IOWA CITY — Its coaches won’t say it or publicly agree with it. If grilled under a polygraph, however, they might concede Iowa has had college football’s best defense over the last two years.
“I would say not,” said Hawkeyes defensive line coach Kelvin Bell said Friday, minus the polygraph, “because we didn’t win the national championship. That’s my standard. I think if you win it you have the right to say you’re the best in the country. I really do, regardless what the stats say.”
Iowa linebackers coach Seth Wallace also tempers the “best in the nation” argument, noting “We were not very good last year in takeaways. That’s one thing that kind of sits in your craw.”
Iowa had an atypically low number of takeaways last season, with 15 in 14 games. It had 23 in 2022, and a nation-best 31 in 2021. OK, so there’s room for improvement, which should terrify this year’s Hawkeye opponents.
In fewest points allowed per game over the last two seasons, Michigan led FBS with 13.1 Iowa was second at 14.1. The Hawkeyes’ defense, though, was on the field for 8.5 more plays per game than the Wolverines.
Iowa is third in total defense over those two years, with 276.9 yards allowed per game to Air Force’s 266.0 and Michigan’s 268.8. The Hawkeyes faced 15 more plays per game than Air Force, which has a time-chewing triple option offense.
Iowa led the nation in fewest yards per play in both of the last two seasons with a measly 4.03. Penn State is the next-closest at 4.40.
“We've been out there for a significant amount of plays over the course of the two years,” Wallace said. “So I think that number is even more significant.
“That is one stat, especially in the linebacker room, where they take a lot of pride in it and want to continue to uphold that standard.”
Even national-champ Michigan’s offense was muffled against Iowa, with just 12 first downs and 213 yards in its 26-0 win in the Big Ten title game. The Wolverines averaged less than two yards per rush. Its two touchdown drives were 5 and 6 yards.
And here’s the thing: Iowa’s defense could be better this year. Never has it been so experienced, nor will it be again.
“It’s so freaking important, so freaking, you know, fortunate that we’ve just got so much experience coming back,” Wallace said.
So freaking experienced. The NCAA waiver year for the COVID-19 pandemic was a gift that could help give Hawkeye football entry into the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
Four projected Iowa defensive starters are sixth-year seniors. Four more are fifth-year seniors. Two of the other three — new defensive line starters Aaron Graves and Ethan Hurkett — combined for 86 tackles last season.
The 11 first-teamers have a combined 169 games started. They’re more than experienced, they’re really good.
Jay Higgins led the nation in tackles last season and was an All-America linebacker. His partner at the position, Nick Jackson, is 12th on the NCAA’s all-time tackles list and is in reasonable striking distance of finishing first.
“In the college setting, we’re kind of old,” Jackson said.
The secondary has three of those sixth-year players, including third-team All-America Sebastian Castro, who may have led the Hawkeyes in game-changing plays last season. He definitely led them in interceptions and passes broken up.
Sixth-year safety Quinn Schulte decided dental school could wait another year. Castro decided the NFL could wait another year. You don’t do that if you think you’re headed back to a Citrus or Music City bowl.
All the game experience, Castro said, “slows things down. You've seen it over and over. When you’ve got a group of guys that have been in the same shoes as you, it makes things easier.”
New Hawkeye football radio commentator Pat Angerer, an All-America linebacker for the Hawkeyes in 2009, notes depth must be proven on the defensive line, but succinctly described what’s in place.
“You’ve got a stud D-line,” Angerer said. “You’ve got a stud secondary. You’ve got two of the best linebackers in the country.
“It's going to be really fun to watch, and you've got the best defensive coordinator (Phil Parker) out there. My opinion: Sky’s the limit. It’s all about culture. It’s all about toughness.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
If the offense sprinkles in some touchdowns here and there, this might be the year for Iowa to soar over Nashville and Orlando and really go places.
Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com
