Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Hawkeyes' Running Game: A Big Ten Powerhouse as the Hawkeyes dominate Wisconsin

Starting point is 00:00:00 domination. Just a good old whooping of Wisconsin. Iowa rolls to the victory. We break it down today. Locked on Hawkeyes. You are locked on Hawkeyes. Your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network.

Starting point is 00:00:23 Your team every day. And while you're there, make sure you hit the subscribe button. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. You can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a $5 bet. You'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if your first win of a $5 bet. Just visit FanDuel.com to get started. Well, that was a good one, wasn't it? Iowa with a dominating performance against Wisconsin as they get the win. It was a thing of beauty and maybe something that we've been hoping for,

Starting point is 00:01:14 looking for, rooting for throughout the years. It's just a bludgeoning as we see now Iowa. Three consecutive games at Kinnick Stadium against Big Ten foes, scoring over 40 points. Now, the passing offense is nothing elite, but the run game certainly is. And that's where the conversation starts in this one. Iowa's ability to run the football once again. Of course, it was the emergence and the first career start at Iowa for Brendan Sullivan.

Starting point is 00:01:41 Found it interesting him mentioning after the game that he hasn't had a whole lot of chances to not just start a game, but also finish it. The case here, as we know, the backup quarterback situation was incredibly dire. Cade McNamara out with the concussion of Marco Lyon as with the injury that he sustained in practice. He was out. It was walk on Jackson Stratton. And then emergency quarterback was the other direction that they were going to

Starting point is 00:02:05 go but Iowa didn't need to worry about the backup quarterback as they get the win 42 to 10 it was the ground game the big story the defense played at a high level so many good things and so many things that you look at and and I know there's going to be the other side right the other side of what could have been if Brendan Sullivan would have been installed as a starter from game one, or if we would have saw a quicker hook, if we would have seen him throughout the course of this season, would we be talking about a team that isn't six and three and on the outside looking in for the Big Ten championship,

Starting point is 00:02:37 for the college football playoff, and with what awaits them in the schedule ahead, where Iowa's going to be favored in every game, the reign of the season? There's a lot of what-ifs, but let's just talk about the good. Let's talk about what we saw here tonight and the Iowa victory and just the domination that came out of it against Wisconsin. You start with the ability, obviously, to run the football.

Starting point is 00:02:59 Another big performance out of Caleb Johnson. And this was not one of the nights that we've seen throughout the course of the season where for Caleb Johnson, it was really about those big gainers, right? Picking up the 25, 35, 50-yard plays. That's not what this is. But this was a consistent six, seven, eight yards of pop. Whenever they needed it, they were able to find it.

Starting point is 00:03:20 We have to talk about the offensive line and the way that they just continue to maul up front. It's veteran. This is what we hope we're going to see out of this group. And they finally taken that step forward. And I think a big answer by George Barnett, taking this group of guys, largely the same throughout the years, they got whooped up on early in their career. There were guys playing out of position, guys that really shouldn't have been playing that

Starting point is 00:03:43 early in their career. But because of some defections, because of guys that just didn't hit for whatever reason, you're left with what exactly what they had to go through, and they were able to figure it out, and they have at a big time level. The run blocking has been immense, and we were able to see it not just with Caleb Johnson. It didn't matter when Kamari Moulton came into the game, Jazzyon Patterson, when he came into the game, those guys' ability to run the football. And that was great to see. Of course, Brendan Sullivan adding that extra element with his legs. And you saw it multiple times throughout the evening, his ability to tuck it to great plays,

Starting point is 00:04:16 to get a little bit out of nothing going to be there. He has that ability and I think opens up this offense anymore. As we see, he's not a great thrower. Accurate, sure, on the short and intermediate things. He's been good at that. There's nothing that we can knock at this point. Kirk Ferentz mentioned the intentional grounding. All right.

Starting point is 00:04:36 I guess we're picking nits at the quarterback position. And I know that there's going to be plenty of people that have their concerns. If we find out this week that Cade McNamara is medically cleared, that Kirk's going to go back once again to the starter from the beginning of the season. He doesn't want to see a Wally Pipps situation, and it's just going to be the guy that earned the job is going to get it back. I can't see it happening. And I know there is history that says that Kirk Ferentz will do just that, but from what we've seen out of the squad, what we've seen really over the last six quarters of football with Brendan Sullivan at the helm, you can't go back.

