Josh Jackson didn't see many balls thrown his way Wednesday.
But when Boston College quarterback Darius Wade threw toward Jackson late in the Pinstripe Bowl, Jackson picked it off to seal Iowa's 27-20 victory at Yankee Stadium.
The victory ended a five-game losing streak in bowls, dating back to 2011. It also might have been Jackson's final game for the Hawkeyes. The 6-1, 192-pound junior cornerback is a potential first-round pick and led FBS with eight interceptions this season. That total also tied a school record and Jackson, who was a Jim Thorpe Award finalist this year, returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns and also forced a fumble. He's a long, aggressive and athletic cornerback with a nose for the ball. The knock on him, though, is that he's really only had one season of good production at Iowa.
Another Thorpe finalist, Texas safety DeShon Elliott, was one of several Longhorns — including junior tackle Connor Williams — who did not to play in Wednesday's 33-16 win over Missouri in the Texas Bowl.
While Jackson sealed the win Wednesday, the Hawkeyes offense was carried by senior running back Akrum Wadley, who ran for 88 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 24 yards. Wadley also returned five kickoffs for 171 yards, including a 72-yard return in the second quarter to set up Iowa's first touchdown.
Wadley, a 5-11, 195-pound New Jersey native, ran for 1,109 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He's also a reliable receiver out of the backfield with 26 catches for 329 yards and three scores this season. He had 69 receptions for 737 yards and seven touchdowns over his career to go with 2,872 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. His ability as a return man should help Wadley hear his name called at some point during the draft.
Here are some of Wednesday's top NFL Draft-eligible players
Michael Dickson, P, Texas — Dickson announced last week he was entering the 2018 NFL Draft. He won the Ray Guy Award as a junior and punted 11 times with a 41.1-yard average on Wednesday. But more impressively, Dickson dropped seven punts inside the 10, with 10 inside the 15, and did not have a single touchback. The Australian native, who had an average better than 48 yards per punt this season, had perhaps the best day of an NFL Draft prospect and was named MVP of the Texas Bowl.
Drew Lock, QB, Missouri — Lock, who could decide to enter the draft despite a poor grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, had a tough go of it on Wednesday. Lock, who threw for nearly 3,700 yards during the regular season and led the nation with 43 touchdown passes, had only 233 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception against Texas. He was 16 of 30, though was the victim of a few drops. While Lock struggled on Wednesday, he did make a perfect throw to hit sophomore receiver Johnathon Johnson in stride for a 79-yard touchdown.
WHAT. A. THROW.@MizzouFootball's Drew Lock with an absolute DIME for the 79-yard TD! https://t.co/p1hYRqnKI3 pic.twitter.com/y7LfzI8dFL
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 28, 2017
Anthony Mahoungou, WR, Purdue — Mahoungou, a 6-3, 218-pound senior who was born and raised in France, finished his college career with a great night. He caught six passes for 118 yards with two touchdowns, including a remarkable catch for the game-winning score for a 38-35 victory in the Foster Farms Bowl.
Anthony Mahoungou comes up big for #Purdue. Go-ahead TD pic.twitter.com/mlzxWS2nFF
— Dustin Schutte (@Schutte_B1GFB) December 28, 2017
Mahoungou had 40 receptions for 688 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. All eight of his touchdowns came this season. Mahoungou is a raw talent who is still fairly new to football and, with his size and length, he has tremendous upside.
Tarvarius Moore, DB, Southern Miss — It's usually not a good thing when a cornerback is your team's leading tackler and that was the situation for Southern Miss in Wednesday's 42-13 loss to Florida State in the Independence Bowl. Moore, a 6-2, 190-pound senior had 14 tackles and a pass breakup in his final college game. It was the third double-digit tackle game for Moore, who had three interceptions this year for the Golden Eagles (8-5). Moore probably won't get drafted, but capped his senior season with the best game of his career.
Gregory Phillips, WR, Purdue — Mahoungou and Phillips had their way with the Arizona secondary at Levi's Stadium. Phillips, who had only 30 receptions for 275 yards and zero touchdowns prior to Wednesday, had 14 catches for 149 yards and a pair of scores against Arizona. The 6-foot, 200-pound Atlanta native was most impressive on a hard-fought score in the first quarter.
that catch and reach tho pic.twitter.com/mtTBoMKKBB
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 28, 2017
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Ito Smith, RB, Southern Miss — The Eagles couldn't get anything going against the Seminoles, but Smith had 92 rushing yards on 16 carries and caught four passes for 26 yards. The 5-9, 195-pound senior finished his senior year with over 1,400 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Smith runs with toughness despite his size and was extremely productive in Hattiesburg with 4,536 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns and 136 receptions for 1,420 yards and seven touchdowns.
Auden Tate, WR, Florida State — Tate might enter the 2018 NFL Draft and if the 6-5, 225-pound junior played his final collegiate game on Wednesday, he went out on a high note. Tate, who battled injuries all season, caught five passes for 84 yards and scored three touchdowns against Southern Miss. Though he didn't have great production at Florida State, Tate's size and potential have drawn comparisons to former Florida State receiver Kelvin Benjamin.