Hawk Talk: Iowa Player Quotes WMU

Hawkeyes Discuss Win in Saturday's Non-Con Finale

Iowa’s Cooper DeJean gets ready for a play against Western Michigan on Sept. 16, 2023 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

QB Cade McNamara

On the offensive point total:

“It felt good. We battled through some stuff and then were able to put some points on the board in the second half. It definitely felt good to put 40 points up today.”

On running back Kamari Moulton:

“I mean, that is just exactly how he has been practicing. That is how that dude runs 24/7. For him to go in and to get an opportunity, and then take advantage of that and keep doing what he has been doing in practice. He is such a positive guy that everyone enjoys being around in the locker room, so for him to see some success today, we are definitely happy that that happened.”

On the running game finding getting groove:

“Even though they were going to bring a lot of stuff in the passing game, with some of that stuff they had to leave a lot of gaps. We were able to kind of control the tempo, and honestly the offensive line did an unreliable job again.”

On the screen-pass touchdown:

“As soon as I threw it [I knew it would be a touchdown]... It is awesome. My job is just trying to sell it. I am basically an actor on that play. I am trying to make it look like I am going to throw it down field, and then navigate the defensive line to get it to him. Once you have got the specimen Logan Jones out there leading his way, Deshaun felt pretty good running behind him, too.”

On the game next Saturday at Penn State:

“In way, this was a trap game, because we are all pretty aware that the Big Ten games are the most important. We have got to win those if we want to have any kind of success in the post-season. I have never played in a whiteout; I have only played in a day-whiteout. [Tight end Erick All] and I have both played there. I am sure a lot of other guys on this team have played there. I do not think it is going to be a difficult task on getting ready for this game. I think everyone is going to be extremely motivated for this one.”

RB Leshon Williams

On the team’s performance Western Michigan:

“It feels good to be back out there. We handled business today. Now, it’s time to get back to work and move on to next week. We’ve got a big challenge.”

On the Iowa running back room:

“We have a lot of backs in the room, as you all can see. We have a real stable, and we are stacked in there with a lot of talent. With the next man up, anything can happen at any moment, so we have to take advantage of the opportunity.”

On the offensive line and run game:

“They did a great job. Any of you could have run through those holes. They were dialed in today, and we were clicking. We trusted the plays, trusted the process, trusted the play calls. We all put our heads down and continued to work.”

On how his screen-pass touchdown played out:

“I saw the back sitting right there, and I was going to bluff him, but he ran into the lineman. So, he helped me out. I thought ‘alright, cool’. Cade [McNamara] threw me a nice little lob pass. I caught it. I looked down the field and saw Vines doing what he was doing to his man.”

RB Kamari Moulton

On making his debut:

“I have been working so hard for this. It felt good to get out there. I did this for my mom and my grandma, since they’ve passed, and I know they’re looking down and are happy for me, and proud of me. We’re always told by our coaches to stay prepared, so when my name was called, I was just excited to get out there and be there for my team. There were a few jitters going out there, but at the end of the day, it’s football. Nothing new.”

OL Mason Richman

On the run game:

“The running game just opens things up, offensively. It is great to have that in this game. All seven of the running backs stepped up this game and did a great job, even without Kaleb today, but I think he will be back here soon. So, we have got an army back there now.”

On overcoming a slow start:

“It was a slower start, but we obviously finished out with the last 30 points of the game. I think it was our attitude. Just looking at these games as another opportunity out there at Kinnick, and our offense took advantage of that.”

On avoiding preseason pitfalls:

“It was a football game. We knew there were some things we needed to work on our side, but these are the kinds of games if you go out there and sleepwalk, you aren’t gonna be able to handle it. I was really proud of our guys and the way we handled it. Defense stepped up, offense stepped up, special teams, everyone really did their job today.” 

CB Cooper DeJean

On running back Max White’s first career touchdown:

“I am so proud of him. He is my roommate. He is a guy who comes in every single day and works his tail off. He is a guy on scout team and give us a great look week in and week out. I was really proud of him to be able to get in there… If you saw the sideline, I think a lot of guys were going crazy. Especially for a guy like him, who comes in and works his tail off. Everybody knows that he is a leader, and he has barely played any snaps. Everybody respects him in the locker room. I was really happy that the offensive punched that in there at the end.”

On overcoming a flat start:

“I do not want to say we weren’t expecting it. I think we came out a little flat in that first quarter. Those are the things we have got to clean up as we get into Big Ten play here coming up. I really think it was just our energy. I feel like the guys came out with a lot more energy in the second half. Not trying to do too much, just everybody trying to do their job. We may have been forcing some things during the first half, but coming out in the second half guys did their job.”

On the punt-return unit:

“We thought we would have a good chance to get some returns this week. The unit did a great job, as a whole. The corners, those guys were giving me space to catch the ball and be comfortable. Then, Anterio [Thompson] blocking the punt, which was pretty cool. So, the return game as a whole I thought played really well.”

On defensive lineman Anterio Thompson’s blocked punt:

“He has just come in and tried to learn from day one. Since he got here in the spring, he has been trying to learn and take everything in. He got started on special teams, which is where a lot of guys get their start, and he made a big play for us.”

On the impact of special teams play:

“It is a three-phase game. Special teams helps out the offense when you can put points on the board in the punt return game with that safety. Then, you get the offense back in short field. It is about the field position battle. We pinned them back deep in the punt game… Good field position is a big part of what we do.”

LB Jay Higgins

On adjustments made in the second half:

“They came out and competed well. They ran some good concepts against us. I don’t think anything changed, but we just kept doing our job. We got in a rut and were trying to do too much. Then, everyone figured out that maybe Coach Parker knows what he’s doing, so if we just do what we’re supposed to do, we will be alright. We understood that it was us beating ourselves at that point. When problems are extremely solvable, anxiety never got high, guys never pointed fingers, so we were in a good spot mentally.”

On the Iowa defense allowing 35 yards and one first down in the second half:

“We literally looked at each other and said, ‘guys, let’s just do our job’. We didn’t make any new calls. We didn’t get new personnel. It was player-driven that something needed to happen. There has to be some level of accountability and trust. I’m out there with 10 guys, and I know that they know what they are doing. They are going to get their job done. The answers are out there. There is no cavalry coming. We knew it was going to be us that had to turn things around.”

DL Anterio Thompson

On lessons for aspiring student-athletes:

“If you want to play football, school is a major part. I knew I had to focus, get rid of the bad habits, and lock-in, because I knew I had the talent and ability to get to this level.”