Starting point is 00:05:09 You just can't. We'll talk about that more as we get a little bit deeper into this one. On the other side, how about the play of Nick Jackson and Jay Higgins once again? What they were able to do, domination all over the field. And after that debacle in East Lansing against Michigan State, where it was as un-Iowa-like defense that we've seen in a really long time. Yes, they've got beat up. Now they get beat 35-7 by Ohio State more than anything.

Starting point is 00:05:36 I think that game was the third quarter and things, and the turnovers that led to that one. We saw them a year ago against Penn State, a year ago against Michigan, and it just didn't go well against those top-level squads. That was different, though. That was against a very average Michigan State team, and it wasn't that Iowa was out of place or that they were out-schemed. They're missing tackles all over the field.

Starting point is 00:05:58 We don't expect that because that's not what they did. You take that away on what they've done since then, a shutout against Northwestern. The two scorers came on a pick six and a punt return late in that football game. And then what they do this week against Wisconsin, just absolutely eye-opening. And outside of that initial drive, that was aided by some crazy penalties. All right.

Starting point is 00:06:19 The disconcerting action where Jay Higgins is clapping his hands. He can't do that. He can't. It simulates a snap, and a lot of teams obviously use the slap when they're snapping the ball, the clapping of the hands. And so you can't do that. Okay, that's fine. You see it from time to time.

Starting point is 00:06:38 The next one for shifting too hard. What are we doing here? Just hideous. Absolutely hideous. But I was able to overcome it. And obviously that was great to see. This team is fun to watch. This team is enjoyable.

Starting point is 00:06:56 And we had this conversation a year ago here on Locked on Hawkeyes. We all get locked and loaded for Iowa football, whatever way. You're at Kinnick Stadium. You're on your couch. You're in your Lazy Boy. Wherever it is, you go to the bar, whatever your favorite. Tavern it up at a local pub. Whatever your favorite place to do it, we'll have our routine, right?

Starting point is 00:07:20 And that routine, last year, really the last couple couple of years there were times where it felt like a chore and i know i'm not alone in that and yes i love watching iowa football and i love conversing about iowa football it is a number one i absolutely love it however you're sitting here and here we go again and you're watching and you're just shaking your head. Can't believe that the offense could be as bad as it is and how they're winning these football games as they did over the last couple of seasons. This just whooping up on teams playing big boy football. This is what Iowa should have been for years. This is what Iowa football should have been last season. Even with injuries, and I know injuries happen, and the injuries to the

Starting point is 00:08:12 quarterback position changed it, but boy, you see what Iowa can be at this level. You see what happens when you bring in somebody with an offensive background, somebody that has a skill set of putting together a game plan. The teams know i was going to run the football it's not a whole it doesn't take a bill parcells to figure out what i was trying to do right but they do it in so many different ways they use eye candy they get guys going in different ways um and you just see the ability and those small little things and how it actually works and how it can work at a place

Starting point is 00:08:45 like iowa it gives you hope for the future as if kurt ferentz wants to stick around for a long time if kurt ferentz thinks he's got another two three four years whatever it is still left in him that this thing doesn't just have to well they had the great schedule this year they weren't able to do it and it's over yes they have work to do yes they have to go to the portal and they have to bring in players. They have all of that, but it gives me excitement if we see Tim Lester able to go out and get the perfect quarterback for him and his system, what this thing can be. Yeah, he's going to have to pick up a couple offensive linemen. We'll see as Jazzy on Patterson and Kamari Moulton. Is that enough at the running back spot next year, along with the freshman redshirted this year in Brevin Dahl and Xavier Williams? Is that going to be enough

Starting point is 00:09:28 out of the running back group? Can he bring in a dynamic wide receiver to help out? Zach Ortworth looks like he got a tight end for the future. That's something to be excited about. But overall, boy, a lot of good coming out of this one. And that is great against a Wisconsin team. Let's talk about it. Brendan Sullivan going for it. What more are we going to see out of the Iowa quarterback? And Kirk's not going to do it, right? Kirk's not going to go back to the well and bring back Cade McNamara. We continue Locked on Hawkeyes.

