Iowa-North Texas notebook: Freshmen running backs shine in debuts
By Tyler Devine
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Youth was served in triumphant fashion for the Iowa football team on Saturday.
Nine freshmen saw action for the Hawkeyes during a 31-14 victory over North Texas at Kinnick Stadium, highlighted by freshmen running backs Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin, who were forced into their first action following injuries to seniors Akrum Wadley and James Butler.
Young led Iowa with 78 rushing yards on 19 carries, while Kelly-Martin finished with 74 yards on 11 carries.
Kelly-Martin also scored his first two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory for Iowa, which improvd to 3-0 for seventh time in 19 season under Kirk Ferentz. Kelly-Martin is the first true freshman with two-plus rushing touchdowns in a game for Iowa since Marcus Coker against Missouri in the 2010 Insight Bowl.
“Coach talked about working me into this game, so I was expecting some carries, but I didn’t know I was going to get that many,” Young said. “ I was very excited. I’ve been eager since last year to get in there. The first two games went by and I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to play yet so I was definitely excited.”
Wadley left the game in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return. Butler rushed for 74 yards on 16 carries in Wadley’s absence before leaving the game in the third quarter with an arm injury.
Young’s dedication to learning from Wadley and Butler helped to prepare him for Saturday's opportunity.
“We’ve got a really good running back room and there’s two backs in front of me so I’m learning, just sitting back and learning a lot from them,” Young said. “They always tell me when my number is called to be ready.”
For Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, it came as no surprise that his two young running backs answered the call of duty.
“Yeah, you know, one thing I told the team in there, both Toren — last spring we found out more about Toren,” Ferentz said. “He had a great spring.”
“Then with, you know, Ivory, it's been more so since August when we got going, but both those guys have really practiced well. They really conduct themselves well. Toren is a tough, hard-nosed runner, that's his deal, and Ivory has impressed us with his ability to focus. He's a really quietly serious guy and that's unusual for a guy just out of high school like that.
“He has a good skill set on top of it, and to me it was no surprise that they played well. I think we all had really good confidence in them. You always worry about a guy's first couple of carries, just to get his confidence level, but both those guys really did some good things, and they both missed a couple of runs today they will see on film which will help them down the road, but they both gave us — they're a big part of us winning this game.”
Injury report: Ferentz expressed hope and optimism after Saturday's game that the injuries to Wadley and Butler weren't serious..
“Akrum tried to walk out without an ice bag, so sent him back in for that, but it doesn't look like anything serious,” Ferentz said. “He just didn't feel real confident in that second half. James, we'll have to see. I don't think it's anything overly — I will probably know more Tuesday but I'm not overly concerned, but hopefully he will be okay.”
Sophomore tight end Noah Fant exited the game in the second half with a shoulder stinger, but the Omaha, Neb., native returned a few plays later, and all signs point to him being ready for next Saturday's game against Penn State.
Saturday was Iowa’s first game this season without senior offensive lineman Ike Boettger, who suffered an achilles injury against Iowa State. Boettger is expected to be out for four to six months.
Senior Sean Welsh, who normally starts at guard, started for Boettger at right tackle on Saturday.
Other firsts: Freshman tight end T.J. Hockenson caught his first career touchdown pass on Saturday. He also had a career-high three receptions.
Freshman receiver Brandon Smith’s two-yard reception in the second quarter was also the first catch of his career.
Steaming Stanley: Sophomore quarterback Nate Stanley threw two touchdown passess on Saturday. The Wisconsin native has thrown 10 touchdowns in Iowa’s first three games. That is the best three-game stretch during the Ferentz era, which dates back to 1999.
It also is Iowa’s best three-game stretch since Chuck Hartlieb threw 11 touchdowns over a three-game stretch in 1987. Chuck Long threw 12 touchdowns over a three-game stretch in 1985.
Ferentz has been impressed with Stanley's ability to stay calm in the face of adversity. He even compared Stanley's progression to former Hawkeye quarterback C.J. Beathard, who was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers and is now the team's No. 2 quarterback
"There were ugly plays that first game, if you were here you probably would have noticed," Ferentz said. "But there's no way to — I say it all the time there is no way to give a player experience, they have to go out and do it and sometimes they've got to suffer a little bit while they're doing it and he plays a position that is so prominent, prominently observed and on top of it the way we do things it's a hard position.
"To your point, I was thinking about that, I don't know why, the other day but flashback to C.J. Beathard at Pittsburgh in '14 where he burned two timeouts on the goal line and we're in a goal line offense, and we're running a high school play and I say that in an endearing way.
"We've only got three plays on the goal line; right? He burned two time outs down there, and Brian threatened to kill him on the sideline. And C.J., one of the best players we've ever had, but that's where he was at that point in '14 and that's where Nate was a few weeks ago. The improvement he's made is encouraging for us, and there are a couple of bumps coming, we all know that, but he's done some impressive things so far. Today he could have got rattled, last week was a week to get rattled, but he gives you that same look all the time, which is okay with me."
Easley target: Junior receiver Nick Easley had a game-high five receptions. He has been Iowa’s leading receiver in each of the first three games, which also happen to be his first three games as a Hawkeye.
Easley had a touchdown erased when he fumbled in the end zone for a touchback in the first quarter.
Fresh faces: Freshman offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs and freshman receiver Max Cooper both saw their first action as Hawkeyes on Saturday.
Jumping Jackson: Junior defensive back Josh Jackson blocked a 40-yard field goal attempt on Saturday. It was the first block of his career and Iowa’s first since senior linebacker Josey Jewell blocked a field goal against Penn State in 2016. Jackson also recorded his second career interception in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game.
"We practiced that all week and I was just trying to execute the call that coach made," Jackson said of the blocked field goal. "He called it and I just tried to execute it."
Moving on up: Wadley rushed for 24 yards on eight carries in Saturday's game to become the 15th player in Iowa history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career. He also had a career-long 68-yard reception in the first quarter.
The catch was initially a 74-yard touchdown reception until an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty erased the touchdown.
Wadley now has 344 career carries for 2,021 yards. He is averaging 5.9 yards per attempt.
Still streaking: Senior receiver Matt VandeBerg had three receptions for 19 yards on Saturday He has at least one reception in 22 consecutive games and is tied with Al Bream for 13th all-time with 114 career receptions.
Second half heroes: Iowa’s defense did not allow a point in the second half. It is the second time this season the defense has held an opponent scoreless in the second half. The other times was against Wyoming in the season opener.
Driving it home: Iowa’s third touchdown drive took 8 minutes and 50 seconds, its longest scoring drive of the season. The drive covered 87 yards. Iowa has five touchdown drives this season of 87 yards or longer.
Long game: Saturday’s game lasted three hours and 26 minutes. Four plays were reviewed by officials and the teams combined for 19 penalties for 182 yards. North Texas was penalized 13 times for 119 yards.
Scoring streak: Iowa has scored in every quarter this season except for the first quarter against Wyoming. The Hawkeyes have scored in 11 consecutive quarters, including an overtime period against Iowa State.
Undefeated: Iowa is 3-0 for the seventh time in Kirk Ferentz’s 19 years as head coach. It also started the season 3-0 in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2015.