Iowa downs Purdue and moves up to second place in Big Ten West

IOWA CITY, Ia. — It was Homecoming at Kinnick Stadium Saturday, and the Hawkeyes took advantage of the spotlight in front of all the fans, alumni and former players.

After all, Iowa held Purdue scoreless in the first and third quarter, and made the necessary plays in the clutch to win the game 20-14. A crowd of 69,250 watched as the Hawkeyes downed a conference opponent for a second-straight week, and now they’re No. 2 in the Big Ten West standings.

Coach Kirk Ferentz thought his defense put on a show, while the offense executed just enough, and special teams play remained solid throughout the afternoon.

“Today was clearly the best job we’ve done, and I thought the guys really worked hard and dug hard out there,” Ferentz said. “We have a lot of respect for their quarterback, what a competitor, but he gave us a chance to get there a little bit, too, he didn’t always get the ball out.”

Purdue (2-4) scored 44 points in last week’s win over Illinois. However, the Hawkeyes held the Boilermakers to their lowest-point total of the season. There’s no denying the defense set the tone early up front, and controlled the trenches. Iowa’s 181 rushing yards were its’ second-highest output of the season.

Running back Kaleb Johnson rushed for 110 of his 134 yards in the first half. His performance took Ferentz by surprise, because Johnson had just returned to the lineup after he missed the past three games with a high ankle sprain. Johnson had a 67-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game, which ignited the crowd, and made Ferentz smile.

“I was skeptical Monday and Tuesday, quite frankly; for a running back with an ankle injury, you always worry about that,” he said. “But he (Johnson) looked like he was a hundred percent, and good to get him back.”

Sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill played a good game manager for his first start of the year. He overthrew some receivers at times, but a lot of his passes were drops. Hill did his best to improvise and extend plays for the offene. The Californian completed six of his 21 passes for 110 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Hill’s interception came off a deflected ball. His completion percentage was alarming, but Ferentz thought Hill had the jitters on a few of his throws.

“I told him maybe I thought he was pressing a little bit and just to relax, just keep playing and you’re going to be okay,” the 68-year old coach said. “Don’t squeeze the club, you know, whatever it is, to me, you try too hard sometimes when you are throwing the ball.”

Purdue led Iowa in yards, plays, first downs and time of possession, but still lost the game. That’s because of the play from the Hawkeyes’ defense, and field position. Iowa’s defense was on the field for a jaw-dropping, 80 plays, but depth kept the unit fresh. The Boilermakers were stopped on two fourth down attempts too.

Linebacker Jay Higgins led the Hawkeyes with 12 tackles, and picked off a pass. Defensive back Cooper DeJean showed off his ball-hawking skills when he intercepted a pass, and nearly returned it all the way for a score. Defensive lineman Logan Lee put together a monster performance, with 10 stops, including 2.5 for loss and two sacks. Lee’s fellow defensive linemen Joe Evans, Deonte Craig, Max Llewellyn and Aaron Graves all put the quarterback to the turf too.

Above all, Ferentz thought his team executed when they needed to. He’s encouraged by the improvement each week, which is necessary as the Hawkeyes navigate through the Big Ten meat grinder. Now Iowa (5-1) has a road trip to Wisconsin looming, and that’ll be a battle for the top spot in the West. Regardless, Ferentz can’t wait to watch film, and anticipates an intense practice next week.

“Certainly a lot to clean up, a lot to play for and I just told them to enjoy the win.”