Mile marker Canzeri

IOWA CITY — When Jordan Canzeri was a freshman he made the 15 1/2-hour drive from his home in Troy, N.Y., to Iowa City. It didn't take long for him to wise up and learn that the three hours of flights and airports were worth it.

Last weekend, it only felt like Canzeri ran to Troy and back . . . and then back again . . . and then again.

Canzeri set an Iowa record with 43 carries and totaled the third-best rushing performance in school history with 256 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, to push the No. 17 Hawkeyes' 29-20 victory last weekend over Illinois.

His dad, Brian, made the three hours of flights. He does nearly every game. Canzeri also had four close high school friends make the long drive.

So, Canzeri had a pretty good crowd for the 'Jordan Canzeri game.'

'I'm just very blessed to have a father who's done so much for me, he has since I was a kid,' said Canzeri, who set a career-high for rushing attempts for the second week in a row. 'It's amazing to have a background like that and a great family.'

Let's kind of go on Canzeri's ride. Obviously, this can't be carry No. 1 through No. 43. There's not enough newsprint/internet bandwidth. It's the moments in what turned out to be a record-setting day and a huge thrust for the Hawkeyes (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who'll travel to No. 21 Northwestern (5-1, 1-1) with a chance to put themselves a few steps ahead of the pack in the Big Ten West Division.

Carry No. 1

— This was a simple inside zone for 4 yards. Canzeri made his first mark as a Hawkeye in the 2011 Insight Bowl, when, as a 170-something-pound true freshman, he was, out of necessity, thrown to the Sooners.

He's 5-8, 190-something pounds now. In some circles, that's still deemed too small to run the ball between the tackles in the Big Ten.

This is the season of getting over things, though, isn't it?

'You can let the circumstances control you and just sulk or get down on yourself and think that the world is out to get you,' Canzeri said when asked about a career where he's constantly been told he's too small. 'Or you can focus on what you can do and focus on the positive aspect of just being able to work hard and show people what you have.'

Carry No. 14

— This was an interesting one because it reflected a lot of the making and remaking of the Iowa offense during this game.

True freshman James Daniels was in at right guard because senior Jordan Walsh was in the lockerroom having his left shoulder looked at. Noseguard Chunky Clements ran through Daniels and laid a shot on Canzeri, who spent a little time on the turf trying to catch his breath and eventually went to the sidelines.

You know, for like a minute.

'Good players want the ball in their hands,' Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'They want to try to do what they can to help the football team, and it's a real credit to Jordan's mental toughness because he — it's been six hard games now.'

Canzeri was back three plays later. Four plays later, he caught a screen pass, got a great block from Daniels and sophomore guard Sean Welsh, and scored a 17-yard TD.

Carry No. 17

— Outside zone run to the left for 32 yards.

J. Canzeri run for 32 yds for a 1ST down - ESPN Video

Carry No. 19

— Stopped at the 1 with 32 seconds left before halftime. Iowa kicked a field goal and took a 16-7 halftime lead.

'Someone said 43,' Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard said. 'That's crazy. That's a lot of carries.'

Carry No. 21

— Sophomore right tackle Ike Boettger injured his ankle and left the game. When you go to the lockerroom with an injury, it's never good. Walsh surprised Ferentz and toughed it back into the game. Daniels moved to right tackle.

Carry No. 23

— Hey, that was a toss sweep for 17 yards. Iowa has shown that less than a handful of times this season and maybe in Ferentz's 17 seasons as head coach.

Carry No. 26

— Power play, 75 yards, untouched, touchdown. You loved that one. Canzeri did, too. Ferentz, too. Not everyone saw it.

'When you get into that moment, it's almost tunnel vision,' Welsh said. 'You don't want to look around, because once you let up, that hesitation, they're able to shake you off. You put your eyes on your guy and everything came together that play.'

J. Canzeri run for 75 yds for a TD - ESPN Video

Carries Nos. 30 through 40

— Eleven consecutive runs, one pass and then a 34-yard field goal.

Earlier in the week, Canzeri was asked about all the work. It's OK to wonder about that. The most carries Canzeri had in a season was 102 last year. He's at 132 right now (his 697 yards also are a career high by more than 200 yards).

His coach has stopped counting. Canzeri was maybe never counting. Maybe we should stop with the counting.

'I'm fresh, I'm fine,' Canzeri said.

Carry No. 43

— Outside zone to the left for 3 yards. Timeout. Canzeri motioned to the crowd to get up and yell. Marshall Koehn shut the door with a 40-yard field goal.

'No, I did not,' Canzeri said when asked if he had an idea how many carries he had. 'I knew it was a good amount, just obviously from being tired. I was just happy my team trusted me in that situation and I got it done for them.'

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com