Arland Bruce IV becomes next Iowa football true freshman to stand out

COLLEGE PARK, MD. — When wide receiver Keagan Johnson had the best game of his Iowa football career Sept. 25 against Colorado State, the true freshman had one teammate in particular he scanned the sideline to find.

It was his roommate, Arland Bruce IV.

Fast forward six days, and it was Bruce’s turn to be looking for Johnson on the sidelines Friday night.

“He was the first one that I've looked on the sidelines because he said he looked for me first last week,” Bruce said.

The fellow true freshman had just one completion in his career before Friday. Then quarterback Spencer Petras connected with him a team-high six times in the Hawkeyes’ 51-14 rout of Maryland.

Bruce’s excitement after Friday’s performance was beyond words.

“I can’t explain how I feel right now,” Bruce said. “Everything’s crazy.”

He knows it’s “definitely a confidence-booster” although he has “always been confident in my ability of being able to go out there and show what I can really do.”

Veterans have taken notice of Bruce.

“Arland is a really good player, especially for a true freshman, Petras said. ”He’s playing beyond his experience right now.“

Of his 43 receiving yards Friday, 29 came after the catch.

“I know when he has the ball in his hands, it's really good,” Petras said. “He makes a lot of plays after the catch. He’s a good route-runner.”

His roommate is well aware of Bruce’s abilities too. Johnson expected this, and said so publicly despite the lack of stats to back it at the time.

“He'll show more in the future,” Johnson said after the Colorado State win. “He just has an explosive ability, and he just has a knack to make big plays.”

The relationship between Petras and Bruce is “continuing to grow,” Petras said.

The junior quarterback knows a true freshman like Bruce will inevitably have “some hiccups,” but he hasn’t “seen a ton” from Bruce.

“He’s a guy that busts his ass every day in practice,” Petras said. “That’s where that chemistry evolves.”

Now the roommates and fellow true freshman wide receivers are “making meaningful plays,” as their quarterback sees it.

Bruce was among the now-freshmen to enroll a semester early and practice with the team in the spring. That sacrifice was in hopes of making an impact on the offense.

“That's one of the main reasons I came here in January, ending my high school career so early,” Bruce said. “I’m just really grateful it all worked out.”

Friday worked out for more than just Bruce. After two games of offensive ups and downs against Kent State and Colorado State, the Hawkeyes had arguably their best offensive performance of the year.

The running game still wasn’t perfect, averaging 3.5 yards per carry — better than the team’s season average but below most of its Big Ten peers.

But Petras completed a season-high 70 percent of his passes and had five touchdowns — three in the air and two on the ground — without any interceptions or fumbles.

“The last four weeks prior, we had a lot of big plays, but I made a lot of plays that weren’t so good,” Petras said. “When 11 spots do their job, it’s hard to stop us.”

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