Report: Iowa DE Drew Ott has torn ACL, out for season

Iowa defensive lineman Drew Ott, left, celebrates with teammate Jaleel Johnson, right, after sacking Illinois State quarterback Tre Roberson during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa defensive lineman Drew Ott, left, celebrates with teammate Jaleel Johnson, right, after sacking Illinois State quarterback Tre Roberson during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Iowa improved to 6-0 with a 29-20 win over Illinois on Saturday, but it also took a big hit to its defense.

According to Marc Morehouse of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Hawkeyes defensive end Drew Ott suffered a torn ACL in the win. Ott, a senior, has been one of the best pass-rushers in the Big Ten over the past few seasons. He is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Ott registered his fifth sack of the season on Saturday, to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles this season.

Ott’s best season came in 2014 when he totaled 57 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors. He also had 50 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2013 and three tackles in limited action in five games as a true freshman in 2012.

Redshirt freshman Parker Hesse is a likely candidate to move into the starting lineup with Ott out. He has 15 tackles and a sack so far this season.

Next on the schedule for the Hawkeyes is an important road game at Northwestern, which dropped to 5-1 Saturday with a blowout loss at Michigan.

For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!