The University of Iowa Athletics Department has officially released its Week 11 depth chart as the Hawkeyes work to extend their winning streak against Purdue. The Boilermakers have struggled on defense this season, and on Sunday fired defensive coordinator Kevin Kane. The door is open for Iowa’s offense to put away a team that is in a defensive freefall.
LJ Phillips is finally listed as one of the starters this week for the first time since he transferred to Iowa, with an OR for Xavier Williams.
Nathan McNeil and Braeden Jackson are listed as backups, also with an OR. Williams did pull up limping in the second quarter against Northwestern and was favoring his left leg but later did return for some action. He might not be 100% right now.
Michael Myslinkski is listed at center for the first time this year. He started at center in place of injured Cael Winter against Northwestern. Myslinkski is a veteran 6th year player for Iowa who recently celebrated his 25th birthday. There was no noticeable drop off in the performance at center last Saturday, and many of LJ Phillips’ runs went through the middle of the line. The center position now lists Josh Janowski as the backup.
At right tackle, Gene Riordan is now listed as the backup to Jack Dotzler, replacing Cannon Leonard. Leonard appeared on Iowa’s injury report prior to the Northwestern game, apparently due to an injury suffered during practice.
The OR continues at quarterback for Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski, which looks like it will become status quo for the remainder of the season.
In last Saturday’s game against Northwestern Iowa did not appear to suffer any major or long-term injuries. Jaylen Watson did leave the game and was replaced by Rashad Godfrey Jr, but Watson still appears on the depth chart as the starter.
Iowa has now climbed to No. 16 in the AP Top 25 Poll and stands at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. Purdue is 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the conference. On the season, Purdue has scored 175 points (third place in the conference), but has also allowed 185 points (16th place, ahead of only Rutgers and Maryland). Purdue ranks near the bottom nationally on defense, allowing 32.3 points per game (No. 124 in FBS) and 415.3 yards per game (No. 123 in FBS).
Depth Chart Notes
Positions listed with OR are ordered numerically. The starting defensive lineup will vary based on formation and personnel packages.
