March 1, 2020
To get to this point, Goodson has worked hard and conquered anything thrown his way. He has appeared in all 10 games, rushing for 461 yards on 82 carries.
In his first collegiate game, the season opener against Miami (Ohio), he ran for 36 yards and had one reception. Against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 28, he had a career day, notching a season-high 97 yards on 12 carries.
And then, another career first came against Purdue on Oct. 19.
Quarterback Nate Stanley set up under center and dropped back to hand the ball off to Goodson, who was running straight towards the thick of the linemen battle. Five defenders on the line? No problem. He secured the ball and went airborne — leading with his left shoulder — to leap over guys much bigger than his 5-10 stature. Touchdown, Iowa.
Former Iowa running back LeShun Daniels described Goodson as having “Akrum Wadley-esque” skills, comparing Goodson to Wadley, a 1,000-yard rusher in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, because of the way he jukes defenders and makes things happen on his feet.
That was on full display against Minnesota when Goodson rushed for his second career touchdown.
“I got the ball and everything was clamped in, so I bounced outside,” Goodson said in a release. “A guy comes in, I give him the 1-2, stiff-arm, then another guy comes, I give him a stiff-arm and step out of the tackle. As I got down to the goal line, I put my head down and hoped for the best.”
Iowa running back Tyler Goodson carries the ball during a football game between Iowa and Minnesota at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Gophers, 23-19. (Shivansh Ahuja/The Daily Iowan)
Goodson ran straight into Minnesota cornerback Brandon St. Juste, pushing him back two yards, before catapulting himself into the end zone. Touchdown, Iowa.
“I gave him the nickname, I call him the human joystick because, man, he’s like you’re playing PlayStation or something,” Smith said on Sept. 28, following the Middle Tennessee game. “So, you press circle, he’ll spin. When you press triangle, he’s jumping over somebody. He’s one of our electric players. He’s crazy.”
He finished the Minnesota game with 13 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per carry and a long run of 26 yards.
“It boosts my confidence,” Goodson said in a release. “Coming in as a freshman, you don’t have confidence because you don’t know what the game is like. The speed is totally different, so you have to get used to that. Once the game slows down, then you start progressing as a player, and that’s when your confidence gets going.”