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Don’t look now but the Iowa Hawkeyes seem to have something resembling momentum. Iowa has rattled off back-to-back wins over Big Ten West opponents, which technically makes this a winning streak.
That’s been built on the back of the same tremendous defense we’ve seen all season, finally supported by an offense that appears to be approaching competence. Over the last two weeks, the Hawkeyes have put up 57 points and 776 yards, up roughly 70% vs the prior seven games. That’s a winning recipe for a team that continues to boast a top-10 defense in every meaningful category.
With the improvements shown on offense, it would seem the quarterback “controversy” that arose in the middle of the Ohio State game, when the coaching staff threw Alex Padilla to the Buckeye wolves, is completely over and likely never to be seen again. It also means there are likely to be very few changes to the depth chart going forward, barring injury.
But injuries are a part of the game and we did see a few of those play out last week. On the offensive side of the ball, we saw true freshman Jazziun Patterson with an increased role as it was reported that Leshon Williams was nursing an injury which caused him to be limited, while Gavin Williams saw no carries due to an ankle injury.
On the defensive side of the ball, Terry Roberts remained sidelined last week while defensive lineman Logan Lee limped off early but was able to return.
So, are there any changes to the official depth chart? Here’s a look at how things stand heading into a critical showdown against the Wisconsin Badgers this week.
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Noted Notables
- Perhaps the most notable thing here is that there isn’t a lot different from a week ago. We’ll give the usual caveat here: these depth charts are almost entirely a reflection of how things ended a week ago rather than what we should truly expect this week. So perhaps it’s not a surprise that there are no updates here in terms of guys like Terry Roberts or Keagan Johnson.
- There are, however, some changes on the offense. First and foremost, congratulations to Kaleb Johnson on finally being listed as the starting RB. Johnson has been getting the most snaps for a few weeks, but he was an absolute monster on Saturday with 200 yards and a TD on 22 carries. He is now officially atop the depth chart. He flips with Gavin Williams, who only saw 4 snaps last week due to an ankle injury. We’ll see on Tuesday whether we get an update on Williams and his health.
- The other update this week is also due to an injury. Diante Vines, who missed the first six games of the season, played a key role in West Lafeyette and now finds himself listed as the starter opposite Arland Bruce IV. Vines jumps in front of Brody Brecht, who didn’t play at all last week due to an undisclosed injury. We’ll look for an update on his status on Tuesday, though his presence on the depth chart would seem to indicate he may be available against the Badgers.
Iowa is set to kick off against Wisconsin at 2:30pm CT this Saturday. Early indications are it will be a bit chilly in the battle for the bull. The game will be broadcast on FS1.
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