Iowa Hawkeyes Coach Gets Honest About Kaleb Johnson

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz spoke out honestly about running back Kaleb Johnson.

Sep 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs the ball against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes were able to pick up a dominant 31-14 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday in their first conference game of the season.

While there were quite a few reasons to still be concerned despite the win, Kaleb Johnson and the running game were not one of them.

In the big-time win, Johnson ended up carrying the football 21 times for 206 yards and three touchdowns. He was a workhorse all game long and the Golden Gophers' defense had absolutely no response for him.

Thankfully, Johnson was able to put up those huge numbers. Cade McNamara, the team's starting quarterback, threw for just 63 yards.

Clearly, the Iowa offense is going to rely heavily on Johnson and the ground attack. So far, he has shown off the ability to deliever exactly what his team has needed from him.

After the win over Minnesota, head coach Kirk Ferentz spoke out about Johnson. He spoke specifically about Hawkeyes fans comparison Johnson with former team star running back Shonn Greene.

"So, yeah, it’s been a really impressive four games. But, Shonn Greene did it, whatever it was, 12 games. I think we were 12-game seasons back then. If it wasn’t, it was 11. But, he did it each and every week and that’s a challenge. It’s easier to talk about that stuff than do it. But, have every reason to think that Kaleb’s just going to keep getting better and he’s got a great attitude, so really, really happy for him."

Throughout his first four games of the season, Johnson has carried the football 82 times for 685 yards and nine touchdowns. Those numbers average out to a shocking 8.4 yards per carry.

Johnson may not be at the level that Greene was yet, but he sure is close. There is no reason to believe that he'll fall apart throughout the rest of the season.

All of that being said, Iowa has to figure out what's going on with the passing game. If McNamara can't get things together, they may need to consider making a change.

Hopefully, Johnson and the ground game will be able to do enough to keep them winning. He will have his hands full and a lot of weight on his shoulders, but Johnson seems ready for whatever is asked of him.