Iowa football: Three Hawks named to Week 2 PFF All-B1G team

After an outstanding team performance against Rutgers, three Iowa football players were named to Pro Football Focus’ Week 2 All-Big Ten team.

If you’re looking for AJ Epenesa on this list, you’re going to be disappointed, and I just want to get that out of the way right now. There were three other Iowa football players who made this week’s Pro Football Focus’ Week 2 All-Big Ten team though.

This is an improvement over last week when just two Iowa football players made the list, but  I do expect to reach the 4 to 5 player mark here in the next few weeks.

Offensively, it should come as no surprise who one of the players is.

Tristan Wirfs, the true junior tackle who is splitting between left and right tackle, was named to his second straight PFF All-Big Ten team. He has an excellent day on the field, allowing zero sacks and getting just one penalty. With him is fellow offensive lineman and redshirt freshman Tyler Linderbaum, who has looked outstanding in his first two starts for the Iowa football team.

I’ll be honest, I am a bit surprised Ihmir Smith-Marsette isn’t on here, but after looking at the production from Rondale Moore, Darrell Stewart Jr, and Quintez Cephus, it makes more sense.

Defensively, I really expected to see edge rusher AJ Epenesa on here because he was having a fantastic day disrupting Rutgers passing attack. According to PFF, Epenesa had a pressure rate of 23.1% while getting 1 sack and 6 quarterback pressures, but still only managed to register a 73.4 pass-rush grade.

I’ve never been one to pretend like I completely support the grades, I just write about them.

Although Epenesa wasn’t on the All-Big Ten team, cornerback Michael Ojemudia was. Against Rutgers, he had zero tackles and 1 interception. I didn’t get a chance to watch tape specifically on Ojemudia yet from this game, but given his inclusion on this list, he did a pretty darn good job of bottling up any Rutgers wide receiver that came his way.

With the Iowa football team taking on Iowa State this week, I don’t expect to see a higher number than we had this week on the list.

Half of the Big Ten’s Week 3 games are against middling Power 5 schools or average Group of 5 schools while the Hawks have arguably the toughest game on the docket taking on previously ranked Iowa State.