IOWA CITY — With a trio of long touchdowns by Troy WR Devonte Ross fueling an upset bid by the visiting Trojans, Iowa's offense found itself in the rare position of needing to keep up with its opponent Saturday.
Enter running back Kaleb Johnson and the Iowa rushing attack.
Johnson continued his torrid 2024 pace with 25 rushes for 173 yards and two touchdowns as Iowa outpaced Troy, 38-21. In just 10 quarters of action, Johnson has amassed 479 yards and six touchdowns — both already surpassing his injury-plagued 2023 season.
"One goal that I always had was to be a top-five back in the nation," said Johnson after his triumphant performance. "It's here now, so I've just got to keep going, keep my head down and keep focusing."
Johnson scored on rushes of 4 and 33 yards in the Hawkeyes' victory, part of a 284-yard performance for the Hawkeye ground game as a whole, but the production started with giant holes for the big back to cruise through.
"I don't even want to give any credit to myself," Johnson said. "I want to give all my credit to my o-line. They played their asses off today. Pardon my language, but the boys played hard today."
"Stating the obvious, Kaleb Johnson is playing his best football right now," said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz after the win. "Obviously he's getting yards, but the way he's running right now is encouraging."
Johnson has established himself as not only a big-play back — he already has seven rushes of 25+ yards — but a goal-line weapon and hard-nosed runner, befitting his 6'1", 225-pound frame. Running backs coach Ladell Betts' guidance has been a crucial factor in Johnson's development as a power back.
"[Betts has been] staying on me about the little things, and what I could be if I do the little things right," said Johnson. "I'm listening to everything he says, because he was in the league for 10 years, so he knows. So he keeps telling me to put my shoulder down and keep being physical and finishing my runs, even in practice, because if you work hard in practice it's going to come during the game."
As the Iowa offense attempts a resurgence under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester, the rest of the offense is also acutely aware of how much their fortunes depend on continuing to get elite production from the junior running back.
"I've seen a lot of improvement from [Johnson] in the last month," said senior offensive tackle Mason Richman. "Outside of his athleticism, he's really working hard."
"It's really cool seeing K2 come into his own this season," said quarterback Cade McNamara. "As long he stays consistent with what he's doing and his mental approach, he's going to be an extremely good back."
Those little things include running behind his pads and initiating more contact, and the fruits of Johnson's efforts have made him a much more effective back — and a much more difficult tackle to make.
"My first two years here, I was so used to using my speed on people, because that's how I was in high school," said Johnson. "Now, knowing people are faster than me kind of hurt a little bit; I'm used to outrunning everybody. So now it's just me knowing that, and using my strength and putting my feet and head down, and just going."
Johnson's 173-yard performance makes him the first Iowa back to record three consecutive games with over 100 yards since Jordan Canzeri in 2015, a jarring stat for a program that has historically hung its proverbial hat on controlling the line of scrimmage.
Still, he knows the hard work is just beginning in a still-young 2024 season, and first up in the Big Ten calendar is a shot at revenge against Minnesota.
"Extra motivation and extra recovery [with the ensuing bye week], so extra locked in and extra focused," said Johnson. "It's Big Ten now, so it's time for me to actually focus on my little things, focus on every detail I've got, because I'm trying to get to another Big Ten Championship."
