Iowa football stock up, stock down from Cy-Hawk victory
· Yahoo Sports
Like it always seems to do, the Cy-Hawk game delivered another classic, low-scoring barnburner on Saturday night. When the dust settled, it was Iowa that walked away with a 16-13 win and the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
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It wasn't a perfect or pretty performance for the Hawkeyes. There are a lot of things for Kirk Ferentz and his coaching staff to work on before Big Ten play starts. But, ultimately, getting the win was the most important thing, and Iowa got it done.
In the win, Iowa saw certain players rise to the occasion and make game-winning plays. It also saw some performances that didn't quite meet expectations.
Here's a look at the Hawkeyes whose stock rose and dropped after the Cy-Hawk game:
Stock up: Special teams
Week 1 was a mixed bag for Iowa's special teams unit. That group rebounded and was especially strong in Week 2. Caden Buhr nailed all three of his field goal attempts, including the 42-yard game-winner. Boston Everitt had several decent punts that pinned Iowa State deep. And the return game didn't make a mistake, with Reece Vander Zee providing a steady presence. Hats off to Chris Polizzi for having his units ready to roll.
Stock down: Offensive line
Iowa's offensive line was dominant in Week 1. They looked human on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes only rushed for 93 yards on the night, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. The offensive line struggled to create any openings in the run game. Iowa State's defensive line deserves a lot of credit for a strong game. But this was still a disappointing outing from a unit looking to repeat as Joe Moore Award winners.
Stock up: Linebackers
The linebackers were the best position group in this game for an Iowa defense that was excellent all night. Cam Buffington finished with a game-high 15 total tackles, doing a great job spying Iowa State quarterback Jaylen Raynor. Jayden Montgomery had four total tackles and a pair of tackles for loss. That duo stepped up time and time again when the Hawkeyes needed it most.
Stock down: Tim Lester
There's no denying that Tim Lester has done fantastic work with Iowa's offense since he arrived in 2024. Saturday night was a game to forget for Lester. He struggled to script plays together to get his offense going.
There were several head-scratching play calls that had fans thinking about the Brian Ferentz days. To his credit, Lester dialed up the right plays late in the game to get the win. But this was a forgettable performance for Iowa's offensive coordinator.
Stock up: Tony Diaz
It's hard for Tony Diaz's stock to rise higher than it was last week, but he found a way to do it. Against much better competition, he still put up big numbers. Diaz finished the game with eight grabs for 95 yards.
He did most of his damage in the first half, which included a huge 56-yard reception. Diaz is emerging as Iowa's best skill position player and should be a big part of the game plan every single week.
Stock down: Jeremy Hecklinski
Without even stepping on the field, Jeremy Hecklinski saw his stock fall dramatically. Iowa's decision to roll with Hank Brown the entire game speaks a lot to how the coaching staff views the quarterback battle.
There were opportunities to make the switch to Hecklinski for a spark. The Hawkeyes elected to stick with Brown through the highs and lows. Barring a catastrophic performance next week, Brown looks to have solidified himself as Iowa's starting quarterback when Big Ten play starts.
Stock up: Fourth-quarter performance
Last season, Iowa lost four games by a combined 15 points. In each of those games, they were a play or two away from a win, but couldn't close the deal.
The Hawkeyes flipped the script in this game, completely dominating the fourth quarter. Iowa had a pair of scoring drives in the quarter, which took a combined 10:23 off the clock. The defense forced two three-and-outs to shut down the Cyclones' offense.
Unlike last year, Iowa executed perfectly down the stretch and came up with the clutch moments.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football stock up, stock down from Cy-Hawk victory