Iowa Football: Three players that stood out against NIU

IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 01: Defensive backs Jake Gervase #30, Matt Hankins #8 and Amani Hooker #27 of the Iowa Hawkeyes combine during the first half to tackle tailback Tre Harbison #22 of the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 1, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 01: Defensive backs Jake Gervase #30, Matt Hankins #8 and Amani Hooker #27 of the Iowa Hawkeyes combine during the first half to tackle tailback Tre Harbison #22 of the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 1, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
1 of 5
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 01: Defensive backs Jake Gervase #30, Matt Hankins #8 and Amani Hooker #27 of the Iowa Hawkeyes combine during the first half to tackle tailback Tre Harbison #22 of the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 1, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 01: Defensive backs Jake Gervase #30, Matt Hankins #8 and Amani Hooker #27 of the Iowa Hawkeyes combine during the first half to tackle tailback Tre Harbison #22 of the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 1, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Iowa football is finally here, and the Hawks took down NIU in game one of the 2018 season. Which players stood out during the 33-7 win in Iowa City?

Despite winning 33-7, the game wasn’t as easy the score may suggest. The University of Iowa football team rallied in the second half to outscore NIU 30-7 in the remaining thirty minutes of play.

If you weren’t able to watch the game we’ve got you covered with our quick recap of the game along with coverage of the Kirk Ferentz becoming the winningest head coach in Iowa football history.

The first thing to realize in Saturday’s win is that there were a lot of things that need to be improved heading into next week’s game versus the Cyclones. There were a few players, however, who stood out during this win.

What is shocking about who stood out is that there are a few we expected to consistently be on  this list who did not play their best Saturday. Quarterback Nate Stanley and tight end Noah Fant come to mind. The game of football, however, is not won with one or two good players, and there were many guys who stepped up their game to help the Hawks bring home the first victory of the season.

Who are those three guys you ask? Let’s find out.