Iowa players take place in The Wave during a football game between Iowa and Michigan State in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. The Hawkeyes dominated the Spartans, 49-7.
Point/Counterpoint: Which Hawkeye has been most surprising in 2020?
Two DI staffers debate which Hawkeye has had the most surprising 2020 campaign.
November 10, 2020
Tory Taylor
Tory Taylor hadn’t ever seen an American football game in person prior to Iowa’s 2020 season opener on Oct. 24 against Purdue, let alone played in one. But only three games into the season, the Australia native is already one of the best punters in college football.
Any expectations Hawkeye fans had for the team’s punting unit this season have already been exceeded. In Iowa’s up-and-down start to the 2020 campaign, Taylor has been a consistently reliable player.
Taylor is averaging 46 yards per punt this season on 17 attempts. Against Michigan State in Week 3, Taylor put on a masterful performance. He punted seven times, averaged 45.9 yards per punt, downed five inside the Spartans’ 20-yard line, and even booted one of his attempts 61 yards.
The week before against Northwestern, Taylor averaged 49 yards per punt.
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Running back Tyler Goodson is coming off of a monster rushing performance against the Spartans and defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon has been one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the conference this season. Big names like that were expected to be among Iowa’s best players this season.
But for the first-year punter who is new to the sport to be perhaps the team’s most consistent player this season? I didn’t see that coming. And if you said that you did, I’m not sure I’d believe you.
Charlie Jones
Transfer wide receiver Charlie Jones dazzled Hawkeye fans in a breakout performance against Michigan State at Kinnick Stadium last Saturday.
The former Buffalo Bull netted 105 yards in punt returns against the Spartans — including one 54-yard return for a touchdown.
Jones also contributed in the running game. The junior carried the ball twice for 38 yards — a 16 yards per carry average.
Before Iowa’s season kicked off, Jones’ teammates and coaches sung his praises, but that hadn’t transferred to on-field success against Iowa’s first two opponents — Purdue and Northwestern.
I know it’s just one breakout game, and that Jones’ efforts could amount to an anomaly in the grand scheme of the 2020 football season, but first impressions matter.
With Ihmir Smith-Marsette on the sideline because of a team-enforced suspension following an OWI, Jones proved to be the explosive player the Hawkeyes needed to fill in for Smith-Marsette.
Jones took advantage of the opportunity he received last Saturday, and I expect him to capitalize on chances he gets in the future.