Game Report: Iowa Hawkeyes 15, Illinois Fighting Illini 13

A closer look at No. 16 Iowa’s 15-13 win Saturday afternoon over Illinois at Kinnick Stadium.

Turning point

Kaleb Johnson was Iowa’s leading rusher last season but has kind of been the forgotten man in the Iowa backfield, losing lots of running back touches in recent games to teammates Leshon Williams and Jaziun Patterson.

That probably will change moving forward.

A good punt return by Kaden Wetjen (replacing the injured Cooper DeJean) gave Iowa very good field position at its own 46 with 6:51 left in the game. Johnson ran for 2 yards on first down, Williams for 4 on second down, with a clutch 8-yard pass from Deacon Hill to Nico Ragaini giving the Hawkeyes first-and-10 at the Illinois 40.

A defensive holding penalty gave Iowa a first down at the 30, then Johnson took a handoff up the middle. It was blocked beautifully, with tight end Addison Ostrenga actually pushing his Illinois defender back so far he ran into another defender.

Johnson was sprung. He maneuvered into open field and down the right sideline, sprinting past everyone and into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown and a 15-13 Iowa lead with 4:43 left.

By the numbers

3 — Iowa’s defense notched its third safety of the season, the most in the FBS, when it took a 2-0 lead on Illinois’ first possession.

5 — This was the fifth-straight Iowa game in which neither team scored a first-quarter touchdown.

25 — Iowa’s defense has allowed opponents under 400 yards in 25 straight games.

75 — The second quarter was different from the first as Iowa and Illinois traded 75-yard touchdown drives.

Notebook

* As always, Senior Day ceremonies were a great thing for players, their families, and the fans.

Noah Shannon, Iowa’s honorary captain for the game, got one of the loudest ovations. The defensive lineman didn’t compete this season because he was suspended for the season by the NCAA.

Punter Tory Taylor was the last senior introduced because he was the last of the seniors in alphabetical order, but his slot was fitting. He got the biggest roar from the fans. His father, Stuart Taylor of Australia, greeted his son at midfield.

* Taylor punted eight times Saturday for an average of 51.6 yards. In his career, he has punted 274 yards totaling 12,647 yards. That’s an average of 46.2 yards per kick.

* Iowa kicker Drew Stevens had an extra point blocked by Illinois’ Alec Bryant after Johnson’s electrifying touchdown, marking the first time he has missed a PAT in 43 tries. Stevens also missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt in the first half.

* Reggie Love’s 1-yard plunge in the second quarter provided Illinois’ first-half touchdown. It was just the second rushing TD against Iowa’s defense.

The other? Purdue’s Devin Mockobee with a 2-yarder in the fourth quarter of Iowa’s 20-14 win Oct. 7 at Kinnick Stadium.

* Illinois’ last win at Kinnick Stadium was in 1999.

* Illinois has four game-winning drives this season, the most in the FBS. It didn’t get five here.

Injury report

It was Iowa’s first game this season without standout cornerback/punt-returner DeJean, who was injured at practice this week with what the program called a lower-leg injury. DeJean had surgery Friday.

Wide receiver Diante Vines and offensive guard Beau Stephens were held out.

Iowa center Logan Jones left the game after the first drive and offensive guard Connor Colby left in the middle of a second-quarter drive.

Next game

Iowa is at Nebraska Friday at 11 a.m. on CBS. The Cornhuskers (5-5) played Saturday night at Wisconsin.