PREGAME
Mad Max
How Iowa defensive end Max Llewellyn balances his goofy personality with his serious on-field demeanor.
5 things to watch
Iowa has received the opening kickoff in all eight games this season, most of those by choice after winning the coin toss. Many coaches prefer to defer to the second half, but Kirk Ferentz has historically been known to take the ball. The Hawkeyes haven’t done much with those opportunities this year, but the win over Minnesota may have been the turning point.
Quarterback Mark Gronowski and the offense opened the contest with a nine-play, 75-yard drive featuring a well-balanced mix of passing and rushing plays. That drive set the tone and allowed Iowa to roll to a 41-3 win. Now, the Hawkeyes have had two weeks to prepare for their first drive against Oregon on Saturday, but getting off to a fast start will be crucial against such a formidable opponent.
lenge for coordinator Phil Parker and the Hawkeye defense, but they will also have to focus their attention on Oregon’s talented receivers. The name to watch i this room is first -year Dakorien Moore, a fi e star recr it who ea s the Ducks with 443 yards, including three touchdowns. Moore is not afraid of the big stage, catching seven passes for 89 yards in a thrilling win at Penn State on Sept. 27. USC transfer Gary Bryant Jr. will also be a sti match o the o tsi e as he is seco on the team with 275 yards and four touchdowns. Not only that, Iowa will also have to contain tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who has collected a team-high 311 yards and leads a i e ti ht e s with fi e to ch ow s.
Parker is one of the most brilliant defensive minds in the country, but he will have to be on his A-game in order for the Hawkeyes to o this set.
The departure of star quarterback Dillon Gabriel left head coach Dan Lanning looking for a worthy replacement, but this is an Oregon program that reloads, not rebuilds. Lanning poached Dante Moore from UCLA after the 2023 campaign, and Moore took over for Gabriel this season. There’s been some rough patches at times, but Moore has been one of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks this season, tossing for 1,772 yards and 19 touchdowns. Moore is not a traditional dual-threat quarterback, but his ability to extend plays with his legs is what makes him a this o e se s ch a dangerous threat. If Iowa can keep Moore in the pocket, it will have a good chance to win this football game.
The Des Moines Register sports columnist Chad Leistikow said on social media he believes defensive back Zach Lutmer has evolved into Iowa’s best defensive player. Through eight games, Leistikow may have a case. The Rock Rapids, Iowa, native recorded seven tackles against Penn State, but the his performance against Minnesota proved Leistikow’s oi t. tmer co ecte fi e tota tack es t his shi i mome t was a ick si i the first arter marki the first i terce tio a touchdown of his young career.
Lutmer and the rest of the Hawkeye secondary will have their hands full against Oregon, but expect the sophomore to be involved in several key plays on Saturday.
Iowa has played in a lot of big home games under Ferentz, but Saturday’s game against the Ducks may be near the top of that list. The Hawkeye faithful are always geared up for every game at Kinnick Stadium, but a contest of this magnitude will only increase the noise.
Stopping Moore alone will be a tough chal-
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Iowa defensive end brings calm to the gridiron
Joking around with teammates o the field, Max
Llewellyn
changes demeanor once his helmet comes on.
On a cold, crisp, Black Friday night in Iowa City on Nov. 29, 2024, Iowa and Nebraska were deadlocked at 10 late in the fourth quarter. Nebraska had the ball at its own 20-yard line, looking to sneak out of Kinnick Stadium with a win.
Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola dropped back to throw on a first down on the Huskers’ 43-yard line with 22 seconds left in the game. The true freshman looked left for a quick throw, but didn’t see the chaos coming toward him from the right.
Iowa defensive end Max Llewellyn had a quiet game up to that oi t o y o i o e tack e efore the fi a e raska ri e but he made the biggest play of the game as time was dwindling.
“We had a TV timeout right before that drive,” Llewellyn said about the play. “And my coach was like, ‘This is stuff that you dream of, somebody’s got to make the play.’”
Llewellyn quickly beat the Husker right tackle to the outside and wrapped up Raiola for a loss of seven yards, but more importantly, jumped out of the pile with the football.
“I kind of had an idea of how the tackle was setting me and what I could win with,” Llewellyn said. “And I just went with a speed move outside and turned the corner, and the ball was right there. I just kind of went for the ball, and it came out our way.”
The clock continued to run after the sack, leaving many fans confused. The officials immediately gathered for a conversation and concluded that the Hawkeye defensive end forced and recovered the fumble.
