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2 - The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, November 10, 2017

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WEb ExTRASPublisher: 335-5788Jason brummondEditor-in-Chief: 335-6030Grace PaterasManaging Editor: 335-5855Katelyn WeisbrodCreative Director: 335-5855Gage MiskimenPregame Editor: Courtney baumannSports Editors: Adam Hensley, Asst. Pete Ruden

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ENTERTHE

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and place your college football predictions.

Daily Iowan ArchivesWisconsin fullback Joe Armentrout is grabbed by Iowa cornerback Keith Hunter after catching a pass in the fourth quarter of the 10-10 tie Iowa/Wisconsin football game on Nov. 3, 1984.

Courtney Baumann

No. 25 Iowa at No. 6 Wisconsin

No. 3 Georgia at No. 10 Auburn

No. 8 TCU at No. 5 Oklahoma

No. 1 Alabama at No. 18 Mississippi

State

Nebraska at Minnesota

Adam Hensley Pete Ruden Gage Miskimen Mary Kate Herion Jason BrummondPREGAME EDITOR (22-22) SPORTS EDITOR (28-16) ASST. SPORTS EDITOR (31-13) CREATIVE DIRECTOR (8-12) DITV SPORTS DIRECTOR (25-19) IOWA SPORTS ENTHUSIAST (28-16)

WISCONSINThree and a half years here

and I still get the, “Why didn’t you go to Wisconsin”

question.

IOWAFerentz fakes out badgers by actually kicking on 4th

down.

WISCONSINNate Stanley, prove me wrong.

WISCONSINI don’t know what to think in big Ten games anymore.

WISCONSINI’m the worst Iowa fan

ever. Sorry.

IOWAThey’re, like, good now

apparently.

GEORGIAThe Packers had to grant Georgia permission to use

their logo. At least one team is doing it justice this year.

GEORGIACam Newton cashes checks from Auburn.

GEORGIAbubba Watson would

be proud. (Also, how is Georgia still No. 1 in the

CFP rankings?)

GEORGIAWelcome to the new

Alabama.

GEORGIAI need them to keep winning

for Notre Dame purposes.

GEORGIAI had no idea this series

is the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.”

OKLAHOMAI’ll be the first to admit that I can’t name 5 of

Oklahoma’s songs.

OKLAHOMAbaker Mayfield is the Perry Ellis of college

football.

OKLAHOMAbaker Mayfield can win football games, but he can’t plant flags in turf.

OKLAHOMA“baker Football” T-shirts for sale. Merch link in bio.

OKLAHOMA#bAKERFORHEISMAN

OKLAHOMAThank you, big 12. Our long national nightmare is over.

ALABAMA*Claims to be an Alabama

fan.*

ALABAMARoll Damn Tide.

ALABAMA#WeWantbama I guess.

ALABAMAPls stop them, Mississippi

State. Pls.

ALABAMARoll Tide.

ALABAMATide likely not looking ahead to next week’s game against Mercer.

MINNESOTARooting for Minnesota gives me a weird satisfaction since

they hate Iowa so much.

NEBRASKAI don’t know what’s more

obnoxious: the Husker fans living in the ’90’s or

P.J. Fleck.

MINNESOTANebraska lost to Northern

Illinois. Lol.

MINNESOTAPeter Ruden picked

Minnesota, so I picked Minnesota.

MINNESOTAI wish P.J. Fleck was my life

coach.

NEBRASKAIt’s not easy to pick a winner in a game of

losers.

IOWA (56%)Iowa fans are optimistic

people.

GEORGIA (78%)Auburn cheats.

OKLAHOMA (67%)We need to stop putting

Oklahoma games in here. The jokes are getting old.

ALABAMA (100%)The state doesn’t have an

NFL team, just saying.

NEBRASKA (56%)Picking the lesser of two

evils here.

Matchups Fan Picks

REMEMBER WHEN ...

The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, November 10, 2017 - 3

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onE on onE

wITh MaTT vaNDeberg

Daily Iowan: Who was your first celebrity crush?Matt VandeBerg: Holy cow, probably Jen-nifer Aniston.

DI: What would you choose if you could only eat one food forever?VandeBerg: It would probably have to be pizza. Unfortunately, as bad as that is for me, it would have to be pizza.

DI: What’s your favorite place that you’ve ever traveled?VandeBerg: I got to go to Puerto Rico when I was younger. We were there for a week — that was a pretty cool experience.

DI: If you didn’t get recruited at Iowa, what other school would you have gone to?VandeBerg: Nowhere.