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Starting point is 00:11:15 Available on 5hourenergy.com, shipped nationwide. That's 5hourenergy.com. Trent Conant back with you here as we react to the Iowa domination 42-10 over Wisconsin. Thanks for being with us and making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day with you each and every day throughout the course of the week. A busy week upcoming here for you as we got the short week this week with a Friday matchup against UCLA and we'll continue to break that one down here throughout the week. The big question, Brendan Sullivan.

Starting point is 00:11:48 And I saw a lot of people kind of wringing their hands about Kirk Ferentz's comments. We mentioned a little bit earlier about him talking about the intentional crowd and you got to make better decisions with that. But his praise was still very good. And the opening statement, he didn't mention Brendan Sullivan by name. He brought up Cade McNamara will be good to get him back. When Kirk said good to get him back, I personally didn't read it as good to get him back as in he'll be installed again as a starter. And I could be dead wrong. And we'll find out Tuesday.

Starting point is 00:12:23 I would anticipate by that time that Cade McNamara will be medically cleared and he'll be available and need him at minimum in the backup role because it's a running quarterback. I mean, quarterbacks in general can get hurt at any time, but with somebody like Brennan Sullivan that brings the energy, brings the juice that he does and lowers his shoulder from time, lowers his head from time to time in the running game, there is always that back in your mind.

Starting point is 00:12:46 You have to have the concern if he gets banged up exactly what's going to happen. But I just don't buy it. I don't buy that Kirk Behrens is going back now to Cade McNamara. If it goes awry, if it goes sideways, absolutely. We go back to the most recent quarterback controversy, Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla. And Alex Padilla was not great, as we found out. Alex Padilla, though, did some things, I think, at a better level than what we were seeing from Petras.

Starting point is 00:13:14 Spencer Petras was so beat up, not just physically, but mentally. And he saw that in so many of his throws. You saw him short-arming things. You saw him missing on just some of the simplest passes that a Big Ten quarterback should have no trouble. And I'm sure he has no trouble in practice, but there was a little bit of vapor lock in the head that was happening with him.

Starting point is 00:13:34 And I think there was a lot of things that just, you hear about seeing ghosts, right? And I think there was a big part of that with Petras. Padilla came in, did a nice job, got the win against Wisconsin, or Minnesota, excuse me. He did a really good job, but they went to the end of the season. They're down against Nebraska. Petras comes in in the second half. We can still see something very similar to that, and it's a good option to have. I don't understand the angst with Cade McNamara that

Starting point is 00:13:59 you just want to throw him out. If we see Sullivan have to leave the game because of an injury or is just ineffective, the people say, no, no, no, you can't go back to Kate. No, no, no. That's too much. Jackson Stratton was 4 of 17 passing at Colorado State. It's not the guy that you want in there.

Starting point is 00:14:17 Marco Lyoness is not available for the next couple of weeks, at minimum. So don't throw Kate and McNamara out. You need that guy. And in the past, we've seen, we need that. And if it gets to that point, what would you rather do? Lose to Nebraska with a backup quarterback or have a chance with Cade McNamara going into the game, if it would come to that? It's absolutely crazy talk that I continue to hear with McNamara. Sullivan's the guy. And Sullivan has to be the guy. And Kirk Ferentz knows this.

Starting point is 00:14:53 He absolutely does. Does he want to infuse praise on a guy that got here late? I guess that could be a theory that you go down. I just don't buy it. Look, I listened to the postgame press conference. I read the transcript again afterwards, just trying to see if there was something more to it than what I saw. I just didn't. I just can't get there that a lot of people, I think, want to go to with what they saw, what they were hearing from Kirk Ferentz after the game. A couple other things that come out after the game I thought were interesting and talking about kind of going forward. That first drive of the second half. So Iowa takes the lead in two halftime.

Starting point is 00:15:27 It's 14-3. And they come right out. Finish with that Caleb Johnson touchdown. It just was a thing of beauty. And running the ball, running the ball. But to do this against Wisconsin, to do this against the team that has been your biggest foe in the Big Ten West throughout the, what, 12 years that we got the Big Ten West.

