2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa as members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes were led by Kirk Ferentz in his 25th year as head coach. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and sold out all seven home contests for the second consecutive season. The Iowa Hawkeyes football team drew an average home attendance of 69,250 in 2023.
With a victory over [2023 2023 Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois] on Senior Day, Iowa secured the Big Ten West title for the third time. A win over rival [2023 2023 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska] in the regular season finale completed a 10-win regular season. They competed in the Big Ten Championship Game against the East Division champion No. 2 [2023 Michigan Wolverines football|Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan], where they were shutout by the eventual national champions 26–0. The Hawkeyes ended the 2023 season with a 35-0 shutout loss to No. 21 [2023 2023 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee] in the Citrus Bowl.
Senior punter Tory Taylor was named First-team All-Big Ten for the third time, Eddleman–Fields Punter of the Year for the second time, a Unanimous First-team All-American, and the 2023 Ray Guy Award winner as the nation's most outstanding punter. Despite missing the final four games due to a season-ending injury, junior cornerback Cooper DeJean was named First-team All-Big Ten for the second time, Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year, Rodgers–Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, and a Unanimous First-team All-American. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach in college football.
The team became infamous over the course of the season for their great defense being paired with a historically terrible offense, causing some to call them the "Best Worst Team Ever". The four lowest Over/Unders in college football history were set in games involving the 2023 Hawkeyes, the lowest being an O/U of 24.5 against Nebraska. In each of those four games the final combined score was below the line. On October 30, it was announced that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz would not be retained in 2024, but would be allowed to finish the rest of the 2023 season. At the time of the announcement, the Hawkeyes' offense was averaging 19.5 points per game, ranking 120th out of 133 in the FBS.

Preseason

Iowa lost several players in the transfer portal, including top two wide receivers Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce IV, backup quarterback Alex Padilla, and running back Gavin Williams. Two top defensive players, cornerback Terry Roberts and linebacker Jestin Jacobs, transferred to Miami and Oregon, respectively.
Iowa added players in the transfer portal before the 2023 season, including Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara, Michigan tight end Erick All, and Charleston Southern wide receiver Seth Anderson, son of NFL wide receiver Flipper Anderson. Saginaw Valley State offensive tackle Daijon Parker committed to Iowa after originally committing to Virginia.
Iowa was picked second in the West Division by Big Ten media, behind Wisconsin.

Game summaries

Utah State

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The Hawkeyes' season opener was the first matchup in the series since a 48–7 win in 2002. It was also the first Iowa career start for Cade McNamara who threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns to start out the year 1–0.

Statistics	USU	IOWA
First downs	19	17
Total yards	329	284
Rushing yards	116	88
Passing yards	213	196
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	27:48	32:12

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah State	Passing	Cooper Legas	32/48, 213 yards, TD, INT
Utah State	Rushing	Rahsul Faison	7 carries, 59 yards
Utah State	Receiving	Terrell Vaughn	12 receptions, 93 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Cade McNamara	17/30, 191 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	19 carries, 63 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Luke Lachey	7 receptions, 73 yards

at Iowa State

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The Hawks avenged last season's 10–7 defeat by collecting their sixth straight victory at Jack Trice Stadium, earning Kirk Ferentz his 200th collegiate career win.

Statistics	IOWA	IOWA ST
First downs	9	19
Total yards	235	290
Rushing yards	112	87
Passing yards	123	203
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	26:30	33:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Cade McNamara	12/21, 123 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Jaziun Patterson	10 carries, 86 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Luke Lachey	3 receptions, 58 yards
Iowa State	Passing	Rocco Becht	23/44, 203 yards, TD, INT
Iowa State	Rushing	Cartevious Norton	21 carries, 59 yards
Iowa State	Receiving	Jayden Higgins	8 receptions, 95 yards, TD

Western Michigan

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The Hawkeyes evened the all-time series, building on the 59–3 victory in 2013. A blocked punt in the third quarter that resulted in a safety proved to be the turning point in cementing Iowa's upper hand. After trailing 10–7 in the second quarter, the Hawks scored the final 34 points of the game.

Statistics	WMU	IOWA
First downs	8	19
Total yards	239	387
Rushing yards	117	254
Passing yards	122	133
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	26:07	33:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing	Treyson Bourguet	5/16, 124 yards, TD
Western Michigan	Rushing	Treyson Bourguet	8 carries, 32 yards
Western Michigan	Receiving	Kenneth Womack	2 receptions, 11 yards
Iowa	Passing	Cade McNamara	9/19, 103 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	12 carries, 145 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Steven Stilianos	2 receptions, 29 yards

at No. 7 Penn State

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In a game played under the lights in Happy Valley between two unbeaten top 25 teams, Iowa was humbled by the Nittany Lions. The Hawkeyes, wearing alternate uniforms, were dominated in every phase of the game.

