Joe Evans is the unsung hero of this defense
It’s honestly impressive how the Iowa football team manages to find key contributors year in and year out from their walk-on pool.
The latest guy to emerge is redshirt freshman Joe Evans, who has been playing a pass-rushing specialist role for the Iowa football team despite being just 6’2” and 240 pounds.
And while his sack numbers are likely what stands out (4 in 6 games), to me it’s how he is getting those sacks and how he is impacting the game outside of the sacks.
He’s doing it in key situations, and he’s doing it in large part through pure hustle and effort. Last week, he sacked Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan on the first play of the Gophers last drive, and he did the exact same thing today. He’s becoming Iowa’s closer in late-game situations.
In addition to the sacks, he is helping other guys get theirs.
Multiple times, I’ve seen Phil Parker deploy Evans as a spy, which has kept quarterbacks in the pocket and allowed other guys to get to the quarterback. Pretty impressive for a former quarterback turned defensive lineman.