STOP THE RUN
Fittingly enough, Iowa will wear all-black uniforms against Nebraska on “Black Friday.” And Hawkeye fans are encouraged to wear black. “Black Out Kinnick Stadium” is the theme.
Nebraska’s “Blackshirt” defense needs to pay special attention to the Hawkeye in jersey No. 2, junior running back Kaleb Johnson, whom Matt Rhule described as “fantastic” during Monday’s news conference. “He makes people miss, and he can burst and go the distance,” Rhule said.
Husker defensive coordinator Tony White said Tuesday the 6-foot, 225-pound Johnson “breaks tackles. He does not go down just by lowering the shoulder and all that kind of stuff. His center of gravity is low and it doesn’t look like he’s running very hard, but you can’t tackle him.”
The numbers support such adjectives, of course. Johnson, a finalist for the Doak Walker Award presented to the nation’s top collegiate running back, ranks second nationally in rushing yards, behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. Johnson has rushed for 1,492 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Nebraska has allowed only six rushing touchdowns—Iowa just two.
Johnson is averaging 6.69 yards per carry.
With Johnson and a veteran offensive line leading the way, Iowa ranks 13th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 213.5 yards on the ground per game. The 7-4 Hawkeyes have “run some people off the field just by running the football down their throat,” Rhule said.
So stopping the run will be important. Also, “if we can win the turnover battle, we’ll have a chance to win,” Rhule said, repeating a point he has made throughout the season.
That’ll be no small task given the numbers. Nebraska is plus-one in turnover margin, Iowa plus-11. The Hawkeyes have intercepted 16 passes.
Also consider this number. Iowa has scored 218 or its 323 points this season in the second half. “It’s almost like, for them, the game doesn’t even start until the second half begins,” said Rhule.
“They’re very comfortable playing in a close game.”
Johnson is among the reasons for that comfort level.
“He’s playing at an unbelievable high level,” Rhule said.
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Johnson and Johnson?
Nebraska sophomore Emmett Johnson stepped up at running back in the Wisconsin victory, rushing for 113 yards on 16 carries, the first Husker to rush for 100 yards this season.
As is the case with Kaleb Johnson, “I think everything starts up front,” said Nebraska’s new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. “The o-line is doing a good job, the tight ends are doing a good job. I think we’re doing a good job as a staff scheming things.”
In that context, “give him as much credit as the rest of them,” Holgorsen said of Emmett Johnson. “He’s gaining confidence. He’s been put in that role and he’s taken advantage of the opportunity.”
Like Kaleb Johnson, Emmett is “a difference-maker,” said Holgorsen. “I give him credit for the amount of work he’s putting in and the attitude he has. He’s a great, great young man.”
Holgorsen continued in his praise of Emmett: “I’m proud of him for how he’s been playing. He’s been a huge spark here for us the last two weeks.”
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Mike Babcock
