Iowa Football: 2017 post-regular season position grades

Coming into this season, the Hawkeyes linebacking trio was thought to be a vital part of their success, and they were not wrong. The senior trio of linebackers, Ben Niemann, Bo Bower and All-American Josey Jewell, have all seen playing time since their sophomore year and have been regulars at linebacker the last three years. Game in and game out their presence was felt regardless the outcome of the game, as the three linebackers were also the Hawkeyes three leading tacklers.

The heart and soul of this group is obviously Josey Jewell, the first three-time captain in the Kirk Ferentz era, his leadership and style of play has made him into one of the most celebrated linebackers in Hawkeye history. Jewell has recorded over 100 tackles in each of his three seasons as starters and is likely to break his career high in the Pinstripe Bowl, barring an injury.

Worst Game:

Iowa’s linebackers struggled mightily against Michigan State, even including Josey Jewell’s team-leading 16 tackles. Bo Bower and Ben Niemann struggled against a revamped Spartan attack that threw the ball all across the field, as the two only combined for five tackles. Josey’s performance was spectacular, but unfortunately he cannot be everywhere at once.

Best Game:

The trio’s best game came in their last regular season game as Hawkeyes against rival Nebraska. Ben Niemann and Josey Jewell’s both recorded interceptions and combined for 17 tackles between the three as their days were cut short as Iowa rolled 56-14 over the Huskers. It was a fantastic way to send out a trio that was among the most prolific in Iowa history.