WATCH: Jack Campbell stops teammate from helping up opponent
In the game of college football, from time to time, we are treated to moments of sincere sportsmanship between combatants. The video below is not one of those moments. On Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes took on the Purdue Boilermakers in a clash of Big Ten East schools. Midway through the fourth quarter, while leading 24-3, the Hawkeyes successfully stopped the Boilermaker from converting fourth down and two. After the pass went awry and was incomplete, defensive back Cooper DeJean attempted to help up a Purdue wide receiver. He was quickly stopped by teammate star linebacker and defensive leader Jack Campbell.
While to some, this might appear as poor sportsmanship on the behalf of Campbell, those who know the history are not surprised by it. The receiver he attempted to help up was none other than former Hawkeye Charlie Jones. Jones elected to leave Iowa in the off-season for Purdue. And when asked his reason for transferring, the senior wide receiver gave a quote that was likely bulletin board material for the Hawkeyes.
“It’s pretty simple, I came here for the offense. The past couple of years they’ve shown that being a receiver in this type of offense means a lot of opportunities,” said Jones.
Jones might have gone to Purdue for the offense, but in Saturday’s game, that offense was nonexistent. Iowa got the last laugh and final say in this exchange as they defeated Purdue 24-3, rendering the Boilermakers’ offense nonexistent.
The victory puts the Hawkeyes in a three-way tie for second play in the Big Ten East behind Illinois. Iowa climbs to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in conference. It might be a bit of a stretch, but the race to claim the Big Ten East title and a spot in the championship game is still a possibility for Iowa.