AP Photo – Iowa State defensive lineman Ethan Harkett, 49, approaches Maryland quarterback Billy during the first half of a Big Ten Conference football game Saturday in College Park, Maryland. Celebrating Edwards Jr., 9, after firing him.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Once Iowa State’s running game got going, it never stopped.
That meant a bigger workload than ever for Caleb Johnson.
On Saturday, Johnson had a career-high 35 carries for 164 yards and a touchdown, Kamari Moulton scored on a 68-yard run in the fourth quarter, and Iowa defeated Maryland 29-13.
“You don’t need Knute Rockne to figure this out,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Coming here, we wanted to be able to run the football. That’s what we do best.”
Johnson scored his 21st rushing touchdown of the season from two yards left in the second quarter, and the Hawkeyes (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) bounced back from their previous loss to UCLA. Maryland (4-7, 1-7) needed to win its final two games of the regular season to earn six wins and earn a bowl berth, but the Terrapins were dominated in the first half and lost in the final round. Overall, they were at a disadvantage with 16 wins and 0 losses.
Drew Stevens made five field goals for Iowa, including a kick from 54 yards in the second quarter, and kicks from 50 and 49 yards in the third quarter.
Iowa ran 46 offensive plays in the first half, though they didn’t exactly push the tempo. The Hawkeyes held the ball for more than six minutes on each of their first three possessions, resulting in a fumble, a field goal and a Johnson TD.
“I thought the first half went pretty well other than some turnovers,” said Ferentz, whose son Brian is an offensive assistant at the University of Maryland. “Trying to control the ball, put the ball on the ground and keep the quarterback off the field.”
Maryland replaced quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. with backup MJ Morris after two fruitless possessions, but the Terps still led 13-0 at halftime. Edwards returned and led Maryland to three Iowa points in the third quarter, but was injured in a collision with defensive back Xavier Nwankpa.
“That kid is a warrior. He was beat up all year,” Terps coach Mike Locksley said. “Very rarely do people come to me to talk about the injury, because it’s an excuse and I’m not talking about it. Billy comes up to me and says, ‘Coach, I want to go. “But” he said. And he really gave us a chance. ”
Morris came on and capped off the drive with an 8-yard scoring pass to Ty Felton to make it 16-6, but the two-point conversion failed. A 12-yard touchdown shot from Morris to Felton made it 19-13 with 11:05 left, but Iowa answered with a big Moulton run less than two minutes later.
Take-out
Iowa State: Quarterback Jackson Stratton, an immediate transfer from Colorado State, wasn’t asked to do much as the Hawkeyes were able to rely on their running game. And I credit Iowa’s defense for a great first half that helped them build a comfortable lead.
Maryland: No matter how obvious Iowa State’s plan was, the Terps could do little to stop it. Iowa finished with 268 yards rushing on 58 attempts.
approaching
Ferentz currently has 203 wins as the head coach at the University of Iowa. Only Woody Hayes (205) has more in Big Ten history.
rebound
Johnson seemed fully motivated after gaining just 49 yards rushing against UCLA. Iowa State was off last weekend, so I had extra time to rest.
“49 yards. I was a little mad at myself,” he said. “You were too kind. I couldn’t run as hard as I could.”
Ferenc on McNamara
Iowa State quarterback Cade McNamara has not played since entering concussion protocol after a game late last month. Ferentz called on fans to support McNamara, who has been dealing with leg, quad and knee issues since 2022 in addition to the latest issues.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back and have compassion for the people you’re competing with,” Ferentz said. “Think about this guy’s past three years. He’s been through a lot.”
to the next
Iowa State: Plays Nebraska on Friday.
Maryland: At Penn State on Saturday.
Iowa 29, Maryland 13
Iowa 3 10 6 10 — 29
Maryland 0 0 6 7 — 13
1st quarter
Iowa – FG Stevens 27, :22.
2nd quarter
Iowa – K. Johnson 2 runs (Stevens kick), 6:29.
Iowa – FG Stevens 54, 1:00.
3rd quarter
Iowa – FG Stevens 50, 11:05.
MD-8 passes (incompleted passes) from Felton Morris, 5:57.
Iowa – FG Stevens 49, :00.
4th quarter
MD-12 pass from Felton Morris (Howes kick), 11:05.
Iowa-Moulton 68 runs (Stevens kick), 9 minutes 19 seconds.
Iowa – FG Stevens 26, 2:10.
A–30,214.
team statistics
iowa maryland
First down 21 14
Total net yards 344 227
Rush Yards 58-268 26-98
passing 76 129
Comp-at-Into 10-14-0 17-31-2
Punt 3-44.0 7-42.0
Lost fumble 1-1 0-0
Penalty Yards 4-30 7-60
Possession time 37:41 22:19
personal statistics
Rushing – Iowa State, Johnson 35-164, Moulton 12-114, Patterson 5-8, Washington 1-0, Gill 1-(minus-2), Ostrengga 1-(minus-3), (Team) 1-(minus-5) , Stratton 2-(minus 8). Maryland, Ray 4-48, Edwards 5-25, Hemby 8-19, Morris 9-6.
Passed – Stratton, Iowa 10-14-0-76. For Maryland, Morris is 12-23-2, 103 seconds, and Edwards is 5-8, 0.26 seconds.
Reception – Iowa State, Gill 4-29, Bouie 2-15, Ostrengga 1-14, Lachey 1-9, Johnson 1-6, Washington 1-3. Maryland, Felton 6-57, Henby 5-31, Prather 3-20, Howard 2-12, Notts 1-9.
IOWA CITY — The No. 2 ranked Iowa State wrestling team defeated No. 12 Iowa State on Saturday night, winning 21-15.
CEDAR FALLS — Sergio Morency returned a punt for a score and Ty Edwards caught three touchdown passes while running.
IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa women’s basketball team defeated Washington State University on Sunday afternoon.
