The Iowa Hawkeyes had a bit of a scare against the Troy Trojans on Saturday, but ultimately picked up a 38-21 win in Week 3.
Iowa’s victory was due in large part to the heroic efforts of running back Kaleb Johnson, who carried the ball 25 times for 173 yards and scored several touchdowns.
It was just the latest monster performance from Johnson, who is well on his way to making Hawkeyes history.
After the game, Johnson made a pretty bold claim: He told Adam Jacobi of The Hawkeye Beacon that he went into the 2024 season with a vision of being one of the top five halfbacks in the country.
Given what Johnson has achieved so far, there is little to object to.
In three games, the 21-year-old has rushed for 479 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, averaging an incredible 7.9 yards per carry.
Johnson is on pace to finish the season with over 1,900 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns, breaking the records of 1,850 and 20, respectively, set by Shonn Greene in 2008.
Without Johnson, Iowa’s offense would have certainly struggled against Troy.
The Hawkeyes trailed 14-10 at halftime and led just 24-21 in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Trojans 14-0 in the final quarter, with Johnson scoring a 33-yard touchdown run.
Iowa totaled 462 yards on offense on the day, which is undoubtedly a huge improvement over last week’s loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.
The Hawkeyes begin Big Ten conference play next Saturday when they face the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