Statistics	IOWA	PSU
First downs	4	28
Total yards	76	397
Rushing yards	20	215
Passing yards	56	182
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	14:33	45:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Cade McNamara	5/14, 42 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Kamari Moulton	6 carries, 18 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Erick All	3 receptions, 35 yards
Penn State	Passing	Drew Allar	25/37, 166 yards, 4 TD
Penn State	Rushing	Kaytron Allen	21 carries, 72 yards
Penn State	Receiving	KeAndre Lambert-Smith	8 receptions, 66 yards, TD

Michigan State

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Iowa recorded back-to-back victories in series for first time since 2009–2010. The Spartans were looking to avenge a humbling loss from their last visit 49–7 in 2020 during a week where there head coach Mel Tucker was fired. With Cade McNamara suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter the offense continued to struggle. Cooper DeJean returned a punt 70 yards to give Iowa the lead for good with under four minutes left. This game marked Kirk Ferentz's 200th Big Ten Conference regular season game as Iowa's head coach.

Statistics	MSU	IOWA
First downs	20	15
Total yards	349	222
Rushing yards	156	61
Passing yards	193	161
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	33:48	26:12

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan State	Passing	Noah Kim	25/44, 193 yards, 3 INT
Michigan State	Rushing	Nate Carter	20 carries, 108 yards
Michigan State	Receiving	Montorie Foster Jr.	8 receptions, 79 yards
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	11/27, 115 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	12 carries, 38 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Erick All	4 receptions, 67 yards, TD

Purdue

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Purdue had won two of the last three at Kinnick Stadium, the latter of which spoiled the Hawkeyes' homecoming, unbeaten record, and No. 2 AP ranking. They had a chance to win again but were held on a fourth down. This was the first start for QB Deacon Hill in the 1,300th game in Iowa program history. He struggled in the first half but settled down in the second.

Statistics	PUR	IOWA
First downs	21	13
Total yards	343	291
Rushing yards	96	181
Passing yards	247	110
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	35:28	24:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Hudson Card	25/40, 247 yards, TD, 2 INT
Purdue	Rushing	Devin Mockobee	20 carries, 89 yards, TD
Purdue	Receiving	TJ Sheffield	6 receptions, 93 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	6/21, 110 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	17 carries, 134 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Erick All	5 receptions, 97 yards, TD

at Wisconsin

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Iowa won at Wisconsin for the first time since 2015 and recorded back-to-back wins in rivalry series for the first time since 2008–2009. This was a defensive struggle with both teams trading punt after punt. The Hawkeyes never trailed in the game and grabbed ahold of the Big Ten West lead.

Statistics	IOWA	WIS
First downs	9	18
Total yards	237	332
Rushing yards	200	104
Passing yards	37	228
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	30:33	29:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	6/14, 37 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	25 carries, 174 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Erick All	2 receptions, 19 yards
Wisconsin	Passing	Braedyn Locke	15/30, 122 yards, INT
Wisconsin	Rushing	Braelon Allen	18 carries, 87 yards
Wisconsin	Receiving	Bryson Green	5 receptions, 86 yards

Minnesota

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The Hawkeyes, ranked in the top 25 again after a 3-week absence, had won eight straight and 9 of 10 in the series entering the game. Minnesota won at Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 1999. A controversial penalty upset Iowa fans at the end of the game, negating a potential game-winning touchdown by Cooper DeJean.

Statistics	MIN	IOWA
First downs	12	9
Total yards	239	127
Rushing yards	113	11
Passing yards	126	116
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	35:25	24:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Minnesota	Passing	Athan Kaliakmanis	10/25, 126 yards
Minnesota	Rushing	Darius Taylor	16 carries, 59 yards
Minnesota	Receiving	Daniel Jackson	7 receptions, 101 yards
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	10/28, 116 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Kaleb Johnson	6 carries, 18 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Nico Ragaini	4 receptions, 28 yards

at Northwestern

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Iowa has won four of five in this series. The game at Wrigley Field was the first time the Hawkeyes have played on a baseball field since the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl. The game was yet another defensive struggle with neither team even scoring in the first half. Hawkeye kicker Drew Stevens nailed a 52-yard field goal with seconds left to defeat the Wildcats.

