Iowa was locked in a tight one with Western Michigan at halftime, but eventually shut the Broncos out 24-0 in the 2nd half to come away with a 41-10 victory.

It’s been a while since the Hawkeyes have scored 40 or more points: the last time that happened was a 51-14 win over Maryland in Nov. 2021. Defensively, it was another strong effort as Iowa yielded just 239 yards.

Kirk Ferentz’s team is now 3-0 after their final non-conference game of the regular season as it’s B1G action the rest of the way, starting with a Week 4 showdown against Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

Player of the Week: Running back Leshon Williams

Iowa has a little bit of an injury situation in its running back room: Kaleb Johnson was set to start but was ultimately ruled out against the Broncos due to an ankle injury that lingered from the Cy-Hawk game against Iowa State in Week 2. Jaziun Patterson, who ran for 86 yards and a touchdown against the Cyclones, exited against WMU due to a “tweak,” per Kirk Ferentz.

Leshon Williams stepped in and was terrific, taking 12 carries for a career-high 145 yards, bouncing back after a disappointing effort against Iowa State. He also added a 25-yard touchdown catch for good measure.

Needless to say, the Hawkeyes will be leaning on him heavily if Kaleb Johnson and Patterson’s absences are extended, and Saturday’s outing was a good sign if that’s to be the case.

Freshman of the Week: Running back Kamari Moulton

We’ll stick to the RB room for this one. Leshon Williams finding himself as the featured back with Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson banged up led to opportunities for other players, including Kamari Moulton.

The true freshman, a 3-star recruit from Florida, had 8 carries for 50 yards and 2 touchdowns in his Hawkeyes debut. Not a bad start for a player with the nickname “Hulk.”

Biggest surprise: Scoring 41 points

There’s been plenty of ink, both physical and virtual, spilled about the struggles of the Iowa offense under OC Brian Ferentz. Much of that is justified since the Hawkeyes were near the bottom of FBS in several offensive categories in 2022; that’s not to mention the frustration among the fanbase around his father not bringing in a fresh set of eyes to reboot that side of the football.

The “Drive To 325,” though, took a nice step forward in the Hawkeyes’ 1st game over 40 points in nearly 2 years. Time will tell if that is at least partially sustainable throughout the remainder of the regular season as B1G play looms.

Biggest concern: Cade McNamara…again

Despite the 41-point output, concerns around the play of Cade McNamara continue to be a topic of discussion. Iowa’s signal-caller completed just 9 of his 19 passes for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns while throwing 2 interceptions.

The mistakes are preventable: one interception led to McNamara getting an earful from Brian Ferentz. We saw McNamara’s skills on display at Michigan, but he’s yet to fully settle in at Iowa. That needs to happen quickly for this team to truly affect the B1G standings.

Developing Trend: Iowa team stays out of penalty trouble again

Iowa couldn’t make it 2 weeks in a row without a penalty. A week after 0 penalties against Iowa State, it committed just 1 against Western Michigan.

The Hawkeyes were whistled for 7 penalties in their season opener against Utah State. They’ve been incredibly disciplined over their last 2 games; they’ll need to continue that trend with B1G play around the corner.

Key Stat: 254 rushing yards

After 88 rushing yards against Utah State, the Hawkeyes were incrementally better against Iowa State with 112 yards on the ground. They more than doubled that total with 254 against Western Michigan.

Leshon Williams led the way (as mentioned), but Moulton’s efforts in his 1st collegiate game deserve plenty of plaudits. Terrell Washington Jr., like Moulton a true freshman, had a respectable 31 yards on 6 carries in his debut.

First impression about Week 4: Can the Hawkeyes get one over on Penn State again?

Iowa has been somewhat of a bogey team for Penn State in recent years.

In 2020, the Hawkeyes blew out the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley, dropping James Franklin’s team to 0-5 on the abbreviated season. In 2021, they won 23-20 at Kinnick to start the season 6-0 before a 4-4 finish.

The 2 teams didn’t play in 2022, so revenge has certainly been on the minds of the Nittany Lions for a while. The Hawkeyes will need to set the tone out of the gate to deal them another defeat, and McNamara’s play could have plenty to do with that.