Jordan Canzeri’s career at Iowa has been characterized by his by demoralizing injuries.
Five weeks of 2015 have proven his value to the Hawkeyes’ offense. He might be their feature back, or he might not be. He’s not really concerned about labels.
“I don’t really care what other people think about me,” Canzeri said. “But I hope that I’ve just proven to my team that I’ll do whatever I can to help us win or I’ll put my whole body on the line to get it done.”
Since his ankle injury on Sept. 12 at Iowa State, Iowa’s No. 1 back coming into the year, LeShun Daniels Jr., has rushed 18 times for 57 yards for an average of just over 3 yards per carry. Lacking the explosion and the ability to drive off that right ankle, he has not been the same back he was in the opener, in which he rushed 26 times for 126 yards against Illinois State.
But the Hawks have gotten along just fine leaning on Canzeri. In the three games since the Iowa State bout, he’s rushed 60 times for 289 yards, good for 4.8 yards a pop. He also has 8 rushing touchdowns, tied for the Big Ten lead with Ohio State Heisman hopeful Ezekiel Elliott.
“I think his performance speaks for itself, just the numbers that he’s put up,” Hawk center Austin Blythe said. “And the way he’s been carrying it, the way he’s been talking about it is really good. He’s doing it for the team.”
The native of Troy, New York, showed his value to Iowa’s offense on Oct. 3 at Wisconsin, as he was essentially the only player the unit could count on to move the ball.
The Badgers stifled Iowa’s air attack with a ferocious pass rush and experienced secondary. Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard completed just 9 passes, and the offense turned primarily to Canzeri on the ground.
He finished with 125 tough yards, and Iowa escaped what may be the most physically gifted defense it will see all year.
“Getting a 100-yard rushing game will help my offense, but it’s not something like, ‘Oh, I got another 100-yard rushing game,’ ” Canzeri said. “I honestly don’t know how many yards I have at the end of the game, people just tell me.”
In addition to being its leading rusher, Canzeri also ranks second on the team in receptions (14) and third in receiving yards (159). And he’s not worried about sharing reps whatsoever, being well aware that having Daniels back in the mix at full health only makes the offense more dangerous.
“Our offense can do better, and to have that chemistry is awesome and good and just to have more weapons for the offense,” he said. “We just know that we can get it done as a whole offense; it doesn’t matter who is running the ball.”
Both backs at full health might combine for a dynamic one-two punch in the running game as the weather cools and create opportunities in the passing game by luring more defenders into the box. Given that Beathard has taken some heat in the pocket, it’s something that could also help compensate for shaky pass protection.
No matter what the case is, the Hawks are in good hands with Canzeri in the backfield. His vision is a quality hard to create, one that comes natural to a lucky few. His selflessness is a microcosm of the attitude of the team as a whole — one with national recognition in the form of a top-25 ranking for the first time since November 2010.