IOWA FOOTBALL
Former Iowa Hawkeyes standout Desmond King caps Thanksgiving blowout with 90-yard pick-six
Dargan Southard
From C.J. Beathard earning a starting job with the 49ers to George Kittle ascending into a prominent role, multiple first-year Hawkeyes have impacted the NFL this season.
Thursday, it was Desmond King's turn.
The Los Angeles Chargers' rookie cornerback capped a dominant Thanksgiving win over the Dallas Cowboys with a 90-yard pick-six, intercepting a Dak Prescott pass midway through the fourth quarter. The interception was King's first of his NFL career.
With Dallas facing a 22-6 deficit and desperately trying to stay in the game, Prescott looked for wide receiver Cole Beasley on a short out route.
Then, King did his thing.
The former Iowa standout stepped in front of the pass and rumbled to the end zone untouched. He cut back up the field past Prescott and was gone.
"It was amazing," King told the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike. "First, it started with the interception — like, 'Wow, I've got the ball in my hands.' And then, when you go to the end zone and cross that line, you're on national TV. Everybody in the world is watching. And you have your teammates with you... It's just a great feeling to have."
After a heralded career in Iowa City, King surprisingly slipped to the fifth round before the Chargers scooped him up. They're certainly happy they did after Thursday's heroics.
And, it appears King even called his own shot.
Dargan Southard covers preps, recruiting, Iowa and UNI athletics for the Iowa City Press-Citizen, The Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.