History has shown that if Iowa football teams can limit good running backs’ damage, they usually have a decent shot at winning the ballgame. Look back to 2018 when Iowa hosted their in-state rival and All-American running back, David Montgomery. That day, Montgomery had 17 carries for just 44 yards. He also hauled in 3 catches but was limited to a total of 15 yards there as well.
Making quarterbacks beat them has been the Hawkeye defense’s main objective. They’ve typically always been good at stopping the run and last year was no different. Phil Parker’s defense was ranked 12th in the nation at stopping the run, allowing just 109.