Starting point is 00:15:48 The team that, at times, Iowa was trying to emulate. Iowa was trying to get to their level. Now three of the last four have gone Iowa's way. You look at that program, it's kind of a rudderless operation at this point in time. What are they? What are they going to be? In fact, we're going to talk about that and connect it to Iowa here in just a little bit. Iowa is now the leading rushing team in the Big Ten. The last time that happened, go back to 1997. Caleb Johnson having this monster season, you equate it to Sean Green. Sean Green ran for 1,850 yards, 20 touchdowns.

Starting point is 00:16:26 Caleb Johnson's already got 19 touchdowns this year. I mean, that's what we're talking about. That's the kind of season that he's putting up. It's just absolutely remarkable. Nearly 1,300 yards, averaging seven and a half yards per carry, 19 touchdowns on the ground. He's got another one through the air and a receiving touchdown, also 19 grabs. That's more than we saw for Sean Green that season. Caleb Johnson is the best NFL prototype that they've had at the running back position a long time. In fact, the only guy that I can equate at the same level. Remember, Sean Green was a third round pick.

Starting point is 00:16:59 He didn't have probably the speed that is necessary to be a high level running back. And he was a good, solid running back in the NFL. But, well, the guy over my shoulder, Jermell Lewis, game-worn Alamo Bowl jersey, he had it before the injuries. Fred Russell, little guy, right? And didn't have great speed, even for a guy like him. We've seen good running backs come through. We see guys like Tyler Goodson right now doing some work in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:17:25 But the combination, the size, the speed, the power that Caleb Johnson has, the ability now not just to be that north-south guy, but stick his foot in the ground, make a cut, and then power through when a tackle comes and take that two-yard gain and make it a four-yard gain, those are the things we didn't see early in his career. And they're coming. And he's going to have, obviously, a decision to make after the season. We have one more game left with him

Starting point is 00:17:48 in Kinnick Stadium. That's it. It'll be the Black Friday game. Road trip to UCLA this week, bye week, at Maryland before the finale against the Huskers. There'll be one more chance to see him at Kinnick Stadium. That's it. And likely, that'll be the last time we'll see him in an Iowa uniform. We know what bowl games have turned into. Well, they've always been exhibitions, but they were exhibitions that everybody stuck around and played. That's not the case anymore. You couple it with being a running back. And Sean Green, going back to that 2008 season, he announced it on the field after the Outback Bowl that he was going to be departing after Iowa dismantled South Carolina

Starting point is 00:18:25 in that football game. Well, we could be looking at something very similar. In fact, don't be surprised if we see a return to Tampa for this Iowa football team, maybe a rematch against South Carolina in that one, but it'll likely be without Caleb Johnson. Enjoy what we have, what we've seen, and there's a reason that I never completely abandoned ship with Caleb Johnson, because the talent has always been there. We saw it early in his career. We saw it outside of the injuries a year ago at times, and now he's put it all together in his junior campaign.

Starting point is 00:18:55 Mention Wisconsin. And I think it's a little, be careful what you wish for. So many people want to see Kirk Ferentz retire, are ready for him to move on. They're ready for the next era of Iowa football. However, you look to our Northeast, maybe a new era is not a great thing. We'll talk about that as we continue. Be careful what you wish for. This is Locked on Hawkeyes.

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Starting point is 00:20:15 Never waste a hunch and make every moment more with FanDuel, an official sportsbook of the NFL. Trent Conant, back with you one final time as we take a look back at Iowa's dominating win against Wisconsin, 42-10. Three games now, over 40 points against Big Ten foes in Kinnick Stadium. That's something unheard of recently from Iowa football.

Starting point is 00:20:43 Back-to-back dominating performances. Three out of the last four. You're feeling great about this team. Now, the turnaround is a quick one. I am happy that Iowa goes through this every year with a Black Friday game against Nebraska. I know we see they have a plan in place. It does sound like, excuse me,

Starting point is 00:21:02 the team's not going to go over earlier. Sometimes you'll see that with these midweek games the team's not going to go over earlier. Sometimes you'll see that with these midweek games, but they're going to leave Thursday afternoon. It sounds like get there, go through a walkthrough on Thursday and of course play the game on Friday. So that will be similar to what they normally do as opposed to the quick trip to Lincoln. This one's going to be much longer, excuse me, out to LA. A lot of Hawkeye fans are heading out there, try to make it happen myself. Not going to be able to, so I guess that just means

