Iowa 41, WMU 10: Leshon Williams the Next Man In
IOWA CITY — No Kaleb Johnson? No problem, apparently.
Iowa leaned on Leshon Williams early and often, as the running back's 172 total yards of offense helped the Hawkeyes overwhelm Western Michigan, 41-10, in Iowa's last warmup before heading to No. 7 Penn State next week.
Williams stepped up with Johnson out with an ankle injury and Week 2 hero Jaziun Patterson sidelined for most of the game.
"It's always been there, we just dialed it all in, we were just clicking today," Williams said. ""We trusted the plays, trusted the process, trusted the play-caller."
Williams didn't get into the end zone on the ground, but his 25-yard touchdown on a screen pass late in the second quarter gave Iowa the lead at 14-10 and kicked off a string of 34 unanswered points as the Hawkeyes pulled away.
There's always sizzle in touchdowns, but Williams didn't skimp on the steak. He rushed for 145 yards on just 12 carries, a sensational 12.1 yards-per-cary average. Even without a 53-yard scamper that propelled the Hawkeyes to their first touchdown of the game, Williams still averaged over 8 yards a pop on the rest of his carries.
Williams put the credit for his big run, and the Hawkeyes' prodigious output on the ground, squarely on the big men up front.
"I can't take credit for that, that's the O-Line." Williams said. “They did a great job. Any of y'all [reporters] could have run through those holes."
Williams was exaggerating for comedic effect, obviously; those who can't run, write. But the Iowa offensive line consistently moved the point of attack several yards downfield, and Williams often ran untouched into the Bronco secondary.
Iowa's designed runs comprised 38 carries for 287 yards, a 7.6-yard average. Those numbers are a delight to an offense that struggled to move the ball on the ground the last two seasons — and the last two weeks.
“The running game just opens things up, offensively," tackle Mason Richman said. "All seven of the running backs stepped up this game and did a great job, even without Kaleb [Johnson] today."
Johnson is week-to-week with his ankle injury, according to head coach Kirk Ferentz, so Williams and (likely) Patterson are expected to shoulder the load in Iowa's looming trip to Happy Valley.
"Kaleb's got an ankle," Ferentz said. "Got it at the end of the game last week, it didn't respond. We'll take it week-by-week, day-by-day."
Ferentz also mentioned that Patterson had "a little bit of a tweak" Saturday, as he only rushed six times for 20 yards before leaving the game in the first half.
The absence of Johnson and Patterson meant Iowa also relied on true freshmen Kamari Moulton and T.J. Washington, who made their Hawkeye debuts Saturday. Moulton responded with 50 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Washington gained 31 yards on six late carries.
"When my name was called, I was just excited to get out there and be there for my team'," Moulton said.