2018 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2018 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by Kirk Ferentz in his 20th season as head coach.
Iowa began the year with six wins in their first seven games, with their sole loss during that span coming in their conference opener against [2018 2018 Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin]. The Hawkeyes rose to 18th in the AP Poll, but lost three consecutive games to knock them from the polls. They ended the regular season with two more wins to finish tied for second in the West Division with a conference record of 5–4. They were invited to the 2019 Outback Bowl, where they defeated [2018 2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi State]. Iowa finished with a record of 9–4 and were ranked 25th in the final AP Poll, their first ranked finish and highest win total since 2015.
Quarterback Nate Stanley led the team in passing with 2,852 yards and 26 touchdowns, good for second in the Big Ten Conference in the latter category. The Hawkeyes featured two standout tight ends, with Noah Fant and T. J. Hockenson both earning first-team all-conference honors. Hockenson was awarded the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end. Iowa became the first school to have two tight ends chosen in the first round of an NFL Draft when Hockenson and Fant were both selected in the first 20 picks of the 2019 NFL draft. Defensive end A. J. Epenesa led the Big Ten in both sacks and forced fumbles. He was joined on the all-conference first-team by safety Amani Hooker, who was named the Big Ten's Defensive Back of the Year.

Offseason

Recruiting

2018 commitments

The Hawkeyes signed a total of 23 recruits.

Schedule

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Game summaries

Northern Illinois

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After a slow start, the Hawkeyes scored touchdowns on three straight possessions en route to a 30-point second half. The win was the 144th for head coach Kirk Ferentz, making him the all-time winningest coach in Iowa football history. After an opening drive 3 and out for the Hawkeyes, NIU blocked the punt and had the ball at the Iowa 20. However, a missed field goal swung momentum back to the home team. The only first half points came on a 33-yard field goal from Hawkeye kicker Miguel Recinos. After a slow 3rd quarter, Heisman hopeful Nate Stanley threw his first touchdown of the year, a 1-yard pitch-and-catch to tight end Noah Fant. On the ensuing drive, running back Ivory Kelly-Martin barreled in on a 3rd and goal play to make it 17–0 going into the 4th quarter. After another short field, Toren Young found pay dirt on a 6-yard effort, and it was 24–0 Iowa. After a great punt by Colton Rastetter, NIU got the ball inside their own 1 yard line. on 2nd down, the Hawkeyes forced a safety, and after getting the ball back off the safety punt, backup quarterback Peyton Mansell got his first career touchdown on a quarterback sneak. After Iowa put their 2nd team defense in, the Huskies marched down the field in an impressive 11 play, 75 yard drive to put some late points on the scoreboard. Iowa shook off the slow 1st half and routed NIU 33–7 inside of Kinnick Stadium during the annual Gold Game.

Statistics	NIU	IOWA
First downs	15	18
Total yards	211	352
Rushing yards	101	209
Passing yards	110	143
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	25:15	34:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing	Marcus Childers	14/25, 105 yards, TD, INT
Northern Illinois	Rushing	Jordan Nettles	13 carries, 74 yards
Northern Illinois	Receiving	D. J. Brown	5 receptions, 38 yards
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	11/23, 108 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Toren Young	8 carries, 84 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	T. J. Hockenson	4 receptions, 64 yards

Iowa State

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Neither offense could get going in this in-state rivalry contest. Iowa was the only team to find the endzone and with only a few minutes left in the fourth quarter. An A. J. Epenesa strip-sack sealed this low-scoring affair to keep the Cy-Hawk trophy in Iowa City for a fourth straight year.

Statistics	ISU	IOWA
First downs	11	14
Total yards	188	271
Rushing yards	19	105
Passing yards	169	166
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	28:25	31:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa State	Passing	Kyle Kempt	15/21, 126 yards
Iowa State	Rushing	David Montgomery	17 carries, 44 yards
Iowa State	Receiving	Hakeem Butler	3 receptions, 35 yards
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	16/28, 166 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Toren Young	21 carries, 68 yards
Iowa	Receiving	T. J. Hockenson	6 receptions, 33 yards

Northern Iowa

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The Panthers were able to play with the Hawkeyes for a while but Iowa's depth proved to be ultimately overwhelming for FCS opponent Northern Iowa. Iowa ended the game with nearly 550 yards of total offense and the final score wasn't indicative of how one-sided this match-up was as the Hawkeyes played their second string for most of the fourth quarter. Iowa's defense had a relentless effort holding Northern Iowa to minus-2 rushing yards in the first half.

