I like to think of myself as an optimist.

Well, maybe I’m more of an optimist when it comes to sports, and it’s showing through when I think about the Iowa football team this season.

Maybe it’s too early to tell, but I think this might be a really exciting season for the Hawkeyes.

There were just so many things to feel good about about Sept. 2.

First and foremost, it was game day in Iowa City. There’s really nothing like it. Especially when you’re trying to drive down Melrose Avenue, and you can’t move your car because there are too many people that security can’t wrangle onto the sidewalks.

You can just feel the energy in the air when you walk into Kinnick, and there were a whole lot of people there for it being a nonconference 11 a.m. game.

And let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like being in a place where 70,000 people turn to the east and wave in unison to a bunch of kids on the top floor of the Children’s Hospital. I’ve thought about it a lot over the past few days, and I still get chills thinking about it.

There were so many things on the field that looked promising with this team, too.

Most notable was the defense. Led by linebacker Josey Jewell, the Hawkeyes held the prospective No. 1 NFL Draft pick Josh Allen to just 3 points. They didn’t even let the quarterback into the red zone.

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Jewell’s performance was not necessarily surprising, but it was definitely encouraging to see the senior picking up where he left off last season. After a 14-tackle game that included 2 sacks and 2.5 for a loss, Jewell was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.

Jewell’s fellow linebackers, Ben Niemann and Bo Bower, combined for 24 tackles, too. This is credit to the defensive line, which allowed the three of them to go outside and make stops they may not have made otherwise.

Even the secondary, which could have been grounds for concern before the game, was impressive. With next to no college experience at all, Iowa’s defense allowed Allen to throw for just 174 yards, with Wyoming’s total offense only putting up 233. To put this into perspective, Iowa’s defense has not averaged fewer than 300 yards per game in a season since 2009.

The offense, although it didn’t look like it was clicking early in the game, found its groove to toward halftime.

Akrum Wadley said he wasn’t feeling well before the game — he “woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” he said — but the senior still rushed for 116 yards on 24 attempts, putting him right on pace for the 1,400 yards he is gunning for this season.

James Butler added some quality runs for an additional 47 yards in his début as a Hawkeye, and Nick Easley, another new face, caught 4 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Noah Fant had 2 touchdowns, and it really looked as though quarterback Nathan Stanley found a couple of favorite targets in him and Easley.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows — Stanley threw an interception before he had a completion to one of his teammates and fumbled the ball three times, losing it twice. However, that he was able to pick himself up and shake off the nerves a little bit toward the end of the game was also promising.

So, while I’m an optimist, I’m also a realist. As a Brewers’ fan, I know that things can look good but take a turn pretty quickly. There is so much season left to go, but I’m excited to watch it unfold.