Kaleb Brown Good to Go for Big Ten Championship: "I'm 100%"
IOWA CITY -- Iowa wide receiver Kaleb Brown went down with an injury in the first half of the Hawkeyes' 13-10 victory over Nebraska and didn't return in the second half. In his absence, concern arose regarding his availability for the Big Ten Championship Game matchup with Michigan on Saturday (7:00 PM CT, FOX).
He put those worries to rest on Tuesday, saying that he has been practicing this week, and that he will be ready to go for the game this weekend.
"I'm feeling good and running smooth at this point," he said. "I'm just getting better every day at this point. I'm 100%."
Brown said the injury happened on the play prior to a drop he had in the end zone near the end of the second quarter.
"It was a mesh -- I just kind of ran into my teammate," he said. "I just got a little banged up, but I'm all good now."
Iowa fans held their collective breath over the last several days, not only because of the barrage of injuries the offense has already faced this season, but because of the significant impact that Brown has had on the offense over the last several weeks.
Over Iowa's last three games, Brown has caught 13 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. He has also carried the ball four times for 33 yards.
"Not to toot my own horn, but yards after the catch on screens is probably a good thing that I brought to the team," Brown said. "Reaching the perimeter, making a move and not allowing the first guy to tackle me -- I think things like that are important."
And now he's focused on the task ahead -- competing with the Wolverines on Saturday.
"I think the run game will be a big factor that will open the pass game," he said. "The run game is probably the biggest thing. Everything else comes behind it. They've got some solid corners, but I think we can handle it. Whether it's blocking on the perimeter and things like that -- I think we're ready."
"It's just going to be a football game. We're definitely picking up on things that we do best against them. That's key in watching film in general. There will be challenges, and it will be a good game. They're a good team for sure."
At the end of the day, Brown says his -- and the team's focus -- is on themselves.
"All in all, it's more about us," he said. "It's not about the defense or anything like that. It's more about us and how we run our business."