Iowa Football: Three players that stood out against NIU

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IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 01: Defensive end Anthony Nelson #98 of the Iowa Hawkeyes gives chase during the second quarter to quarterback Marcus Childers #15 of the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 1, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mention

As mentioned above, multiple guys stood out on the defensive line including Anthony Nelson and former five-star recruit AJ Epenesa. Nelson came up with Iowa’s first sack early in the second quarter which ultimately led to a Huskie punt.

Epenesa, meanwhile, had a forced fumble sack on 3rd and 8. Iowa recovered, and this set up a quick 26-yard scoring drive to put the Iowa football team up 24-0 early in the fourth.

In the secondary, Amani Hooker was all over the field. Although he made a few mistakes he did have five tackles and a red zone interception on a underthrown ball. This stunted another potential scoring drive for the Huskies late in the second.

Lastly, Kyle Groeneweg, the senior transfer from University of Sioux Falls did a fantastic job at returning punts. He hauled in five punts and gained 42 yards for an average of 8.4 yards. Again, not spectacular, but he was sure-handed, smooth, and made the right reads when returning. It’s only a matter of time before he is able to break one lose.

Although there were other guys who played well, these were the main Hawkeyes that caught my eye. Tomorrow, we will bringing you the top three under performers from week one of the Iowa football season.

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