The play was reviewed, and the Kinnick crowd held its collective breath until the scoreboard showed the best angle.
“I saw him get the sack, and there are guys behind us, and we are jumping up and down, celebrating big time,” Llewellyn’s dad, Shawn said of the play. “Then I looked up and I saw him walking back with the ball. And I’m like, ‘What’s he doing?’”
Once the review concluded and the officials upheld the call, the Hawkeye faithful erupted into a vociferous roar. Iowa ultimately won the game, 13-10, on a Drew Stevens 53-yard field goal as time expired.
“I got mobbed,” Shawn said. “That was fun. It was a blast.”
Llewellyn, who grew up in Urbandale, Iowa, always wanted to do his own thing when he was young. Shawn remembers a game of frisbee golf with Max, who simply
walked off to go climb a tree by himself.
While Llewellyn was never a bad student in school, Shawn said his son typically found himself in trouble for talking too much in class or just doing stupid things.
“He threw a rock at a wasp’s nest once,” Shawn said. “He just didn’t think back then.”
During football games, Llewellyn would constantly jump o si e whe he was o the efe si e i e.
“He was very sweet, very funny, happy, but he just was not focused,” Shawn said. “He was kind of wild.”
When Llewellyn is now around his Iowa teammates during downtime in the locker room or meeting rooms, he likes to act as he did when he was a kid, joking and laughing with them. But once that helmet comes on and he tightens the chinstrap, it’s all business.
He s a f y y efi ite y makes s a h a ot owa defensive lineman Aaron Graves said. “I would say more re a e a chi t whe he s o the fie he s rea y to o.
“He’s a little clown at times, but when it’s time to lock in, he’s locked in,” teammate Xavier Nwankpa added.
Llewellyn has never been the type of guy to get extremely hyped up before games, and he always plays at his best when he’s relaxed. When he’s off the field, he plays into the jokester persona his teammates have come to love.
“With the teammates that I have, it’s hard not to have humor when you’re surrounded by hilarious people in the facility,” Llewellyn said. “I’ve got some of my lifelong best friends that I met at Iowa. It’s so fun going inside the facility, but when it’s time to play the game, that’s kind of when I’ll turn it on.”
The work ethic Llewellyn now displays stems from his high school days, when he needed to bulk up and get stronger to play defensive line at a better level.
After Llewellyn’s freshman year at Urbandale High School, Shawn told him he had to get stronger in the offseason, and Max listened.
“That year, he just lost his mind,” Shawn said. “I mean, it’d be a Friday night, and I knew parties were going on, and he was skipping on them to go lift.”
Llewellyn went from 130 to 160 pounds that offseason.
All the work he had put in, however, seemed to be for nothing when he broke his foot during the second game of his sophomore season.
That setback didn’t stop Llewellyn, as he repeated the entire offseason process he had done the year before and was up to 190 pounds before his junior season, where his ro ctio took o a e to his recr itme t.
“He came in as a skinny freshman, who was a receiver and played defensive end, and wasn’t a star,” Sam Anderson, Llewellyn’s high school head coach, said. “He worked hard and put himself in a position to be where he is today.”
Shawn has always had a significant influence on Max’s football career. As the freshman football coach at Urbandale, Shawn did not hold the typical “coach’s son” relationship with Max.
Typically, when a father has a son on his team, they see the field a lot. That was not the case for Llewellyn during his freshman year. In fact, Shawn made him ride the bench the entire season, forcing him to focus on improving to earn playing time.
“That was honestly a blessing in disguise, because I wanted to play so bad,” Llewellyn said. “It kind of taught me that if you’re not good, then you’re not going to play. So I had
to do something about that.”
Shawn said he didn’t like to coach his kids because it puts him in an impossible situation.
“If you play him, you’re playing him
because he gets special parental treatment,” Shawn said. “If you don’t play him, you don’t believe in him. It’s an awful thing.”
Llewellyn wasn’t the only athlete in his family — his older brother, Luke, played baseball for the Hawkeyes from 2022 to 2023. Luke took the junior-college route, playing at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids before transferring to Iowa.
Luke was initially committed to Wartburg to play quarterback, but he always felt he wanted to play baseball. Llewellyn said Luke has been a key factor in his life and the success he’s found at Iowa.
“As a younger brother, you want to be like your older brother and have the success he’s having,” Llewellyn said. “He’s a guy who’s got a crazy work ethic, crazy attention to detail, he’s just a really high-level human
being, and seeing him compete and perform at Iowa definitely helped me.”
