Iowa Hawkeyes' Star Defender Gets Brutally Honest On Iowa State Loss

An Iowa Hawkeyes star has provided a brutally honest take on what went wrong in the team's loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) passes the ball around Iowa Hawkeyes's defensive back Jay Higgins (34) during the second quarter in the Cy-Hawk series at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Triobune / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Iowa Hawkeyes suffered a crushing defeat to the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday, blowing a double-digit lead in a 20-19 loss.

Perhaps the defining moment of the game came during the latter stages of the third quarter, when Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht found wide receiver Jaylin Noel for a 75-yard touchdown.

The typically stout Iowa defense had a clear blown coverage on the gamebreaking play, and afterward, star linebacker Jay Higgins took the brunt of the blame for the miscue.

“Yeah, so I got to get a better jam. Xavier [Nwankpa], his job versus my job in that coverage is a lot harder than mine," Higgins said, via Josh Helmer of USA Today. "We work on it every day. Coach (Seth) Wallace teaches us to jam receivers, so my job is to take some speed off that receiver running right at X."

You don't expect the dominant Hawkeyes defense to make mistakes in general, but when a player like Higgins makes them, it's even more stunning.

Higgins racked up 171 tackles last season, which led the nation. He also added five tackles for loss, a couple of sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Widely considered one of the best defenders in the country, especially at his position, Higgins should be a solid prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Of course, right now, his biggest concern is atoning for his massive error which will almost surely end up costing Iowa dearly when it comes to bowl season.

The Hawkeyes entered their matchup with Cyclones ranked 21st in the nation.

Iowa will host Troy next Saturday.