2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa as member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by 24th-year head coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes played home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Floundering after a 3–4 start, the Hawkeyes won four straight games to position themselves for a return trip to the Big Ten Championship game and repeat as Big Ten West champions. A disappointing season finale at home against Nebraska spoiled those plans, but Iowa capped the 2022 season with a dominating 21–0 win over [2022 2022 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky] in the Music City Bowl avenging their bowl loss from the previous season. The Hawkeyes finished with a record of 8–5.
Senior linebacker Jack Campbell was named Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, a Unanimous First-team All-American, and the 2022 Butkus Award winner as the nation's top linebacker. He later became the 13th Iowa player of the Ferentz era taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Third-year defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness was selected five picks prior to Campbell, marking the second time in five years two Hawkeyes were selected in the first 20 picks of the NFL draft.

Preseason

On January 14, 2022, Kirk Ferentz's contract was extended through the 2029 season. On March 2, 2022, Iowa announced the hire of Abdul Hodge, previously the linebackers coach at South Dakota, as its tight ends coach. Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz took over as quarterbacks coach, after previous quarterbacks coach Ken O'Keefe stepped down. "Man, I got a lot to learn," Brian Ferentz told media about adjusting to coaching quarterbacks after his appointment in May 2022. Former Wisconsin quarterback and Colorado State offensive coordinator Jon Budmayr joined the Hawkeyes as an offensive analyst that would assist Brian Ferentz with the quarterbacks.
During the offseason, two Hawkeye wide receivers transferred to West division rival Purdue. Starters Tyrone Tracy, second on the team in receiving yards in 2019, and Charlie Jones, the 2021 Big Ten Returner of the Year, would both play 2022 with the Boilermakers. After struggling as a starter in 2020 and 2021, quarterback Spencer Petras won a supposed quarterback competition against Alex Padilla and Joe Labas.
The Hawkeyes were ranked second in the West Division in the preseason Big Ten media poll, behind Wisconsin and ahead of [2022 Minnesota Golden Gophers football|Minnesota Golden Gophers football team|Minnesota]. Linebacker Jack Campbell was selected as the media's preseason Defensive Player of the Year, finishing ahead of Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig. The Hawkeyes received votes, but were unranked in the preseason AP Poll and Coaches Poll.
Kirk Ferentz named Campbell, cornerback Riley Moss, tight end Sam LaPorta, and safety Kaevon Merriweather as captains before the week 1 game against South Dakota State and would remain team captains through the regular season.

Schedule

Iowa announced its 2022 football schedule on January 12, 2022. The 2022 schedule consisted of seven home games and five away games in the regular season. The Hawkeyes hosted Big Ten foes Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Nebraska and traveled to Rutgers, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, and Minnesota.
The Hawkeyes hosted all three non-conference opponents, South Dakota State from Division I FCS, Iowa State from the Big 12 and Nevada from the Mountain West. This marked the first season since 2011 that the entire home schedule was sold out. The first game of the season was played against the eventual FCS National Champion.

Game summaries

No. 2 (FCS) South Dakota State

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Iowa relied almost entirely on defense and special teams to earn a hard-fought victory over FCS foe South Dakota State. The Jacks were only able to muster 120 total yards, in large part due to poor starting field position the entire day. Two such drives ended with the Iowa defense forcing a safety, proving to be the difference in the game. The teams combined for 21 punts for 936 yards. Iowa's Tory Taylor pinned SDSU inside their own 20 on 7 of his 10 punts, earning him B1G Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Statistics	SDSU	IOWA
First downs	6	10
Total yards	120	166
Rushing yards	33	57
Passing yards	87	109
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	29:44	30:11

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	10/26, 87 yards
South Dakota State	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	18 rushes, 50 yards
South Dakota State	Receiving	Isaiah Davis	5 receptions, 32 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	11/25, 109 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	24 rushes, 72 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Arland Bruce IV	5 receptions, 68 yards

Iowa State

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Iowa State ended a six-game skid in the series. Sophomore Lukas Van Ness blocked two punts and was named B1G Special Teams Player of the Week.

Statistics	ISU	IOWA
First downs	21	11
Total yards	313	150
Rushing yards	129	58
Passing yards	184	92
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	38:15	21:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa State	Passing	Hunter Dekkers	25/38, 184 yards, TD, 2 INT
Iowa State	Rushing	Jirehl Brock	27 rushes, 100 yards
Iowa State	Receiving	Xavier Hutchinson	11 receptions, 98 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	12/26, 92 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	14 rushes, 34 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	8 receptions, 55 yards

Nevada

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After enduring three separate lightning delays totaling 3 hours and 56 minutes, Iowa closed out their non-conference schedule with a 27-point win in the first meeting between the schools.

