After Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara opened the second half with an interception, ultimately leading to an Iowa State touchdown to cut the Hawkeye lead down to 13-7, running back Kaleb Johnson went 54 yards down the left sideline in the first play of the following drive.
Johnson completed the drive with a three-yard touchdown, giving Iowa a 19-7 lead with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter. The third-year back logged 174 of Iowa’s 275 total yards up to that point, along with two touchdowns on 14 touches.
“I want to be in each situation that I could be in,” Johnson said of his heavy workload. “ So even if it’s third down, you know, fourth down, go for it. I just like to be an all-around back.”
But after the second touchdown, he began to slow down, and the team’s offense lost its momentum as a result. Through the last 20 minutes, Johnson was granted 14 touches and converted them into 22 of the team’s 28 total yards. He finished with 196 total yards on 28 touches in the 20-19 loss to the Cyclones.
“He’s played well for us the last two years, but he’s playing at a much higher level right now,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said of Johnson. “I think that’s experience and maturity … He made some really nice plays today, and it’s one thing to be encouraged about. I think there’s a lot to be encouraged about now. We just got to pull it all together and get it to mesh.”
The Iowa-Iowa State rivalry dates back to 1894. The two universities typically match up at the beginning of every football season in what is known as the Cy-Hawk game. Iowa took the victory six years straight from 2015-19 but has lost two of the last three matchups.
Johnson seemed to be the lone bright spot in what was a typical struggling Iowa offense. Whenever the Hawkeyes needed a big play, he delivered, going for several double-digit yard carries that featured two carries of over 30 yards.
He admitted the Cy-Hawk loss will weigh heavy on him for some time, but it has nothing to do with the defeat spoiling with his big game.
“It’s a team sport, so it’s not just me, it’s everybody,” Johnson said of the heartbreaking upset. “Everybody’s frustrated. Everybody’s hurt about this.”
McNamara echoed Johnson’s sentiment in his postgame press conference.
“Kaleb wants us to win, too,” he said. “There’s no one on this team who’s selfish enough to put their stats in front of the team, and ultimately, us losing. I think that’s what matters most and that’s what hurts the most right now.”
The Hawkeyes dominated the first half, 13-0, behind Johnson’s 109 yards and one touchdown. But the Cyclones flipped the script right out of halftime, reaching the end zone on consecutive drives.
From there, Iowa collapsed on both sides of the ball, as this team has been prone to do at times in the past few seasons. And with this being the second game of the season, there’s plenty of room to grow and improve. For Johnson, this betterment will come in the red zone, where the offense scored one touchdown on three trips. During these plays, the Hawkeyes gained nine rushing yards on seven attempts.
“This is not a loss, it’s a lesson,” Johnson said. “So I feel like [we] just had to keep that mindset and, you know, just keep moving forward.”