By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa football team defeated Troy 38-21 on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, but it took longer than expected for the heavily favored Hawkeyes to show they were the better team.

All three units for Iowa struggled at times, and the outcome still was in doubt heading to the fourth quarter with Iowa clinging to a 24-21 lead.

Iowa then pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring touchdowns on runs of 33 yards by Kaleb Johnson and 39 yards by Jaziun Patterson.

Iowa rushed for 284 yards and has gained more than 200 rushing yards in each of the first three games.

It marks the first time since the 2013 season that Iowa has rushed for more than 200 yards in three straight games.

Kaleb Johnson continued his torrid pace as the Ohio native rushed for 173 yards and scored two touchdowns. Johnson has now rushed for 479 yards in the first three games, while Patterson gained all of his 72 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara was highly efficient, completing 19-of-23 passes for 176 yards and zero touchdowns. He wasn’t spectacular, but he was steady.

Iowa outscored the Trojans 28-7 in the second half after trailing 14-10 at halftime.

The Hawkeyes completed the nonconference portion of the schedule with a 2-1 record and will open Big Ten play next Saturday night against Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Iowa was coming off a 20-19 loss to Iowa State last Saturday, and for a while against Troy it looked as if the Iowa players were suffering from an emotional letdown from the Iowa State loss.

“Just really good to get the win,” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “I thought the team responded in the second half. They had a little better focus in that second half.”

Probably the best thing you could say could about Iowa at this stage is that Johnson and the running game are showing signs of being a true force.

And though it’s only three games, it has been a while since Iowa’s ground attack has been a strength.

Iowa’s veteran offensive line struggled with pass blocking at times in Saturday’s game as McNamara was sacked twice.

But the run blocking was solid throughout the game as Johnson, Patterson and fellow running back Kamari Moulton all benefitted from some huge holes to run through.

Iowa averaged 6.3 yards per carry as a team.

“I really don’t want to give no credit to myself, I’m giving all my credit to my o-line,” Johnson said. “The played their asses of today. Sorry for my language, but them boys played good football today.”

Johnson capped a 56-yard scoring drive with a four-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes, 12 seconds left in the second quarter. Brendan Sullivan was in at quarterback for Iowa on the play.

The lead didn’t last long, though, as Troy wide receiver Devonte Ross caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Caldwell with 9:08 left before halftime.

Ross made a nifty double move on Iowa cornerback T.J. Hall and then Ross was wide open and racing down the sideline near the Iowa bench when Caldwell hit him in stride.

The speedy Ross then burned the Hawkeyes again by returning a punt 77 yards for a touchdown with one minute left in the second quarter.

Iowa ran two running plays on its final possession of the first half before letting the clock expire, much to the dismay of the fans who showed their dissatisfaction by booing as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms.

The frustration had been building throughout the first half. But when Iowa showed no sense of urgency on its final offensive possession, the fans voiced their displeasure.

Kirk Ferentz said it was his decision to let the clock expire late in the second quarter. He didn’t like how the first half had unfolded and he just felt that it would be better to regroup at halftime.

All three units for Iowa struggled in the first half as big plays continued to hurt the Hawkeyes.

There still was plenty of time for Iowa to right the ship, but to trail a 22.5 underdog at halftime on your home field was certainly cause for concern.

Iowa started to shift the momentum to its side by scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter, the first on a two-yard shovel pass from Sullivan to tight end Addison Ostrenga, and the second on a 28-yard pick-six by cornerback Jermari Harris.

But then Ross struck again while being defended by Hall, this time on a 62-yard touchdown strike from backup quarterback Tucker Kilcrease with 58 seconds left in the third quarter.

Troy made the point-after kick to trim the deficit to 24-21 heading to the fourth quarter.

There was an uneasy feeling in Kinnick Stadium with the score so close heading to the fourth quarter.

Iowa then used its depth to pull away from an opponent that had 46 scholarship newcomers, including 31 transfers.

Patterson, a sophomore from Pompano Beach, Florida, deserves credit for being ready when the opportunity presented itself on Saturday.

He didn’t play in the first two games, nor did he play in the first three quarters of Saturday’s game.

But when his number finally was called on Saturday, Patterson seized the opportunity.

That says a lot about him, and about the culture that Iowa running backs coach Ladell Betts has worked hard to establish.

Johnson kept giving Betts credit when asked in the post-game press conference to explain his success so far this season.

Betts played running back for Iowa from 1998 to 2001 and is Iowa’s second all-time leading rusher. He also played nine seasons in the NFL.

And while the Iowa offense still has plenty of room for improvement under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester, especially the passing attack, the early success with the running game is cause for optimism.

McNamara also had his moments in Saturday’s win as evidenced by his high completion percentage.

“I had no intentions going into this game of trying to get my completion percentage up,” McNamara said. “I was just doing everything I could to help us win.”

McNamara and his offensive cohorts finished with 462 yards and zero turnovers.

Iowa also had zero penalties.

“I think overall I’m just rally happy with how we responded,” McNamara said. “We still put up a lot of yards in the first half. The scoreboard just want reflecting that.

“So, I think our ability to just continue to respond has been a really good sign, and I think it’s going to help lead us to success down the road.’

Opposing defenses also have something else to prepare for with Sullivan now playing a role.

“If he can help us win games we’re going to do it,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of using Sullivan, who transferred from Northwestern in June.

The challenge for Iowa is to play well for two halves, which still hasn’t happened this season.

Iowa struggled in the first half against Illinois State, but then scored touchdowns on five of six possessions in the second half to win 40-0 in the season opener.

Iowa led Iowa State 13-0 at halftime, but then failed to protect the lead in the second half.

And then against Troy, Iowa struggled to score points in the first half before finally pulling away in the fourth quarter.

Troy 0 14 7 0 – 21

Iowa 0 10 14 14 – 38

I – Kaleb Johnson 4 run (Drew Stevens kick)

T – Devonte Ross 63 pass from Matthew Caldwell (Scott Taylor Renfroe kick)

I – Stevens 42 FG

T – Ross 77 punt return (Taylor Renfroe kick)

I – Addison Ostrenga 2 pass from Brendan Sullivan (Stevens kick)

I – Jermari Harris 28 interception return (Stevens kick)

I – Johnson 33 run (Stevens kick)

I – Jaziun Patterson 39 run (Stevens kick)