Iowa football beat Purdue, 20-14, on Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium in the Hawkeyes’ annual Homecoming game. Even though the offense struggled in the red zone under new quarterback Deacon Hill, the Hawkeyes survived a late comeback from the Boilermakers to earn a 1-0 mark in Big Ten West play. 

With Hill under center, Iowa’s first offensive drive of the day looked the same as it has so far this season, going three-and-out with two incomplete passes, both sailing well beyond their intended targets.

In his postgame press conference, Hill admitted to being “a little jittery” at the beginning of the game and had a “shaky” performance in the first half.

The Wisconsin transfer finished the first half with just three completions for 28 yards, posting a rating of 23.9. Nevertheless, the Hawkeye “D” held up their end of the bargain during the period, collecting six tackles for loss and limiting the Boilermaker ground game to 2.5 yards per rush. 

Starting in Iowa territory, Purdue mounted just one first down, as Iowa defensive end Joe Evans sacked quarterback Hudson Card for a loss of 11 yards to quell the threat. 

The following Iowa drive lasted just two plays, both by Hawkeye running back Kaleb Johnson, who returned after sitting out the last three contests with an ankle injury. Johnson caught a 13-yard pass from Hill and then took a handoff 67 yards to the north end zone for a score. 

The sophomore said he even slowed down as he reached the goal line, saying he knew he was going to score. When he saw the hole the Hawkeye offensive line created for him, Johnson had one thought: “‘I’m gone.'”

“I love being back, it gives me a chance to do what I do,” Johnson said. “It was a blessing for me to be open, to score like that.”

The Hawkeyes rushed for 181 yards and averaged 5.2 per attempt. As for the offensive line, which was without starting left guard Nick DeJong, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz was proud of the unit, saying how it showed “a little more maturity, girth, and presence out there. ”

Purdue gained just 34 yards on its next drive, but got the ball back early, as Hill’s pass for Iowa receiver Seth Anderson deflected off the wideout’s hands and into the waiting arms of Boilermaker safety Dillon Thieneman for an interception. 

Hill now has two interceptions in the Black and Gold and finished the contest with a 29 percent completion percentage for a 78.9 passer rating.

When asked if he had any discussions about putting backup QB Joey Labas in the game, Ferentz said it would be “silly” to make such a change, affirming, “Deacon is our quarterback right now.”

“I thought he kept his composure, and on a couple [of plays], we didn’t him on again,” Ferentz said of Hill, whom he described as a little pressed to start the game. “Got to make the makeable plays and we didn’t always do a great job of that. But he hung in there.”

The Boilermakers couldn’t do much with the turnover, advancing just 22 yards and settling for a 41-yard field goal, but Purdue kicker Julio Macias’ offering sailed wide left, maintaining a 7-0 advantage for the Hawkeyes. 

Following an Iowa three-and-out, Purdue’s next drive lasted just two plays. Card targeted Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean twice. The first: is an incompletion. The second: an interception returned to Purdue’s five-yard line.

Yet the Hawkeyes couldn’t find success in the red zone, as Hawkeye center Logan Jones’ snap sailed high on second down. When Hill recovered the loose ball, Iowa found itself 15 yards further away from the goal line. Johnson mustered a nine-yard run on the third down to give kicker Drew Stevens an easier field goal try. The sophomore nailed the 27-yarder to put Iowa ahead, 10-0. 

The Iowa defense dominated on Purdue’s next drive, holding the Boilermakers to one first down once again. Starting with the ball at their one 16-yard line, the Hawkeyes relied on the ground game, gaining 45 yards in two plays on runs from Johnson and fellow back Leshon Williams. Iowa only added eight more yards on the following three plays, bringing out the field goal unit. Stevens’ 49-yard try was blocked by Boilermaker Khordae Syndor. 

Following the block, Purdue gained 9.8 yards per play on its offensive drive, as Card fired a bullet to receiver T.J. Sheffield, who hit the sideline and ran 43 yards for a score. 

Iowa gained just one yard on its final drive prior to halftime, as Hill’s eleven-yard completion to Hawkeye tight end Erick All was all for naught, as the quarterback was sacked for a loss of 10 on the next play.

The defensive line unit picked up right where it let off at the start of the second half, as Evans picked up a two-yard tackle for loss and fellow lineman Deonte Craig added a sack on the Boilermakers’ opening drive. The Hawkeyes finished with six sacks on the day, more than their season total heading into the contest. 

Hawkeye defensive lineman Aaron Graves said the unit had been playing with more stress on its shoulders, especially given the lack of production heading into the game against the Boilermakers. He attributed a player-led meeting among the defensive linemen on Friday as helpful in reducing such a burden.

“By allowing us to relax, not thinking so much about the numbers, and just going out there and having fun, we, ironically, had success,” Graves said.

Iowa’s ensuing drive featured more passing yards than the Hawkeyes had the entire first half, as All reeled in a 27-yard pass from Hill, then turned heads with a leaping snag for 33 yards to put Iowa at the six-yard line. On his descent, the tight end was drilled by two Boilermaker defenders but held onto the pigskin. 

“[Deacon] put that right on the money, and I wanted to catch it for him,” All said of his longest grab of the day. “He put that thing right there, it was perfect, and coming down with it, I thank the Lord on that one.”

Nevertheless, Iowa again struggled in the red zone, as the Hawkeyes gained just one yard on a Leshon Williams rush. Stevens kicked his second field goal of the day to extend the lead. The rest of the third quarter remained scoreless, as the Hawkeyes held the Boilermakers to 3.5 yards per play. 

Iowa started the final quarter with a bang. Lining up with four tight ends on third-and-two, the Hawkeyes scored on a 22-yard TD pass to All. The Michigan transfer lined up in the fullback position, then streaked up the left sideline to make the catch. 

All said he lined up in the fullback spot in order to fake a zone-read run to the Purdue defense, who he said was physical throughout the contest.

“My main focus was getting out of that clean, and getting up and behind the defense,” All said. “It was a little wheel route and Deacon put it on me, all it was was just seeing it and catching it.”

After both squads traded punts, Card threw his first interception of the day. The quarterback was under pressure and had nearly hit the turf before heaving up a desperation toss over the middle into the hands of Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins. The pick set up Iowa at the Purdue 44-yard line, yet the Hawkeyes only gained 28 yards and brought out Stevens for a 44-yard field goal, which missed wide right. 

With a chance to make the contest a one-score game, Purdue took full advantage, driving the ball 74 yards on six plays for a score. Card threw for 63 of those yards, and running back Devin Mockobee rushed for 11 yards, including a two-yard touchdown run to bring the Boilermakers within six. 

Iowa went three-and-out on its next possession, but the Hawkeye “D” saved the game by holding Purdue to zero net yards on its final possession. Defensive tackle Logan Lee earned a sack for a loss of seven yards before DeJean broke up a pass over the middle on fourth down. 

“In those crucial situations, we want to be on our P’s and Q’s and be ready to see whatever we see,” Iowa linebacker Nick Jackson said. “I think at the end of the day, we’re just happy to come out with a win.”

Heading into the contest with just three sacks on the year, Iowa erupted for six sacks and 12 tackles for loss, holding the Purdue offense to 4.5 yards per play. 

Jackson accredited the impressive performance to the defensive line group, who he said had a chip on their shoulder heading into the game.

“They played very physically, very fast, and disruptive in the passing game,” Jackson said of the line. “They just did a heck of a job of making my life easier, so big props to those guys up front.”