Statistics	NEV	IOWA
First downs	10	15
Total yards	151	337
Rushing yards	69	162
Passing yards	82	175
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	30:03	29:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nevada	Passing	Shane Illingworth	14/28, 82 yards, INT
Nevada	Rushing	Devonte Lee	9 carries, 33 yards
Nevada	Receiving	Dalevon Campbell	3 receptions, 21 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	14/26, 175 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	7 carries, 103 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Arland Bruce IV	3 receptions, 50 yards, TD

At Rutgers

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In their B1G opener, Iowa scored two defensive touchdowns in the first half to pick up a win on the road and moved to 3–0 all-time versus Rutgers.

Statistics	IOWA	RUTG
First downs	14	20
Total yards	277	361
Rushing yards	129	61
Passing yards	148	300
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	29:22	30:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	11/17, 148 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	11 carries, 64 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	4 receptions, 77 yards
Rutgers	Passing	Evan Simon	28/49, 300 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rutgers	Rushing	Samuel Brown V	6 carries, 34 yards
Rutgers	Receiving	Shameen Jones	5 receptions, 71 yards

No. 4 Michigan

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Fox's Big Noon Kickoff was on hand for this contest. Michigan won at Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 2005.

Statistics	MICH	IOWA
First downs	24	16
Total yards	327	281
Rushing yards	172	35
Passing yards	155	246
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	33:44	26:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing	J. J. McCarthy	18/24, 155 yards, TD
Michigan	Rushing	Blake Corum	29 carries, 133 yards, TD
Michigan	Receiving	Luke Schoonmaker	4 receptions, 45 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	21/31, 246 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	8 carries, 34 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Luke Lachey	4 receptions, 84 yards, TD

At Illinois

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Illinois won for the first time in nine tries in the series. It was also former Iowa player and coach Bret Bielema's first game at Illinois against Iowa, as he missed the 2021 meeting due to issues relating to COVID-19.

Statistics	IOWA	ILL
First downs	13	18
Total yards	221	316
Rushing yards	52	200
Passing yards	169	116
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	28:55	31:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	18–36, 169 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	7 carries, 32 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	9 receptions, 100 yards
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	13–19, 74 yards, INT
Illinois	Rushing	Chase Brown	31 carries, 146 yards
Illinois	Receiving	Brian Hightower	5 receptions, 68 yards

At No. 2 Ohio State

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FOX's Big Noon Kickoff was on hand for this matchup in Columbus. The score was competitive for most of the first half, but a pick six by Ohio State gave the Buckeyes a cushion heading into the break. After settling for three first half field goals, the Ohio State offense put up four second half touchdowns - TD passes from C. J. Stroud to four different receivers - to make this game a blowout. The Iowa offense turned the ball over six times and mustered just 158 yards and a field goal in what was the team's worst defeat since Kirk Ferentz's Big Ten debut in 1999.

Statistics	Iowa	No. 2 Ohio State
First downs	8	16
Total yards	158	360
Rushing yards	77	66
Passing yards	81	294
Turnovers	6	2
Time of possession	29:14	30:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	6–14, 49 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	9 carries, 31 yards, 0 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	6 receptions, 55 yards, 0 TD
No. 2 Ohio State	Passing	C. J. Stroud	20–30, 286 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
No. 2 Ohio State	Rushing	TreVeyon Henderson	11 carries, 38 yards, 0 TD
No. 2 Ohio State	Receiving	Julian Fleming	2 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD

Northwestern

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Northwestern had won three in a row at Kinnick Stadium, but the Hawkeyes responded with a 20-point win after a criticism-filled week leading up to the game. Freshman kicker Drew Stevens had a banner day by kicking four field goals, including a 54-yarder - the 5th-longest in school history. These are the first back-to-back wins against the Wildcats since the 2014-2015 seasons.

