After being shut down in week two, the Hawkeye rushing attack woke up in a big way against Northern Iowa in week three.
A stingy Iowa State defense held the Hawkeyes to 93 total rushing yards in week two, and the program wasn't going to let that happen again. Four Iowa running backs guided the rushing attack to 422 yards, the seventh-most in program history and the most under Kirk Ferentz, showing just how dominant they can be. That success didn't come out of nowhere, and Xavier Williams gave credit where credit is due.
Xavier Williams praised the offensive line after a historic rushing output
Starting running back Kamari Moulton and backup L.J. Phillips Jr. were out with injuries against UNI, but the rushing attack didn't skip a beat. Xavier Williams, Braeden Jackson, Nathan McNeil, and O'Lantae Dean had a field day against the overmatched Northern Iowa defense, and Williams is giving all the credit to the offensive line.
Iowa RB Xavier Williams after the Hawkeyes amassed 422 rushing yards, most in the Ferentz era, praised the offensive line: “We won the Joe Moore award last year, and I haven't seen much of fall off at all. They make our jobs really easy.”
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) September 20, 2026
Iowa totaled 422 rushing yards in the win over Northern Iowa, the most rushing yards in the Kirk Ferentz era. After the breakout performance, Williams said he hasn't seen much of a falloff between last year's Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line and this year's unit, and they make their jobs "really easy." Right guard Kade Pieper and left tackle Trevor Lauck are the only returners on the offensive line, while Leighton Jones (left guard), Cael Winter (center), and Jack Dotzler (right tackle) have become full-time starters. Doubts lingered about the offensive line heading into this season, but three games in, the unit has all but silenced them.
Although Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa did not prove to be much of a challenge, Iowa is still putting up gaudy numbers in the run game. Iowa has averaged 268 rushing yards per game through the first three games, which is No. 10 overall in college football. That number could also be even higher if the program had its top two options. Most teams don't go over 400 rushing yards with their top two guys, but Iowa did it with four "reserve" players. What the program has done on the ground early in the season is astonishing.
The program easily has one of the deepest running back rooms in college football, proving what they can do against UNI. Iowa's three leading rushers, including Xavier Williams (151 rushing yards), Braeden Jackson (125 rushing yards), and Nathan McNeil (111 rushing yards), all went over the century mark, the first time Iowa has had three rushers do that since 1983. That doesn't happen accidentally, and the offensive line is a big reason why. The real test starts in week four during a tough road game against Michigan, but if the Hawkeyes dominate on the ground again, we could be in for a historic season.
Michigan is a formidable foe, but they have struggled to start the season. If Iowa can capitalize on those early struggles, a top conference finish and a first College Football Playoff berth are within reach.
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