Kaleb Johnson Named Big Ten Offensive Player, Freshman of the Week After Win Against Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After posting 200 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries last Saturday against the Purdue defense, Iowa freshman running back Kaleb Johnson was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. The Hamilton, Ohio native also earned the conference's Freshman of the Week honors.
It was his first-ever 200-yard game on the ground and just the second 100-yard performance of his career. Johnson propelled the Hawkeyes to a dominant 24-3 win on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Boilermakers have now allowed back-to-back 100-yard rushers after being stout against the run through their first seven games of the season.
"We gave up 200 yards to one running back, it's not our best performance," Purdue redshirt senior defensive lineman Lawrence Johnson said after the game. "It's kind of embarrassing because we take pride in stopping the run, and we obviously didn't do that tonight."
Johnson was steady against Purdue, averaging 9.1 yards per carry and only being tackled for a loss on three attempts, but he also ripped off three runs of more than 10 yards in the contest. A 75-yard breakaway touchdown on the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter was the final score of the game for either team.
This season, Johnson has registered 96 carries for 553 yards rushing and four touchdowns. His first 100-yard performance came on Sept. 17 in a 27-0 victory over Nevada.
Johnson is the first Hawkeye freshman since Marcus Coker in 2010 to have two 100-yard rushing games. His 200 rushing yards are the 18th-most in a single game in program history and the second-most by an Iowa freshman all-time.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.