Statistics	UNI	IOWA
First downs	14	27
Total yards	228	545
Rushing yards	6	207
Passing yards	222	338
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	23:26	36:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Iowa	Passing	Eli Dunne	18/28, 200 yards, 2 TD
Northern Iowa	Rushing	Trevor Allen	13 carries, 27 yards
Northern Iowa	Receiving	Briley Moore	5 receptions, 32 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	23/28, 309 yards, 2 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Toren Young	14 carries, 82 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Nick Easley	10 receptions, 103 yards, TD

No. 18 Wisconsin

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Statistics	WIS	IOWA
First downs	19	19
Total yards	415	404
Rushing yards	210	148
Passing yards	205	256
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	35:13	24:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wisconsin	Passing	Alex Hornibrook	17/22, 205 yards, 3 TD
Wisconsin	Rushing	Jonathan Taylor	25 carries, 113 yards
Wisconsin	Receiving	Jake Ferguson	4 receptions, 58 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	14/23, 256 yards, 2 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Ivory Kelly-Martin	14 carries, 72 yards
Iowa	Receiving	T. J. Hockenson	3 receptions, 125 yards

At Minnesota

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The Hawkeyes spoiled the Gophers' homecoming in this high-scoring rivalry game. A signature play of the game came on a fake field goal trick play in which T. J. Hockenson took a lateral pass in for a touchdown which helped Iowa secure a lead going into halftime. The play is called "Herky" and was a New Kirk era technique that had yet to be implemented. The Hawks prevailed to keep Floyd of Rosedale in Iowa City for a fourth year in a row.

Statistics	IOWA	MINN
First downs	18	20
Total yards	420	320
Rushing yards	106	86
Passing yards	314	234
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	33:17	26:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	23/39, 314 yards, 4 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Ivory Kelly-Martin	20 carries, 47 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Nick Easley	6 receptions, 52 yards, TD
Minnesota	Passing	Zack Annexstad	17/33, 218 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
Minnesota	Rushing	Mohamed Ibrahim	13 carries, 62 yards
Minnesota	Receiving	Rashod Bateman	7 receptions, 65 yards, 2 TD

At Indiana

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Nate Stanley became the third Iowa quarterback to throw six touchdown passes in a single game. Tight ends T. J. Hockenson and Noah Fant each had over 100 yards receiving, totaling eight receptions for 208 yards and three TD.

Statistics	IOWA	IU
First downs	26	22
Total yards	479	330
Rushing yards	159	67
Passing yards	320	263
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	33:10	26:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	21/32, 320 yards, 6 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Toren Young	19 carries, 96 yards
Iowa	Receiving	T. J. Hockenson	4 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD
Indiana	Passing	Peyton Ramsey	31/42, 263 yards, TD, 2 INT
Indiana	Rushing	Stevie Scott	8 carries, 29 yards
Indiana	Receiving	Reese Taylor	6 receptions, 28 yards

Maryland

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Iowa held visitor Maryland to just 115 yards of total offense in this shutout homecoming victory. Iowa did struggle to find the end zone but three Miguel Recinos field goals kept Iowa in the driver's seat for most of the way.

Statistics	UMD	IOWA
First downs	7	22
Total yards	115	310
Rushing yards	68	224
Passing yards	47	86
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	19:05	40:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Maryland	Passing	Kasim Hill	6/15, 47 yards, INT
Maryland	Rushing	Javon Leake	1 carry, 16 yards
Maryland	Receiving	Ty Johnson	2 receptions, 2 yards
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	11/22, 86 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Ivory Kelly-Martin	24 carries, 98 yards
Iowa	Receiving	T. J. Hockenson	3 receptions, 30 yards

At No. 17 Penn State

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Iowa went up 12–0 early and scored their first 14 points of the game on special teams plays. After trailing 14–7, Penn State scored 20 of the next 23 points to lead 27–17. A pick six from Pennsylvania native Geno Stone brought the Hawks to within 27–24 with 10 minutes remaining, but a bad interception on a first and goal from the 3-yard line with just over 3 minutes remaining doomed Iowa's hopes of a road victory.

