Iowa Football: Hawkeye defense has been dominant in 2020

The defensive side of the ball has been the strong suit for the Iowa football team in 2020. The Hawkeyes rank high in several major categories.

With a record of 2-2, the Iowa football team is statistically average by the letter of the law. But one side of the ball has been anything but. The Hawkeyes‘ defense has been one of the best in college football this season.

Led by defensive coordinator Phil Parker, Iowa’s defense has proven to be one of the stingiest units in the nation in 2020. The Hawkeyes have given up a total of just 58 points, an average of just 14.5 per game. Over the last two games, Iowa has allowed a combined 14 points.

Here’s where the Iowa defense ranks among all FBS teams in several major categories:

Yards per play: 4.2 (3rd)
Total yards per game: 314.3 (17th)
Rush yards per game: 112.8 (23rd)
Yards per rush: 2.8 (6th)
Pass yards per game: 201.5 (31st)
Yards per pass: 5.8 (12th)
Total takeaways: 10 (t-4th)

One of the biggest keys to Iowa’s success has been the defensive line. Led by the emergence of junior defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon, the Hawks have been nearly impossible to run the ball against. Nixon already has as many sacks (three) and more tackles for losses (seven) than he had all of last season.

Meanwhile, senior defensive end Zach VanValkenburg was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Minnesota. VanValkenburg finished with three sacks and five tackles.

“Zach Van Valkenburg is a really good story, a great individual,” said coach Kirk Ferentz. “He takes a mature approach and has a great work ethic. Zach is respected by everyone on the team. Happy to see him get recognized this week by the Big Ten.”

An emerging playmaker on the backend of Iowa’s defense has been safety Jack Koerner. The redshirt junior has recorded an interception in each of his last three games. He’s tied for the Big Ten-lead in interceptions. Every time you look up, it seems like Koerner is around the ball.

And finally, the middle of Iowa’s defense is led by linebacker Nick Niemann. The redshirt senior leads the team in tackles (32) and has been particularly effective in stopping the run. He leads an otherwise young linebacking corps.

Iowa’s defense may not have a superstar like in recent years (i.e. Desmond King, Josh Jackson or A.J. Epenesa), but as a whole, this may be the most solid group we’ve seen in a while.

The Hawkeyes should continue to dominate on defense, especially with a favorable upcoming schedule. Iowa’s remaining opponents have a combined record of 4-9. The team travels to Penn State to face the 0-4 Nittany Lions on Saturday.