Iowa Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Penn State in Week 4

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ running back Jaziun Patterson (9) celebrates with team mates after a touchdown against Iowa State during the second quarter of the Cy-Hawk football game at the Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Ames, Iowa. /

3. The run game continues to improve

One of the main culprits behind the anemic Iowa offense is that its offensive line simply can’t block. Iowa has and always will be a run first team under Kirk Ferentz and without a strong running game, the Hawkeyes won’t be able to win a lot of games. In last week’s contest against Western Michigan, Iowa had 254 rushing yards, including 145 from Leshaun Williams.

Unfortunately, Iowa is banged up at the running back position, as Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson are out this week due to injury. True freshman Kamari Moulton should take over the primary workload. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos.

Though this Penn State defense poses an immense challenge for the Iowa running game, I liked what I saw from the offensive line last week. It was by far their best performance of the young season and they really helped Iowa establish a rhythm on offense. With rain in the forecast, the Hawkeyes desperately need the run game to get going early.

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