By Jordan Hansen
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Five hundred-twenty.
That’s how many yards the Iowa offense was able to put up against Purdue on Oct. 15 in its 49-35 win.
It was the most offense the Hawkeyes have accrued in a game since 2014 (587, Illinois) and was highlighted by 365 rushing yards.
Running back Akrum Wadley led the way with 14 carries for 170 yards, while LeShun Daniels Jr. added 24 carries for 156 yards. Wadley had a touchdown, and Daniels had a pair. Starting quarterback C.J. Beathard also scored on the ground and added another two through the air, ending the day with 140 passing yards on 17 attempts.
“Lot of good things we saw out there, and the biggest thing I would say, or touch base on, would be our rushing attack,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “That was a little better than it’s been, and it means a lot of people were helping out.”
As Ferentz said, running the ball had sometimes been difficult for Iowa this season. The team has been inconsistent moving the ball on the ground, a problem for a team that rushes about 1.5 times as much as it passes.
It was the team’s best offensive performance of the year, as far as yards go, and while the Hawkeyes’ opponent was a weak Purdue team, it’s still impressive.
Iowa again came into the game with a shuffled offensive line — tackle Cole Croston missed the game, and Keegan Render got a start. The Hawkeyes didn’t really miss a beat, and Beathard was kept upright for most of the day, only taking 2 sacks.
But with how effective the running game was against a porous Purdue defense, Iowa hardly had to pass the ball.
It was hard to put a finger on what exactly went right for the Iowa running backs when everything seemingly went so. If you ask them, however, they’ll just tell you the offensive linemen are playing well.
“They’re performing well, and they went out there and did what they do, what Iowa is known for,” Wadley said. “Bully football. They went out there, and pushed a few jokers around, and lightened the load for me and LeShun.”
Everyone seemed intent on passing the credit around; Sean Welsh gave it right back to Wadley and Daniels.
“They certainly do a good job of making us look like a half-decent line,” Welsh said. “They really do. They do a great job. Hats off to them; they really had a great game today. I’m really looking forward to what they can do in the future.”
It’s helped that both backs have been able to stay healthy. Last season was a revolving door of backs, and Daniels especially struggled to stay healthy.
But so far, that hasn’t been the case this season.
Things are looking up for Iowa right now and after a close win against Minnesota on Oct. 8, a big win like this was exactly the thing the Hawkeyes believed they needed. Iowa ran out to a 21-0 lead, and the game wasn’t remotely close until Ferentz put in the second-stringers.
There seems to be a little more confidence in the team right now and while some questions on the defense still exist, Iowa is feeling pretty good.
“We came in here to get a win. We’re 100 percent happy,” Beathard said. “We needed to get a ‘W,’ and we came in here and did just that.”