The Daily Iowan
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PLAYING WITH PERSONALITY Defensive lineman Kenny Merrieweather balances his goofy personality with leadership.
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The Hawkeyes’ rushing attack has been solid this season, but the numbers have been inflated by games against Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa. In Iowa’s matchups with Power 4 teams, the offense has only churned out 93 and 58 yards on the ground against Iowa State and Michigan, respectively. The Hawkeyes also only managed 2.4 yards per carry against the Wolverines last week. That simply won’t cut it against an Ohio State team with a potent offense that Iowa will want to keep off the field as long as possible. It’ll be key for the Hawkeyes to shorten the game by running the ball effectively and completing long drives. The Buckeye defense has shown weaknesses in the run game, allowing 199 yards and six yards per carry to Illinois last week.
Iowa’s defensive backs struggled against Michigan last week, allowing Bryce Underwood to throw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Receivers JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh each went for over 100 yards receiving. The Hawkeye secondary will have its hands full this week against arguably the best wide receiver prospect in recent history, Jeremiah Smith. The talent doesn’t just end there for Ohio State, as quarterback Julian Sayin has been one of the most efficient passers in the country, completing 72 percent of his passes. Receivers Devin McCuin and Brandon Inniss have been solid options for Sayin outside of Smith, combining for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Stopping Smith will be key, but the Buckeyes have enough talent to burn Iowa’s defense if it isn’t careful. The defensive backs will need to help in run support as well. Ohio State running backs Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson have combined to score seven of the team’s eight rushing touchdowns, while each averaging over five yards per carry.
To put it simply, Smith has been the best receiver in the country since he set foot on campus at Ohio State. If it weren’t for the three-year rule to be eligible for the NFL Draft, Smith would have easily been a top-five pick in his first two seasons. He’s continued on that success this year, and has even gotten better. Through just four games, Smith has caught 33 passes for 617 yards and seven touchdowns. After last week’s 217-yard game against Illinois, Smith became Ohio State’s all-time leading receiver, totaling 3,175 yards in his career. Smith has also caught 34 touchdowns in his career and had a four-touchdown game against the Fighting Illini last week.
Iowa quarterback Hank Brown has surpassed expectations so far this season, most recently leading the Hawkeyes on a 91-yard game-winning drive with 1:48 remaining in the game on the road against Michigan last week. Brown proved he can stand in against one of the nation’s best defenses and deliver in the clutch. He will need to have a similar, and even more consistent, performance against Ohio State. With the success Iowa has found in the passing game, alongside a run game that could poke at Ohio State’s weakness, Brown has an opportunity to again make a name for himself with a strong performance.
Punter Boston Everitt has been pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 12 times in 19 punt attempts, meaning 63% of his punts have ended up inside the 20. Everitt was clutch last week, pinning Michigan at its own 3- and 1-yard line. Everitt needs to pin the Buckeyes deep and make it as difficult as possible for their elite offense to find success.
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‘Always doing something goofy’
Defensive lineman Kenny Merrieweather balances a playful personality with leadership.
On Nov. 27, 2021, high school junior Kenny Merrieweather got into his stance at defensive end for Detroit Martin Luther King High School, ready to pounce on an opportunity to make a play for his team in the Michigan state championship game against DeWitt High School. With 10:42 left in the second quarter, Merrieweather seized his opportunity. DeWitt’s quarterback attempted a swing pass to the running back to the left side, but Merrieweather leaped to get a hand on the ball, tipping it to himself for the interception. Merrieweather took off from the 45-yard line and stiffarmed the quarterback before running down the sideline in front of the DeWitt bench for a touchdown. “The whole family went crazy on that play,”
Merrieweather’s dad, Kenneth, said. “That tip to himself, and he ran it all the way back. It was crazy.” “I knew right then and there. I told him, ‘Alright, he’s going to go big time off this one, said yrone pencer, errieweather s high school coach. “At his size, to take it for a touchdown, I knew that would be big.” t that time, errieweather already had four college offers, including Kentucky and Florida State. Just two days later, he received an offer from oledo, kicking off a fren y of schools extending opportunities to him. y ay , , errieweather had total offers. e then took his official visit to Iowa on une and committed to the Hawkeyes just under two weeks later. Now he’s a starting defensive end for the 14th-ranked Hawkeyes and has become a key part of a unit that leads the nation in scoring defense heading into Saturday’s game against No. 5 Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium.
