By Pete Ruden
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Many have said injuries are just a part of the game, but for Iowa on Sept. 16, that was a big reality check.
In its 31-14 win over North Texas, two Hawkeye running backs got hurt and didn’t return to the game, leaving it up to young, inexperienced players to get the job done.
First it was star running back Akrum Wadley, whose legend grew last week after playing a huge role in slaying Iowa State.
Then it was James Butler, the man behind Wadley, who has plenty of experience at the Division-1 level.
Still, the “next man up” mantra rang true, as Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin took matters into their own hands by doing exactly what they needed to do — gain yards, score touchdowns, and run precious time off the clock.
“To me, it was no surprise that they played well,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I think we all had really good confidence in them. You always worry about a guy’s first couple carries, just to get his confidence level up, but those guys really did some good things … They were a big part of us winning this game.”
The combination of Wadley and Butler has been heralded as one of the best backfields in college football before the season started, and they were on their way to showing why before their exits.
Wadley had 104 all-purpose yards before injuring his ankle, while Butler compiled 74 yards on the ground in his short time in his expanded role.
But all of a sudden, Iowa was left without its dynamic duo and in need of help in the backfield.
Facing a 14-10 deficit at the start of the third quarter, Young and Kelly-Martin came to the rescue, running for a combined 154 yards almost exclusively in the second half.
Young rushed for 78 yards on 19 carries, with 75 of those yards coming after the halftime break.
Kelly-Martin recorded 74 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, racking up all but 8 yards in the fourth quarter.
After their performance, it shows that Young and Kelly-Martin have had a good group of running backs to learn from.
“We got a good running-back crew, and there’s two really good backs in front of me, so I’m just sitting back learning a lot from them,” Young said. “They always tell me when my number’s called to be ready.”
While the injuries would certainly hurt the team come Big Ten season, Ferentz doesn’t believe they are extremely serious, saying Wadley even tried leaving the locker room without an ice pack.
Although the injuries don’t appear to be overwhelmingly bad, Ferentz said, he would know more at his weekly press conference on Sept. 19.
With Penn State next on Iowa’s docket, the Hawkeyes will need to bring all they can. But if for some reason Wadley or Butler were to sit out, the rest of the team can sleep easier at night knowing they have two other backs who can hold their own.
Although the North Texas game wasn’t pretty, Iowa got the job done in the second half.
The play as a team was solid, and the Hawkeyes will definitely need that as the conference season picks up next week.
“The backs did great today and the young guys, certainly, who jumped in did a great job, too; they really helped us out,” offensive lineman Sean Welsh said. “I think it was a great team effort.”