Iowa defensive back Sebastian Castro couldn’t have asked for a better 23rd birthday.
The fifth-year had one of the best games of his career with seven tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and one interception to help the Hawkeyes secure their second straight win over the Wisconsin Badgers.
Castro was a three-star recruit in high school and garnered an offer from just four Power Five programs. In his first few seasons at Iowa, he lived in the shadows behind defensive stars Cooper DeJean, Kaevon Merriweather, and Jack Campbell.
Castro trusted the process and is now an asset on one of the best defenses in the country.
“I mean, I came out just feeling good from the get-go,” Castro said following the win over the Badgers. “The mood never changed. I was always just focused on the game. I wouldn’t say I was like gaining momentum, I just came into the game with that momentum.”
Sebastian Castro was everywhere vs. Wisconsin. 💥
Relive some of the DB’s biggest plays from the rivalry win. ⤵️@castro2x5 x @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/LFbaPDGEvp
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 14, 2023
Iowa’s defensive unit also had its best showing of the season, holding Wisconsin’s stout run game to just 96 rushing yards. Badger running back and 2022 second-team All-Big Ten selection Braelon Allen had 87 of those rushing yards.
With the 15-6 victory on Saturday, Iowa moved to 6-1 overall and now controls its destiny in the Big Ten West. Saturday’s game marked the first time this season the Hawkeye ‘D’ has held an opponent to fewer than 10 points.
“That’s our standard, so it doesn’t surprise us,” Castro said of the defense’s performance. “That’s how we practice. It’s just like another day.”
Castro’s impact was felt on Wisconsin’s first offensive drive when he dropped wide receiver Will Pauling for a one-yard loss in Iowa territory.
A couple of plays later, the Badgers ended up going for it on fourth-and-1, and Hawkeye cornerback Cooper DeJean came up with the stop to change the momentum in favor of Iowa.
Castro kept his foot on the gas in the second quarter. The Oak Lawn, Illinois, native tracked down running back Jackson Acker near the Wisconsin sideline for a third-down stop. Near the end of the first half, Castro pushed Wisconsin out of Iowa territory and forced a third-and-long after running down Acker again, this time near the Iowa sideline, for a 6-yard loss.
“He’s going to be on every tackle, wherever the ball’s at,” linebacker Jay Higgins said of Castro. “He just makes plays. He’s a playmaker. I think that’s why coach [Phil] Parker loves him. I might have to keep my job so they don’t put him at Mike backer.”
Iowa’s defense bent but didn’t break coming out of halftime. The Badgers settled for two field goals and trailed by one heading into the fourth quarter.
But that’s when the Hawkeye defense shut the door for good.
The Badgers’ first drive of the fourth quarter started on their own seven-yard line after being penalized for holding on the kickoff. On third-and-9, Castro made it to Wisconsin backup quarterback Braedyn Locke untouched, and with the help of defensive lineman Yayha Black, dropped the pass-thrower in the end zone for an Iowa safety.
“We sent a lot of pressure from the front side, and I was just hoping they weren’t going to see me because I was trying not to give it away,” Castro said of the play. “The quarterback saw me at the last second, and he almost got away too, so thanks to Yahya. It was a little guy, a little squirmy guy, so it was kind of hard to get him.”
DEFENSE 😤😤#Hawkeyes
pic.twitter.com/yRLpa6j10N— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 14, 2023
With three minutes left in the game, defensive lineman Aaron Graves forced a fumble that was recovered by Higgins to halt a seven-play drive by the Badgers.
To cap it all off, Castro intercepted a pass at Iowa’s 33-yard line with 38 seconds left. The defensive back dropped to the ground even though he had a clear path to the end zone so the Iowa offense could kneel out the remaining time on the clock.
“It wasn’t that hard, to be honest,” Castro said of stopping himself on his interception instead of returning it for six points. “The win — I can’t ask for more on the birthday. I think I had a pretty good day today, so I think I had enough. The thought did come to my mind, but I wasn’t going to do it.”
Along with Castro’s efforts, 15 other Hawkeyes racked up at least one tackle against the Badgers. Higgins led the defense with 13 total tackles, and linebacker Nick Jackson was right behind Castro with six total tackles.
“You know, coming out of State College a couple weeks back, it just was tough. I know we couldn’t have done three weeks ago what we did today,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “The guys are growing, and that’s what the season is all about. That’s what the sport is all about, what life’s all about.”
