COLLEGE PARK, MD – After a trio of poor performances on the road, the Iowa football team found victory away from Kinnick Stadium, defeating Maryland, 29-13, on Saturday afternoon. With walk-on transfer quarterback Jackson Stratton under center, the Hawkeyes avoided costly mistakes and stuck with a dominant ground game on the way to 344 total yards.
“I think we were more ready than [the Terrapins] were,” Iowa offensive lineman Mason Richman said. “These early games are tough. It’s whoever wakes up and is just ready to go.”
Running backs Kaleb Johnson and Kamari Moulton each surpassed the century-mark as the Hawkeyes scampered for 268 rushing yards on the day on a total of 58 attempts, trouncing a Terrapin front that was allowing 115 yards per game heading into Saturday.
“That’s been our plan the whole week,” Johnson said. “Just focus on the run game, hitting the holes, explode. Just attack them.”
The second area of offense for the Hawkeyes came from the leg of kicker Drew Stevens, who delivered five field goals and two extra points for the Hawkeyes, connecting from as far as 54 yards out to tie his career high.
With limited opportunities to throw the ball, Stratton was an efficient 10-of-14 for 71 yards. The sophomore said he found out he would be starting on Monday and added it felt like “drinking out of a fire hose” as he compiled reps over the last two weeks.
“I was nervous like maybe 10 minutes before kickoff, but after the first play, it’s all just having fun out there,” Stratton said. “Giving props to the O-line guys for keeping me up, keeping me in the game. It was a good time out there.”
For Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, Stratton is “the leader of the group” for the Hawkeye offense and the likely candidate for the starting nod against Nebraska next week as quarterback Cade McNamara works his way back from an adverse reaction after leaving concussion protocol.
Iowa’s defense knocked out the Big Ten’s leading passer Billy Edwards Jr. in the second half and continued to make life difficult for backup MJ Morris. The NC State transfer completed 12 passes for two touchdowns but two interceptions in the second half that sealed Iowa’s seventh win of the season.
After a dominant defensive effort in the first half, the Hawkeyes conceded 13 points in the second half to make the contest a one-score affair in the fourth quarter. With Edwards Jr. out of the game for an injury sustained on a scramble, backup MJ Morris found Felton for touchdowns of eight and 12 yards.
Yet when it appeared Iowa was on the ropes once again on the road, it returned to the ole-reliable ground game. On 3rd-and-1, Kamari Moulton – who fumbled earlier for Iowa’s only turnover of the game, passed through blockers and glided into open turf for a 68-yard touchdown.
“That’s between just him having confidence and him backing up what he was saying,” Johnson said of Moulton. “I told him [after the fumble], ‘You’re OK. Just keep your mind straight.’ He was like, ‘I got it.'”
Any hope of a Maryland comeback deflated after Morris’ interceptions on back-to-back drives. Morris attempted a long toss to wideout Kaden Prather, but cornerback TJ Hall, filling in as the starter for an injured Jermari Harris, leaped and made a head-turning one-handed grab.
The next turnover was more of a team effort. Iowa defensive lineman Max Llewellyn executed a brilliant spin move, leaving Maryland’s right tackle empty-handed and the Hawkeye crashing into Morris as he threw. The wobbling pass fell into the waiting arms of linebacker Jay Higgins for an interception – his fourth and a team-high.
Four different Iowa running backs received a carry in the first half as the Hawkeyes churned out 139 rushing yards and 22:52 time of possession, exhausting the Maryland defense into a 13-0 deficit at the break. Johnson scored his 22nd touchdown of the season with a 2-yard plunge in the second quarter. The play marked his 21st rushing touchdown of the season – surpassing Shonn Greene’s mark in 2008 for a program record.
The Hawkeyes’ first two drives each got within 25 yards of the end zone, but the visiting squad exited with just three points. The opening 10 plays of the contest averaged 6.2 yards, but Stratton was blitzed on second down for a loss of 10 yards. The next play saw a handoff attempt to running back Kamari Moulton, who couldn’t corral the ball as it bounded up the field and into the hands of a Maryland defender.
Iowa opened the scoring with a 27-yard field goal from Drew Stevens. Leaning on Johnson and the run game, it gained 59 yards before Johnson got taken down four yards short of the marker. Stevens tacked on another 50-yarder in the third quarter.
Maryland’s offense couldn’t find any momentum, gaining three first downs in the opening half and only 65 total yards. Edwards Jr., the Big Ten’s leader in passing yards per game heading into Saturday, left the game due to injury in the second quarter but returned after halftime. A 13-yard scamper saw him lose his helmet on a hard hit and he didn’t return.
Injury Updates
Ferentz kept his words vague when discussing the possible return of Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris. Iowa football communications staff said Harris had a “medical issue,” but other outlets reported he would opt out the rest of the season in preparation for the NFL Draft. Yet he did make one thing clear: Harris deemed himself unfit to play.
The head coach explained three components to a player being medically available to compete: the coaching staff, the player, and the medical staff, which he said is the most important and the trump card to the other two opinions. He quoted former NFL head coach Bum Phillips by claiming it’s easy to be tough on other people’s bodies and offered some empathy for Harris.
“You don’t know what kids are going through and what they play with and all that,” the coach said. “Everybody has different playing thresholds and different circumstances medically. I just found out during the week [Harris] didn’t think he could go. Hopefully, he can get himself healthy and do what he has to do.”
When asked if he anticipates Harris being on option for Iowa’s next game against Nebraska, Ferentz said “We’ll see.”
Wide receiver Reece Vander Zee has missed the last three games due to injury. Ferentz said he’s “not optimistic” the first-year would return against the Cornhuskers but is hopeful that the wideout could return for the bowl game.
Brendan Sullivan continues to nurse an ankle injury he suffered in the UCLA game. Ferentz said the quarterback’s rehab was going well but that he would “probably not” return for Nebraska.
Up Next
Iowa football returns to Kinnick Stadium for a rivalry matchup against Nebraska on Friday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The Cornhuskers are 5-5 on the season and face off against Wisconsin at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.