“What led me to Iowa was the coaching staff,” Merrieweather said. “Coach [Kelvin] Bell, Coach [Jay] Niemann, and Coach [Phil] Parker stood out to me. Coach Parker used to come visit me all the time at school, just checking on me and making sure everything was alright. It really showed that the whole program cared about academics and not just football.” Merrieweather also said the coaching staff’s legacy was important to him. His high school coaches played for his high school, so he appreciated that the Hawkeyes had coaches who played at Iowa as well. When asked to describe his recruiting journey, Merrieweather needed just one word: crazy. “You get a lot of stuff thrown your way,” Merrieweather said. “With social media, the different coaches who are recruiting you. You just never know who’s going to stay at
certain schools and all of this transferring and school hopping. You just never know what you’ll truly get.” Iowa’s program gave Merrieweather the opposite feeling, as he said the stability on the coaching staff drew him to the Hawkeyes.
Merrieweather grew up on the east side of Detroit, Michigan, specifically on the 7 Mile and Runyon intersection. 7 Mile Road is known as a dangerous area in Detroit, with high rates of violent crime and poverty. Merrieweather’s dad said the neighborhood they lived in wasn’t dangerous, but with the surrounding area being unsafe, Merrieweather said his family made sure to always be there for him. “It was a pretty rough area, but in my household, it was always love,” Merrieweather said. “I had good parents who were able to keep me away from all the bad stuff that was around the area. I’m just blessed to have those role models in my life because it’s hard growing up in Detroit with all of the distractions.” Kenneth said that Merrieweather always stayed focused on school and football and never let the outside distractions get to him. “There are a lot of things that can try to curveball a young man coming up in the Metro Detroit area,” Kenneth said. “He always got his grades together; sometimes it was rocky, but we always stayed on him about his grades. We taught him about life, and I always coached him as a dad and prepared him young.” Spencer added that Merrieweather choosing Iowa helped him get away from the bad areas of Detroit. “I think Kenny [Merrieweather] realized, ‘I need to get out of here, and Iowa is pretty cool because I can just focus on football,’” Spencer said. Spencer said Merrieweather went through the pros and cons of his school decisions and knew with no hesitation that Iowa was the correct choice. “He made a really mature decision,” Spencer said. “I only had one other person make that type of decision. He really shows some wisdom and maturity there.” Spencer credited Merrieweather’s parents for raising him correctly and instilling the right values to ensure that he does the right things.
At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds coming out of high school, Merrieweather was already big for his age. That size, mixed with raw talent, appeared long before high school when he was just 9 years old. Kenneth said that Merrieweather also played T-ball and basketball up to that point, and football wasn’t his main interest at the beginning. “Out of nowhere at 9 years old, he said, ‘I want to play [football],’” Kenneth said. Kenneth said he and his wife, Rachella, would sometimes promise Merrieweather $20 for each touchdown he scored. In Merrieweather’s first game at 9 years old, his parents were quickly down $40, as he scored two touchdowns. During his youth football days, Merrieweather shot up from the D team to the B team by the time he was playing 14U. Kenneth said Merrieweather didn’t even get to play for the A team because he was already heading into high school. Merrieweather had private schools looking at him for high school, but he ultimately decided to go the public
school route and attend King, where he played receiver and was on varsity his freshman season. Merrieweather’s coaches throughout youth league and high school always told him he was different from the other players and he had the talent to play at the next level. Kenneth said that drove Merrieweather to work even harder once he saw the potential in himself. “The offers started coming in, and he just locked in,” Kenneth said.
