Jay Higgins eager for return to hometown and shot at Big Ten Title

IOWA CITY, Ia. — Iowa’s senior linebacker is preparing for the biggest game of his career Saturday, and looking forward to seeing a bunch of familiar faces at Lucas Oil Stadium.

After all, Jay Higgins was born and raised in Indianapolis, and his high school Brebeuf Jesuit Prep is a 23 minute drive from the venue. Higgins is expecting at least 60-plus loved ones to be on hand to watch him play for a Big Ten Championship.

All eyes will be on him, and he wants to take advantage of the spotlight. Michigan is huge favorites over Iowa, but being underdogs is nothing new to Higgins.

The Hawkeyes aren’t the media darlings, nor are they a flashy team. However, Iowa (10-2) is physical, fundamentally sound, and knows how to find ways to win. Although the Hawkeyes have won most of their games in ugly fashion, Higgins has enjoyed every moment of it.

“This is probably the most fun I had at Iowa so far,” Higgins said.

The six-foot-two, 233-pounder leads the Power Five, and is third in the FBS in tackles per game this season. For his heroics on the gridiron, Higgins earned first-team, All-Big Ten honors earlier this week.

He’s the enforcer of a unit that ranks seventh nationally in total defense. Regardless of how tenacious the Hawkeyes are on defense, Higgins knows they’ll be facing their toughest task of the season trying to slow down the Wolverines’ offense.

Michigan has a punishing ground game, and leads the league with 33 rushing touchdowns. The Wolverines’ offensive line is the nation’s best, and they have the Big Ten Running Back of the Year in Blake Corum, who has 22 rushing scores this fall. It just so happens that Iowa is very stingy against the run, and something has to give in Higgins’ eyes.

“We know going into it that Michigan’s a disciplined football team, and they obviously value the details,” he said. “So it’s up to us to get to the football, have bad intentions when we get there, and make those good running backs work for every yard that they get.”

Iowa has lost the past three meetings against Michigan (12-0), including the 2021 Big Ten Championship Game. Higgins was on the roster, but didn’t play in that contest. Now he’s eager to pud on the pads and bring down some ball carriers. No doubt Higgins want to put on a show in his hometown, and make his family proud. Iowa has never won an outright Big Ten Title under Kirk Ferentz, so accomplishing that feat would be epic to Higgins and his teammates.

“Obviously it would mean the world to this program, to the Iowa fan base,” the 21-year old said. “I just feel like we do things the right way around here, and it may not be pretty, and people may not like how it looks, but it’ll be a testament to us doing the right things.”

No one is really giving Iowa a chance in this matchup, but Higgins is ready to shock the world. The Hawkeyes are scrappy, and their games have been grinders. Meanwhile the Wolverines smashed each of their first nine opponents by double-digits. Higgins and other leaders like edge rusher Joe Evans are taking it upon themselves to dictate the flow of the game with physicality. Anything to prevent the battle from getting out of hand like the 42-3 rout two years ago.

Practice has been intense all week, and Higgins is hoping everything pays off on the biggest stage. The Hawkeyes didn’t make it to this point by accident. Which is why Higgins and the rest of his teammates are embracing this opportunity of a lifetime, and want to shower in the confetti once the smoke clears.

“Proud of my team for putting themselves in a position like this, to play in such a big game, and can’t wait to play back in front of my family in Indianapolis.