The Iowa Hawkeyes invited the Wisconsin Badgers over for quite the dominant performance from the offense especially.
The Hawkeyes offense has been something the college football world had focused on over the course of the past three years. Over the last two seasons, the offense has been historically bad averaging under 20-points per game. This season, however, the offense has been inconsistent but has shown far more potential than they did previously.
Starting quarterback Cade McNamara was on the bench with a concussion against the Wisconsin Badgers, but backup Brendan Sullivan was excellent for the team. The true life of the offense came from running back Kaleb Johnson, who has been a spark plug for the Hawkeyes this season. The junior Ohio native recorded 463-yards rushing and three touchdowns during the entirety of the 2023 season with the Hawkeyes.
Johnson recorded 135-yards, three touchdowns, and 24 carries for an average of 5.6-yards per carry against the Badgers defense. The running back was virtually unstoppable and the Wisconsin defense could not generate any answers for his effective gameplay. Johnson now has two straight games with three touchdowns, brining his season total to 19 for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have largely been a different team offensively this year due to the success of Johnson. The running back is going to be crucial moving forward as Iowa attempts to secure nine wins this season after winning ten in 2023.
Iowa Hawkeyes Running Back Kaleb Johnson Play Down the Stretch Could Determine Final Record
While football is about more than just one player, the Iowa Hawkeyes have been significantly better when Johnson is able to perform at a high level.
Johnson has been kept under 100-yards rushing in a game twice this season, and each time the Iowa Hawkeyes lost the game. The only real outlier is the loss to Iowa State, where Johnson recorded 187-yards rushing, but the team lost after McNamara tossed an interception. Johnson is responsible for four out of the six touchdowns scored in losses this season.
The running back has not only been a catalyst on offense, but also a player that seemingly every defense has difficulty playing against. Johnson is a workhorse back, with his best performances coming when the team gives the back over 20 carries. The Iowa Hawkeyes staff will have to focus on continuing to feed Johnson and keeping the running back hot before post-season play.
Currently, the Iowa Hawkeyes would be in position for a solid bowl game with three wins, but would need something special to make the conference championship game.
The Hawkeyes are 4-2 in the Big Ten Conference, behind Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana in order. Both Indiana and Oregon are undefeated and will not play each other during the regular season, meaning a different team would have to pull-off the unlikely win.
Oregon plays Maryland, Wisconsin, and Washington to finish out the season, with Washington being the only team that would pose a threat. Indiana, on the other hand, must play Michigan, Ohio State, and Purdue to finish out the season. The Hoosiers could very well lose two of the final games, and both Ohio State and Penn State could face losses against Michigan and Minnesota, respectively.
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