DI: Were you a Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon kid? VandeBerg: Oh, Nickelodeon, for sure.

DI: What are you watching on Netflix right now? VandeBerg: Actually, we’re going through “The Office” for like the fourth time.

DI: If you were forced to get a tattoo right now, what would it be of?VandeBerg: It would have to be a meerkat. I’d have to get that somewhere.

DI: Who were your mentors when you first came into the program? VandeBerg: Kevonte Mar-tin-Manley and C.J. Beathard. C.J. was my host on my recruiting visit so he was able to talk to me. Kevonte talked to me a lot, too, when I was younger.

DI: If you could be on one reality show, what would it be?VandeBerg: I don’t even know reality TV, I’ll be hon-est with you. I wouldn’t be “Jersey Shore,” I wouldn’t be on the “Kardashian” one, I don’t even know any others.

DI: If you had to pick three movies to watch forever and you couldn’t watch anything else, what would they be?VandeBerg: That’s a good one. You’re making me think here. Prob-ably Law Abiding Citizen, maybe Step Brothers. There I’ve got a comedy, I’ve got a thriller, maybe something light, like The Lion King.

Daily Iowan Football Editor Courtney Baumann caught up with wide receiver Matt VandeBerg, a senior from Brandon, South Dakota.


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Making secondary primaryCOVER STORY

BY PETE RUDEN | [email protected]

With his eye-popping, Odell Beckham-type plays, No. 15 weaves some all-time Hawkeye lore.

Josh Jackson’s phenomenal season in his first year as a starter almost never happened.

When he came to Iowa, the coaches had an idea for the Corinth, Texas, native: move him to wide receiver, where he had 9 touchdown catches as a senior in high school.

It made sense at the time, given the Hawkeyes were low in depth at receiver and Jackson had experience making plays on offense.

But the experiment didn’t last long, and Jackson went back to cornerback, which he prefers.

“I feel like I can play both, but I think defense is more fitting for me,” Jackson said. “Just to be athletic, and be able to go try to catch balls on the back end, and force turnovers. I like defense, it’s fun.”

The switch back has paid off.Through nine games, Jackson leads the nation in passes

defended (20) and ranks second in pass breakups (15) and interceptions (5).

Despite not getting a chance to show what he can really do on the field until this season, Jackson has been torment-ing offenses all season long on his way to receiving national recognition.

• • •

Early in his college career, Jackson learned from one of the best cornerbacks in Iowa history.

In 2015 and 2016, Desmond King made opposing quar-terbacks fear throwing the ball anywhere near him.

King was the star of the secondary. A winner of the Thor-pe Award, given to the best defensive back in the country, he went on to be drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers, where he has recorded 27 tackles and 2 pass breakups.

His 8 interceptions in 2015, which ranked second in the nation and tied a school record, proved he was a lockdown cornerback and earned him the Thorpe Award. Fans didn’t have to worry about his side of the field in 2016 very often, because offenses barely threw his way.

For whatever reason, quarterbacks have not learned their lesson yet with Jackson, and they have continued throwing his way despite what he’s done so far this season.

The same thing happened to King in 2015. And like King,

Jackson’s play has put him into award consideration; he is now a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, presented to the best defensive player in the nation.

The similarities between Jackson and King stand out, where a lot of people see them.

“He definitely is [like King],” said linebacker Josey Jewell, who is also a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award. “Really a shutdown corner, so I think they both have something in common there.”

While following King’s example and taking everything in helped Jackson in big ways, he still had to learn his game for himself.

“The mental reps were good watching them,” Jackson said. “You obviously have to get reps on the field to real-ly understand what it’s like to play. You watch them, and

see all the techniques that they do, and you have to feel out what they do, but when you get on the field, it’s a little bit different because you have to go through and learn your technique, learn your craft and what works for you.”

Jackson’s legend has been growing all season, and it be-gan with a bang. He opened the season with a big perfor-mance and has maintained that level of play.

Facing one of the top NFL prospects at the time, quar-terback Josh Allen, the Hawkeye defense remained strong, holding the Wyoming signal caller to just 174 yards passing while forcing him into 2 interceptions.

After making a huge pass breakup on a deep play to keep the Cowboys out of the game, Jackson put the icing on the cake by picking off his first pass of the season.

Even though that was a special game for Jackson, the

Nick Rohlman/The Daily IowanIowa cornerback Josh Jackson makes a jumping one handed interception during Iowa’s game against Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium on Nov. 4. Jackson had 3 interceptions on the day as the Hawkeyes defeated the Buckeyes, 55-24.


