Iowa Hawkeyes 2023 Positional Breakdown: Scouting the running backs
Iowa football is running the football. While the rest of the Big Ten and college football world may be demonstrating a philosophy change, Iowa’s viewpoint hasn’t wavered. They will continue to play and win the same way they have for years now. They play tough defense and they run the ball at will against you on offense.
Unfortunately, they haven’t been running the ball at will in recent years. They’ve posted some of their lowest rushing numbers over the past two seasons, and have looked outmatched at times against top defenses. Part of this is due to the offensive scheme by Ferentz, partly by the offensive line, and partly by the passing attack having no bite to it. Iowa has asked a lot out of its running game, and there’s only so much it can do given the competition that they face in the Big Ten.
There is absolutely talent in this running back room, though. In particular, Kaleb Johnson. A true freshman last year, Johnson showed star potential for the Hawkeyes. Here is a look at the running backs ahead of the 2023 season.
Projected Depth Chart
Starter: Kaleb Johnson, Soph.
Second String: Leshon Williams, RS Jr.
Third String: Jaziun Patterson, RS Fr.
Career Stats
Kaleb Johnson: 151 attempts, 779 rushing yards, 5.2 yards per carry, six rushing touchdowns, four receptions, 27 receiving yards, 6.8 yards per catch.
Leshon Williams: 116 attempts, 412 rushing yards, 3.6 yards per carry, two rushing touchdowns, 11 receptions, 78 receiving yards, 7.1 yards per catch.
Jaziun Patterson: 14 attempts, 47 rushing yards, 3.4 yards per carry, one reception, one receiving yard.
What Iowa did last year
Iowa’s rushing attack limped out of the gates last year. Williams had 72 rushing yards against South Dakota State, but the efficiency wasn’t great. He was met in the backfield a lot, and that continued against Iowa State.
There were times when the Hawkeyes looked back to their old selves in the running game. Kaleb Johnson had some fantastic performances against Nevada, Northwestern, and Purdue especially. The consistency just wasn’t there and Iowa struggled against the top defenses in the conference.
There were a myriad of reasons for this. The offensive scheme as a whole wasn’t good. Nobody feared the Iowa passing attack. The offensive line was still struggling, and the backs were all inexperienced.
All that combined leads to inconsistency.
What Iowa has added
Experience. Iowa saw a lot of good things out of Kaleb Johnson last season, enough to warrant hope that he could possibly be a star back. All of the backs in the room gained a valuable year of Big Ten experience.
Plus, Iowa signed Terrell Washington Jr. (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) out of Wylie East in Texas and Kamari Moulton (5-foot-9, 185 pounds) out of Cardinal Gibbons in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
All of that helps offset Iowa losing a piece in Gavin Williams. Williams is now at Northern Illinois. This makes sense as Williams didn’t play much, especially late in the season.
Position Group Breakdown
For Iowa, they need to run the ball well in order to win. It is integral to Brian Ferentz’s philosophy as an offensive coordinator, and really just in general. Teams who can run the ball usually win. When Iowa is able to control the ball, march down the field, and aid their defense, good things usually happen.
While he was a bit inconsistent as a true freshman, Kaleb Johnson looked like a future star. He has everything you look for in a feature back physically, and he looked the part at times last year.
Leshon Williams is a decent backup to have. We all know that he runs hard. Jaziun Patterson is a really interesting player to watch out for. He really didn’t play much last year as a freshman, but had some nice plays against Kentucky in the bowl game.
Like Kaleb Johnson a season ago, both Kamari Moulton and Terrell Washington Jr. are freshman wildcards that could factor into the equation.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Jacob on Twitter: @Jacobkeppen
