rose Bowl Games.
     OL Trey Winters is the son of James Winters, a former All-Big Ten basketball player who led the Hawkeyes in scoring in 1994.
     LB Dillon Doyle is the son of head strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle.
 
     SEEING DOUBLE
     Junior offensive linemen Landan and Levi Paulsen are the sixth set of twins to play football at the University of Iowa. The offensive linemen from Woodbury High School in Northwest Iowa join the company of Leo and Lloyd Jensvold (1929-30), Harold and Herbert Shoener (1946-47), Kent and Kevin Ellis (1977-80), Aaron and Evan Kooiker (1992), and Shane and Shaun Prater (2008).
     The last brothers to start in the same game for the Hawkeyes were James and LeShun Daniels. James was Iowa’s starting center in the 2016 season opener against Miami (Ohio), and LeShun was Iowa’s starting running back.
     The last twins to start for the Hawkeyes were SS Kent Ellis and CB Kevin Ellis in 1980.

      HAWK TALK WITH KIRK FERENTZ
Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is featured on “Hawk Talk with Kirk Ferentz” each week during the regular season. The radio call-in show is hosted by Gary Dolphin, the play-by-play voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes.  The show airs live each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from Carlos O’Kelly’s in Iowa City. The Nov. 21 show has been rescheduled for Nov. 19 to avoid a conflict with an Iowa men’s basketball game.