By Carter Melrose
A good quarterback licks his chops for two main things: a stack of freshly smoked baby-back ribs and freshman cornerbacks without any college-level experience. This is the scene that was set Sept. 2 at Kinnick. Iowa freshman cornerback, Matt Hankins was thrust into the starting nickel spot, being opposed by Wyoming quarterback phenomenon, Josh Allen.
This narrative was being constructed for one main reason: Manny Rugamba, an Iowa starting cornerback was suspended for the entire Wyoming game.
“Manny has done a great job. He has taken this as a challenge to be a leader, be on the scout team, and help our offense out for the first game.” Phil Parker, Iowa defensive coordinator, said.
This development forced all the corners on the roster up one spot, essentially making Hankins a starter. Before the game, Josh Jackson didn’t seem too worried about the true freshman.
“Whoever comes in, you have to be able to carry the load.” Jackson said. “I think he’ll do a great part.”
With all things considered this seemed to be against what head coach Kirk Ferentz is normally inclined to do. Ferentz, who is less than ecstatic to play freshmen, was backed into a corner with Rugamba’s suspension.
“We have had several freshmen do a good job,” Kirk said. “He is grabbing onto what we want to do systematically.”
When the dice were finally rolled, the Hawkeyes came out and stifled the high-caliber quarterback, even making Allen look slightly hopeless. When Hankins did play he wasn’t an issue, and this had to do less with his play and more with the dominance of the other portions of the secondary.
Jackson and starting safety Jake Gervase were the leaders who stepped up and made sure the secondary didn’t miss a step.
Gervase showcased this early on. It was third down and Allen was looking to find something that could jumpstart the passing game. Allen escaped an almost-sack and rolled out to his right, eyeballing a wide-open pass catcher along the right sideline. With his NFL arm, Allen heaved the ball his way. However, coming from across the planet, Gervase dove to break up the pass. It stunted any chance Allen had to start out the game hot.
There was also Jackson’s mid-game interception and return that brick-walled a nice looking drive by the Wyoming offense.
All of these factors added up to a lackluster Allen stat-line: 23 or 40 passing completions, 174 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. This resulted in the second lowest quarterback rating of Allen’s career. In a game where Iowa injuries and suspensions should have made this a scary outing, the inexperienced secondary held strong.
“I think Hankins did really good,” Jackson said. “I think he is really advanced for a freshman.”