As bad as Iowa's offense has been, the defense has been equally good. Or have they? The defense was supposed to be elite this year, so how do they compare with their peers? Would it shock you to learn that going into the Ohio State, where the stats will inevitably get worse, Iowa ranks 5th in the league in total defense? That's closer to a middle of the pack defense than a great one.
LBs (A+) - Going into the season, Iowa had the top LB group in the league. While it was a major blow to have Jacobs go down early, the LBs have still be the top performing group on the defense. Jack Campbell, Iowa's all-American, leads the league in tackles and it's not even close. Seth Benson is 4th (although if I have to find a spot to pick on with LBs, it's been that Benson has virtually no solo tackles on the year and pads his stats by jumping on piles). That's about as solid as it gets. Imagine how good they'd be with Jacobs.
DLine (C) - Believe it or not, although Iowa gets a lot of credit for stopping the run, this year's rushing defense ranks just 8th in the Big 10, due in large part to OLines getting a lot of push off the ball against Iowa. Similarly, Iowa ranks 8th in the Big 10 in sacks, with just 2.2 sacks per game. Iowa's leading sacker, who was expected to be a major impact player this year, Van Ness, ranks just 10th in the league in sacks, while Graves is 22nd. Waggoner, a 5th year senior and highly rated recruit, hasn't really made his mark with just 18 total tackles this season.
DBs (A-) - Iowa's DBs are always going to be great under Parker. This year's group actually returned a 1st team all-American and the expectation would be they would be near the top of college football once again in interceptions. Although Cooper DeJean has emerged as a super star, the DBs haven't quite reached elite status yet this year. Iowa ranks #2 in pass defense, but they've managed just 6 interceptions, ranking #6 in the conference. Individually, DeJean ranks second in interceptions and is tied with Schulte at 11th in pass breakups. Moss has been somewhat invisible out there (probably because opponents are throwing away from him), but he's forced 2 fumbles, which ranks 3rd in the conference. Merriweather can lay the wood, and ranks 42nd in tackles, which is relatively low for a safety.
Punter (A-) - Punting is winning, until it's not. Taylor is having another great year, no doubt about it. He owns the dubious distinction of leading the league, by a wide margin, in punts, at 7 per game. To me, that's a recipe for punting is losing. Although Taylor ranks second in yards per punt, the leader from Michigan State averages 5 yards per punt more. Rutgers has a punter who hasn't had a touchback since 2019. As for leg, Taylor's long punt of the year ranks 63rd in college football with a 63 yarder, while 7 punters nationally have punts of 70 yards or longer. Thus, while Taylor is having a fantastic year, he's not quite at the all-American level he may be perceived as.
LBs (A+) - Going into the season, Iowa had the top LB group in the league. While it was a major blow to have Jacobs go down early, the LBs have still be the top performing group on the defense. Jack Campbell, Iowa's all-American, leads the league in tackles and it's not even close. Seth Benson is 4th (although if I have to find a spot to pick on with LBs, it's been that Benson has virtually no solo tackles on the year and pads his stats by jumping on piles). That's about as solid as it gets. Imagine how good they'd be with Jacobs.
DLine (C) - Believe it or not, although Iowa gets a lot of credit for stopping the run, this year's rushing defense ranks just 8th in the Big 10, due in large part to OLines getting a lot of push off the ball against Iowa. Similarly, Iowa ranks 8th in the Big 10 in sacks, with just 2.2 sacks per game. Iowa's leading sacker, who was expected to be a major impact player this year, Van Ness, ranks just 10th in the league in sacks, while Graves is 22nd. Waggoner, a 5th year senior and highly rated recruit, hasn't really made his mark with just 18 total tackles this season.
DBs (A-) - Iowa's DBs are always going to be great under Parker. This year's group actually returned a 1st team all-American and the expectation would be they would be near the top of college football once again in interceptions. Although Cooper DeJean has emerged as a super star, the DBs haven't quite reached elite status yet this year. Iowa ranks #2 in pass defense, but they've managed just 6 interceptions, ranking #6 in the conference. Individually, DeJean ranks second in interceptions and is tied with Schulte at 11th in pass breakups. Moss has been somewhat invisible out there (probably because opponents are throwing away from him), but he's forced 2 fumbles, which ranks 3rd in the conference. Merriweather can lay the wood, and ranks 42nd in tackles, which is relatively low for a safety.
Punter (A-) - Punting is winning, until it's not. Taylor is having another great year, no doubt about it. He owns the dubious distinction of leading the league, by a wide margin, in punts, at 7 per game. To me, that's a recipe for punting is losing. Although Taylor ranks second in yards per punt, the leader from Michigan State averages 5 yards per punt more. Rutgers has a punter who hasn't had a touchback since 2019. As for leg, Taylor's long punt of the year ranks 63rd in college football with a 63 yarder, while 7 punters nationally have punts of 70 yards or longer. Thus, while Taylor is having a fantastic year, he's not quite at the all-American level he may be perceived as.
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