To say the Iowa defense struggled against Oregon would be an understatement.
The usually stout Iowa defense gave up a massive 373 total yards to the Oregon Ducks' offense, a lot more than what they were giving up in previous games.
The even more baffling part about the Hawkeyes' struggles on defense against Oregon was that they gave up 261 yards rushing, over 100 yards more than they had been allowing all season.
The lone bright spot for the Iowa defense last weekend was the passing defense as the unit held Oregon quarterback Dante Moore to 112 yards passing, allowing only 5.3 yards per completion.
The Iowa secondary has been a pleasant surprise for the defense this season after struggling to stop anyone over the past few seasons.
Iowa's pass defense ranks No. 5 overall in passing yards allowed per game this season (146.7), and is anchored by defensive back TJ Hall.
Hall has distanced himself as the clear No. 1 defensive back on the roster, and is excited to return home this weekend to take on a tough USC team in front of his family and friends.
During his media availability ahead of a pivotal game against USC this weekend (posted by "247Sports"), Hall spent the majority of his time speaking about his return home to California.
Hall, a native of Fresno, California, was not familiar with Iowa or the Hawkeye Football program before committing in late 2021.
He vivdly remembers being in attendance during No. 3 Iowa's big win over No. 4 Penn State at Kinnick Stadium when he visited as a recruit, and he is excited to head back home for the first time as a full time starter.
Hall knows USC presents a lot of challenges on offense with a solid quarterback that makes everything happen.
USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiva has thrown for 2,614 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, guiding the Trojans' offense to success.
Hall is adamant that they know what they need to do against the high-powered Trojans' offense, and he is excited to execute the game plan to perfection in front of his friends and family.