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Iowa DC Phil Parker seeking more growth and depth along defensive line
By Dave Holcomb
Published:
Iowa has played very well upfront defensively and possesses one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten in A.J. Epenesa, but that’s still not enough for Hawkeyes defensive coordinator Phil Parker.
“We want eight to ten guys (to) play up front,” Parker told the media Wednesday while also praising the team’s best player along the defensive line.
🗣 PP: "We need to continue growing our depth on the defensive line. We want to have 8 to 10 guys play up front." #Hawkeyes
— HawkeyeFBNotes (@HawkeyeFBNotes) September 18, 2019
🗣 PP: "A.J. has been applying a lot of pressure. He's making the quarterback throw the ball before he wants to." #Hawkeyes
— HawkeyeFBNotes (@HawkeyeFBNotes) September 18, 2019
Although the numbers are skewed for several teams because of the various levels of competition each team plays in the opening weeks of the season, Iowa is ranked fourth in total defense and tied for third in scoring defense in the B1G through three weeks. However, the Hawkeyes are tied for last in the conference in sacks with three.
Epenesa has one of the three quarterback takedowns while the other two belong to linebacker Amani Jones and defensive back D.J. Johnson.
It sounds like Parker wants to have a balanced attack like that, but Iowa needs a whole lot more pressure on the quarterback than just three sacks in three games.