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Well, that escalated quickly. That has to be the feeling for Washington after scoring 10 points in the first half against Iowa and trailing 20-10 at the break.
No team wants to be down 10 points, but it felt like a manageable deficit heading into the break. Then, things broke entirely open in the 2nd half.
Iowa scored 20 straight points to open the 2nd half, and it was a massive blowout by the time that run subsided. It mostly illustrates the Huskies have a lot of work to do on defense — and in the trenches — to compete with the new Big Ten, but it also speaks to Iowa’s ability to still execute their style to perfection against an overmatched opponent.
For now, here are the key takeaways from Iowa’s resounding 40-16 win over Washington:
Kaleb Johnson could make noise in the Heisman Trophy race
I get it. Johnson is currently a longshot for the award across the board, and FanDuel does not list Iowa’s star running back with any realistic odds for the award. This isn’t to say he should win or even be in contention to reach New York at this point in the season.
However, it’s clear Johnson has a legitimate chance to carve out more attention throughout October.
There’s no denying the Heisman has become a QB-dominated award, but some running backs still deserve attention. Ashton Jeanty is certainly having an electric year for Boise State. However, Johnson’s worth and value for the Hawkeyes is equally undeniable.
Johnson accounted for 166 of Iowa’s 220 total rushing yards while averaging 7.9 yards per carry. He also led Iowa with 3 catches and 22 of the total 108 passing yards for the offense to go with his 2nd hat trick of the season.
On a national level, Johnson was 2nd in almost every key rushing category behind Jeanty entering Week 7, and that was even with Iowa getting shut down by Ohio State in Week 6.
If Johnson can continue racking up games with multiple touchdowns and over 150 yards rushing, combined with the overall impact on Iowa’s offensive numbers, it will give some credibility to the idea that the Hawkeye RB is among the most valuable players in the country.
Rude Kinnick Stadium welcome for Washington
At one point, Washington appeared to have the juice to hang in this game. The Huskies scored 10 points in the first half, even with a botched field goal and more red zone issues.
However, the strength of Phil Parker’s defense carried the day in the 2nd half.
After a pair of 14-play drives in the first quarter, Washington’s longest drive after halftime before the midway mark of the 4th quarter consisted of 9 plays and 58 yards. That resulted in a field goal.
The other key drives of the 2nd half consisted of an interception and 3 turnovers on downs delivered by Iowa’s defense. Across those 4 drives, Washington gained a total of 104 yards.
The Hawkeye defense ended the game with 4 sacks (2 by Aaron Graves), 5 TFLs, 7 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles and an interception. Another typical performance for Iowa’s marquee unit.
Big Ten travel remains (almost) undefeated
Many fans wondered how a coast-to-coast Big Ten would impact teams this season. The answer through the first portion of Week 7 is “not kindly.”
One week ago, Washington welcomed Michigan to Seattle, only to deliver a major performance in an 27-17 upset of the defending champions. The Huskies had to turn around and hit the road in Week 7, and Iowa City was not a welcoming host.
With Washington’s loss at Iowa, teams traveling across 2 or more time zones in the B1G this year are a horrific 1-9 overall. Fans will get a clearer impact of the travel schedule throughout Week 7 with games like Penn State at USC, Minnesota at UCLA and, most notably, Ohio State at Oregon.
We’ll see if travel continues to be the boogeyman for teams on the road this fall.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.