Iowa football raves about USC star WR

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Iowa football raves about USC star WR

Following No. 21 Iowa football’s (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) crushing 26-21 loss against No. 17 USC (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten), Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz praised Trojans star wide receiver Makai Lemon following the game from the Los Angeles Memorial Colosseum on Nov. 15.

The talented 6-foot-11, 195-pound junior receiver out of Los Alamitos, Calif., has had himself a career-best year so far for the Trojans by hauling in 8 touchdowns on 71 receptions for 1,090 yards through 10 games played. Lemon has also scored 2 touchdowns on 5 carries for a total of 5 yards when used in the backfield.

“That No. 6 is as good as I’ve seen. I mean, going back 20-plus years, I don’t know if anybody has impacted the game more, Ferentz said. “I can think of one other guy, maybe. But (Lemon) is a really outstanding player.”

Against the Hawkeyes, Lemon recorded 1 touchdown on 10 receptions for 153 yards, along with a 1-yard carry.

The lone score on the day for the skill wide receiver happened in the third quarter with 3:33 remaining as quarterback Jakob Maliava connected with Lemon for a 12-yard touchdown to make the score 21-19 in favor of the Hawkeyes at the time.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: Makai Lemon #6 of the Southern California Trojans celebrates his touchdown catch with Ja'Kobi Lane #8 and Bryan Jackson #21, to trail 21-19 to the Iowa Hawkeyes, during a 26-21 Trojans win at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 15, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Unfortunately for Iowa fans, Lemon’s performance felt all too similar to that of Purdue’s David Bell when he tallied 240 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches as the Boilermakers stunned then-No. 2 Hawkeyes by a score of 24-7 in 2021.

While the loss to the Trojans certainly stings, the Hawkeyes will have an excellent opportunity to bounce back into their winning ways when they host bottom-of-the-barrel Michigan State (3-7, 0-7 Big Ten) from Kinnick Stadium on Nov. 22.

That game against the Spartans will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football raves about USC star WR

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