Another family member who was an inspiration for Llewellyn was his stepmother, Casey, who battled ovarian cancer before passing away in January 2025. Casey was a huge Hawkeye fan and constantly pushed Llewellyn to commit to Iowa during his recruiting process.
“Casey was constantly on him, like, ‘Max, we’re going to Iowa, this is no brainer,’” Shawn said.
Despite her illness, Llewellyn said Casey was someone who never complained, which served as a major inspiration for his own life.
he rea y st i s ire me with a the st that she had going on. There’s no reason for me
Just when it seemed like Llewellyn’s recruitment was going well, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, sending the whole world to a screeching halt. Iowa traditionally recruits its players through camps, but the pandemic kept that from happening.
Llewellyn nearly changed course, admitting that he was close to committing to rival Iowa State as a tight end. But deep down, he felt more comfortable as a defensive player. Staying close to home was the goal, but he still waited for the Hawkeyes to o er.
“I just kind of had to tell them [Iowa], ‘It’s getting closer to signing day and I’ve got to make a decision here, I don’t want to lose my spot at Iowa State,’” Llewellyn said. “So I think that
to get up in the morning feeling sorry for myself that I have to wake up at 5 a.m., or whatever it may be that I’m going through, like, Casey is going through ovarian cancer, and she’s just taking it on full force,” Llewellyn said.
When Casey passed, Llewellyn decided to honor her by selling merchandise through his NIL store to raise money for ovarian cancer research.
Shawn decided to take the money he received from friends and family at her funeral and match it with the money raised by Llewellyn’s shirts.
“I just wanted to get that merchandise out there,” Llewellyn said. “I think my dad really liked the shirts, but I just felt like I wanted to do something for Casey because of how strong a human being she was.”
Llewellyn isn’t typically someone who would be interested in selling merchandise because he doesn’t like the spotlight, but for this reason, it was an easy decision for him.
“When she passed, I wanted to honor her and dedicate my season towards something,” Llewellyn said.
Llewellyn was a four-star recruit out of Urbandale. He was the sixth-ranked recruit in the state and was No. 33 in the country at the defensive line position in the 2021 recruiting class.
In the season before his commitment, Llewellyn collected 11 tackles for loss and four sacks in 11 games for the J-Hawks. His senior season was even better, recording 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks through eight games, leading to first-team all-state and all-district honors.
ress re them a it more to e te that o er. ce the o er came ewe y was so . He committed to Iowa on April 4, 2020, near the end of his junior year of high school.
Llewellyn redshirted after not seeing any game action in his freshman season in 2021. His playing time increased the following season, but he only appeared in four games and recorded three total tackles.
Llewellyn logged an appearance in every game in 2023 and 2024, but didn’t start in any of the 27 games. He recorded eight sacks and 10 1/2 tackles for loss across those two seasons, slowly establishing himself as an emerging star on the Hawkeye defense.
Through eight games this season, Llewellyn has already surpassed his sack total from last season with six, while also forcing two fumbles. Llewellyn’s growth as a player has garnered a lot of praise from his teammates, including Graves, who has been playing alongside Llewellyn for four years.
“I love playing next to Max,” Graves said. e re rea y oo frie s o the fie as we . st seei the rowth he s ha from my first year to now has been really fun to see.”
“We’ve kind of grown together in that sense,” Graves continued. “Especially in pass-rushing situations, just covering for each other. If he takes the inside move, I cover for him outside.”
Center Logan Jones said he thinks Llewellyn is one of the best pass rushers in college football and praised his work ethic.
“From where he was, to where he is now, you could just see it in his freshman year,” Jones said. st the rowth he s ha a the co fi e ce he brings to the defensive line.”
Llewellyn said he knew little to nothing about tr y ayi efe si e e i his first year with the Hawkeyes, and had to learn how to take o ocks to fit i to efe si e coor i ator hi arker s scheme.
“I think he's starting to understand the game
Llewellyn said he’s learned a lot from a couple of teammates about the game of football and what it means to be a Hawkeye.
ewe y s first me tor was his freshma year roommate Zach VanValkenburg. That seaso was a a ke r s fi a year of eligibility, where he earned second-team All-Big e ho ors from the . he o er efe si e lineman didn't hesitate to share his knowledge with Llewellyn.
“He's a really intelligent guy, and he's a guy who can break the game up in bite-sized pieces for somebody who has no idea what's going on,” Llewellyn said. “And he kind of set the foundation for me.”
Llewellyn also can’t say enough good things about current teammate Ethan Hurkett, who he cre its for a ways ri i oo e ort a setting the tempo for the defensive line.
a itt e it arker sai a o t ewe y at me ia availability on Oct. 28. “Instead of just doing one thing that he likes to do, I think he's growing wiser and understanding [the defense].”
The now 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end ma e a co scio s e ort e ery year to ot o y learn the fundamentals of the position, but also get as big as possible while maintaining his s ee o the e e i ass r sh.
That progress didn’t come without help, as
“He's one of those guys who is just wired i ere t y ewe y sai of H rkett. He s st always going, which, when you see him going, it makes other guys want to go.”
ith ewe y risi o the fie the rowth he’s had as a person since coming to Iowa can o y e cre ite to the Hawkeye coachi sta .
“As a man, there's little to no room for you to make mistakes that everyday people do,” Llewellyn said. “Whether it's showing up late, or not making weight, they're going to turn you into somebody who's accountable and responsible, and being emotionally mature.”
Iowa defense brimming with confidence ahead of Oregon showdown
Defensive coordinator Phil Parker used some “evaluation stu ” to retool his unit after the bye week, and the results led to an impressive October.
After allowing three straight touchdown drives to begin its Big Ten opener at Rutgers on Sept. 19, many loyal Iowa fans doubted the Hawkeyes’ normally-stout defense would recover. Yet to some surprise, Iowa bounced back in a major way. The Scarlet Knights were held to just seven points for the rest of the game, and the Hawkeyes escaped with a 38-28 victory. Since then, Iowa has returned to its dominant self. The Hawkeyes he a hi h owere ia a o e se to a seaso low point total in their 20-15 heartbreaker. he first ye week after the ia a ame a e efe si e coor i ator hi arker a his sta some time for what they ca e e a atio st a the res ts were im ressi e – a 37-0 shutout of rival Wisconsin, a clutch late stand to seal a dramatic win over Penn State, and another 41-3 demolition to claim Floyd of Rosedale against Minnesota two weeks ago. As the calendar turns to November, Iowa ranks second in the nation in total defense behind defending national champion Ohio State. The Hawkeyes are yielding just 13.1 points per game and 4.01 yards per play, numbers Parker simply attributes to strong work ethic.
“I think our guys are really working hard, and they’ve been worki har a the way thro h cam arker sai at his bye week press conference on Oct. 28. “We’re looking forward to the e t fo r ames which are oi to e cha e i . hose e t fo r ames – o. re o o. ichi a tate a e raska – creates owa s to hest stretch of the seaso t arker is co fi e t his ro is rea y to ass the test e to im ro eme t at a ot of i ere t ositio s.
One of those positions is defensive back. Fourth-years T.J. Hall and Xavier Nwankpa are in the middle of bounce-back senior campaigns, but the play of second-year Zach Lutmer
10-0 lead early in the second quarter, Gopher quarterback Drake Lindsey dropped back to pass and lofted one near the Iowa sideline. Lutmer read the play perfectly to secure the interception, which he returned 34 yards for a pick-six.
Lutmer was all-smiles after the game, but was quick to credit his coachi sta a teammates.
has caught Parker’s eye. The Rock Rapids, Iowa, native forced two fumbles and recovered one in Iowa’s shutout of Wisconsin, but his performance against Minnesota may have been the best of his young career.
With the Hawkeyes already holding a commanding
i e tha ks to them first o a the the ocki o that ay i t ha e to o m ch tmer sai . tmer s se fish a swer i t come as a s r rise. he sophomore is known for his quiet demeanor in the locker room, but his productivity has made plenty of noise.
“He has the ability to diagnose plays a little bit faster, and he has ee im ro i arker sai . reat ki to work with.
oes t say ery m ch. He s ee ery ro cti e for s.
Similar to the secondary, the pass rush struggled early i the seaso t is ow e i i to fi its stri e. he Hawkeyes recorded four sacks against Minnesota, and Lindsey was under constant pressure throughout the game. re o s o e se has ee critici e for its i co siste cy o er the ast few weeks – o y scori oi ts a ai st isco si – t star arter ack a te oore a o. sti ha e more tha e o h fire ower to wreak ha oc o owa s defense, even on the road.
“You have to be fundamentally sound, you have to be re are a yo ha e to ay to h hysica arker sai . e e ot to ay with ys ayi their est at a times.
One on One: Devan Kennedy
The redshirt first-year defensive lineman discussed his hobbies, best childhood memory, and biggest pet peeve.
The Daily Iowan: What are your hobbies?