Starting point is 00:21:29 that we're going to have to make our way to the Coliseum next year and watch that one. That aside, though, I want to talk about something that we saw. And after the game, Luke Fickle, the Nebraska, oh, Nebraska, the Wisconsin coach,

Starting point is 00:21:48 he had some things to say um including this quote this was kind of your worst nightmare to be take overtaken manhandled and dominated especially in the second half yeah and that's what it was two years ago, Wisconsin moved on. Paul Chris was not delivering at the level that Wisconsin fans thought they were. They had a system that had worked for 30 years, a system that had led them to Rose Bowls, to Rose Bowl victories, to Big Ten championships. And they had a system that was continuing. They were just waiting for the quarterback. And Graham Mertz, at least the early returns outside of his opener against Illinois on a Friday night, were not good. You saw him, though, at Florida. He'd improved immensely.

Starting point is 00:22:33 They were a quarterback short, and that's what it was. They were never able to get there, to get that high-level guy outside of the one year of Russell Wilson. They never had that complete difference maker at the quarterback position. But they were still a good program that was winning and winning and winning. We have something similar happening here. Luke Fickle, most everybody believed, was a home run hire. But instead of marrying his philosophy with what Wisconsin's done for three decades, he went different. And he brings in Phil Longo to run the Dairy Raid, the Air Raid offense,

Starting point is 00:23:13 and it's been hideous. You have to know who you are. And I think this is something for Iowa football fans to realize. Do you want to see an uptick of the program? Of course, we all do. But there's also something to say about the way the hierarchy goes in college football. And it's incredibly difficult to break through what at times feels like a glass ceiling for your football program. Sometimes that level, it's almost impossible. That there just isn't a way to really be able to break through.

Starting point is 00:23:48 Wisconsin, I think, is learning that right now. You have to stay with your identity. And Iowa, whenever Kirk Ferentz retires, also has to realize that. The reality of going out and bringing in some wide open offense that's going to completely revolutionize the way that we think of Iowa football, it's unlikely. What can you get in Iowa? You can get offensive linemen. You usually find some running backs. You're not going to find a whole lot of wide receivers.

Starting point is 00:24:14 You get tight ends. That's where you're built. You're built to be a physical team. You're not going to be able to beat Ohio State and Michigan and Notre Dame and now USC and Washington and Oregon for high-level, talented, skilled position players. It's not going to happen. NIL has changed the game.

Starting point is 00:24:36 You couple of it with what you are. You have to understand your identity. I think there's too many people out there that want Iowa to blow its identity up. It's not going to work. It won't. We see with some tweaks, with some changes, with an actual offensive philosophy, what this team can be with a running game now. Yes, it takes a talented running back, and that's what they have in Caleb Johnson, but they're doing it without much of a semblance of a passing game, and they're putting up these totals against Big Ten teams. We're not talking about a non-conference joke of a schedule.

Starting point is 00:25:10 That's not what this is. They're doing it week in and week out against your brethren. This is what Iowa has to be. This is the way Iowa needs to be built in order to compete in today's environment. They have to do it their way, because another way is not going to work in Wisconsin. I think it's finding that out themselves right now. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Appreciate each and every one of you being with us as we take a look back at the weekend

Starting point is 00:25:38 that was in a big victory over Wisconsin 42-10. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen today. For your second listen, make sure you checked out the Locked On Big Ten podcast. Craig Sheeman puts the Big Ten first when everyone else is overlooking it and talking about the SEC. Find Locked On Big Ten on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. We'll be back with you a bunch this week. We got the opener for the men's basketball team coming up on Monday evening against Texas A&M.

Starting point is 00:26:07 Commerce. Not the Yankees coming in for that one. We'll be back with you, though, with an Insta reaction. Looking forward to seeing this Iowa men's basketball team. Got to watch them in the exhibition game against Minnesota Duluth. Look like a lot of the same. Are we going to see some changes? How about some of the new faces?

Starting point is 00:26:24 We'll get into that with an instant reaction coming in your feed late on Monday night. Thanks for being with us as always. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. Until then, go Hawks.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Hawkeyes' Running Game: A Big Ten Powerhouse as the Hawkeyes dominate Wisconsin

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