Iowa
Rewind: Jermari Harris was exceptional on otherwise-iffy day for Iowa DBs
IOWA CITY — Troy seemed to try picking on Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris during Saturday’s football game, and that strategy did not fare well for the Sun Belt Conference team on Saturday.
Harris’ receivers were targeted a team-high five times, as tracked by Pro Football Focus, and the sixth-year cornerback did not allow any receptions.
The Chicago native was responsible for the Hawkeyes’ biggest defensive play of the afternoon when he intercepted Troy’s Matthew Caldwell in the third quarter and returned it for a touchdown at Kinnick Stadium.
With Iowa in zone coverage on first-and-10, Harris dropped back from his flat and easily picked off the pass intended for star wide receiver Devonte Ross. Then with great blocking from his teammates, especially linebacker Nick Jackson, he returned it 28 yards for the score.
Harris almost had another interception earlier in the game when he closely contested a pass intended for Ross on a third-and-6 in the second quarter. Harris broke up another third-down pass intended for Ross on a slant route in the third quarter.
He was the bright spot for the secondary on an afternoon where Iowa gave up 63- and 62-yard touchdown receptions to Ross. Third-year cornerback T.J. Hall was covering Ross on both of the big plays.
When Troy’s quarterbacks targeted Harris’ receivers, they were 0-for-5 with one interception, per PFF. When targeting receivers covered by other Hawkeyes, Troy’s quarterbacks were 16-of-19 for 229 yards.
Some problems with pass protection
Troy, after not recording any sacks in its first two games, took down Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara twice on Saturday.
The first sack happened when Troy linebacker Jordan Stringer pierced through the A-gap with ease as Iowa center Logan Jones barely slowed him down. The sack was despite Troy only rushing three defenders (with another three showing blitz before dropping back into coverage).
The second sack was on a second-and-eight on Iowa’s first drive of the second half. Troy’s Julian Peterson and Jordan Stringer both penetrated the A-gap between Jones and Connor Colby. Peterson quickly got past Colby, and Jones did not seem to see Stringer. Kaleb Johnson picked up Stringer in pass protection, but that left Peterson free to quickly pursue McNamara.
Both sacks proved to be drive-killers. The first sack, which was on third-and-2, preceded Troy’s 77-yard punt return for a touchdown. The second sack preceded a third-and-long and subsequent punt.
Kaleb Johnson leading the nation, with some good run blocking ahead of him
Johnson is No. 1 in the country with 479 rushing yards so far this season.
It is not a perfect stat, as Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai have played in one less game than Johnson due to their teams’ early byes. But even when looking at rushing yards per game, Iowa’s Johnson ranks third with 159.7.
Maintaining that pace is no guarantee, particularly as Iowa’s competition gets significantly stiffer in Big Ten play. But Johnson’s 159.7 yards per game, if continued over 12 regular-season games and a bowl game, would be at pace to break Shonn Greene’s program record for rushing yards in a single season.
One of the most impressive plays for Johnson, along with the run blocking ahead of him, was on the first play of Iowa’s second drive. Iowa operated in “12” personnel — one running back and two tight ends — with the ball on its own 23-yard line. McNamara pitched the ball to Johnson on the zone run.
Picture-perfect blocking, combined with Johnson’s breakout speed, meant Johnson essentially went untouched as he cleared the first and second levels and gained 39 yards. It was Johnson’s sixth run of 25-plus yards this season (and his seventh happened later in the game as well).
How much to take away from Week 3 result
Make any grand conclusions about the 2024 season from Saturday’s 17-point win at your own risk.
Since the Big Ten expanded the conference schedule to nine games in 2016, there has been very little correlation between Iowa’s margin of victory in the nonconference finale and Iowa’s number of Big Ten wins.
Iowa won six Big Ten games in 2016 and 2019. In the 2016 nonconference finale, the Hawkeyes lost to North Dakota State. In the 2019 nonconference finale, they throttled Middle Tennessee, 48-3.
In one of Iowa’s Big Ten West-winning seasons, the Hawkeyes won by only 10 points over Colorado State. In the other division title season, the Hawkeyes won by 31 over Western Michigan.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on offense, defense development
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on how the Cyclones offense and defense is developing.
After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.
Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.
He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.
According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.
Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.
Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments
As of April 21
- Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
- Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
- Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
- Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
- Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
- Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Avoiding common car crashes
Discover the common causes of car crashes and learn how to avoid them.
Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.
Here’s what to know.
When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?
The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.
What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?
During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.
Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.
Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.
Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.
Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.
Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.
As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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