Iowa is leaning on Reece Vander Zee more and more, and the wide receiver is answering the call while the offense tries to steady itself after a rough night against Minnesota.
After the loss in Minneapolis, Vander Zee made it clear the Hawkeyes don’t have time to sulk. His message was blunt: the only way forward is to keep battling.
Vander Zee said they shouldn’t sit there and whine; they must get up and fight. He added that the program has to keep going out and playing its game, and it has to trust the team leaders to pull everyone back in line.
He said he believes in those leaders, and that winners “get up off the mat” and fight.
That kind of voice matters even more because Vander Zee is no longer just a supporting piece. Injuries slowed his early years, but this season has turned into a breakout for the veteran receiver. He may not have entered the year as the headline name - that spotlight belonged to Tony Diaz - but Vander Zee has become a dependable target for the Hawkeyes.
Against Minnesota, even with Iowa’s offense struggling, Vander Zee still stood out. He has already topped last season’s receiving production, with 316 yards and three touchdowns, and Iowa will keep counting on him no matter who is under center. The Hawkeyes have a two-headed monster with Diaz and Vander Zee, and the hope is that the quarterbacks can keep getting both of them involved.
The timing of the message matters, too. Iowa is back home in week nine, but the next opponent is no soft landing.
Wisconsin comes in after upsetting USC and moving into the AP Top 25, bringing a familiar kind of challenge: a team that wants to win with defense and the run game. The Badgers will be chasing the Heartland Trophy, and they arrive looking like the sort of opponent Iowa usually tries to be.
For the Hawkeyes, the list of fixes is obvious. They turned it over four times against Minnesota and piled up multiple costly penalties, leaving an offense in need of a cleanup job fast. There’s not much margin left, and another slip could push Iowa farther to the outside of the College Football Playoff picture.
Still, Vander Zee’s point is that the season is not over. The Hawkeyes have time to respond, and if they do, it starts with the offense finding a way to play cleaner and tougher. Vander Zee believes the locker room has the leadership to get there.
In Other News...
Iowa's QB Uncertainty Just Got More Concerning Before Wisconsin
Iowas Week 9 depth chart brought the kind of update that can feel more telling for what it leaves unchanged than for what it reveals. Ahead of Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes kept the quarterback spot as Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski, preserving the same uncertainty that has hovered over the position while the rest of the two-deep mostly stayed intact.
Kamari Moultons absence from the chart stands out most after his injury, and Xavier Williams now sits atop the running back spot as Iowa sorts through the backfield without him. Beyond that, the defensive and special teams listings remain steady, leaving the offense and especially quarterback to carry the biggest questions into a matchup that already figures to be tight. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Suddenly Has A Backfield Question Heading Into Homecoming
Homecoming week brought an unexpected wrinkle for Iowas offense, as the athletic departments Week 9 depth chart showed Kamari Moulton out after the injury he sustained against Minnesota. In his place, Xavier Williams is listed as the starter in the backfield as the Hawkeyes get ready for their home game at Kinnick Stadium and a matchup with Northwestern on Nov. 7.
The updated chart also includes changes at quarterback, left guard and on the defensive side, adding another layer of intrigue to a week that was already going to draw plenty of attention in Iowa City. With multiple spots shifting and the backfield now in flux, the Hawkeyes will spend the next stretch sorting out how their lineup looks as they head into a key home date. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Gets Another Big Spotlight As Pressure Builds For Wisconsin
Iowa City is about to get another national stage, with Foxs Big Noon Kickoff set to broadcast from town during Week 9 for the Iowa-Wisconsin game. It comes on the heels of a busy weekend that already brought College GameDay and The Pat McAfee Show through Iowa City before the Hawkeyes took on Ohio State, further underscoring how much attention this program is drawing in a pivotal stretch.
The timing only adds to the pressure on Wisconsin, which heads into Kinnick Stadium for a matchup that carries weight in the rankings and in the rivalry picture. For Iowa, the spotlight is about more than the TV window. It is another chance to strengthen its College Football Playoff case in front of a national audience, with the kind of setting that can turn a regular Big Ten game into one of the seasons defining moments. [Read more 🡒]