Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — October 2018 | I-Club Events Page | Gameday Information | Game Notes PDF
| IOWA at MARYLAND (HOMECOMING) |
| DATE | Saturday, Oct. 20 | 11 a.m. CT |
| LOCATION | Iowa City, Iowa | Kinnick Stadium (69,250) |
| RADIO | LISTEN | Hawkeye Radio Network | Hawkeye All-Access |
| TELEVISION | ESPN2 |
| LIVE UPDATES | @IowaFBLive |
| TICKETS | hawkeyesports.com |
1st and 10
1: The Hawkeyes lead the country averaging 33.1 yards per kickoff return. WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette has five returns for 187 yards. His 37.4 average is No. 1 in the nation.
2: Iowa’s defense allows 2.7 yards per carry, fifth in the country, and are one of four defenses in the country to have allowed only four rushing touchdowns (Alabama, Auburn, NC State).
3: QB Nate Stanley has 15 touchdown passes this season, second in the Big Ten. He has 41 career touchdowns passes, tying Matt Rodgers for fifth all-time. He is two shy of tying Matt Sherman for fourth all-time. Stanley set a career high with six touchdown passes Week 6 at Indiana. He has 14 touchdowns over the last four games. That touchdown total ties for the most ever over a four-game stretch in school history (Chuck Long threw 14 touchdowns over a four-game stretch in 1985).
4: TE Noah Fant and TE T.J. Hockenson rank 1-2 on the team in receptions, and have combined for 692 receiving yards on 45 catches, including nine receiving touchdowns. Hockenson averages 17.9 ypc and leads the team with 394 yards receiving. Fant has six touchdowns, tied for third in the Big Ten and tied for the most among all FBS tight ends (Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M). He leads the team with 23 receptions.
5: The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten in total defense (282.0), rushing defense (81.5), and scoring defense (16.5). Iowa is the only school to rank in the top two in all three categories. The Hawkeyes rank fourth in passing defense (200.5).
6: Senior C Keegan Render leads an offensive line that has allowed six 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 14 career starts (RG Cole Banwart, RG Dalton Ferguson, and LG Ross Reynolds).
7: Iowa has used five different starting linebacker combinations through the first six weeks. SS Amani Hooker made his first career starts at linebacker Weeks 5-6. He 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.
8: The Hawkeyes have 20 sacks in six games, second in the Big Ten. DE Anthony Nelson and DE A.J. Epenesa share the team lead and rank second in the Big Ten with 5.0 sacks apiece.
9: Iowa (5-1) is one win from becoming bowl eligible for the 17th time in the last 18 seasons.
10: Iowa is 11-0 since the start of the 2017 season when scoring 20 points or more. The 40-plus points scored at Minnesota and Indiana mark the first time in program history Iowa has scored 40 points or more in consecutive road Big Ten games in the same season.
THE SERIES
Iowa is 1-1 all-time against Maryland. Both teams won on the their home field. The Terps defeated the Hawkeyes, 38-31, at Maryland in 2014. It was the series’ first meeting. Iowa evened the series with a 31-15 victory at Kinnick Stadium in 2015.
HAWKEYE HISTORY
Iowa has played 1,239 games since beginning football in 1889. Iowa’s overall record is 646-554-39 (.537). That includes a 403-220-16 (.643) record in home games, a 243-334-23 (.421) record in games away from Iowa City, a 326-375-25 (.465) mark in Big Ten games and a 287-185-15 (.607) record in Kinnick Stadium.
HAWKEYES ON HOMECOMING
Iowa holds a 58-43-5 (.567) record in 106 Homecoming games. Iowa has won six of its last eight Homecoming games. The Hawkeyes have never before played Maryland on Homecoming.
Iowa is 18-5 on Homecoming since 1995, and 14-4 since 2000, including winning seven in a row from 2000-06. The Hawkeyes are 14-5 in Homecoming contests under Kirk Ferentz.
Saturday is the third straight Homecoming contest on Iowa’s 2018 schedule. The Hawkeyes won at Minnesota and at Indiana on both school’s respective Homecomings.
6 THROUGH THE AIR
QB Nate Stanley has 15 touchdown passes this season, second in the Big Ten. He has 41 career touchdowns passes, tying Matt Rodgers for fifth all-time. He is two shy of tying Matt Sherman for fourth all-time.
Stanley set a career high with six touchdown passes Week 6 at Indiana. He threw the six touchdowns to five different players, marking just the second time in program history five different Hawkeyes had a receiving touchdown in the same game. He also had 320 yards passing, the fourth 300-yard passing game of his career (third in the last four weeks). His performance earned him Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors.
Stanley has 14 touchdowns over the last four games. That touchdown total ties for the most ever over a four-game stretch in school history (Chuck Long threw 14 touchdowns over a four-game stretch in 1985). He has four straight multi-touchdown games, and 11 in his career.
Six of Stanley’s 15 touchdown passes this season have gone to TE Noah Fant. He and Fant have connected for touchdowns 17 times over the last 19 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.
STANLEY EARNS CONFERENCE AND NATIONAL RECOGNITION
QB Nate Stanley earned recognition from five Big Ten and national organizations following Iowa’s 42-16 win at Indiana on Oct. 13. He was named Big Ten Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com, Walter Camp national Offensive Player of the Week, CFPA National Player of the Week, and earned Davey O’Brien Award “Great 8” recognition.
Stanley completed 21-of 33 pass attempts against Indiana for 320 yards and six touchdowns. The scoring strikes covered 9, 28, 12, 11, 54, and 4 yards, and included five different receivers.
The six touchdowns tie Chuck Long for the second most in single-game history at Iowa. Long twice threw six touchdowns in a game, while the school record is seven (Chuck Hartlieb versus Northwestern, 1987). Saturday marked Stanley’s 11th career multi-touchdown game, and his fourth straight. He has 14 touchdowns over the last four games, which ties for the most ever over a four-game stretch in school history (Long, 1985).
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN IN FRONT
The Hawkeyes have 20 sacks in six games, second in the Big Ten. DE Anthony Nelson and DE A.J. Epenesa share the team lead and rank second in the Big Ten with 5.0 sacks apiece. Nelson recorded a career-best three sacks Week 5 at Minnesota. Ten Hawkeyes have contributed to the sack total. DE Parker Hesse and DE Chauncey Golston have two, and LB Amani Jones, DT Cedrick Lattimore, DT Brady Reiff, DT Matt Nelson, LB Nick Niemann, and LB Kristian Welch each have one.
HOLD IT RIGHT THERE
The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten in total defense (282.0), rushing defense (81.5), and scoring defense (16.5). Iowa is the only school to rank in the top two in all three categories. The Hawkeyes rank fourth in passing defense (200.5).
The Hawkeyes rushing defense ranks third in the country. The total defense ranks fifth.
Iowa allows 2.7 yards per carry, fifth in the country, and is one of four defenses in the country to have allowed only three rushing touchdowns (Alabama, Auburn, NC State).
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 held four of its six opponents to below 100 yards rushing.
Iowa has allowed 101 first downs, fewest in the Big Ten.
NUMBER ONE IN THE LAND
The Hawkeyes lead the country averaging 33.1 yards per kickoff return. WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette has five returns for 187 yards. His 37.4 average is No. 1 in the nation. Iowa has returned only eight kickoffs this season. Kyle Groeneweg averages 27.0 yards on two returns. Devonte Young has one return for 24 yards.
POCKET PROTECTION
Senior C Keegan Render leads an offensive line that has allowed six quarterback sacks, fewest in the Big Ten. The next closest teams have surrendered 10 sacks.
The Hawkeyes start two sophomore offensive tackles (LT Alaric Jackson and RT Tristan Wirfs) and rotate starting guards who have a combined 14 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 62.1 through six games in 2018.
YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE
TE Noah Fant has 18 career touchdown receptions, more than any other tight end in program history and enough for fourth all-time in program history. He has six touchdowns in 2018, tied for third in the Big Ten and tied for the most among all FBS tight ends (Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M). He leads the team with 23 receptions.
Fant’s 18 touchdown receptions rank third all-time in Big Ten history by a tight end (Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin).
Fant has five touchdown receptions over the last four 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).
Seventeen of Fant’s touchdown receptions have come from QB Nate Stanley over the Hawkeyes’ last 19 games. His first career touchdown reception came from QB C.J. Beathard (5 yards, at Purdue on Oct. 15, 2016).
His 18 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 had 102 yards receiving at Indiana in Week 6. It was his second career 100-yard receiving game (Nebraska, 2017).
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 394 receiving yards on 22 catches, one fewer than Fant. The duo rank 1-2 on the team in receptions, and have combined for 692 receiving yards on 45 catches, including nine 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 led or shared the team lead in receptions in Weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6. His 17.9 yards per reception rank second on the team to Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
SPREAD THE WEALTH
For just the second time in school history, five Hawkeyes had a receiving touchdown in a single game (at Indiana). QB Nate Stanley threw a career-best six touchdowns against the Hoosiers, to five different players (Hockenson x2, Fant, Easley, Young, Kelly).
The only other time five different players had a receiving touchdowns in a single game was the 1984 Freedom Bowl – QB Chuck Long threw six touchdowns to five different players (Hayes x2, Smith, Happel, Helverson, Flagg).
In addition to combining for three receiving touchdowns against the Hoosiers, TE Noah Fant (4-102) and TE T.J. Hockenson (4-107) both had 100-yard receiving games Week 6 at Indiana. It is the first time two Hawkeyes had 100 yards receiving in the same game since 2011 (vs. Pitt: K. Davis 10-129, M. McNutt 8-112).
KICKING THE TRAVEL BUG
Iowa has scored 40 points or more in its last three conference road games, dating back to last season (56-14 win at Nebraska; 48-31 at Minnesota; 42-16 win at Indiana).
The 40-plus points scored at Minnesota and Indiana this season mark the first time in program history Iowa has scored 40 points or more in consecutive road Big Ten games in the same season.
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 is 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.
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 Toren Young leads the team with 382 yards on a team-best 73 carries. He rushed for a career-high 96 yards at Indiana. He also hauled in his first career touchdown reception.
RB Mekhi Sargent has a team-best four rushing touchdowns. The junior college transfer has 63 attempts and 243 rushing yards, second on the team.
RB Ivory Kelly-Martin entered the season on top of the depth chart, but has missed three games this season due to injuries. He made his first career-start and had a team and career-high 16 carries for 62 yards and one touchdown in Week 1. He returned to the starting lineup and led Iowa with 72 yards on 14 carries in Week 4, and rushed a career-best 20 times in Week 5. He missed Weeks 2, 3, and 6 due to injury.
The trio of sophomores 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 five different starting linebacker combinations through the first six weeks.
SS Amani Hooker made his first career start at linebacker Week 5 at Minnesota He started again Week 6 at Indiana. 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.
Colbert, Welch, and Hooker got the start in Week 6.
Niemann had not missed a start until Week 5. He suffered an injury in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin and did not play at Minnesota and at Indiana.
Hockaday was the team leader in tackles before exiting Week 5 with an injury. He did not play Week 6 at Indiana. Jones played in Hockaday’s absence at Minnesota and led the team in tackles.
Welch leads the team in tackles (35), 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 (148-98) became Iowa’s all-time winningest coach on Sept. 1, 2018. The Hawkeyes defeated Northern Illinois, 33-7. It was Ferentz’s 144th 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 20th season.
Ferentz’s 148 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 33-13 mark since 2015.
Ferentz has 88 Big Ten wins as Iowa’s head coach. The 88 conference wins rank sixth among the conference’s all-time winningest coaches in Big Ten games.
Both Ferentz (148, 88) 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 20th seasons on Iowa’s staff. Defensive line coach Reese Morgan joined the staff in 1999 and is in his 19th 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.
FILLING HOLES IN TAKEAWAYS
Iowa has six interceptions over the last two games. The Hawkeyes had a pair of picks at Indiana in Week 6, and 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 at Minnesota. Moss had two interceptions for 36 yards. Brents intercepted one pass (0 yards).
Sophomore Geno Stone has started at strong safety each of the last two weeks, his first career starts, and has had interception in each game. Stone intercepted Minnesota inside the five-yard line on Minnesota’s final play of the game, and had a fourth-quarter interception against Indiana in the endzone.
The Hawkeyes have eight interceptions in 2018, tied for fourth 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 Amani Hooker (2). DE Parker Hesse, 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.
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.
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.