Statistics	IOWA	PSU
First downs	23	16
Total yards	350	312
Rushing yards	135	118
Passing yards	215	194
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	35:18	24:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	18/49, 205 yards, 2 INT
Iowa	Rushing	Mekhi Sargent	16 carries, 91 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Noah Fant	5 receptions, 56 yards
Penn State	Passing	Trace McSorley	11/25, 167 yards, TD, INT
Penn State	Rushing	Trace McSorley	12 carries, 63 yards, TD
Penn State	Receiving	K. J. Hamler	5 receptions, 96 yards

At Purdue

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Statistics	IOWA	PUR
First downs	22	21
Total yards	393	434
Rushing yards	118	101
Passing yards	275	333
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	33:57	26:03

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	21/32, 275 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Toren Young	9 carries, 45 yards
Iowa	Receiving	T. J. Hockenson	4 receptions, 39 yards, TD
Purdue	Passing	David Blough	23/32, 333 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
Purdue	Rushing	Markell Jones	14 carries, 40 yards, TD
Purdue	Receiving	Terry Wright	6 receptions, 146 yards, 3 TD

Northwestern

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Statistics	NW	IOWA
First downs	19	16
Total yards	306	333
Rushing yards	184	64
Passing yards	122	269
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	31:06	28:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Clayton Thorson	15/30, 122 yards, TD, 2 INT
Northwestern	Rushing	Isaiah Bowser	31 carries, 165 yards, TD
Northwestern	Receiving	Cameron Green	5 receptions, 30 yards
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	27/41, 269 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Mekhi Sargent	10 carries, 27 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Nick Easley	8 receptions, 53 yards

At Illinois

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Kirk Ferentz recorded his 150th win at Iowa, the 5th head coach in Big Ten history to reach the mark, in this blowout victory over Illinois. After a sluggish start in the first quarter, Iowa dominated in every phase of the game the rest of the way. Not only scoring on offense but on defense and special teams as well.

Statistics	IOWA	ILL
First downs	20	11
Total yards	400	216
Rushing yards	203	134
Passing yards	197	82
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	28:43	31:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	13/21, 178 yards, 3 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Mekhi Sargent	17 carries, 121 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Noah Fant	3 receptions, 54 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing	AJ Bush	12/28, 82 yards, 2 INT
Illinois	Rushing	RaVon Bonner	21 carries, 96 yards
Illinois	Receiving	Ricky Smalling	3 receptions, 27 yards

Nebraska

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Iowa led the whole way until the final minutes of this nail-biting victory. Nebraska never backed down and tied the game up with 3:22 to play. Miguel Recinos kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to keep the Heroes Trophy in Iowa City for the fourth year in a row.

Statistics	NEB	IOWA
First downs	24	25
Total yards	400	419
Rushing yards	140	266
Passing yards	260	153
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	25:19	34:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	26/38, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT
Nebraska	Rushing	Adrian Martinez	17 carries, 76 yards, TD
Nebraska	Receiving	M. Washington	7 receptions, 102 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	16/27, 152 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Mekhi Sargent	26 carries, 173 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	T. J. Hockenson	5 receptions, 54 yards

Vs. No. 18 Mississippi State (Outback Bowl)

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In a back-and-forth game, Iowa held on to defeat SEC opponent Mississippi State. Senior Jake Gervase made a critical interception in the end zone, and batted down a fourth down pass to end the Bulldogs' hopes. The victory was Ferentz's fifth January bowl win and eighth overall bowl victory.

Statistics	MS	IOWA
First downs	15	11
Total yards	342	199
Rushing yards	190	15
Passing yards	152	214
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	33:34	26:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Nick Fitzgerald	14/32, 152 yards, TD, 2 INT
Mississippi State	Rushing	Nick Fitzgerald	20 carries, 103 yards, TD
Mississippi State	Receiving	Aeris Williams	3 receptions, 19 yards
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	21/31, 214 yards, 3 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Toren Young	3 carries, 7 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Nick Easley	8 receptions, 104 yards, 2 TD

Players in the 2019 NFL draft

T. J. Hockenson	TE	1	8	Detroit Lions
Noah Fant	TE	1	20	Denver Broncos
Anthony Nelson	DE	4	107	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Amani Hooker	S	4	116	Tennessee Titans