Devan Kennedy: I like to read. I’ve been getting into movies, just trying to watch the classics.
What does your average weekend look like in the offseason?
If I’m not hanging out with my teammates, I’m reading, watchi mo ies or oi to ch rch. st sim e st .
What’s the best sports event you’ve ever seen live or on TV?
Last year’s Super Bowl was really good. I’ll also say the Super Bowl that Aaron Donald won - the Rams versus the Bengals.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
ro a y o eati that st s cks. t s somethi didn’t pay attention to before, but now I notice it sometimes, and I’m like, ‘Come on now.’
Who is the smartest person you’ve ever met?
I’d probably say my dad. He grew up in New York and had a pretty rough background. [I saw] how he did things to get out of that situation.
What are you most thankful for?
Just the people I have around me. My coaches, teammates, and my family - just thankful for everybody around me.
What is the most ridiculous nightmare you’ve had? I had a nightmare a while back, and I was running from the McDonald’s Grimace dude. I was scared in the dream, but I
couldn’t take it seriously at the same time.
If you could choose one superpower, what would it be?
ro a y yi . thi k yi is fire. f co o to the o int where people can’t see me, and just go wherever I need to that wo e fire.
What is your best childhood memory? he was fi e we t o a is ey cr ise with my fami y. That was a blast, I remember almost every moment.
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? I think being able to have an impact on others is huge for me. I’ve been blessed in so many ways to just be here. If I can have an impact on some little kids, or on anybody, I think that’s awesome.
Oregon makes first visit to Kinnick Stadium since 1989
to take the ea ate t a fie oa miss y rew te e s a e the ball back to the Hoosiers, who scored the game-winning touchdown on their next possession to steal the victory.
1989 marks the most recent time the Iowa Hawkeyes have welcomed the Oregon Ducks to Kinnick Stadium. None of the current Hawkeyes were alive to remember that game, a 44-6 Oregon win, but head coach Kirk Ferentz was. Ferentz was Iowa’s o e si e i e coach ack the a remem ers the so eati the Ducks handed his Hawkeyes on that September day. “I remember it didn’t go well,” Ferentz said at media availability on Nov. 4.
Thirty-six years later, Iowa has the chance to avenge that defeat. It will be far from easy, as Oregon comes in ranked No. 6 in the AP poll and is the defending Big Ten champion. A win co a t the Hawkeyes i to the o e e oot a ayo conversation, while a loss would be another painful reminder of what could have been.
Oregon was a bottom-tier program in the late 1980s, having ma e st fi e ow ames i its history rior to a reakthro h cam ai . ere t a mitte he a his sta i t k ow much about the Ducks program back then, but his perception has certainly changed today. Oregon has been one of the sport’s premier programs since the early 2000s, winning nine conference titles and appearing in two national championship games. hey re rea y a im ressi e o tfit ere t sai . here s a reason they’ve lost two games the last two years. They’re good.”
Beating a national powerhouse like the Ducks seems daunting on paper, but Iowa nearly pulled out a win against current-No.2 Indiana earlier this year. The Hawkeyes had the ball with a chance
While Iowa fans expressed frustration with their fourth-year kicker, special teams coordinator LeVar Woods never lost hope in his kicker, saying “I believe in Drew Stevens,” during his bye week press conference days after the Indiana game. Aside from a ocke yar fie oa a ai st e tate te e s has misse st o e fie oa si ce.
es ite the im ro e m ers te e s is t satisfie .
“I’d be lying if I said I was super happy with my performance,” Stevens said.
If there’s any Hawkeye with a reliable history, it would probably be Stevens. The senior has been Iowa’s starting kicker since the third game of his freshman campaign, and e e former Hakweye ate ae i for most fie oa s i Iowa history during that Penn State game. The two have had lunch together on several occasions, and Stevens hopes to use the connection to pursue his dream of becoming an NFL kicker just like Kaeding, a third round pick who played for nine years in the pros.
“Just talking about, just random, technical things,” Stevens said. “I am trying to play at the next level and just the mindset of going from your senior season into, like, potentially an NFL team, and he’s [Kaeding] done it.”
But the opportunity to play in the NFL is still months away. Iowa’s showdown against Oregon is just days from now. For Stevens, the extra week of preparation was chance for a selfe a atio rocess oth o a o the fie .
