Iowa defense still working through details for conference opener at Rutgers

IOWA CITY — Through three games this season, Iowa football’s defense is already one of the best in the country.

The Hawkeyes are third in FBS football for total defense, and the only Big Ten foe ahead of them is Minnesota — who has allowed just .3 less yards. Iowa’s allowed three touchdowns through three games.

Not bad through nonconference play, for most people. The details, head coach Kirk Ferentz said, is what’s missing.

“Those little things — win, lose or draw, there's always something to be corrected and some areas that we can get better at,” Ferentz said.

It’s standard to have that level of success. Why would Iowa expect anything less heading into conference play this week?

Rutgers has lengthy receivers at its disposal, but its top two options are out with injuries. It opens up some options for the Hawkeyes to create chaos in the backfield, but it means the defense has to make the tackles it missed against UMass.

Despite a lopsided score, there were a few of those should’ve-been-tackles Ferentz and the defense pointed out.

“Anytime you get out there, you want to be consistent,” sophomore defensive back Zach Lutmer said. “The biggest thing is definitely tackling. We need to be better at we had some missed tackles. We need to be more consistent at that, for sure.”

The defense has held opponents to less than 240 yards in every game — two of those three were less than 200 yards. Rutgers has scored at least 30 points in seven consecutive games dating back to its game against Maryland last November. The Hawkeyes haven’t allowed more than 30 points since their loss to Michigan State last season.

In fact, Iowa hasn’t allowed more than 20 points this season. It did, however, allow UMass to score a touchdown after a blocked punt — something Ferentz was quick to point out.

“A little disappointed we got thrown out there on the field in a tough situation and couldn't keep them out of the end zone afterwards,” he said. “So it was a little bit of a disappointment in terms of response.”

Iowa still hasn’t recorded a turnover this season. It’s a signature element of the Hawkeyes’ secondary, so much so that they’ve earned the nickname “Ball-Hawks.”

Well, did.

Cornerback TJ Hall revealed that assistant defensive coordinator Seth Wallace as started called the defensive backs the “Noboyz” — a ploy on “Doughboyz” as a means to fire up his players to pick off a pass.

“That’s just something that motivates us,” Hall said. “And then, Coach (Phil) Parker preaches the turnovers will come. Don’t try to press or do something extra.”

Rutgers has heavily relied on the passing game this season, with nearly 900 passing yards to 500 rushing yards. Those offensive injuries, however, might force the Scarlet Knights to adjust to larger run game.

Enter Iowa’s defensive line. The Hawkeyes’ defensive line is within the top 15 nationally in sacks, averaging one per game. Senior Max Llewellyn had two sacks and two tackles-for-loss last week alone.

“I keep hammering the hungry thing,” Llewellyn said. “But I just think it's just such a focal point for defense that guys really are eager to get out there and make some plays.”

A nationally ranked defense is a Ferentz staple. The numbers don’t lie.

Not knowing when a play becomes a game-changer, though? That’s why the Hawkeyes are still critiquing their efforts.

“We're going to play in a lot of close games moving forward just like we did two weeks ago, and those little things really tend to make a difference,” Ferentz said. “As a player and a coach, you never know when that's going to be; that's why you've got to be at your best, and we've got to make sure we're working on getting better.”

This is Big Ten play, after all. This is when it really counts.

“We kind of take it upon ourselves,” Lutmer said. “It's basically a fresh start. Everyone's 0-0, so got to try to get out to a hot start and get off, get off to a quick start.”

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