3 and Out

1. The gunner drill

- Just one more veteran core special teamer and the Hawkeyes would've been able to make 'Magnificent 7” T-shirts. But then, that western was released in 1960 and starred a bunch of old-school Hollywood types that 20-year-olds might not really even care or know about.

Iowa will take its core of six special teamers and be very happy if they turn out to be magnificent. And it's been so far, so good.

Last week, senior linebackers Cole Fisher and Travis Perry, sophomore linebacker Ben Niemann, safeties Anthony Gair and Miles Taylor and wide receiver Jacob Hillyer were in on the punt return team that helped spring Desmond King for 34 yards and eventually set up the game winning touchdown. That TD, by the way, was scored by wide receiver Riley McCarron, who, earlier on punt team, ripped down the field and made a one-on-one tackle on ISU punt returner/wide receiver Allen Lazard.

Iowa special teams coaches (it's a collective effort) welded this core group together with a few factors. One in particular was a gunner drill that's basically a one-on-one sprint some 30 or 40 yards downfield. The blocker sets up on the inside shoulder of the defender and they race toward a blocking dummy.

As it turns out, the players love this drill.

'It's awesome,” said senior linebacker Travis Perry, who's been nominated as the special teams 'bell cow.” 'We all really get excited for that. It's a chance to compete against each other. We know if you win or lose, it will make you better. We're all competitors out here, so whenever we can compete one-on-one, it's fun and the atmosphere is great.”

Hillyer, who happens to be the only offensive player in this group, echoed Perry's thoughts on the gunner drill, which is basically a 40-yard 'Oklahoma” drill.

'It's a chance to compete,” Hillyer said. 'That's what you're looking for on the field. It's fun going one-on-one. When you get to hit someone, I think that helps relieve some stress, too.”

This group will be put to the test Saturday night against Pitt. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd, a future NFL draft pick who you'll have on your fantasy team, will return punts, Kick returner/defensive back Avonte Maddox already has an 89-yard return for a TD this season.

2. What was your favorite Beathard pass last week?

- Players don't really like living in the past, especially with a strong team from the Atlantic Coast Conference up next, but QB C.J. Beathard was Iowa's first Big Ten offensive player of the week honoree since 2011 and did throw some fun, cool passes that, yes, even the players admitted they enjoyed watching on video.

Senior wide receiver Tevaun Smith really loved the 14-yard TD Beathard threw to senior wide receiver Tevaun Smith.

'I'd say yes, he does,” Smith said when asked if Beathard makes that throw, a back-shoulder laser that beat the defensive back by a nanosecond and was placed only where Smith could reach it, on a regular basis. 'I would say that was one of the best throws that he's made.”

Hillyer liked that throw, too, but he really like what Beathard showed as a runner. Beathard launched a scoring drive before halftime with a 44-yard gain that pulled Iowa out from near its own goal line. He also had a 57-yarder in which he gave an ISU defensive back the 'dead leg.”

'Some of the faster guys said they would've scored on the play,” said Beathard, whose 103 rushing yards rank third among Big Ten QBs. 'I just told them I'm not a running back.”

3. Big Ten nerd game of the week

- It's absolutely happenstance and will never happen again, so enjoy what has turned out to be a Big Ten West/ACC challenge this week.

Of course, you have Pitt at Iowa. Then, it's Illinois at North Carolina, Northwestern at Duke, Nebraska at Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech at Purdue.

How did this happen? Pure coincidence, so don't ask questions and just enjoy it.

There's a joke in the 'Big Ten nerd game of the week” picking Northwestern at Duke as the 'Big Ten nerd game of the week,” but these teams are steely. The Wildcats are ranked No. 23 in the country and are on a roll under red-shirt freshman QB Clayton Thorson. Duke was 10-4 in 2013 and 9-4 last season. Both teams are 2-0.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com