“In terms of a technical standpoint, I can kind of tinker with
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Duncan is the hero
Injuries and inconsistent play ended any chance of a College Football Playoff run for the 2016 Hawkeyes, but Kirk Ferentz and his squad still had some magic left in the tank. Many didn’t expect
Iowa, who lost by 27 points at Penn State last time out, to compete with undefeated and then-No. 3 Michigan at Kinnick Stadium. Playing in front of a soldout crowd under the lights, the Hawkeyes did what they do best against top teams – ugly the game up and give themselves a chance to win late. That’s exactly what
Iowa did, forcing two Michigan turnovers and totaling 164 yards on the ground. The Wolverines were called for a facemask penalty on Desmond King’s punt return, and the Hawkeyes drove down to the Michigan 15-yard line to set up a game-winning field goal attempt for freshman Keith Duncan. With ice in his veins, Duncan buried the 33-yard try right though the uprights, and Iowa fans rushed the field in celebration.
The win began a three-game winning streak to end the regular season, and the Hawkeyes would finish 8-5.
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The Daily Iowan sta shares their thoughts on this week’s upcoming games
Harper Atkinson powers through rare condition with hope
Despite being the lone patient with her condition, Harper is surrounded by friends and family, who she’ll be waving to from the sidelines on Saturday.
us how to be strong.”
Harper’s father, Nate Atkinson, agreed with his wife.
Although surrounded by friends and family in her hometown of Wapello, Iowa, 10-year old Harper Atkinson sits alone.
Eight years of unexplainable bone fractures and no diagnosis leads doctors to think Harper may be the only person in the wor to s er from her co itio .
At just two years old, Harper had a displaced femur fracture. No injury or pressure induced it, just pure spontaneity. She was escorted to the ER, where an X-ray was performed and a potential tumor was spotted. After being admitted to the Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital the next day, a full body MRI showed multiple lesions all over her bones — but there was no explanation behind them, foreshadowing a continuous search for a diagnosis.
“At the time it didn’t really make sense,” Harper’s mother, Miranda Atkinson, said. “It wasn’t until we did scans and were admitted we realized that this is going to probably be a problem for a while, but even then, I don’t think we grasped it would be a lifelong ordeal.”
One day at the hospital turned into eight years, as doctors sorted through imaging, e etics a sca s i a attem t to fi a diagnosis. Still, to this current day, nothi fits. i ce her first fract re Har er has experienced over 35 more bone breaks, impacting the way she goes about her everyday life. She can’t run like the other kids in her grade. She can’t partake in many sports, and she takes every step with caution. Life for Harper is nothing but conscious.
Alongside her bone condition, Harper lives with craniosynostosis, a condition where the bones of the sk f se efore the rai has fi ishe rowi a hiari malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal. Both required surgical procedures at a young age.
“I’m excited for Harper to experience the game from the other side,” he said. “We’ve seen four games from the th oor so thi k ha i the other perspective will be really great.”
When Harper got the news she would be a Kid Captain, she was ecstatic, beaming
alongside her parents, who read her the email.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she expressed.
t s har to watch yo r ki e i ai a s er a ot be able to do things that her peers are doing,” Miranda said. “But at the same time, I would say it’s been humbling to watch her bravery and her perseverance, and just watching her push forward. She’s killing it. She does a great job with all of the medical things, she knows they have to be done. She’s taught
Throughout her journey, Harper maintains her bubbly and bright personality, thriving in the fourth grade and doing the things she loves, such as horseback riding and playing piano.
Key moments against Minnesota
With Iowa holding a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter against Minnesota, Gophers’ quarterback Drake Lindsey dropped back to pass and lofted one toward the near side of the field. Lindsey anticipated an open receiver behind the coverage, but instead he found the arms of defensive back Zach Lutmer. Lutmer raced down the sideline and slipped out of the grasp of a Minnesota tackler at the 10-yard line to secure a 34-yard pick-six, the first touchdown of his young career.
Just when everyone thought star returner Kaden Wetjen’s season couldn’t get any better, the fifth-year outdid himself again against the Gophers. With Iowa holding a commanding 24-0 lead, Wetjen caught the ball at midfield and found green grass on the far sideline and had little trouble making his way into the end zone for the 50-yard score.
Wetjen later admitted he nearly called for a fair catch on the play, but told the media the play was justice for former star Cooper DeJean, who had a go-ahead punt return touchdown called back late in Iowa’s 2023 loss to Minnesota.
The Hawkeyes went over a month without a passing touchdown but quarterback Mark Gronowski ended the drought by throwing a 29-yard seed to wideout Reece Vander Zee, who wrestled the ball free from Gopher cornerback John Nestor – a
