Jay Higgins enjoying how Iowa’s defense is picking up the intensity

IOWA CITY, Ia. — The Hawkeyes put on a memorable performance defensively in last Saturday’s victory at home, and their star linebacker feels they’re ready to take the show on the road again.

It’s no mystery that Iowa’s defense has yet to live up to the lofty preseason expectations, but Jay Higgins feel the unit is trending in the right direction after stuffing Washington. The Hawkeyes held the Huskies to a season-low, 16 points. Not to mention Washington’s 393 yards of total offense was its’ second-lowest output of the year.

Higgins is happy about the Hawkeyes bouncing back after a rough outing at the Horseshoe, and believes the victory gives the team a lot of momentum.

“It’s really big, obviously we had our first loss last week in the Big Ten, so we understood everything was still on the table for us,” Higgins said. “It was a big response game for us, I think we did a great job from start to finish, and I liked how all three phases we played together.”

Iowa’s defense sacked Will Rogers four times, including two by Aaron Graves, forced two turnovers and recorded three stops on fourth down. Those are numbers Higgins finds promising, and he wants to build on that production. After all, he knows the defense still has plenty of room for improvement.

The Hawkeyes currently rank 29th nationally in total defense, including 18th against the run. However, Iowa (4-2) is 76th in the FBS in passing yards allowed. There are times when the defensive backs look like they’re on skates out in coverage.

That’s why Higgins is demanding each level of the unit, including defensive line, linebackers and the secondary to strive for perfection. In his mind that’s what going to help the defense finish strong down the stretch as the Hawkeyes approach the second half of their season. The defense didn’t allow Rogers time to throw in the pocket, and that appears to be a recipe for success to Higgins.

“Anytime that you have a pocket quarterback who’s not in the pocket you gotta hope that we’re doing something right on the back end,” he said. “They had talented receivers and capable guys, but if the quarterback is running for his life, he probably won’t have his eyes down the field, so credit to our d-line and how they were getting back there with the pass rush.”

Higgins is a team captain, and the heart and soul of the defense, so he embraces all of the responsibility and leadership. The Indianapolis native continues to be a tackling machine, and leads the team in stops. Higgins is currently tied for ninth nationally in tackles per game, and nearly doubles the next Hawkeye defender in that category.

His vision and instincts allows him to make plays all over the field, and a reason why he has two interceptions. With the defense cranking up the intensity, Higgins is confident that Iowa can be even better in the next six games, starting at Michigan State under the lights. As long as the Hawkeyes continue to play complimentary football for four quarters like they did against the Huskies, the sky’s the limit to Higgins.

“Special teams were running out there, offense was driving and doing what they do, defensively I thought we made some pretty big stops when we needed to.”