Often overlooked and seldom talked about – unless a sack is given up or a penalty is committed – offensive linemen lie at the heart of every offense.

For the 2020 Hawkeyes, the offensive line has proven to be the backbone that drives Iowa’s dynamic run game. So far, the Hawkeyes have rushed for 733 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. That includes 235 yards and four scores in a 35-7 victory over Minnesota on Friday night.

Anchors on the offensive line like left tackle Alaric Jackson and center Tyler Linderbaum have been ensuring that running backs Tyler Goodson and Mekhi Sargent have open holes to run through. Sometimes, the Hawkeyes are so dominant in the trenches that multiple openings are set up for the members of the backfield.

“It’s pretty good to see, knowing you have multiple ways and multiple options to go through,” Goodson said. “But once again, it’s all about making the quick decision and go. You can be really decisive in this game. Being decisive will allow you to slow yourself down and allow you to not gain as much yardage as you really want to.”

Over his last two games, Goodson has contributed 255 yards on the ground. Against Minnesota, the Suwanee, Georgia, native set a career-high, rushing for 142 yards.

Goodson’s success Friday night can be partially attributed to Jackson’s efforts on Iowa’s zone stretch play – which, according to Goodson, was the focal point of Iowa’s ground game.

“I know I can trust [Jackson] on the edge,” Goodson said. “I don’t really worry about who’s in front of me, who’s coming down to take him. I just know he’s going to get the job done and make the block for me to be successful. He’s a fantastic player.”

Jackson isn’t the only lineman that contributes to Iowa’s zone stretch. Linderbaum believes it is a group effort that the entire offensive line undertakes.

“I think we just got a lot of guys putting vertical pressure on the D-linemen, you know, getting after it,” Linderbaum said. “We got good takeoff going and getting good push on the line, and we’ve got great backs that can read and hit the seams.”

While Linderbaum and Jackson have started every game for the Hawkeyes this season, that has not been the case throughout the offensive line. Head coach Kirk Ferentz has dealt with a rotating crew of linemen cycling through his lineup since Week 2.

Yet, the crew that also includes the likes of Kyler Schott, Coy Cronk, Cody Ince, Mark Kallenberger, and Cole Banwart has continued to find a great deal of success, no matter what lineup combination on the field has been.

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“I think across the board on our offensive line, you know, we’ve lost some depth just with injuries and that sort of thing,” quarterback Spencer Petras said. “I think we’ve all been really confident in our offensive line this whole year. They’ve done a great job with the next-man-up mentality, obviously with Coy out and [Schott] out. I think we’re all confident. Obviously they’re playing really well. I got to say that we have depth there that I think we’re confident that if, you know, and it’s almost inevitable sometimes someone’s going to go down, and I know the next man up will go in there and execute his job as well.”

This season, Iowa’s offensive line has kept Petras well-protected, surrendering just three sacks.

Iowa has not formally elaborated on Cronk and Schott’s injuries that have held them out of the last two games. Currently, Cronk and Schott’s statuses for the Hawkeyes’ next game against Penn State is unclear.