Hlas: Hawkeyes soar again with superhero C.J.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Jaleel Johnson and Akrum Wadley were on a ramp leading from the field level of Memorial Stadium, trying to join Iowa football followers in the stands instead of just being part of their teammates' high-fiving, long line of fan love.

A security guard who took his job way too seriously barred them from going any further. That was overreaching on his part, but maybe the grump did the Hawkeyes a favor and left them some fifth-quarter improvement to pursue. In roughly three weeks they go to Nebraska, and may need to have their postgame game honed because they could be celebrating a 12-0 regular-season in a different Memorial Stadium.

All wins are good wins, all road wins are really good wins. Iowa's triumph over Indiana Saturday was a really, really good win.

Ohio State won here a month ago, 34-27. Iowa won here Saturday, 35-27. The Buckeyes were pushed a little longer here than were the Hawkeyes, and the Hawkeyes definitely got pushed.

Until the fourth quarter. Until their quarterback finished off an effort that may not resonate in the box score for stats geeks. But anyone who saw it knows they saw something special.

C.J. Beathard, he of the unspecified hip, groin and other possible ailments, played like a superhero. He had great escapes. He absorbed blows. He even got airborne.

'I'm not 100 percent,” Beathard said afterward, 'but when the adrenaline was going it felt pretty good.”

What doesn't feel pretty good to this team? It claimed its third-straight Big Ten road win and now has a 9-0 overall record.

'It's a lot of fun,” Iowa senior center Austin Blythe said.

'It's fun, it's fun, it's fun, it's fun,” said Hawkeye wide receiver Jacob Hillyer, who had three catches on his team's 95-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter.

'On that 95-yard drive,” fellow receiver Matt VandeBerg said, '(Beathard) came to the huddle and said ‘We're gonna score here.' ”

Why would his teammates doubt him?

After all, on a 2nd-and-goal at the Indiana 7 with 23 seconds left in the first half, Beathard took off on a quarterback draw. He saw the only way to score would be to leap over some crimson-and-cream-clads, so leap he did.

'When he elevated,” VandeBerg said, 'that was something else. When you see your quarterback do something like that, you know you've got to stick behind him because he's going to put his body on the line.”

Beathard barely crossed the goal line before the ball squirted out of his grasp. Touchdown, and Iowa took a 21-17 lead to halftime.

With about 12 minutes left in the game, the Hawkeyes faced a 3rd-and-11 at their 44. Indiana had kicked a field goal on its previous possession to close within 21-20. Punt, and an Iowa defense that had just been on the field for their opponent's 17-play drive would have to go right back to work.

Beathard scrambled left, then threw to his right, hitting VandeBerg in the center of the field for one more yard than was required for a first down. It was, simply, fabulous.

'He was able to find a little hole in the window and found me,” VandeBerg said. 'It was both of us not wanting the play to die.”

Finally, Iowa led 35-27 and had a 2nd-and-9 at the Indiana 48 with 1:34 remaining. The Hawkeyes put a seal on Win No. 9 when Beathard surprisingly took off with the ball. He ran 11 yards and self-crumpled to the turf before he could get popped.

Symbolically, it was the perfect play for the clincher.

'I knew the kind of toughness he had,” Blythe said, 'but he took it to another level today.”

As is his team. Iowa's defense got uncharacteristically gashed by Indiana's offensive line and its terrific running back, Jordan Howard. But the fourth quarter was a different tale. These Hawkeyes are closers.

They're also three wins from getting another shot at a bigger fifth quarter, a 12-0, West Division-championship party in Nebraska.

If that happens, the Huskers' security force should just let the guests have the run of the place. The way the Hawkeyes are going this season, they'll find a way into the stands anyhow.

Comments: (319) 368-8840; mike.hlas@thegazette.com

Twitter: @Hlas