Iowa could be coming to Happy Valley shorthanded on offense
On Monday, the Iowa Hawkeyes released their weekly depth chart ahead of Saturday's White Out showdown between Penn State and Iowa.
Notably not included on the Hawkeyes' depth chart were the program's top two tailbacks, Kaleb Johnson and Jazuin Patterson. Also missing was tight end Luke Lachey, which wasn't a surprise, seeing that he left the Hawkeyes' week three win over Western Michigan with a leg injury.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz wouldn't give much away about the injuries, saying that they'll take them "week by week, day by day".
With Lachey likely out for the season and the Hawkeyes being down potential Johnson and Patterson, the Iowa offense could be without three of their top five offensive weapons through the first three weeks of the season.
Lachey had led the Hawkeyes through three games in receiving yards with 131 yards across 10 receptions. Patterson and Johnson have combined for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 55 carries.
If Johnson and Patterson are a no-go on Saturday, the Hawkeyes will likely turn to Leshon Williams. Williams, who averaged under four yards per carry in his first 16 career games, had a massive performance against Western Michigan, rushing for 145 yards across 12 carries.
So far this season, Iowa's offense is averaging 28.3 points and 302 total yards of offense per game. Prior to their 41-10 win over Western Michigan, the Hawkeyes had averaged 22 points and 259.5 yards in their first two games of the season.
The Nittany Lions defense this season has allowed just 11.7 points and 267.3 yards per game. Opposing offenses are averaging 3.1 yards per carry against the Nittany Lions this season.
What does it mean for Saturday's game?
Iowa potentially being down not just Lachey but also Johnson and Patterson is significant news ahead of Saturday's White Out matchup. Iowa's offense was already going to have the cards stacked against them entering the game, going up against not just an elite Penn State defense but an incredibly tough road environment.
While Leshon Williams was impressive against Western Michigan, he historically has not been a running back who has been overly productive in his career. Don't be surprised to see potentially Kamari Moulton or Terrell Washington also see their fair share of carries on Saturday, but how much will Kirk Ferentz trust a pair of true freshmen in Iowa's biggest game of the year?
Replacing Lachey is a little bit easier for Iowa. They have Erick All, a Michigan transfer, to step up into his place. All has been good for the Hawkeyes so far this season, with seven receptions for 81 yards. But how often will the Hawkeyes and quarterback Cade McNamara be willing to throw into the second and third levels against a defense that picked up four passes this past week against Illinois?
There are simply no easy answers for Iowa's offense this week against Penn State.
It was already hard to see how Iowa was going to move the ball consistently on Penn State prior to the trio of injuries, now that task for Brian Ferentz's offense just got a whole lot tougher.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel