Game Notes: Iowa vs. Michigan State

1st and 10

1: Kirk Ferentz’s 162 wins in all games coached as a member of the Big Ten Conference tie Joe Paterno for fourth all-time in league history. Ferentz is one of five coaches in Big Ten Conference history to win at least 150 games as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The top five includes Woody Hayes (202), Amos Alonzo Stagg (199), Bo Schembechler (194), Joe Paterno (162), and Ferentz (162).

2: DT Daviyon Nixon leads the country in tackles-for-loss per game with 2.75. Nixon has 5.5 tackles for loss, the most in the Big Ten. He has 18 tackles, tied for the most on the team and more than any other Big Ten defensive linemen.

3: P Tory Taylor leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the country averaging 46.1 yards per punt. The freshman has downed half of his 10 punts inside the 20. The other five punts have ended in a fair catch with no return. Only one of Taylor’s 10 punts has been returned, and it went for minus-eight yards.

4: TE Sam LaPorta leads Iowa and all Big Ten tight ends in receptions (11) and receiving yards (117). Only twice since 1992 has a tight end led Iowa in season receiving yards. Alan Cross in 1992 (55-640) and T.J. Hockenson in 2018 (49-760).

5: RB Tyler Goodson has started the last six games at running back. He has scored a rushing touchdown in five of those six games. Goodson leads Iowa in rushing attempts (29) and rushing yards (120), and is tied for third on the team with seven receptions.

6: K Keith Duncan is Iowa’s all-time career leader in field goal percentage (85.7). He has made 42-of-49 career field goal attempts. He is 20-of-20 in his career inside 30 yards, and has made 40 consecutive PATs and nine consecutive field goals.

7: QB Spencer Petras has 481 yards passing through two games, the most by an Iowa quarterback since Jake Rudock passed for 572 yards in the opening two games of 2014.

8: Three Hawkeyes in three different levels of the defense are tied for the team lead with 18 tackles. FS Jack Koerner, LB Nick Niemann, and DL Daviyon Nixon are tied for the team lead and rank sixth in the Big Ten in tackles.

9: Iowa is the fifth youngest team in the country with 71.5 percent of its roster made up of true freshmen (31), redshirt freshmen (30) and sophomores (27). Oregon (73.6), Florida State (72.6), E. Carolina (72.2) and Stanford (71.6) make up the top four.

10: Iowa has 56 interceptions since 2017, tied for fourth in the country over the last three-plus years (Alabama, Appalachian State, Louisiana Tech all have 57). The Hawkeyes intercepted two passes in the season opener and one in Week 2. LB Barrington Wade recorded the first of his career, and CB Matt Hankins recorded his third. FS Jack Koerner had an interception Week 2, the second of his career.

WARMING UP THE ARM

QB Spencer Petras has 481 yards passing through two games, the most by an Iowa quarterback since Jake Rudock passed for 572 yards in the opening two games of 2014.

Petras threw for 265 yards Week 1, the most by a Hawkeye quarterback making his first career start since Jon Beutjer in 2000 (380 yards). Petras was the fifth Hawkeye quarterback under Ferentz to make his first career start on opening day. He led the Iowa offense to 460 total yards, its highest total in a Big Ten game since 2018 against Indiana (479).

Petras threw 50 times Week 2 in his Kinnick Stadium debut. The last Iowa quarterback to throw the ball 50 or more times in a game was Jack Rudock, who attempted 56 passes against Maryland in 2014.

Petras has 89 pass attempts through two weeks, the most by any Big Ten quarterback. He entered the season with 11 career pass attempts.

Petras connected with WR Brandon Smith for his first career touchdown, a 7-yards completion Week 2 against Northwestern.

NEW DRIVER, EXPERIENCED WHEELS

Iowa returns its top seven pass catchers from 2019, including wide receivers Nico Ragaini, Brandon Smith, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and Tyrone Tracy; running backs Tyler Goodson and Mekhi Sargent; and tight end Sam LaPorta. The group combined for 216 receptions, 2,681 yards, and 15 touchdowns. Those numbers include 89 percent of last year’s total receptions, 90 percent of last year’s receiving yards, and 94 percent of last year’s receiving touchdowns.

That group accounts for 43 of Iowa’s 48 receptions, and 458 of Iowa’s 481 receiving yards.

LAPORTA LEADS ALL PASS CATCHERS

TE Sam LaPorta leads Iowa and all Big Ten tight ends in receptions (11) and receiving yards (117). Only two times since 1992 has a tight end led Iowa in season receiving yards. Alan Cross in 1992 (55-640) and T.J. Hockenson in 2018 (49-760).

Iowa wide receivers account for one-half of the team’s 48 receptions. WR Nico Ragaini, WR Brandon Smith, WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette and WR Tyrone Tracy combine for 24 receptions and 266 receiving yards. Smith has the Hawkeyes’ lone touchdown reception.

THAT’S NOT A PUNT, THIS IS A PUNT

Melbourne, Australia, native Tory Taylor leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the country averaging 46.1 yards per punt. The freshman has downed half of his 10 punts inside the 20. The other five punts have ended in a fair catch with no return. Only one of Taylor’s 10 punts has been returned, and it went for minus-eight yards.

GOODSON LEADS GROUND GAME

RB Tyler Goodson has started the last six games at running back. He has scored a rushing touchdown in five of those six games. Goodson leads Iowa in rushing attempts (29) and rushing yards (120), and is tied for third on the team with seven receptions.

Goodson started the final four games of 2020 and became the first true freshman in program history to lead the team in single-season rushing yards (638). The last redshirt freshman to lead Iowa in single-season rushing yards was Ladell Betts in 1998 (679 yards). Goodson led the team with five rushing touchdowns, and had 24 receptions for 166 yards. His 158 combined touches led the team.

In Iowa’s 23-19 win against #7 Minnesota in 2019, Goodson became the first true freshman to start at running back under Ferentz since 2012 (Greg Garmon).

DUNCAN GETTING HIS KICKS

Senior K Keith Duncan is Iowa’s all-time career leader in field goal percentage (85.7). He has made 42-of-49 career field goal attempts. He is 20-of-20 in his career inside 30 yards, and has made 40 consecutive PATs and nine consecutive field goals.

Duncan led the country with a Big Ten single-season record 29 field goals made in 2019, and was a consensus first-team All-American, the 26th in program history. Duncan was named the Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year in the Big Ten Conference in 2019, and was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award.

Duncan has two game-winning field goals in his career. He kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to defeat No. 2 Michigan, 14-13, at home in 2016. He connected on a 48-yard attempt to give Iowa a 27-24 lead with one second left at Nebraska in 2019.

NIXON EMERGES AS BIG TEN’S BEST

Junior DT Daviyon Nixon leads the country in tackles-for-loss per game with 2.75. Nixon has 5.5 tackles for loss, the most in the Big Ten. He has 18 tackles, tied for the most on the team and more than any other Big Ten defensive linemen.

Nixon set career highs in tackles in Week 1 and Week 2. He registered seven stops in the season opener at Purdue, and bested that with 11 tackles in the home opener against Northwestern.

Nixon had one career start and 13 games played entering 2020. His career totals included 36 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. He is one of three new starters on Iowa’s defensive line. Senior Chauncey Golston is the lone returning frontline starter on a defense that ranked in the top 20 in scoring, rushing, passing, and total defense in 2019. Iowa was fifth in the country in scoring defense (14.0 ppg), 12th in total defense (308.2 ypg), 14th in rushing defense (112.5), and 19th in passing defense (195.7 ypg). The Hawkeyes held seven-of-13 opponents to their season-low point total. Golston is the lone returner among the front four. He led the Big Ten and ranked sixth in the nation with three fumble recoveries last season.

Iowa ranks third in the Big Ten in rush defense (123.5), total defense (329.5), and sacks (5.0). The Hawkeyes are ranked second in yard per carry allowed (2.8).

In 2019, Iowa’s scoring defense (14.0) was the second lowest total of the Ferentz era (13.0 in 2008). The Hawkeyes allowed just 16.6 first downs per game, 12th fewest in the country and third in the Big Ten, and just 21 touchdowns, third fewest in the country (San Diego State 19, Georgia 20).

3 LEVELS OF THE POWER TRIO

Three Hawkeyes in three different levels of the defense are tied for the team lead with 18 tackles apiece. FS Jack Koerner, LB Nick Niemann, and DL Daviyon Nixon are tied for the team lead and rank sixth in the Big Ten in tackles.

Koerner matched his career high with 13 tackles in the season opener. Nixon set career mark in both Week 1 and Week 2, with seven and 11 tackles each week, respectively. Niemann had eight tackles in Week 1, and matched his career high with 10 tackles Week 2.

BENSON SHINES IN FIRST CAREER START

Sophomore LB Seth Benson recorded a career-high 13 tackles in his first career start Week 2 against Northwestern. It was Benson’s first appearance of the season. He missed the opener with an injury.

Benson appeared in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2019, and saw limited action in three games as a true freshman in 2018. He entered his first career start with 11 career tackles.

Benson is the second Hawkeye in as many weeks to have 13 tackles. FS Jack Koerner led Iowa with 13 stops Week 1.

GOING THE OTHER WAY

Iowa has 56 interceptions since 2017, tied for fourth in the country over the last three-plus years (Alabama, Appalachian State, Louisiana Tech all have 57).

The Hawkeyes intercepted two passes in the season opener and one in Week 2. LB Barrington Wade recorded the first of his career, and CB Matt Hankins recorded his third. FS Jack Koerner had an interception Week 2, the second of his career.

Iowa intercepted at least one pass in the final seven games of the 2019 season, including a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown by LB Ben Niemann at the 2019 Holiday Bowl. Niemann’s interception was the first of his career, Iowa’s final score of the season, and extended the Hawkeyes’ streak with a pick-six to 12 consecutive seasons. Iowa has had at least one interception returned for a touchdown in 17 of the last 19 seasons.

The Iowa secondary returns two starters from 2019 in cornerback Matt Hankins and safety Jack Koerner. In addition, Dane Belton started four games at the “cash” position last year as a true freshman. He has split time between “cash” and safety to start the season.

THE SERIES

Iowa holds a 23-22-2 advantage in the series that began with a 21-7 Michigan State win in 1953. That first meeting, played in Iowa City on Sept. 26, 1953, marked MSU’s first game as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Kirk Ferentz recorded his first Big Ten win as Iowa’s head coach when the Hawkeyes topped Michigan State (21-16) in Iowa City, in 2000. The teams have played two overtime contests, with Iowa winning both in double overtime (34-27 in 2007 and 19-16 in 2012).

Michigan State has won the last three meetings, including a 16-13 win at the 2015 Big Ten Championship game. Iowa is 13-10-1 at home against the Spartans.

HAWK TALK WITH KIRK FERENTZ

Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is featured on “Hawk Talk with Kirk Ferentz” each week during the regular season. This year’s show will be held virtually and streamed live from 6:30-8 p.m. (CT) on the Hawkeye Radio Network, KCRG 9.2 and the Hawkeye Radio Network YouTube channel.