Music City Notebook: Tory Taylor Returning

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tory Taylor knew the question about his future was coming, so he asked in the press conference after Iowa’s 21-0 win over Kentucky in Saturday’s TransPerfect Music City Bowl if everyone could wait.

Once the question came around, though, the punter delivered the news Hawkeye fans had been wanting — he’s coming back next season.

The season, Taylor said, wasn’t what he wanted. And even though he was leaning toward leaving a few weeks ago — “It was 85-15, maybe 80-20,” Taylor said of the percentages — he decided that he wanted to be with the Hawkeyes for one more season.

“I think this team can go far,” Taylor said, “and I want to be a part of that.”

Taylor, who finished his third season with the Hawkeyes, is 25 years old, so it would have been understandable if he would have left for a shot at the NFL. Taylor averaged 45.4 yards per punt, with 38 of his 82 punts landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He had 27 punts of 50 yards or more, including a long of 70 yards.

He wasn’t satisfied with those numbers.

“I felt like this year I let myself down, I let my team down,” Taylor said. “I just felt like I wasn’t hitting the balls I wanted to be hitting.”

Had this been his last game, Taylor would have been walking out with one of his best performances of the season. He had eight punts for a 48.6-yard average, landing six of the punts inside the Kentucky 20-yard line. Four of those landed inside the 10.

Kentucky’s average starting field position was its own 21-yard line.

“He couldn’t have had a better game,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I don’t think I’ve seen him sharper than he was today.”

“It did back us up,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said of the punts. “It put us in a bad spot.”

It helped, Taylor said with a smile, that the game was played with no wind and temperatures in the 60s, much different than some of the games the Hawkeyes played late in the season.

“It would be nice punting in this sort of weather every week,” Taylor said, smiling.

Taylor was comfortable with his decision.

“There’s just no harm in me coming back,” he said.

And when he finished his press conference, Taylor said to reporters, “See you next year.”

CAMPBELL’S GRANDFATHER KILLED IN ACCIDENT: Linebacker Jack Campbell finished his career with the Hawkeyes with a 10-tackle game, but he received sad news after the game about the death of his grandfather.

William Smith Jr., 76, of Waterloo, Iowa, was killed in a vehicle-pedestrian accident in Nashville on Friday night. Smith was the father of Jen Campbell, Jack Campbell’s stepmother.

“Mr. Smith, I can tell you this from personal experience, had a big impact on Jack’s life,” Ferentz said. “He was very close to him. He was here to cheer on his grandson — (he was) very, very proud of Jack. It was a great mutual relationship the two have. Our hearts are certainly with Jack and his entire family as they grieve. It’s tough to deal with.

“He was a great influence on Jack, and a great Hawkeye on top of that.”

A BIG START FOR NWANKPA: Iowa freshman safety Xavier Nwankpa, making his first start, put the Hawkeyes up 14-0 in the second quarter with a 52-yard interception return.

Nwankpa finished with eight tackles and a pass breakup in the first significant playing time of his career.

Nwankpa gave himself a grade of B for his start.

“There’s always room for improvement,” he said.

Nwankpa was in the right spot on the overthrow from Kentucky quarterback Destin Wade, taking the interception up the right sideline for the score.

“I saw the ball in the air and just wanted to go get it,” Nwankpa said.

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker said on Friday Nwankpa had responded to the significant practice time he got in the bowl preparation after Kaevon Merriweather decided to skip the game to concentrate on the NFL draft.

“Probably the biggest guy I've seen jumped is probably Xavier,” Parker said. “He's really done a good job of taking a lot of reps, the improvement with his just understanding, the way he moves on the field has changed in the last three or four weeks. I'm really happy to see.”

OLD FRIEND ALERT: Kentucky backup quarterback Deuce Hogan, who transferred from Iowa after last season, played in the fourth quarter.

Hogan was 6-of-7 passing for 19 yards.