Mekhi Sargent
Ivory Kelly-Martin started the game as the lead back, but after a fumble in slippery conditions, the coaching staff began feeding Mekhi Sargent the ball, and he almost became the first Iowa back to top 100 yards in a game this season.
In a generally unforgettable day for the offense, Mekhi Sargent was one of the few guys able to do something positive on a consistent basis, and for the most part, the Hawkeye coaching staff appeared to notice.
For the day, Sargent carried 17 times for 91 yards and a 5.7 yard per carry average. Meanwhile the other two backs in the Hawkeye trio of running backs, Toren Young and Kelly-Martin, combined for just 12 carries and 32 yards for below three yards per carry. Unfortunately, the stats don’t tell the full story though because it wasn’t just the yards Sargent was getting, it was how he was getting them.
He was tip toeing the sideline, showing burst at the right moments, putting the jukes on defenders. You name it, he employed it as an opportunity to evade Penn State defenders all day. He also contributed a 15 yard catch on the day.
The game wasn’t pretty and the final score didn’t leave much to be happy about but it doesn’t mean a few individuals didn’t play well. Hopefully against Purdue, a few more guys can contribute to the outstanding games these young players had this past week and we can take home win number seven.