We have had several obvious bright spots this year: Beathard has looked great, Canzeri looks better than last year now that he's healthy, we know Ott is great when healthy, Jaleel Johnson has played extremely well, and King is one of the best CBs in the Big 10.
However, there are several other bright spots on this year's team that many (including myself) may not have noticed.
Below are some tweets quoted from @HawkeyeGameFilm. For those unfamiliar with him, he is a former defensive back who probably has as much football knowledge as almost any coach out there. He currently serves as a consultant for NCAA and NFL teams.
"Couple of notes from the game last night: 67 is for real; was all over the place and didn't stay blocked, same for 34, very active game"
However, there are several other bright spots on this year's team that many (including myself) may not have noticed.
Below are some tweets quoted from @HawkeyeGameFilm. For those unfamiliar with him, he is a former defensive back who probably has as much football knowledge as almost any coach out there. He currently serves as a consultant for NCAA and NFL teams.
"Couple of notes from the game last night: 67 is for real; was all over the place and didn't stay blocked, same for 34, very active game"
- 67 is Jaleel Johnson, and obviously he has been great all year. Most people have probably noticed Nate Meier (34) make some big plays too. He made some big plays last year though too as he has a great motor and is pretty quick for a DE. However, the difference this year has been his consistency. He's always been a pretty decent pass rusher, but he's been shedding more blocks and providing better support in the running game as well, which is sometimes difficult for him as a defensive end.
- The linebackers were a big question mark going into this season. So far, Cole Fisher (36) and Josey Jewell (43) have been very solid. I think Fisher has been particularly impressive, as I did not expect much from him a few months ago. @HawkeyeGameFilm has mentioned in the past that the first time he saw Fisher play he was impressed with his pass coverage abilities in space. IMO, he is similar to AJ Edds in his ability to pick up TEs and RBs in the passing game - very athletic and fluid player. However, from my understanding, Fisher's weakness has traditionally been in shedding blocks in run support. His offseason improvement in this department is the reason he is starting, and he had a nice game against Pittsburgh.
- This tweet is in reference to Miles Taylor (19) during the last drive of the game. Taylor is a player I have seen discussed by very few here so far. In some ways, that's a good thing because he has not been burned in the passing game. However, I also think he has been underappreciated in his support in the running game and also in limiting yards after catch in the passing game. I remember some of the BTN analysts talking about how impressed they were when they saw Taylor's physicality in practice. He loves getting his nose in there and disrupting plays. He is quietly having a very good sophomore season thus far. Frankly I was surprised he beat out Anthony Gair since Gair is a couple years older, bigger, was a well-ranked recruit, and I thought Gair had played well in limited playing time the last few seasons. I still think Gair is a fine player, but Miles Taylor is just too good to have on the bench.
- This tweet came during Pittsburgh's second-to-last drive after we stuffed Pitt on 3rd and short to force a 4th down. Many, including myself, were surprised that Narduzzi chose to punt on 4th down. I think our safeties, Taylor (19) and Lomax (27) had a lot to do with that decision. These are the most physical safeties we have had in a long time. I think everyone here is pretty familiar with Lomax as he has had a decent amount of experience going into this season, but along with Taylor, I think many of us are unaware of how well he has played this season. He has made a few mental mistakes (mainly the pass interference penalty that negated a King interception in week 1), but overall he has been very good thus far.
- Another tweet about Lomax, but I think this is a good illustration of our defense in general thus far. Last year was the worst tackling Iowa defense I have seen under Kirk Ferentz. Overall defensive talent level was not great last year, but it wasn't bad either. Lomax, for example, has a high ceiling IMO, but too many times last year he missed tackles in the open field. The same went for many others on defense, and that is why we allowed so many big plays last year, which is highly untypical of a Ferentz-led team. It looks like this past offseason our defense spent a lot of time on the fundamentals of tackling, and it has shown so far. Lomax has been very good through 3 games, as has the rest of the defense. Hard to remember many missed-tackles.
- Our tight-ends have been quiet, but Krieger-Coble made a couple big catches on Saturday. Would love to see the TE's get more involved, especially given our modest talent at WR. Our WR's have done a fine job of catching the ball so far this year, but with little separation things have been difficult for CJ. Mixing in the tight-ends more in the passing game can help alleviate some of this pressure.
