Iowa 40-16 Washington (Oct. 12, 2024) Game Recap

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Kaleb Johnson rushed for 166 yards and scored three touchdowns as Iowa beat Washington 40-16 on Saturday, giving coach Kirk Ferentz his 200th win at Iowa.

Ferentz moved into sole possession of second place on the Big Ten's all-time wins list, five behind Ohio State's Woody Hayes.

It's a number Ferentz hasn't thought about.

“The honest answer is that I was really more focused on us getting four (wins this season),” Ferentz said. “I didn’t want to be 3-3. This is how it works in a season. Everything is week to week.”

That attitude, Johnson said, is why he appreciates his coach.

“He’s just focused on us,” Johnson said. “He doesn’t care about the outside world, he blocks out the outside noise and just focuses on us.”

As time expired, Johnson made sure to hug Ferentz.

“I really appreciate him giving me the chance to showcase my skills every week,” Johnson said. “That’s why I hugged him – because he believed in me.”

“He has everything that’s right about college football,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said of Ferentz.

Johnson, a junior who entered the game ranked second nationally in rushing yards per game and third in rushing yards, had a 6-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to open the scoring for the Hawkeyes (4:2, 2:1). Ten). He caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Cade McNamara in the third quarter and scored on an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“I think the third year is when the guys start to gain momentum,” Ferentz said. “He's done some really good things over the last two years but it's down to his consistency, not just what you see in the game but also the way he trains. He did a really good job.”

Johnson, who has 956 rushing yards this season, also has 12 rushing touchdowns, moving closer to a goal he set for himself.

“I wanted 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns,” Johnson said. “Almost there.”

“I think the biggest thing this season is that he's getting better every day,” Iowa offensive lineman Mason Richman said.

McNamara also threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Howard in the fourth quarter, and Drew Stevens added four field goals for the Hawkeyes.

Washington (4-3, 2-2) scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Will Rogers III to Denzel Boston that tied the game at 7-0 in the first quarter, then scored with 29 seconds left before halftime 35-yard field goal by Grady Gross. But the Huskies were out most of the second half and were stopped three times on fourth down in the half as they tried to recover.

“We had a lot of opportunities in this game to get a different result at halftime and start the third quarter,” Fisch said. “We didn’t take advantage of any of those opportunities.”

Washington's backup quarterback Demond Williams Jr. threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Rashid Williams late in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.

The Huskies made their second multi-time zone road trip since joining the Big Ten.

“I think it weighed on us a little bit,” Fisch said.

The Huskies outscored the Hawkeyes 393-328.

BIG PICTURE

Washington: The Huskies, playing from home in two time zones, showed no ill effects in the morning kickoff. They opened the game with two 14-play drives, although only one resulted in points. But Johnson was too much for the defense. Washington was also hurt by two turnovers that led to Iowa field goals.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes, playing their first home game in nearly a month, bounced back from last week's 35-7 loss at Ohio State. A blocked field goal by Yahya Black and an interception by Jermari Harris deep in Iowa territory helped prevent two would-be Huskies scoring drives, and Aaron Graves forced a fumble that led to Stevens' first field goal.

NEXT

Washington: October 26th in Indiana

Iowa: Next Saturday at Michigan State.

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