Kirk Ferentz and Iowa improved to 3-0 on the season with a strong win over Western Michigan. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes lost star tight end Luke Lachey to injury in the first half.

After he went down, Lachey was seen being helped off the field without putting any weight on his right leg. Lachey was later seen on crutches making his way to the locker room.

At his postgame press conference, Ferentz confirmed the injury to Lachey is “fairly significant” and said the team will know more in a couple of days.

“Unfortunately, hate to lose Luke to an injury. It’s fairly significant, so we’ll know more about that in a couple of days,” said Ferentz. “They’re assessing that. It’s the one downside right there.”

Lachey entered Week 3 as the team’s leading receiver and has been a reliable target for Cade McNamara. Without his presence, the team will need Erick All and the wide receiver room to step up moving forward.

As for starting running back Kaleb Johnson, Ferentz labeled his ailment as an ankle injury. Johnson was held out of the Week 3 game but is listed as day-to-day.

“Kaleb’s got an ankle, had the injury at the end of the game last week,” said Ferentz. “We’ll take that day by day, week by week.”