The Washington Huskies defense did a masterful job containing Michigan running back Kalel Mullings in their 27-17 win over the Wolverines on Saturday. Mullings came into the game as the No. 3 rusher in the conference and was held to just 49 yards by defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s group.
Now, the Huskies are going to face an even tougher threat in Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson, who has been one of the nation’s best this season. He leads the Big Ten with 771 yards, over 100 more than Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai, and 10 touchdowns, three more than Indiana’s Ty Son Lawton.
Belichick understands how big of a threat Johnson is on the ground and had some high praise for him during his Tuesday press conference.
“This guy’s a very good player,” Belichick said. “He’s probably the best skill player we’ve played all season. This guy runs tough, he runs hard, he’s an outstanding player. He’s got great balance, and it feels like every time he gets hit, he still goes forward.”
“Everybody’s at the point of attack this week; this guy’s very good. It’s a big challenge for us this week; this guy’s a dangerous player. He makes a ton of big plays, and they’ll give him the ball time and time again eventually, one pops. This guy runs hard; he’s an outstanding player, I have a lot of respect for his game.”
Johnson is also No. 2 in the conference, averaging 7.95 yards per carry, and has been the focal point of Iowa’s offense, which, unsurprisingly, ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten with 223.4 yards per game.
With the high praise Belichick has thrown his way, the Huskies may crowd the box, just like they did against Michigan, and rally to the ball to get Johnson on the ground in an attempt to force quarterback Cade McNamara to throw as much as possible.