Kaleb Johnson ran for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns, while backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan added another rushing touchdown as Iowa won against Northwestern 40-14 on Saturday.
The Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) exploded for 28 points in the third quarter, with Johnson and Sullivan leading the charge.
“Just to come out and play the way we did in the third quarter, it was really great,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “You get 28 points, it makes life easier.”
“That third quarter was awesome,” Sullivan said. “It was fun to be a part of that.” Johnson, who ranks second in the nation for rushing yards and rushing yards per game, had a 26-yard touchdown run late in the first half, giving Iowa a 12-7 lead at halftime.
He then scored a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter to extend the lead to 33-7 and followed that up with a 25-yard touchdown run later in the quarter.
This marked Johnson’s sixth game this season with over 100 rushing yards, bringing his total to 16 rushing touchdowns for the year.
Although he had only 30 yards on eight carries in the first half, he turned it around with six carries for 79 yards in the third quarter.
“We just kept sticking it out, sticking it out,” Johnson said. “The big runs finally happened, we got momentum, and we just kept going.”
Sullivan, who played in 13 games with eight starts at Northwestern before transferring to Iowa last spring, came into the game with 9:25 left in the second quarter to take over for starter Cade McNamara. Sullivan threw for 79 yards and ran for 41 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run that kicked off the Hawkeyes’ scoring in the third quarter.
“It was weird all week watching film and knowing exactly who all of these guys are,” Sullivan said about facing his former teammates. “It’s almost like in high school, when you know exactly who you were playing against.”
Sullivan enjoyed the challenge of playing against his old team, and it showed as he exchanged words with the Wildcats during the game. “I have nothing but respect for them,” Sullivan said. “It was just having fun in the game.”
Coach Ferentz mentioned that there was a plan to use Sullivan in more situations, and after McNamara threw an interception, he decided to make the switch.
When asked if Sullivan would be the “permanent” starter, Ferentz replied, “We’ll have to see. ‘Permanent’ is kind of a strong word.”
Kaden Wetjen also made an impact with an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown for Iowa in the third quarter.
Northwestern (3-5, 1-4) scored on an 85-yard interception return by Theran Johnson in the second quarter and a 72-yard punt return touchdown by Drew Wagner in the fourth quarter.
“A poor performance, in all three phases,” Northwestern coach David Braun said. “That was an embarrassing loss, an embarrassing performance, an embarrassing second half.”