Statistics	IOWA	NW
First downs	14	12
Total yards	169	170
Rushing yards	104	89
Passing yards	65	81
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	30:18	29:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	10/15, 65 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	24 carries, 79 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Addison Ostrenga	3 receptions, 15 yards, TD
Northwestern	Passing	Brendan Sullivan	12/19, 81 yards, TD
Northwestern	Rushing	Anthony Tyus III	10 carries, 40 yards
Northwestern	Receiving	A. J. Henning	4 receptions, 13 yards

Rutgers

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Kirk Ferentz has yet to lose to Rutgers, and this victory tied him with Bo Schembechler in career wins as a Big Ten coach. After struggling to score in the first half, the Hawkeyes found their rhythm in the second. Iowa is now 4–0 against the Scarlet Knights all-time, shutting them out for a second time.

Statistics	RUT	IOWA
First downs	7	21
Total yards	127	402
Rushing yards	34	179
Passing yards	93	223
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	21:38	38:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Rutgers	Passing	Gavin Wimsatt	7/18, 93 yards, INT
Rutgers	Rushing	Kyle Monangai	13 carries, 39 yards
Rutgers	Receiving	Ian Strong	3 receptions, 47 yards
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	20/31, 223 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	13 carries, 63 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Addison Ostrenga	8 receptions, 47 yards

Illinois

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Illinois broke a long losing streak in the series in previous year, but has not won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999. A victory on Senior Day gave the Hawkeyes the Big Ten West outright, and Kirk Ferentz moved all alone into third place in career wins as a Big Ten head coach.

Statistics	ILL	IOWA
First downs	18	18
Total yards	280	281
Rushing yards	65	114
Passing yards	215	167
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	26:02	33:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	John Paddock	22/47, 215 yards
Illinois	Rushing	Reggie Love III	18 carries, 64 yards, TD
Illinois	Receiving	Isaiah Williams	8 receptions, 105 yards
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	19/29, 167 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	16 carries, 54 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Kaleb Brown	7 receptions, 71 yards

at Nebraska

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In this rivalry matchup, No. 17 Iowa racked up its 10th win of the season, its sixth straight win in Lincoln, and kept Nebraska from reaching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016 as they recaptured the Heroes Trophy. After having two field goals blocked earlier in the game, Iowa kicked a game-winner as time expired to escape with the victory.

Statistics	IOWA	NEB
First downs	14	10
Total yards	257	264
Rushing yards	163	75
Passing yards	94	189
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	31:45	28:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	11/28, 94 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	16 carries, 111 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Kaleb Brown	3 receptions, 21 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Chubba Purdy	15/28, 189 yards, TD, INT
Nebraska	Rushing	Chubba Purdy	12 carries, 42 yards
Nebraska	Receiving	Billy Kemp	4 receptions, 21 yards

vs. No. 2 Michigan (Big Ten Championship game)

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Fox's Big Noon Kickoff was on hand for this top 20 match-up. Iowa was attempting to defeat Michigan for the first time since 2016 and earn the program's first outright Big Ten title since 1985, but it wasn't to be. Two years after being humbled by the Wolverines in the Big The Championship Game, the Hawkeyes were unable to pose a scoring threat in this one and were blanked 26–0.

Statistics	MICH	IOWA
First downs	13	7
Total yards	213	155
Rushing yards	66	35
Passing yards	147	120
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	36:32	23:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing	J. J. McCarthy	22/30, 147 yards
Michigan	Rushing	Blake Corum	16 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD
Michigan	Receiving	Cornelius Johnson	9 receptions, 64 yards
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	18/32, 120 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Leshon Williams	9 carries, 25 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Addison Ostrenga	7 receptions, 50 yards

vs. No. 21 Tennessee (Citrus Bowl)

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Iowa made its second Citrus Bowl appearance in three years and third overall. The Hawkeyes, looking to redeem themselves in three phases - being shut out in previous game, a narrow loss in last Citrus Bowl appearance, and being blown out by Tennessee in a bowl game nine years prior, were dominated from start to finish in Brian Ferentz's last game as offensive coordinator.

Statistics	IOWA	TENN
First downs	11	25
Total yards	173	383
Rushing yards	113	232
Passing yards	60	151
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	29:48	30:12

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Deacon Hill	7/18, 56 yards, 2 INT
Iowa	Rushing	Marco Lainez	6 carries, 51 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Kaleb Brown	3 receptions, 39 yards
Tennessee	Passing	Nico Iamaleava	12/19, 151 yards, TD
Tennessee	Rushing	Dylan Sampson	20 carries, 133 yards
Tennessee	Receiving	Ramel Keyton	3 receptions, 51 yards

Players drafted into the NFL

2	40	Cooper DeJean	CB	Philadelphia Eagles
4	115	Erick All	TE	Cincinnati Bengals
4	122	Tory Taylor	P	Chicago Bears
6	178	Logan Lee	DT	Pittsburgh Steelers