With 11:39 remaining in the second quarter and Iowa holding a 24-0 lead over Minnesota, the Golden Gophers were forced to punt after three consecutive plays resulted in negative yardage.
The kick boomed off of Minnesota punter Tom Weston’s foot around his own four-yard line, and Wetjen quickly camped under the punt at midfield.
Initially, it seemed Wetjen had no chance to return the kick, and he even contemplated waving for the fair catch and ending the play there, but instead he broke to the right and found a crease and some blockers for a 50-yard touchdown return.
“I was really close to catching that, too,” Wetjen said after the Hawkeyes’ 41-3 rout of the Gophers. “I put my hand up and I’m like, ‘don’t do it again.’ Thankfully, it was a touchdown.”
After Wetjen’s punt return touchdown, he and some teammates decided to coordinate a “row the boat” celebration, poking fun at the infamous slogan coined by Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck.
“I was talking to some of my buddies [on Minnesota] and I told them I’d do it,” Wetjen said about his celebration. “[It was] kind of to rub it in for them.”
The last time Minnesota had played in Kinnick Stadium was Oct. 21, 2023. The Gophers defeated the Hawkeyes, 12-10 after a controversial invalid fair catch signal on Cooper Dejean erased a go-ahead punt return touchdown.
Iowa flew out of the gates with a vengeance against the Gophers on Saturday, and Wetjen was a factor from the beginning.
The Hawkeyes got the fifth-year receiver going early, as he caught a screen pass on the second play of the game, and plowed ahead for 22 yards. On the very next Hawkeye drive, Wetjen grabbed his second reception of the day and ran for 28 yards to set up a Drew Stevens field goal.
Wetjen led Iowa in all-purpose yards in the blowout win, racking up 137 yards, 80 of which came on punt returns. The Williamsburg, Iowa, native also led the team with three receptions for 49 yards.
Wetjen received plenty of praise from his teammates after his dominant performance, with running back Kamari Moulton saying he gets to watch greatness when Wetjen gets a chance to return a kick.
“He’s an electric guy,” safety Xavier Nwankpa said about Wetjen. “Obviously, last year he won the Jet Award, and he’s in contention for that again. In my opinion, he’s the best returner in the country.”
Wetjen has totaled 823 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns this season. The fifth-year has scored two punt return touchdowns and scored a 100-yard kick return touchdown against Rutgers on Sept. 19. Additionally, he has crossed the goal line twice as a runner and once as a wide receiver.
Wetjen’s versatility in the Iowa offense and special teams provides an element that most opponents find trouble preparing for, and that was certainly the case for him on Saturday against the Gophers.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz said that Wetjen’s development over the last couple of seasons has been impressive.
“I can’t say enough about his return ability,” Ferentz said. “Speed is a part of it, but it’s not the whole part. His judgement, his courage, his ‘want to’, he just wants to score every time he’s got it.”
“I never see Kaden have a bad day,” Ferentz continued. “He’s always got a smile on his face every time I see him, and he’s ready to go. He just wants to go compete, so I’m really glad he’s on our team.”