Iowa Football: What Went Right - And Wrong

Can't really argue with a 28-7 Big Ten victory, can you? That's what the Iowa Hawkeyes did to the Purdue Boilermakers in a suffocating performance. It was 28-7, but things felt a lot further apart than that with how Iowa played in this game.

The Hawkeyes controlled the tempo on offense, didn't give much breathing room on defense, and played their patented style of getting up on teams and forcing them to play from behind. It worked again, and it was exactly what Iowa had to do to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Right: Iowa didn't turn the ball over

FInally. It has taken a few weeks, but the Iowa Hawkeyes didn't give the ball away. It had been an issue for the last few weeks, largely due to the fumbles, but Iowa didn't give Purdue any extra possessions. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for this team moving forward.

Wrong: Field goal kicking

This is a bit of a concern to me, if I can be completely honest. Iowa and Caden Buhr went 0-for-3 on the day on field goal attempts. It wasn't just misses, either. There was a blocked field goal, too. This was a very uncharacteristic performance from a normally steady unit.

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Right: The rushing attack was an onslaught

This was masterful work on the ground. Iowa was able to churn yards all game, led by 123 yards from L.J. Phillips Jr. on 23 carries. Xavier Williams added 55 yards, which was highlighted by creasing Purdue's defense up the middle for a touchdown.

On the night, Iowa rumbled for 246 yards on 44 carries and found the end zone three times on the ground. One of the best parts was how Iowa got Tony Diaz involved on the ground, with four rushes. It was creativity at its finest to get your best player the ball in more ways.

Wrong: Boston Everitt didn't get more action punting

I say this a bit tongue-in-cheek. Boston Everitt punted just one time for Iowa, and it was a good one. He downed Purdue inside its own 20-yard line. The thing is, his dad made one heck of a trip from Australia to see him play.

On my crazy 36 hour visit to Iowa City, made it as far as Denver before Flights were grounded. No other options available other than to hire a car and drive 11 hours to Iowa City overnight, with 2 random strangers from my flight 🤣
22 hour flight from Australia followed up with…
— Peter Spida Everitt (@SpidaEveritt) November 14, 2026

Amid the FAA grounding flights, he had to make the drive from Denver to Iowa City to see Boston Everitt play. He made the trek, and rather than seeing Iowa put on a show punting, he got to witness the Iowa Hawkeyes and Kinnick Stadium in full force, picking up a key Big Ten win.

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