Leshon Williams has joyful moment in Iowa’s win over Rutgers amid personal tragedy
Iowa running back Leshon Williams' touchdown run against Rutgers wasn’t like any other touchdown. It was a moment of joy for Williams amid a trying few weeks, The Gazette's John Steppe writes.
Highlights from Iowa's win
Injury updates
Iowa LB Jestin Jacobs left the game. WR Keagan Johnson didn't warm up. More context:
Some injury updates from KF…
— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) September 25, 2022
- The prognosis for LB Jestin Jacobs is “not good.” Came back from injury today, but left early on.
- Keagan Johnson’s injury (that kept him out today) is “soft tissue,” which is hard to predict.
Game Report: Turning point, key stats and more notes
The Gazette's Mike Hlas has a lot of nuggets here from Iowa's 27-10 win over Rutgers.
Iowa's defense takes center stage in a 27-10 win over Rutgers
Iowa’s defense forced three turnovers, avoided big plays and even scored twice in the Hawkeyes’ 27-10 blowout win over Rutgers Saturday, The Gazette's John Steppe writes.
Final: Iowa 27, Rutgers 10
The Hawkeyes (3-1, 1-0) get two defensive touchdowns and win their Big Ten opener. Rutgers is 3-1, 0-1.
Tory Taylor unleashes a 51-yard punt
Rutgers didn't have a returner back, trying to block the punt, and Tory Taylor took advantage. His punt rolled out of bounds at the Rutgers 6 (2:47 4th).
Rutgers turns it over on downs
Rutgers was backed up to fourth-and-28 and Evan Neal heaved it to the end zone. Kaevon Merriweather batted it down (perhaps not intentionally) and Iowa got the ball back at its 42 (3:49 4th).
After a first-down holding penalty, Aaron Graves sacked Neal for a loss of 8 to back the Scarlet Knights up even farther.
Iowa 27, Rutgers 10 (6:08 4th)
Clutch kick from freshman Drew Stevens. His 51-yard field goal went in off the left upright.
It was fourth-and-4 for the Hawkeyes from the Rutgers 33 after a third-and-1 misdirection pitch to Kaleb Johnson was blown up by Deion Jennings for a 3-yard loss.
It definitely seems settled now: Stevens is Iowa's go-to kicker. He's 4-for-4 on field goals after starting the year as the backup.
HE BANKS IT IN! 😎 The kick is good!
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 25, 2022
cc: @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/cRjIeHQKkw
Iowa 24, Rutgers 10 (11:15 4th)
Rutgers isn't done yet. Evan Neal delivered an 18-yard touchdown pass to Aron Cruickshank, who got past Iowa cornerback Riley Moss in the end zone on third-and-10.
That was a five-play, 63-yard drive. Neal also had completions of 31 and 14 yards to Johnny Langan and Cruickshank.
ON THE DOT! 🎯 @RFootball @Ac_Hollywood_ brings it in for the Knights! pic.twitter.com/pbkF6LLmQN
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 25, 2022
Arland Bruce IV makes a catch
Why is that 5-yard reception notable? It's the first reception for an Iowa wide receiver in the game, and it comes in the fourth quarter. The other nine completions went to tight ends and running backs.
Anyway, Iowa went three-and-out and Cooper DeJean made a great one-armed tackle at the Rutgers 37 after a 48-yard Tory Taylor punt (12:17 4th).
Rutgers turns it over on downs
Rutgers converted two fourth downs earlier in the game, but wasn't successful on a third. On fourth-and-4 from the Iowa 7, Ethan Hurkett and Deontae Craig pressured Evan Simon, who threw incomplete into the end zone (13:46 4th).
That put an end to a 16-play, 82-yard drive.
End 3rd: Iowa 24, Rutgers 3
Rutgers outgained Iowa 94-67, but again it's the turnover margin (1-0 in the quarter, 3-0 in the game) that was the difference (like it is in a lot of Iowa games).
The Scarlet Knights will try to punch it in to start the fourth and give themselves a chance. They picked up a fourth-and-3 at their own 39 with a 10-yard Evan Simon pass to Shameen Jones and are now at the Iowa 20, aided in part by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Logan Lee.
Another Rutgers turnover
Kaevon Merriweather picked off Evan Neal, his second takeaway after a fumble return for a TD in the first half. It's the Iowa defense's second pick and third takeaway of the game.
Rutgers had converted a fourth-and-2 two plays earlier and was at the Iowa 37.
Merriweather went 33 yards on the return to the Rutgers 45, 5:42 3rd.
Another big takeaway for @Kaevon02 and @HawkeyeFootball. 😤 pic.twitter.com/tCumAGdPL7
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) September 25, 2022
Iowa 24, Rutgers 3 (10:09 3rd)
Iowa started the second half with one of its best drives of the season (9 plays, 75 yards), ending with a LeShon Williams 2-yard touchdown run.
It's fitting Williams got the TD because he started the drive with runs of 8, 8 and 21 yards.
The tight ends got involved, too, with Spencer Petras completing passes of 11 yards to Sam LaPorta and 20 yards to Luke Lachey. On third-and-goal from the 14 after a sack, LaPorta drew a pass-interference penalty in the end zone to set up the score.
Hawkeyes are on fire. 🔥@LboogieG x @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/67ylDUawdL
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) September 25, 2022
Half: Iowa 17, Rutgers 3
It was a relatively decent half for Iowa, especially after the last drive, an 87-yard march. Still, the defense gave the Hawkeyes a 14-point lead with interception and fumbles returns for touchdowns.
Iowa outgained Rutgers 155-150 (5.7 to 4.4 yards per play) and the 2-0 turnover margin is the big difference.
