WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – This was vintage Kirk Ferentz football on Saturday, at least until he started substituting early in the fourth quarter.

Iowa lived up to its reputation as a power running team by shredding Purdue’s overmatched and under-manned defense for a season-high 365 rushing yards during a 49-35 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Don’t be fooled by final score because this game was a mismatch from the beginning and for as long as Iowa played its starters.

Purdue scored three meaningless touchdowns in the fourth quarter against mostly reserves to limit the cosmetic damage.

But there were times in the first half when the Boilermakers had no answer for Iowa on either side of the ball. The Hawkeyes rushed for 269 yards in the first half and led 35-7 at halftime.

The outcome was all but decided at that point.

“We had a really good week of preparation and that’s something we emphasized with our team,” Ferentz said. “I thought the guys finished the week and really did a good job there and they were ready to go at kickoff, which is important every week, certainly.

“I thought we came out and played with good balance and good efficiency. The team was business like and played with good intensity. And it’s certainly good to get another road victory. I’m happy about that, too. Road victories are tough period, and then certainly in conference, it’s never easy.”

The most encouraging thing about Saturday’s victory is that Iowa made Purdue look bad on both sides of the line of scrimmage when it was starters versus starters.

Purdue was missing two key defensive starters, which might have been a legitimate excuse if the game was close. But it wasn’t close, nor was it even competitive in the first half.

Running backs Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels took advantage of Iowa’s dominance in the trenches and rushed for 170 and 156 yards, respectively.

“They did what Iowa is known for, which is bully football,” Wadley said of his offensive line.

Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard improved his record to 18-4 as a starter, but the best thing he did on Saturday was hand the football to Wadley and Daniels.

"We made an emphasis this week in practice that we wanted to get off to a quicker start offensively and stay at it," said Beathard, who completed 10-of-17 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. "We played a really good first half."

The most discouraging thing about Saturday’s game besides the Iowa reserves being shredded on defense is that starting tight end George Kittle didn’t play in the second half after suffering a foot sprain in the second quarter.

Starting left tackle Boone Myers also left the game in the second half with an apparent leg injury. Ferentz said the status of both players was day-top-day.

“The good is news is they brought George in for an x-ray and it was negative,” Ferentz said. “He’s got a sprain and I’m sure we’ll have a couple of those reported as we go along.

“We’ll see, and take it day-by-day.”

Iowa probably could’ve defeated Purdue without Kittle or Myers in the lineup.

But the schedule gets a lot tougher with Wisconsin coming to Kinnick Stadium next Saturday. The rushing yards won’t come as easy against the Badgers as they did against Purdue’s sieve-like defense.

Ferentz has been criticized for not always using his best players. Some fans are convinced that he plays favorites or that he sticks too long with his veteran players at the expense of more talented younger players.

Maybe what happened on Saturday will put an end to that ridiculous belief because players start for a reason.

The Iowa reserves struggled to the point where Ferentz had to insert his starters back into the game in the fourth quarter.

Purdue quarterback David Blough passed for 458 yards, but much of it came in the second half and with the game all but decided.

“They’re in practice and they’re working just like everybody else,” Ferentz said of the reserves. “But learning the tempo of the game, you can’t do that until you get on the game field.

“So they all got educated today. It was education day for a lot of our guys.”

The Iowa offensive line also did its share of teaching on Saturday. Wadley barely got touched on his 75-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.

“It’s certainly a step forward, but there is a lot we can improve on,” said junior right guard Sean Welsh. “But I think we had a lot of good looks today and our backs did a great job of getting vertical and making the most out of the looks we gave them.”

Welsh downplayed the performance of Iowa’s reserves, which is what you would expect from a veteran leader. Even if Welsh was concerned, why share it publicly with the media?

“I think a lot of that has to do with being young,” Welsh said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys in that second group. And we’re bringing them along. And that’s a process.

“But it’s not a big deal for us to go back out there. We’re prepared to play at full sixty (minutes.)

It’s hard to get too excited about anything Iowa did on Saturday mostly because of the opponent. Purdue has serious issues that ultimately could cost head coach Darrell Hazell his job.

“Well, obviously we are not pleased,” Hazell said. “We did not do a good job of getting off to a good start against a good football team the way we did. Give credit to Iowa. They ran the ball early and we didn’t stop them.”

The Iowa defense did its part by holding Purdue to just 46 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Senior cornerback Desmond King also intercepted his first pass this season and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter after being inserted back in the game.

"They tried to take another shot and there is was," King said of his interception.

This was a game that Iowa (5-2) had to win in order to have a chance to be relevant again this season.
Beat the Badgers next Saturday, and suddenly a season that seemed lost just two weeks ago is full of promise again.

“Win or lose, you’ve got to get over it,” Welsh said. “We’ve had a good couple weeks of practice and we’re just trying to build something.”

Iowa made history on Saturday by winning a ninth consecutive road game.

“The credit has to go to the players, anytime we do something well those are the guys that execute it,” Ferentz said. “I think our guys do a good job when they get on the bus to leave the building. They do a good job of being focused on what we’re trying to get done. It’s a business-like atmosphere.”

Iowa was all business when it mattered the most on Saturday.