Any thoughts of Iowa's offense holding the team back went up in flames in the first half of the Hawkeyes' college football Week 9 matchup with Minnesota. The Hawkeyes tallied four touchdowns before halftime, finding the end zone in nearly every way imaginable to build a 31-0 lead at the break.

Quarterback Mark Gronowski capped off Iowa's first drive of the game with a two-yard touchdown run to get the Hawkeyes on the scoreboard. After a 34-yard Drew Stevens field goal, Iowa reached the end zone again at the end of the first quarter when cornerback Zach Lutmer intercepted a Drake Lindsey pass and returned it 34 yards to the house.

Gronowski would find Reece Vander Zee for a short score to reach the end zone through the air in the second quarter, but that would not account for all of the team's first-half points. Kaden Wetjen scored on special teams just before halftime when he took a punt 50 yards for another touchdown to increase the score to 31-0.

The punt return was Wetjen's third touchdown of the year and second on special teams. The 2024 first-team All-Big Ten return specialist also led Iowa with 49 receiving yards in the first half.

Cooper DeJean approves of Iowa's punt return touchdown

Iowa defensive back Cooper Dejean (DB06) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
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Wetjen's touchdown not only increased Iowa's lead, but it also caught the attention of Hawkeye alum Cooper DeJean. The Philadelphia Eagles' cornerback spent three years in Iowa City as a cornerback and return specialist.

While reposting the video of Wetjen's touchdown, the Iowa football social media account tagged DeJean on X, formerly Twitter. The clip caught DeJean's attention, who approved of his successor's work.

“All smiles,” DeJean tweeted in response to Wetjen's touchdown.

DeJean and Wetjen were briefly teammates at Iowa, allowing the latter to sit and learn behind his All-Conference teammate. DeJean claimed the Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year award in 2023, his final season at Iowa before declaring for the NFL Draft.