Entering their first full game without starting quarterback Cade McNamara - who was lost for the season to a knee injury during last week's game against Michigan State - Brian Ferentz and Iowa were able to get their running game back on track today and their defense stepped up big to beat the visiting Boilermakers.
After the two teams ended drives with punts to open the game, the offensive line broke open a hole for Kaleb Johnson to take handoff 67-yards to the house.
Johnson would finish with a team high 134 yards rushing and the Hawkeyes would average over 5 yards per rush on the day.
The game ended with Hawkeye receivers not hauling in a reception as Deacon Hill went 6-of-21 for 110 yards and a touchdown that went to tight end Erick All.
Purdue's defense entered the game ranked near the bottom nationally in points allowed per game at just over 32 points per contest.
At the end of the night, the Hawkeyes notched an important win, 20-14, in front of their home crowd to improve to 5-1.
The win pushes them one step close to the 7-win landmark outlined in Gary Barta's - the athletic director at the time - controversial contract objectives outlined for Brian Ferentz to keep his job next season.
Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes points per game average stays steady at just a hair under 22 points per game.
So far this season, the Hawkeyes have posted point totals of:
24 (Utah State)
20 (Iowa State)
41 (Western Michigan)
0 (Penn State)
26 (Michigan State)
20 (Purdue)
If the Hawkeyes can continue their winning ways, Barta and Iowa's leadership should be left to answer more than a few question that will be intriguing to a lot of coaches, including, but not limited to:
- Does it really matter how you win?
- Should style points really matter? If the answer is yes...why?
...more on this topic and the corner that Barta painted himself, and the football program into with the most unpopular coaching contract ever, to come.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.