Kaleb Brown Continues Late-Season Rise With First TD
IOWA CITY -- In Iowa's 10-7 victory over Northwestern last week, Kaleb Brown caught the first pass of his tenure with the Hawkeyes. Just a week later in the Hawkeyes' 22-0 trouncing of Rutgers, Brown finished the evening with two carries for 20 yards and three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.
"It's been great for me," he said following the game Saturday. "I really can't put into words what it's been like -- this whole experience. It's been crazy, but it's been easy for me to go out and be with the guys that I'm always with. It's been great."
"I wouldn't say there was any huge difference for me today. I would just say It was a matter of time to get the whole thing rolling."
That touchdown was the first he scored in a meaningful game since his high school days at St. Rita in Chicago.
"I don't even remember my last touchdown," he said. "But it felt good to be back in the end zone, for sure. I just saw a guy going to my inside, and I knew I could beat him with speed. I did that."
The opportunity for Brown to rise and offer some production -- both on Saturday and against Northwestern -- came due to an injury to starting wide receiver, Diante Vines.
"For Kaleb to step in while Diante is down, it's just another Iowa story that happens," senior receiver Nico Ragaini said. "I'm proud of him. He works hard every single day all the time. He was locked in this entire week like he always is. It was no surprise to me that he made some plays today."
"I think we all knew what Kaleb was capable of and how he was going to do it," quarterback Deacon Hill added. "It was just a matter of when it was going to happen. I'm really happy for him. He came up to me [outside the media room] and said 'Let's keep this thing going.' So I'm excited."
Brown's time behind Vines has been a key factor in his growth and development since his arrival in Iowa City.
"He is a whole different guy than he was six, seven weeks ago," Kirk Ferentz said following the game. "I don't know how much he did last year. He wasn't here. I don't know if he was on the scout team or just standing there watching. So, I don't think he was working a lot at that position. It was new to him coming out of high school."
"This is all new to him, and he's been great. He's been working hard, especially these last couple weeks he's been kind of wired in, certainly making a big play last week I'm sure gave him some confidence that maybe he didn't have a couple weeks ago, and he took it another step today, and we had an opportunity there with Diante being out."
Confidence, indeed.
"Today's game definitely boosts my confidence a whole lot," he said. "Obviously, I've done it in practice many times, but to actually be able to go back and look at what I've done on film -- it just brings a whole lot of confidence knowing I can put it on the field."
For a brief moment in time, Iowa fans weren't sure this day would come for Brown -- potentially not even for the Hawkeyes.
After missing Iowa's game against Purdue on October 7 due to personal reasons, speculation swirled that Brown would once again enter the transfer portal following the season due to frustration. But Brown was back with the team the following week against Wisconsin, and he continued to work hard despite the lack of on-field production. Sticking with it got him to his performance on Saturday evening.
"I'm definitely feeling a lot of emotions," he said. "Just going back to the sideline and realizing what's actually going on before me, because being on the field, it's just like laser focus. Coming off the field, it was just crazy to think about, like I worked for this for so long. It was just really emotional."