MAKING SECONDARY PRIMARYbattle against Minnesota on Oct. 28 sticks out even more.

With the Gophers threatening, Jack-son batted away a pass that was then intercepted by safety Jake Gervase in the end zone. The junior went on to knock away 4 passes to increase what was his national lead.

Still, that wasn’t Jackson’s best game of the season.

With No. 3 Ohio State coming into Kinnick Stadium last week, Jackson finally made his name known on a national stage, if it wasn’t already. He picked off Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett three times in Iowa’s 55-24 up-set; Barrett had only thrown 1 intercep-tion in the eight previous games.

Jackson’s high level of play affects his teammates every single game. While he certainly racks up some incredible stats, his lockdown mentality makes the rest of the defensive players step up their games.

“Josh actually ups the level of play from

the secondary,” fellow cornerback Man-ny Rugamba said. “We all want to match each other, and we’re all competing to be the best that we can, so when we see one guy doing well, we all want to do well. So I wouldn’t say it takes pressure off, I would say that it kind of brings up the intensity throughout the secondary.”

With his play this year, Jackson has a chance to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft; his draft stock has never been higher.

Jackson’s breakout season landed him on Pro Football Focus’ first mock draft, going in the first round to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 24 overall. His vertical game and ball skills give him a chance to make it at the next level.

A 3-interception game against one of college football’s best quarterbacks will give someone that status.

But to come from rarely seeing the field on the defensive side of the ball to becoming a bona fide NFL prospect in less than one season as a starter is some-

thing rare. He has shown flashes in the past, but Jackson’s quick improvement is really something to marvel at.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz saw some-thing special in him in 2015, but the growth to get to the level he’s at now is almost unparalleled.

“The biggest thing with him, and I said this back in August, I thought he seemed to be one of our more improved players on our foot-ball team,” Ferentz said. “Josh has always been a talented guy, but that maturation process players have to go through. He’s worked hard in the out-of-season program. He’s a couple years into the right program now. I think he knows his position a little bit better, the expectations of what we’re looking for, and he’s done a great job of playing defensive football for us.”

Whether he racks up 4 pass breakups or 3 picks in a game, he has continued to do what he does best: blanketing opposing receivers and frustrating of-fenses around the Big Ten.

It’s notable to point out he had only started one game in his career before the season started. However, he is certainly making the most of his playing time now.

It’s safe to say the coaches are re-lieved they moved Jackson back to de-fensive back.

Jackson’s journey — from a short-lived stint at wide receiver to backing up a program great to becoming a star — has been fueled by his work ethic. While his play this season might have shocked some fans, the same can’t be said about the rest of the team or Jackson himself.

“I wouldn’t say I’m really sur-prised,” he said. “I worked out and worked hard this whole off-season. I’ve been working hard ever since I’ve been here. I wouldn’t say I’m really sur-prised. It’s my job. It’s what I’m sup-posed to do … I just want to make sure I can come in each day and do my job to the best of my ability.”

DESMOND KING

JOSH JACKSON

JUNIOR YEAR STATS

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Joe Cress/The Daily IowanJosh Jackson makes a tackle in the Iowa/Illinois game in Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 7. The Hawkeyes de-feated the Fighting Illini, 45-16.


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AROUND THE BIG TENpower raNkINgs

Name: Brian Lewerke, Michigan StatePosition: QuarterbackYear: Sophomore

Lewerke had himself quite the game in Michigan State’s upset of Penn State. The sophomore from Phoenix threw for 400 yards and 2 touchdowns en route to a 127.1 rating. The yardage is his second highest total of the season, following the Oct. 28 win over Northwestern in which he threw for 445 yards.

Name: Josh JacksonPosition: CornerbackYear: Junior

Jackson had a career game against Ohio State, racking up 3 interceptions off J.T. Barrett, who entered the game having thrown only 1. He tied Iowa’s school record and picked up his first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor in the process.

No. 13 MichigaN state at No. 11 ohio stateWhen: 11 a.m., SaturdayWhere: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OhioWatch: FOX

8) Rutgers (4-5): I am actually really shook that Rutgers could possibly be this high. Is this real life? Also, what if Rutgers beats Penn State?

9) Nebraska (4-5): Here’s a reminder that Nebraska lost to Northern Illinois earlier this season.

10) Purdue (4-5): David Blough got hurt last week, and I already miss the presence of the Big Ten’s best power couple: Blough and Jeff Brohm. Two football guys.

11) Maryland (4-5): We all knew Maryland’s run in the top half of the standings would end at some point. Things like that happen when all of your quarterbacks get hurt.

