The Hawkeyes romped past Purdue, 49-35, on the road.
By Courtney Baumann | [email protected]
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana, The Boilermakers may like their trains, but Iowa was the team to roll through like a steam engine in its win at Ross-Ade Stadium on the afternoon of Oct. 15 — at least in the first three quarters.
The final score of 49-35 is an unfair representation of how the Hawkeyes played for most of the game.
Iowa led Purdue 42-14 until 8:40 left in the fourth quarter, when the second-string defense allowed 2 quick touchdowns to put the Boilermakers within 2 TDs.
Because the second-string offense had done next to nothing as well, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz resorted to sending his starters back in.
“There were a lot of things today to learn from — the penalty situation — we still have to do a better job there, way too many of those starting in the second quarter,” Ferentz said. “It got a little dicey there.”
Penalties did prove to be an issue for the now 5-2 Hawkeyes; Iowa was flagged 12 times for 95 yards
Iowa’s saving grace was its rushing game, which was nearly perfection. Five Hawkeyes — Akrum Wadley, LeShun Daniels, C.J. Beathard, Jerminic Smith, and Toks Akinribrade — rushed for 365 yards and 4 touchdowns.
For the first time since 2008, two Hawkeye running backs had 100 yards or more. Wadley rushed for 173 yards, and Daniels tacked on 156.
Wadley and Daniels credited much of their success to the effort by the offensive line.
“The offensive line did a great job. They were performing great. They went out there, and they did what Iowa is known for, which is bully football,” Wadley said. “They went out there and pushed some jokers around, which definitely lightened the load for me and LeShun.”
It was a much-needed rush-heavy day, because Iowa tight end George Kittle was sidelined in the first quarter. After leaving for the locker room, he reappeared wearing a walking boot.
While the pass offense didn’t necessarily struggle, it wasn’t at its best.
Beathard and Nathan Stanley combined for only 155 yards on 20 attempts.
Iowa ended the game gaining 520 yards, the most the team has put up since last year against Minnesota. The Hawkeyes put up 506 that day.
The game was only the second time in the past two seasons Iowa has racked up more than 500 yards, and it was the most yards Iowa has seen on the scoreboard since Nov. 15, 2014, when the team totaled 587 at Illinois.
Those yards were necessary, especially because Purdue put up big numbers as well.
The Boilermakers passed for 458 yards and rushed for 46 more, coming up just short of Iowa in total offense.
Iowa’s secondary did not look its best during the busy day, but the players plan to cut down on the pass yards against next week.
“We just have to play smart out there, communicate with each other, and make sure everyone is on the same page,” cornerback Desmond King said. “We have to stay focused on the field, ignore the noise, and not let the crowd get to us.”
Regardless of the pass offense or the questionable defense seen at times during the game, the rush offense looks promising moving forward.
“Obviously it’s big when we can run the football like that, especially with us two and the line blocking the way they have,” Daniels said. “I think it just takes a lot of pressure off the entire team. It takes pressure off C.J. and takes pressure off the defense.
“This is big; we just have to carry it on throughout the season.”
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