After an upset-filled week, the Iowa football team once again finds itself in control of its own destiny. Breaking away between a four-way tie with Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, Iowa is now atop the Big Ten West with three games remaining. The first stop on that path to a title: Rutgers. 

In terms of current record, the Scarlet Knights are the second-best team the Hawkeyes have played this season, coming into Saturday’s contest with a 6-3 mark. Last week against top-ranked Ohio State, Rutgers lost, 35-16, but put up a far greater fight than the final tally. Against the now fifth-best squad in the nation in terms of total defense, the Scarlet Knights amassed 361 yards, including 232 on the ground, outgaining the Buckeyes in both categories. 

Carrying offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s unit in Week 10 was back Kyle Monangai, who scampered for 159 rushing yards on 24 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt. Hailing from Roseland, New Jersey, the 5-foot-9, 210-pounder has seven rushing scores on the season, the first Scarlet Knight running back to do so since current Kansas City Chief RB Isiah Pacheco in 2019. 

“He finds ways to get downhill,” Iowa linebacker Kyler Fisher said of Monangai on Tuesday. “He’s a tough running back for how fast he is … And the fact that they can run the ball with the quarterback off that too, makes them a very dangerous offense.” 

Indeed, Scarlet Knight QB Gavin Wimsatt factors into the ground game, ranking as the Rutgers’ second-leading rusher with 411 yards in 2023. His average of 45.7 rushing yards per game is the most in a season by a quarterback in program history. 

Calling Rutgers’ run scheme “a little different dimension,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz was complimentary of Monangai and Wimsatt but also said the Hawkeyes have the tools it takes to overcome the Scarlet Knights’ prowess on the ground. 

“The areas maybe where we had the most question marks, guys are going really well,” Ferentz said in his weekly press conference, citing the linebacker and safety positions as those uncertain spots. 

“In our conference, or in any conference for that matter, you really got to be able to play tough defensively,” he continued. “We’re doing that, but [Saturday] will be a different challenge.” 

On the defensive side, the Scarlet Knights rank 10th nationally in total defense and 33rd against the run. Versus the pass, second-year defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak’s group has yielded just under 160 yards per game, good enough for sixth in the FBS. These numbers are all improvements over the past two years. 

Despite only giving up such few yardage, Rutgers ranks 11th and 13th, respectively, in the Big Ten with nine sacks and six interceptions. 

According to Hawkeye right tackle Gennings Dunker, Rutgers is a blitz-heavy defense centered around defensive tackles “squeezing” in the gaps at the line of scrimmage.  

Last season at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Hawkeyes took home a 27-10 victory behind two defensive touchdowns but were still outgained in total yards. This time around, Ferentz said the matchup will be a “night and day” difference. 

Calorie champion 

When talking with the media on Tuesday, Dunker was asked how much he eats per day during the season. His answer garnered wide eyes from many. 

“Today, I’ll probably do 5,000 or so, but then the day before the game, I’ll probably hit like 8-9 thousand,” the 6-foot-five, 320-pounder said. 

On game day, Dunker said he consumes about 10,000 calories, with 2-3 thousand of those being during the contest. After each drive, the offensive lineman said he would have a packet of gummies and a Body Armor sports drink, which totals 300 calories. In addition, Dunker explained how he also shovels down some apples and bananas before the game, as well as some Stinger waffles for some “good carbs.” 

Clarifying that he’s the Iowa lineman who eats the most during the games, Dunker said the process “isn’t fun” and that he’s thrown up a few times as a result. Yet even with the high consumption, Dunker insists that he has to stay around his current weight. 

“I don’t want to end up on the fat bike to lose calories. I’d rather die than miss weight,” he said. 

Injury Report and Depth Chart 

In Iowa’s game against Northwestern last week, offensive linemen Logan Jones, Rusty Feth, Mason Richman, and Beau Stephens all went down due to injury. This week, three of the four are back on the depth chart as starters in their respective positions while Stephens, a backup guard, was replaced by first-year Kade Pieper. 

“He’s a hardworking kid,” Dunker said of Pieper, adding that the right guard is “half an offseason” away from having a breakout year. “I mean, he’s kind of a goofball, but he works really hard and he likes to hit.” 

Ferentz confirmed Stephens wouldn’t play on Saturday and also said several other players had statuses “up in the air” ahead of Saturday’s game. 

After recording his first reception of the season last week against the Wildcats, Iowa wide receiver Kaleb Brown is back on the depth chart, listed as the second-string behind Diante Vines. 

Ferentz said Brown got more time on the field last week due to an injury to Vines.

“That was a critical play in the game. It allowed us to be in a position where we didn’t have to go into overtime, which is positive,” Ferentz said of Brown’s play at Wrigley that helped Iowa get into field goal position in the last two minutes of the contest. “It’s him working every day. He is not an infant as a receiver, but it’s really the first year he’s really been in the deal.” 

Hawkeye backup quarterback Marco Lainez was on plenty of Iowa fans’ radars last week when he was taking reps in warmups before last week’s contest. This week, the first-year signal-caller is still not on the depth chart, but Ferentz said all three backup quarterbacks; second-string Joe Labas, Lainez, and first-year Tommy Poholsky are each taking reps. 

As for running back Kaleb Johnson, who did not take a handoff last week, Ferentz said there was “no drama” involved in the situation but rather a matter of competition. 

“Everybody has an opportunity out there. It’s day to day, week to week,” Ferentz said. “That’s how we do things. Watching him on film against Rutgers last year, [Johnson] ran the ball well, so hopefully we can get him up and running here.”