12) Minnesota (4-5): *Insert joke about P.J. Fleck’s boat sinking.*

13) indiana (3-6): On the bright side, the Hoosiers might get their first Big Ten win of the season when they take on Illinois Saturday.

14) illinois (2-7): Illinois has three different quarter-backs with at least 3 interceptions thrown on the season. That’s not what you want.

1) Wisconsin (9-0): I mean, the Badgers haven’t lost, so I guess I’ll put them here … a game against Iowa, which seems to have found its stride, will be a solid test.

2) ohio state (7-2): It’s not very often you get absolutely decimated and still get ranked as the second-best team in the conference, but here we are.

3) Michigan state (7-2): Look at Michigan State back toward the top of the power rankings like it’s 2015 or something.

4) Penn state (7-2): Throwback to two weeks ago, when I thought the Nittany Lions had a legiti-mate chance at winning a national title. Things went downhill fast.

5) Michigan (7-2):I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: It feels weird putting Michigan this low.

6) iowa (6-3): No. 6 in the power rankings, but No. 1 at destroying top-five teams by 31.

7) Northwestern (6-3): Fun fact: Northwestern’s last three games have gone into overtime, and it has won all three. The Wildcats are on a four-game winning streak with Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois coming up, so they could be rising.

PETE [email protected]

I just realized how messed up the Big Ten is … it’s really hard to rank.”

oFFeNsIve IMPAcT

DeFeNsIve IMPAcT

gaMe To waTCH


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3

87.8

4, 2

by thE nuMbERs wIsCoNsINWisconsin is known for smash-mouth football. The Badgers tra-

ditionally keep it on the ground, using a power running game, and that’s been the case this season.

As a team, Wisconsin averages 245.2 rushing yards per game on 46.9 attempts (5.2 average), ranking No. 16 in the nation. The Bad-gers lead the Big Ten in rushing yards (2,203), yards per game, touch-downs (23), and attempts (425). They rank second in average rushing yards per attempt.

Five players have at least 24 carries on the season, and four of those players average at least 5 yards per carry.

Out of that group, freshman-phenom back Jonathan Taylor is on a roll. Taylor has carried that ball 190 times through the team’s first nine games, reaching 1,368 yards (third in the NCAA) and 12 touch-downs (T-13th); he averages 7.2 yards per carry.

Taylor has three 200-yard games this season (223 against Florida Atlantic, 249 against Nebraska, and 219 against Purdue). In Wiscon-sin’s most recent win, a victory over Indiana on Nov. 4, he ran for 183 yards, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (his fifth such conference award this season, tying for the third-most in Big Ten history).

Rushing yards allowed per game

Wisconsin’s rushing defense is just as good as its rushing offense.Allowing fewer than 90 rushing yards per contest is nothing to

scoff at; it’s the fourth-best mark in the nation. The Badgers rank No. 2 in the Big Ten in that category only behind Michigan State, which has allowed 87 yards per game.

The Spartans lead the conference in fewest rushing yards allowed (783), but the Badgers are only 7 yards behind at 790.

Wisconsin also has allowed just 3 yards per rush, but the most eye-popping statistic lies in rushing touchdowns.

The Badgers have allowed just 3 rushing touchdowns, which ties for the best in the NCAA. In the past seven games, they’ve only al-lowed one score.

Players with at least 5 sacks

The Badgers’ pass rush is pretty balanced; no one player boasts a large chunk of the sack totals.

For Wisconsin, a team that ties for fifth in the NCAA with 31 sacks, it’s a committee effort.

Alec James, Garret Dooley, and Andrew Van Ginkel each have at least 5 sacks on the season. All three have at least 7 tackles for a loss this season, with Dooley leading the group at 8.

James heads into the match with Iowa on a hot streak. The senior had 2 sacks against Illinois on Oct. 28 and 1.5 against Indiana on Nov. 4.

Joe Ferguson interceptions, fumble recoveries

Ferguson may only have 7 tackles on the season, but he’s stuffed the stat sheet in other categories.

The senior safety didn’t play in four games this season, but he leads the team in interceptions and fumble recoveries.

Ferguson intercepted 3 passes in Wisconsin’s last three games. His first pick came in the opener against Utah State — he took the interception 99 yards for a touchdown.

His interception totals tie for seventh in the country and second in the Big Ten.

BY ADAM HENSLEY | [email protected]

sam Riche/TNswisconsin head coach Paul Chryst watches the action in the first half against Penn state during the Big Ten Championship at Lucas oil stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 3, 2016.

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