Statistics	NU	IOWA
First downs	16	24
Total yards	177	393
Rushing yards	18	173
Passing yards	159	220
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	28:16	31:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Brendan Sullivan	23–30, 159 yards, 2 TD, INT
Northwestern	Rushing	Evan Hull	11 carries, 32 yards
Northwestern	Receiving	Bryce Kirtz	5 receptions, 35 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	21–30, 220 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	13 carries, 93 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Nico Ragaini	4 receptions, 66 yards

At Purdue

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Purdue had won four of the previous five in this series, but the Hawkeye defense held the Boilermaker offense 190 yards and 30 points below their averages. Entering the game, Purdue hadn't scored fewer than 20 points in a game this season, and it was the first time Purdue didn't score an offensive touchdown at home since 2013. Freshman running back Kaleb Johnson had 22 carries for 200 yards that included a 75-yard TD run, earning him B1G Offensive Player of the Week and B1G Freshman of the Week honors.

Statistics	IOWA	PUR
First downs	15	17
Total yards	376	255
Rushing yards	184	87
Passing yards	192	168
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	28:02	31:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	13–23, 192 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	22 carries, 200 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	3 receptions, 71 yards, TD
Purdue	Passing	Aidan O'Connell	20–43, 168 yards, 2 INT
Purdue	Rushing	Devin Mockobee	14 carries, 65 yards
Purdue	Receiving	Charlie Jones	11 receptions, 104 yards

Wisconsin

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Iowa recaptured the Heartland Trophy in a game where Wisconsin rarely threatened.

Statistics	WISC	IOWA
First downs	11	11
Total yards	227	146
Rushing yards	51	52
Passing yards	176	94
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	26:23	33:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wisconsin	Passing	Graham Mertz	16–35, 176 yards, TD, 2 INT
Wisconsin	Rushing	Braelon Allen	17 carries, 40 yards
Wisconsin	Receiving	Keontez Lewis	3 receptions, 71 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	14–23, 93 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	22 carries, 57 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	5 receptions, 48 yards

At Minnesota

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Iowa won for the eighth consecutive time against the Gophers, building on its longest streak in the rivalry. After jumping out to a 10–0 first quarter lead, Iowa gave up over 300 yards rushing but forced two huge 4th quarter turnovers. Senior Jack Campbell had 10 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception to earn B1G Defensive Player of the Week honors. Freshman Drew Stevens kicked his second field goal of the game to seal the win.

Statistics	IOWA	MINN
First downs	13	17
Total yards	280	399
Rushing yards	59	312
Passing yards	221	87
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	24:47	35:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	15–24, 221 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	8 carries, 43 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	4 receptions, 95 yards
Minnesota	Passing	Athan Kaliakmanis	7–15, 87 yards, INT
Minnesota	Rushing	Mohamed Ibrahim	39 carries, 263 yards, TD
Minnesota	Receiving	Daniel Jackson	2 receptions, 43 yards

Nebraska

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The Cornhuskers defeated Iowa for the first time in eight tries, in what was Kirk Ferentz's 300th game as head coach of the Hawkeyes. This prevented Iowa from winning the Big Ten West Division and thus a berth in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game.

Statistics	NEB	IOWA
First downs	17	18
Total yards	329	274
Rushing yards	51	124
Passing yards	278	150
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	31:15	28:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Casey Thompson	20–30, 278 yards, 3 TD
Nebraska	Rushing	Rahmir Johnson	12 carries, 52 yards
Nebraska	Receiving	Trey Palmer	9 receptions, 165 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Passing	Alex Padilla	16–33, 141 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	16 carries, 109 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Luke Lachey	7 receptions, 89 yards, TD

Vs. Kentucky (Music City Bowl)

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All the scoring came in the second quarter as Luke Lachey caught a 15-yard pass from Joey Labas and the secondary delivered two pick sixes - first from Xavier Nwankpa for 52 yards followed by Cooper DeJean for 14 yards. Kirk Ferentz earned his 10th bowl victory in this rematch of a bowl game from the year prior.

Statistics	IOWA	UK
First downs	10	10
Total yards	206	185
Rushing yards	67	68
Passing yards	139	117
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	25:43	34:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Joey Labas	14–24, 139 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Jaziun Patterson	4 carries, 23 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	5 receptions, 56 yards
Kentucky	Passing	Destin Wade	16–30, 98 yards, 2 INT
Kentucky	Rushing	JuTahn McClain	10 carries, 40 yards
Kentucky	Receiving	Dane Key	6 receptions, 47 yards

Players drafted into the NFL

1	13	Lukas Van Ness	DE	Green Bay Packers
1	18	Jack Campbell	LB	Detroit Lions
2	34	Sam LaPorta	TE	Detroit Lions
3	83	Riley Moss	CB	Denver Broncos