Iowa football: Is defensive coordinator Phil Parker not getting enough praise?

It’s something special to start a college football season at Iowa with six wins in the first seven games. It’s only happened three other times during the 20-year Kirk Ferentz era, so this 6-1 start is special, too.

It’s also special for what lies ahead. There is a still a division title to claim and, who knows, maybe a Big Ten title, too. A premier bowl already seems like a foregone conclusion.

This team has won — and won impressively — with great play from its defense. The Hawkeyes got their first shutout of the season last week against Maryland in that nice 23-0 victory.

But let’s be honest, it could have been their third shutout of the season. Ask every Iowa defensive player, and they will tell you they should have had shutouts against Northern Illinois and Iowa State, too.

Which leads to an obvious question: How come Phil Parker doesn’t get more credit as one of the country’s best defensive coordinators?

The numbers are certainly there. All praise is deserving.

For instance:

• Iowa is tied for No. 2 in the country (with Michigan State) in stopping the run, allowing only 79.6 yards per game.
• Iowa is No. 3 in the country in total defense, allowing only 258.1 yards per game.
• Iowa is No. 5 in the country in points allowed, averaging only 14.1 points per game.
• Iowa is No. 8 in the country in first downs allowed, averaging only 15.4 per game.
• Iowa is tied for No. 13 in sacks with 26, averaging 3.14 per game
• Iowa is No. 15 in the country in interceptions with 7.
• Iowa is No. 18 in passing yards allowed with 178.6 per game

Hello? Phil Parker, you and your group have been doing great things.

It’s obvious why. The defensive line, led by four-year starter Parker Hesse, has been great. It’s a talented group, but it’s really deep, too, which has allowed for a lot of substitutions to keep guys fresh. The linebacker play has been good and the freshmen that have been forced to play in the secondary have acquitted themselves well.

It’s all about the system. Parker’s system.

“In every defense, (it’s like) a support system. Who’s responsible in stopping the end run? Who’s responsible for the cutback player? Who’s responsible for the pass?” Parker said. “And if everybody’s on the same page and you see consistency of guys knowing what they’re doing, knowing how to line up, and they can leverage the ball. … I think these guys are doing a good job in that.”

Parker and his staff deserve a lot of credit for getting freshmen cornerbacks Riley Moss and Julius Brents  ready to play so quickly. They’re still learning on the fly, but they’ve done good things and have made some plays.

“Both of them give great effort. And they’re both tough,” Parker said during his appearance on this week’s “Hawk Central” radio show.  “And they start making these plays and you say, ‘That’s decent. That’s really good.’

“Obviously, (Moss) doesn’t know everything we’re doing, but he does compete on the field. And that’s the encouraging thing about it,” Parker said. “He’s got great quickness, he’s got good cover skills and he’s very tough. He’s knowledgeable of the game. He has a natural instinct; the same thing that Julius has … to understand the game of football.”

Hesse is the unofficial team MVP so far, Ferentz said Tuesday. He’s been great at sealing the edge on the run, and he’s been getting after quarterbacks. He’s also a great team leader and deserves every accolade he gets.

He knows how good 6-1 is. He also knows the Hawkeyes are capable of accomplishing so much more.

“Everyone around here realizes the potential we have. We could be a really good team,” Hesse said. “I think that has been focusing us each and every day, making sure we prepare to the best of our abilities. We take every meeting, every practice, every lift as serious as we can. Because we know this is an opportunity that not many people get — to be a really good football team at the end of the year.”

The challenges ahead start Saturday with a tough road trip to Penn State. The Nittany Lions are actually favored by 6.5 points, but you don’t really think the Hawkeyes can’t go in there and win, do you? Hesse is more than ready to go, and come home with a win.

“You like to go in and kind of embrace that villain role, and (say), ‘We’re going to come in, and we’re going to steal one from you.’ “

Tom Brew

Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.