Video: True freshman Reece Vander Zee has memorable Iowa football debut

or did that affect you any coming into fall workouts um yeah it was a little I I was a little behind um I actually came in with the injury um that put me a little behind too but um know I I was I got caught up to speed pretty fast uh went buffer a few days and then um was able to get to work and go out there and have fun yeah on the first touchdown you were kind of running an over route with with uh Luke kind of underneath you I mean what was kind of your Vantage Point of that and when you saw the ball you know anything go through your mind at that point yeah no uh we ran a play like that earlier in the game um where it was just a little behind me and I knew I was going to be there again U so I just had to get to my spot and k k thre a good ball and reconnected so when did it I guess when were you told that you'd be starting in in this game uh not I didn't really know um until well like I I was running with the ones for about a week and then I kind of um yeah just worked my and do it I think what did it feel like out there it was amazing yeah I the atmosphere is is crazy at first it was a little it was a little daunting I guess but I got over that and um I went out there and yeah any my teammates we had fun out there I think so was there a moment in the second half where you guys sort of felt things turn and and got the ball rolling for you yeah just coming out of that coming out of halftime we just knew we had to be patient with the game plan um it was all going to fall into place if we just stuck with it and adjusted a few things um but yeah once we once we got that got in the end zone that first time things really started clicking um and you guys could see that on that uh Second touchdown it was kind of a contested ball I mean and I I I couldn't tell if it was you or Luke at first who caught it but what uh kind of take me through that play and then kind of being able to to wrestle it around and and grab it yeah know clock was winding down he was actually going to switch it to a different play um and that's what I heard and then he kind of just um said all right we we don't got time we got to go to a different uh keep the play on um so yeah I just I just um went in there uh play action and uh sneak out a little bit and saw the ball hanging up there I was like all right I'll go get I didn't even know Luke was there but uh I was just going up and get it and do my thing so how long did you play baseball this summer I ended up not playing baseball yep I I got hurt um in track so that cut my track season uh short and then I decided um it was it was it wasn't worth it to try to get injured again during baseball so I I cut that off which was hard for me um just cuz I've always been a baseball guy but it was it was it was a right decision and um yeah the Lord the Lord provided for me when I came down so I have this right or did you not play receiver last year yeah know I played quarterback last year I mean but but you switched a quarterback from Receiver right yeah I I always grew up being a quarterback uh and then I switched a receiver Zack lmer who played here as our quarterback um so yeah I I moved back to quarterback my senior year um and but yeah it it was good so is this your first game at wide receiver in what like two years then yeah y was there any kind of learning curve there or um no I don't know just going um I got a lot of reps and practice and it was rough for the first first week or so but I got back into it um just trusted my technique and at the end of the day you just got to go be an athlete and and have fun with it who are some of the teammates that sort of help guide you to this spot and you know help you get back from missing all that type of injury yeah I mean everyone um that as I stepped into more a bigger role um everyone kind of came came alongside me and uh helped me through it um so I would just credit all the all everyone like defensive guys offensive guys um they're all making sure I'm good um so it's really nice to be surrounded with the I mean the top athletes in the country um supporting you can you can camp started a little slow for you when did you when did it kind of Click I mean because I mean literally just started the game so you must have made a climb there at some yeah I mean the first week I was actually I was kind of limited uh just working my way back from injury um and then after that it kind of clicked I just running running my routes and they were coaching me up um and then I kind of clicked after that I would say how much you f like Northwest Iowa football can helped you prepare for um yeah for sure it's huge uh especially where I'm from uh they they teach toughness and grit and exactly what what they teach you're doing the little things right um so yeah Central lion um they prepare me incredibly well for this um two more questions I'm sorry it was great this program has a history with players from Norwest Iowa how much pride take that State uh extreme Pride uh yeah I I take extreme Pride from being there uh shaped who I am uh yeah we do we do the things right up there and yeah extreme Pride extremely prideful from being there can what did what did ller say to you after the game or during the game even I don't know it was just like kind of best friends back at um High School like just going out there and playing on the biggest stages it was pretty pretty crazy then Graham comes up uh Graham even comes up to me and he's like yeah I'm so happy for you like it's crazy crazy so um but yeah we we're focused we're ready for the next game and um yeah ready to go Jay suggested that you get some ice cream as a celebration for this first big game you know how you're going to be celebrating with your family afterwards now yeah yeah for sure how how so um yeah me and my family uh we got a little ice cream business that um we we we sell to around areas around Rock Rapids um so yeah we might might have to bring them down to Iowa City here