Iowa fans were once again in for a tale of two halves on Saturday. Despite an early turnover and touchdown to take a quick 7-0 lead over Minnesota, the Hawkeyes largely struggled in the first half before blowing things wide open over the final 30 minutes.

After outscoring the Gophers 24-0 in the second half thanks to another outstanding game from junior running back Kaleb Johnson, Kirk Ferentz and company have moved to 3-1 and 1-0 in Big Ten play. Four Downs breaks down the major takeaways from the win.

You read it, you saw it.

On 21 carries, Johnson ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns and an average of 9.8 yards per carry. This was the second game in a row he eclipsed 200 yards.

The Hamilton, Ohio native started the game hot, scoring the Hawkeyes lone touchdown of the first half. After a 23-yard scamper that nearly landed him in the endzone, Johnson plunged in a one-yard score to give Iowa the early 7-0 lead.

Throughout the remainder of the first half, Johnson and the Iowa offense couldn't get much going. Though he busted carries of 21 and 24 yards, the Hawkeyes were unable to convert their last drive of the second quarter into a score as time ran out in the first half.

The second half is where the Heisman hopeful broke things as wide open as the holes the offensive line was carving.

On just nine second-half carries, Johnson ran the for ball 118 yards and two touchdowns. Between a carry for 17 yards, his first score from 15 yards out, and another 40-yard scamper for a touchdown, Johnson proved himself to be an elite big-play back.

Through three-and-a-half games this season, Johnson is up to 685 yards rushing on 82 carries. That's 8.4 yards per carry, and nine touchdowns to boot.

Minnesota's offense couldn't do much to start the game. Then the second quarter hit.

After a three-and-out by the Hawkeyes part way through the quarter, the Gophers took a seven-play drive for 64 yards and a touchdown — though they were aided by a questionable call that resulted in a 28-yard gain that brought the ball inside the five.

A second three-and-out by the Iowa offense gave the Gophers the ball right back, and the Hawkeyes gave up another long drive to the Minnesota offense that resulted in a score to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Then Phil Parker dialed up the pressure.

Though it resulted in just one sack by Nick Jackson, Iowa's defensive line and linebackers were sent in droves to the Gophers' starter, New Hampshire transfer, Max Brosmer. And to be frank, the Hawkeye D made Brosmer look like, well, a former FCS quarterback.

After a first half where he completed 17-of-26 passes for 222 yards, two touchdowns and a pick, Brosmer went on to complete just 5-of-11 passes for 66 yards and an interception in the second half as the Gopher offense cratered.

By making Brosmer uncomfortable and disrupting his timing, the Iowa defense effectively took the game over.

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Iowa's freshman punter Rhys Dakin has begun to look like a new man.

Through the first two games of the year, the Aussie was averaging just over 40 yards per boot. One may have even said he was a large reason the Hawkeyes fell to Iowa State at home on a last-second field goal, thanks to his short punt late in the game.

Against Troy, though his punting average went up significantly to just under 50-yards per kick, the Aussie launched a line-drive punt that was returned for a touchdown by the Trojans.

He looked much better and more consistent against the Gophers.

On his five first-half punts, Dakin totaled 248 yards through the air, including three inside the 20 and two of more than 50 yards — one of which he launched 55 yards into Gopher territory, a career long.

In the second half, Dakin only punted once (and it was downed inside the 15), but the play was overturned, thanks to some Broadway-level acting by the freshman.

With plenty of season left, Dakin's young career is on a positive trajectory.

They're really going to keep doing this, huh?

Against Illinois State, the Hawkeyes took a 6-0 lead into half. They won 40-0.

In their matchup with Iowa State, they led 13-0 at the break. The lost 20-19.

Facing Troy last week, the Hawkeyes trailed 14-10 at half. They won 38-21.

Against Minnesota, they were down 14-7. They won 31-14.

Though their efforts have resulted in a victory in three out of four games, the Hawkeyes can't keep this up, especially in two weeks.

The Hawkeyes can't count on Johnson to run for 200+ yards against Ohio State. For now, and thus far, it has gotten the job done -- for the most part. But the No. 3 team in the country is around the corner waiting, and 11-19 for 62 yards from your sixth-year quarterback won't result in a victory in Columbus.

After a bye-week that will (presumably) help the offense continue to progress and get their feet under them, Tim Lester and Cade McNamara will need to show further improvement. Though Johnson was phenomenal and has found himself among the elite running backs in the country, there needs to be some consistency from the rushing game as a whole. Going forward, the Hawkeyes need to play a complete game, from start to finish.