Now in his fourth season at Iowa, Merrieweather has added 30 pounds to his frame and that growth has been evident among his teammates. “He’s quick, strong, just to see him grow from a freshman to now just physically is super cool,” offensive lineman Trevor Lauck said. “He challenges me a lot; the ‘iron sharpens iron’ saying is really true with us going against each other. He’s definitely made me a better player.” Merrieweather has accumulated 20 tackles in 23 games in his Hawkeye career, along with 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 a sack. Seeing Merrieweather perform at the college level has been a proud moment for Kenneth, as he attends nearly every game. “We’ve been at every game, every little league game, every
high school game; I never missed a game,” Kenneth said. “I was at every practice until I couldn’t see them anymore once he got to high school.” Kenneth said he and his wife have been Merrieweather’s biggest supporters and, sometimes, his biggest critic. “It’s amazing just watching him grow and become the young man that he’s become,” Kenneth said. “Just where he’s at today, following his dreams. He did everything I asked of him; it’s just for him to continue to be great and leave his legacy here.” Merrieweather has also grown as a leader during his time at Iowa, and Kenneth said it’s something he’s had in him from a young age. “Since Little League, he’s always revved his team up; he was always the most competitive,” Kenneth said. “He always took it seriously; he always boosted his teammates, everyone around him.” Kenneth also said Merrieweather was the middle linebacker for his team growing up, so coaches always ran the play calls through him to set the defense. This season, Merrieweather is one of the few returning players on the defensive line who saw action last season, and he’s taken that experience to heart. “Just being able to take all of the advice I’ve learned in the past from Ethan Hurkett, Max Llewellyn, and all those good
guys, and being able to pour it into the guys that are under me now has been phenomenal, and I’ve loved it,” Merrieweather said. In Iowa football’s cinematic recap posted to YouTube after beating Iowa State in Week 2, Merrieweather was featured in a clip of him calling the defensive line together late in the game. The fourth-year player had just a few words to say to his group: “They get absolutely f---ing nothing.” From that point on, the Cyclones totaled just 33 yards in their final two drives, with of those yards coming on a last-second heave as the clock expired. “[Merrieweather] is a guy that everybody loves, but at the same time, when it comes to being able to put your best foot forward and being able to bring the best out of people, he’s done a tremendous ob of that, defensive lineman uke affney said. affney said errieweather shows up every single day with great energy and enthusiasm for not only himself, but for the betterment of his teammates.
hen asked about errieweather s personality, affney said he is one of the goofiest guys on the team.
Fourth-year defensive lineman Bryce Hawthorne also said Merrieweather is very outgoing and is a good guy to be around in the defensive line room. “I’d also say he’s just funny,” Hawthorne said. “He makes me laugh all the time. I be cracking up in meetings.” When Hawthorne was asked about any funny moments he’s had with Merrieweather, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing just thinking about it. Hawthorne, however, decided it was best not to share anything specific. “No, I have not,” Hawthorne said through a chuckle. “I don’t got nothing.” Spencer said he would describe Merrieweather as a “ social butterfly. e had a lot of friends, was definitely the guy that would crack jokes and have fun,” Spencer said. “I wouldn’t say he was the okester of the team, but he was definitely a guy who was popular and liked to have a good time around his teammates.” Merrieweather said his main goal is to simply brighten everyone’s day. “It’s just my character,” Merrieweather said. “I just like to make others’ days and just make people happy. That’s the goal. We’re out here playing football, but at the same time, you want to have some fun with it.” Merrieweather said having fun is what leads to success on the field and creating positive relationships with teammates is the
most important thing. errieweather s personality has led him to find opportunities off the field as well, doing commercials with i a anch to advertise their new chicken tenders. The commercial has gained lots of traction in the Iowa locker room, with Merrieweather’s teammates constantly imitating his lines from the advertisement: “Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, perfectly seasoned.” Merrieweather said he’s been taking acting classes recently, so having the chance to show off what he s learned has been a fun experience for him. “It kind of brings out my character a little bit,” Merrieweather said. It s been ama ing to ust be able to showcase the different talents I have other than football.” errieweather has also brought along running back hillips to the i a anch team to take some of the okes away from himself. “They can talk about those chicken tenders to LJ instead of me,” Merrieweather said jokingly. “I’m already a big guy, but hopefully LJ [will] eat those chicken tenders and make him grow a little height or something.” Kenneth said Merrieweather has always cut it up with his godbrothers and cousins growing up. “He’s just always been a silly, goofy kid, the guy that’s got the jokes,” Kenneth said. “He was always doing something goofy.”
Looking back at ‘Woodshed’ The last time Ohio State played at Kinnick, Iowa stunned the Buckeyes, 55-24.
