IOWA CITY, Iowa – I don’t recall ever doing this, but I’m choosing a pick-to-click for Saturday’s Big Ten opener at Rutgers.

Something tells me that junior running back Akrum Wadley, assuming he is healthy and given an opportunity to contribute, will have a homecoming to remember at the expense of the Rutgers defense.

The circumstances just seem right for Wadley to shine.

He is returning to his home state of New Jersey where numerous family and friends will be there to support him.

He is chomping at the bit to make an impact after only having four rushing attempts during last Saturday’s 23-21 loss to North Dakota State at Kinnick Stadium.

He will face a Rutgers defense that is ranked 13th in the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing 178.0 yards per game.

He will run behind a now-healthy offensive line with the return of junior guard Sean Welsh and sophomore center James Daniels from injury.

And Wadley will be out to prove that the previous Rutgers coaching staff made a serious and costly mistake by not offering him a scholarship, even though he grew up about a 15-minute drive from the Rutgers campus in Newark, N.J..

“I talked a few times to the special teams coordinator, but no offer from Rutgers,” Wadley told reporters on Tuesday.

Asked if that was motivation for Saturday, Wadley said:

“Yeah, yeah, it’s going down.”

Another reason to like Wadley’s chance to shine on Saturday is that Iowa needs to reestablish its ground game after being held to just 34 rushing yards against North Dakota State.

Senior running back LeShun Daniels will help to soften the Rutgers defense by sharing the rushing load with Wadley. The 225-pound Daniels is more of a power back with deceptive speed, while the 191-pound Wadley has a gift for making defenders miss in space, as he showed against Northwestern last season by rushing for 204 yards and scoring four touchdowns.

Wadley can turn a short gain into a long run by cutting, and sometimes even by spinning, to daylight, although Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz isn’t a fan of the spin move because it exposes the football for fumbling.

Wadley used to struggle with fumbling, but he seems to have fixed that problem.

Now it’s just a matter of staying healthy and bouncing back from last Saturday’s loss.

“We’re using it as motivation,” Wadley said. “We’ve got to be resilient and bounce back. Those losses happen. It just comes with the game. You’ve just got to move forward.”

If there weren’t already enough reasons for Wadley to shine on Saturday, the absence of junior running Derrick Mitchell might be yet another. Mitchell won’t play on Saturday because of an injury. He doesn’t play a significant role, but he is effective on third-down as a receiver.

Wadley could get some of those third-down opportunities against Rutgers.

Wadley wanted to play more against North Dakota State despite his physical condition. But his limited role, according to Ferentz, had more to do with how the game unfolded than anything physical.

Iowa only ran 49 plays from scrimmage, while North Dakota State matched that total just in rushing attempts.

“We had under 50 gradable snaps the other day, so it limits everybody’s touches,” Ferentz said. “Unfortunately, and in a perfect world we’re going to be moving ball a little bit better and sustaining some drives. Third down, certainly we’ve got to do a better job there.”

Iowa is now considered suspect and more vulnerable than previously thought in the wake of the North Dakota State loss.

The way to change that perception would be to pound Rutgers into submission on Saturday with a steady dose of Daniels and Wadley.

And with Wadley playing so close to home, the stage is set for him to click.

Prediction: Iowa 38, Rutgers 21