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Iowa players share wild interactions with Nebraska coach Matt Rhule

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Iowa players share wild interactions with Nebraska coach Matt Rhule


The annual Iowa-Nebraska game doesn’t get the same hype as Alabama-Auburn and some other  other college football rivalries, but emotions run high in the battle for the Heroes Cup. And things got wild Friday night.

The hijinks started even before the game. Iowa linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson shared some surprising anecdotes with reporters after the Hawkeyes’ thrilling 13-10 win on a walk-off field goal.

Higgins revealed that before the game, the Nebraska team captains made no effort to shake hands, “so that was a little weird,” he said. Then, Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walked through Iowa’s pregame warmups.

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“So we immediately knew what type of game this was,” Higgins said.

After sharing all that, Higgins deadpanned, “Any questions?” That drew laughter from reporters.

Jackson joined him at that point, and Higgins had more to share.

“So the first series, we were on their sideline, and I got a little close to their head coach,” Higgins said. (The way he referred to Rhule as “their head coach” in every instance is funny.)

“And I said, ‘Probably not a good idea to not shake our hands,” Higgins continued. “He goes, ‘Who are you?’”

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Then Higgins and Jackson wondered aloud if Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz would ever act like Rhule.

“Would KF, would … Kirk Ferentz ever do that?” Higgins asked.

“Nah,” Jackson said.

“That’s just amazing,” Higgins said.

“Come to Iowa,” Jackson said.

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“Come to Iowa, come be a Hawk,” Higgins echoed.

“Be a Hawk, you see the difference,” Jackson said.

While Rhule might have thought his tough-guy image set the tone for the game, the Hawkeyes had the proverbial last laugh, as Drew Stevens booted a 53-yard field goal as time expired for the win.

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Higgins had the perfect end to the night after that winning kick.

“So after the game,” Higgins said, “because they didn’t want to shake our hands before the game, I went up to their head coach and shook his hand and told him, ‘Good game.’”

[Eliot Clough]





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Arrests made in SD in Iowa courthouse incident

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Arrests made in SD in Iowa courthouse incident


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Two suspects in the incident at the Lyon County, Iowa, courthouse were arrested in Spearfish, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post earlier Saturday.

The sheriff’s office identified two suspects as Brandon Lyle High Pipe, 39, and Luciano Eliseo Sanchez, 18, in a social media post on Thursday. Nationwide warrants were issued for the two suspects.

The sheriff’s office said on Tuesday the courthouse had burglarized overnight. The damage inside includes writing on walls, broken glass, tipped-over Christmas trees and other items tossed around.

The incident caused the courthouse to be closed for at least one day.

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The sheriff’s office said on Saturday morning that more information should be released later.



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Iowa City West sweeps City High in a pair of close contests

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Iowa City West sweeps City High in a pair of close contests


IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Grace Fincham led the West High girls to a second-half comeback in a 60-51 win over City High, giving the Trojans a win on their rival’s home floor.

The Trojans improve to 6-2 with the win. The Little Hawks drop to 6-2.

In the boys’ nightcap, the Little Hawks’ comeback attempt fell short, as the Trojans held on for a 53-51 win.

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Iowa football dissects LeVar Woods succession plan

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Iowa football dissects LeVar Woods succession plan


The loss of LeVar Woods, the Iowa Hawkeyes’ long-time, elite special teams coordinator, cannot be dismissed. The Hawkeyes have consistently been among the nation’s best special teams units, from punting to kicking to owning the return and field position battle.

With LeVar Woods departing Iowa for Big Ten foe, the Michigan State Spartans, the Hawkeyes have a big hole to fill, and head coach Kirk Ferentz spoke to the media this week on what that succession plan may look like.

“Yeah, it’s not a light decision. The trick will be to find the next LeVar Woods. He’s done a fantastic job. He didn’t have the profile necessarily maybe at that point to predict what he was going to do, but he’s done all the work. It’s like a good player; players do the work. LeVar has done a great job immersing himself and learning every aspect and then growing with each and every turn. So I guess I’m describing what we’re looking for, a guy who’s a good coach, who’s eager to take a challenge on, and immerse themselves in that world.

“Special teams is a unique niche, if you will. I’m sure we’ll have good candidates. It’s not pressing right now in my mind. What is pressing is the next two weeks getting ready for the game, and then after that we’ll have eight plus weeks or eight plus months actually to get it right. I don’t plan on waiting until August to fill it, but we’ll figure that out when we get in the new year,” Ferentz said about LeVar Woods.

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The past few seasons, Iowa has been elite on special teams with kicker Drew Stevens being incredibly consistent, the punting game flipping fields, and the run of returners consisting of Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Charlie Jones, Cooper DeJean, and Kaden Wetjen.

The Hawkeyes have won more than their fair share of games relying on this unit, and to continue that success, Ferentz needs to hit on this hire.

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 Riley on X: @rileydonald7





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