The last time Iowa played Ohio State at home was on Nov. 4, 2017, when the No. 6 Buckeyes stepped into a Kinnick Stadium blackout to face a 5-3 Hawkeyes team coming off a win over innesota. Iowa s offense e ploded to beat hio tate, 55-24, in the infamous “Woodshed Game.” he oodshed nickname for the game was coined by the Cedar Rapids Gazette staff that covered the game, writing the game story headline, oodshed, I . he uckeyes were coming off a fistfight comeback victory over o. enn tate, where they trailed by going into the fourth uarter before a blocked punt sparked an hio tate rally. he uckeye defense stuffed ittany ion running back a uon arkley and uarterback race c orley, while uarterback . . arrett threw for four touchdowns and yards. ith a sold-out innick tadium crowd on their feet, hio tate s offense took the field to begin the game. arrett dropped back and looked to his left before scanning back to the right and firing a pass to in imen ictor over the middle. hat arrett didn t see was safety mani ooker screaming down on the route, and he intercepted the pass and returned it yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. he uckeyes would then respond with an -yard touchdown drive capped off by a -yard touchdown throw to receiver erry c aurin. oth teams then traded a field goal and touchdown to lock up at 17-17 in the second uarter. -yard touchdown pass from uarterback ate tanley to tight end oah Fant put the Hawkeyes ahead again. Then the Woodshed began. Iowa scored unanswered points to ump ahead, - , before hio tate got back on the board with a touchdown in the fourth uarter. he awkeyes then answered that score with a -yard touchdown run by running back oren oung. he victory caused a fren y among the awkeye fans, as they stormed the field to celebrate the upset victory over the uckeyes. hio tate entered the game at . -point favorites on some sports books. he Iowa secondary intercepted arrett
four times. ornerback osh ackson picked off arrett three of those four times, capped off by a highlight one-handed snag at the -yard line. tanley finished -of- for yards and five touchdowns for the awkeyes. unning back krum adley rushed for yards on carries, and . . ockenson caught five passes for yards and two touchdowns. ant and ockenson each grabbed two touchdowns, and fullback rake ulick caught the fifth touchdown throw from Stanley. Since 2017, Iowa and Ohio State have matched up ust twice, both in olumbus. The Buckeyes won 54-10 in 2022 and 35-7 in 2024. Iowa and hio tate will kick off at p.m. on on aturday, ct. . ESPN’s ollege ame ay will be live from the entacrest lawn in downtown Iowa ity at a.m. to preview the game, make picks for other top matchups, and host the at c fee icking is asy challenge.
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Showing strength with a smile Kid Captain Eliana Gaul has undergone countless procedures over the years. However, she remains an inspiration to all, pushing through with a smile on her face.
Twenty weeks pregnant, the biggest worry on the Gaul family’s mind was what colors their gender reveal balloons would be. However, instead of celebrating blue or pink, the Gauls were stripped of excitement, as other news corrupted their world. “They gave us the worst-case scenario,” Ashley Gaul, the mother, said. heir prenatal baby, liana, was diagnosed with spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal column and membranes around the spinal cord don t close completely during the first month of pregnancy. From what the family and doctors knew at the moment, it was life-threatening. “It felt like a death inside of me,” Ashley said. “It was pure devastation. They didn’t have much to say that was positive. Everything was wrong.” Immediately, the Gauls traveled to a Cincinnati hospital speciali ing in intrauterine surgery for spina bifida. here, the procedure would close Eliana’s spine before she was born and lessen the severity of her condition. However, 15 weeks before she was due, Eliana was born on the scheduled day of the procedure, halting the process. 16 weeks later, the Gaul family returned to their home state of Iowa, arriving at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Soon enough, it became one procedure after another. At Stead, Eliana underwent laser eye surgery to treat her
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retinopathy of prematurity, a disease in which the retinal blood vessels of a premature infant do not develop normally. If left untreated, permanent vision loss is expected. Eliana would later be treated for clubfoot, a defect in which the baby’s feet turn inward and downward, and have kidney stones removed. Additionally, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, struggling with frequent seizures, while also receiving a shunt to relieve fluid buildup in her brain. Nonetheless, Eliana never let herself get down, and her parents resisted losing hope. Instead of portraying the hospital as a dark place, the doctors at Stead were Eliana’s backbone and the reason she kept a smile on her face. “She stays emotionally strong through being in the hospital,
day after day, and through these big procedures,” Roger Gaul, Eliana’s father, said. “Most kids would get sad about it and kind of down. She doesn’t. She pushes through it and does very well.” “They always make you comfortable. They get down to her level, they get down to our level, and they speak to us in a way that we understand,” Ashley followed up. “They take care of us like we’re their very own.” Now, after a decade of nonstop care at Stead, Eliana stands tall as a Kid Captain, excited to greet a boisterous Saturday crowd at Kinnick in her home state of Iowa. ou d never guess she goes through this stuff, oger said. “She’s the light of this world. She is absolutely what this world needs, too. She moves mountains.”