Spencer Petras completed 7 of 10 passes for 98 yards, 66 of which went to Sam LaPorta on three completions. Kaleb Johnson carried nine times for 53 yards.
Rutgers QB Evan Neal was 12-for-21 for 106 yards and an interception that Cooper DeJean returned for a touchdown.
Iowa 17, Rutgers 3 (0:21 2nd)
Iowa settles for three points after its best drive of the game so far. Drew Stevens kicked a 25-yard field goal on fourth-and-4 from the Rutgers 7.
It was a 12-play, 87-yard drive highlighted by one of Spencer Petras' best passes of the season, a 42-yard delivery to Sam LaPorta.
Kaleb Johnson was the other star of the possession, rushing five times for 26 yards.
Rutgers stalls at midfield
Quinn Schulte made a solid open-field tackle after a third-and-6 completion, forcing a fourth-and-5 punt from the Rutgers 48.
Adam Korsak's punt rolled to the Iowa 6, 5:00 2nd.
Iowa 14, Rutgers 3 (8:28 3rd)
The Iowa defense strikes again. This time, Kaevon Merriweather scooped up a fumble and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
Rutgers looked to convert a third-and-5 as Evan Neal completed a short pass to Joshua Youngblood, but Sebastian Castro popped the ball free and Merriweather had a free lane to the end zone down the sideline.
Two TDs for the Hawkeye defense so far.
Iowa football doing what they do best: scoring defensive TDs 💪@Kaevon02 | @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/CyRJnHV1cI
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 25, 2022
After a sack, Iowa punts in Rutgers territory
Iowa briefly moved the ball effectively, picking up three first downs early in the drive. But Christian Izien was unblocked on first-and-10 from the Rutgers 45 and dropped Spencer Petras for an 8-yard loss.
Gavin Williams picked up 6 yards on a third-and-13 screen pass, then Tory Taylor was called on to punt on fourth-and-7 from the Rutgers 42. He kicked it out of bounds at the Rutgers 7, 9:18 2nd.
Rutgers goes three-and-out
We didn't have to wait nearly as long in the second quarter to see a punt. Evan Simon's third-and-3 pass was overthrown and Cooper DeJean hauled in Adam Korsak's 45-yard punt at the Iowa 11. Add on a 5-yard penalty for illegal formation and Iowa has it at its 16, 14:07 2nd.
End 1st: Iowa 7, Rutgers 3
The Hawkeyes lead despite totaling 26 yards (3.3 per play). Cooper DeJean's pick-6 is the difference.
Rutgers picked up 105 yards but the turnover was obviously costly, plus it had to settle for a red-zone field goal.
Iowa goes three-and-out
This drive seemed doomed from the get-go.
A holding penalty on Jack Dotzler backed the Hawkeyes up to a first-and-14. They were forced to call timeout with the play clock winding down. A play-action was blown up by a rushing Aaron Lewis. And Petras had to scramble for a 2-yard loss on third-and-7 after Kaleb Johnson picked up 7 yards on a second-down run.
Tory Taylor's punt was tipped, but still went 41 yards to the Rutgers 37, 0:31 1st.
Rutgers punts
Adam Korsak's first punt of the night is a 37-yarder fair caught by Cooper DeJean at the Iowa 21 with 2:35 left in the first quarter.
Rutgers converted a third-and-1 on the drive but Evan Simon's third-and-6 pass was a little high and off the fingertips of his intended receiver. He has started the game 7-of-14 for 62 yards and an INT.
Iowa 7, Rutgers 3 (5:26 1st)
Cooper DeJean, star.
The Iowa cornerback came up with an over-the-shoulder interception, then weaved his way through the Rutgers offense for a 44-yard touchdown. It's his third straight game with a pick.
From Mike Hlas: This is the 15th-straight season Iowa has had a pick-6.
Give an asisst to Lukas Van Ness, who crushed QB Evan Simon as he threw.
PICK-6️⃣!@cdejean23 x @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/q6Vc4fONN6
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 24, 2022
Iowa is the first to punt
Spencer Petras completed an 11-yard pass to a juggling Sam LaPorta on Iowa's first play from scrimmage after a 42-yard Kaleb Johnson kick return, but things went downhill from there.
Mason Richman was whistled for a false start, a Gavin Williams run went nowhere, Petras threw behind LaPorta incomplete and completed a 4-yard pass to Williams on third-and-15.
The real highlight, of course, was the first punt of the night, a 44-yard Tory Taylor boot that was fair caught at the Rutgers 4 with 8:11 left in the first quarter.
Rutgers 3, Iowa 0 (10:14 1st)
Jude McAtamney kicked a 27-yard field goal for the first points of the game.
Rutgers lined up to kick on fourth-and-8, then put its offense back on the field after an offside penalty on Iowa's Kyler Fisher. But Rutgers was flagged for a snap infraction and went back to the kicking unit.
It was an opening 12-play, 66-yard drive that included a 33-yard pass from Evan Simon to Shameen Jones. John Steppe points out that's the longest completion the Hawkeyes have allowed this season.
Iowa injury updates
The Gazette's John Steppe reporting from SHI Stadium:
• No sign of WR Keagan Johnson, so not expecting to see him tonight.
• LB Jestin Jacobs is participating in warmups.
• DL Noah Shannon is participating in warmups.
Get ready for Iowa-Rutgers
Let's get this out of the way to start. The expected puntfest is the internet's favorite storyline heading into Iowa-Rutgers.
Here are a few more links to catch up on before the game:
» Analysis: 3 keys to the game and a prediction
» Hlas: Lightning — be it offensive or meterological — not expected for Iowa-Rutgers
» GameDay feature: Iowa’s Logan Lee leads with maturity, becomes ‘more productive player’