5-1 is 5-1: Takeaways as Iowa does what it takes to win against the Purdue Boilermakers

No one said wins had to be pretty. There are no style points in the Big Ten. A win is a win and the Iowa Hawkeyes just keep finding ways to rack them up. The Hawkeyes toppled the Purdue Boilermakers, 20-14, to move to 5-1 on the season.

The offense sputtered but had some bright spots that provided some signs of confidence. The defense bowed up time and time again to make stops every time it was needed.

This was a game that wasn’t won by any single unit, but rather outstanding individual performances. A few individuals stepped up and carried this team.

Iowa is currently 5-1 with the Big Ten West fully within reach and in their own control. Homecoming saw the Hawkeyes find a way to win as they so often do with a vintage Iowa performance.

Nonetheless, here are the five biggest takeaways from Iowa’s hard-fought win over the Boilermakers that took an entire team effort throughout.

Jay Higgins has arrived

The Iowa Hawkeyes have their next great linebacker. His name is Jay Higgins and he has fully arrived in Iowa City as a defensive leader. The senior linebacker stepped up once again today and has claimed his stake as a great defender, which is well overdue.

Higgins led the Hawkeyes with 12 tackles on the day along with a crucial interception in the fourth quarter that proved to be absolutely vital down the stretch.

Jay Higgins is quickly becoming the heart and soul of this defense, this team, and this fan base. His success is deserved and couldn’t be coming to a better human.

Iowa's defensive front turned it up a notch

After getting home for just three sacks through the season’s first five games, Iowa’s defensive front turned things up a notch today. They were putting Purdue’s Hudson Card under constant duress. Iowa had three sacks entering the day. They had six sacks today.

Senior Logan Lee deserves his own recognition as the defensive player of the game. Iowa’s veteran defensive lineman had 10 tackles, two sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Deacon Hill struggled

To keep things black and white: sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill struggled most of the day. The constant overthrows and misses were abundant. Those early in the game could have been attributed to an extra shot of adrenaline but it continued throughout.

On the day, Hill was just 6-of-21 passing for 110 yards with a touchdown and an interception. That completion percentage will come back to bite Iowa if it continues. All said, Hill delivered when it mattered to hit senior tight end Erick All for what ended up being the touchdown to put the Hawkeyes ahead for good.

Iowa's offense needs Kaleb Johnson

Iowa’s offense needs sophomore running back Kaleb Johnson. He is a spark plug who can make this offense go and can be trusted to tote the rock. He adds a level of big-play ability to an offense that doesn’t have it otherwise.

Johnson opened up the scoring with a 67-yard touchdown run where he was untouched. On the day, Johnson got loose for 134 rushing yards on 17 carries for an average of 7.9 yards per carry.

Tory Taylor's impact cannot be overstated

Iowa’s offense had 291 total yards. Tory Taylor’s six punts totaled 284 yards. The senior had an average of 47.3 yards per punt with a long of 61 yards. His effort flipped the field time and time again to help the Iowa defense.

Iowa is going to have to play field position games the rest of the way and his presence is only going to become more important. Iowa has a true weapon in their punter and his success cannot be overstated.

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire