The Hawkeyes offensive line unit was named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award

Take a bow, coach George Barnett!

Last season, the Iowa offensive line finished as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line unit in college football.

Even though the unit returned three starters this season, there were questions about whether the Hawkeyes could replace talented linemen Connor Colby and Mason Richman, who headed to the NFL.

Coach Barnett and the rest of the coaching staff were confident they had more depth this year than last year, with players gaining valuable experience, and the unit did not skip a beat.

They added Kade Pieper and Trevor Lauck into the vacant spaces on the line, with Jack Dotzler and Leighton Jones playing key reserve roles.

After nearly winning the award last season, the unit will finish even higher this season.

After dominating in the trenches all season, the offensive line has been named a finalist for the coveted Joe Moore Award.

The award is named after the great Joe Moore, who was widely considered one of the best offensive line coaches in history.

Before beginning his college coaching career with Pittsburgh, Moore was the head coach for Upper St. Clair High School in Pennsylvania, and his defensive captain was none other than Kirk Ferentz.

The Iowa offensive line has been one of the top units in college football throughout the season, paving the way for 200-plus rushing yards in five games and allowing only 16 sacks.

Pieper and Lauck are first-year starters for the unit, while Beau Stephens, Gennings Dunker, and Logan Jones have compiled 120 career starts.