The Iowa running back room is going to be extremely thin for Saturday’s huge matchup against No. 12 Indiana.
Freshman running back Xavier Williams, who missed the Hawkeyes’ 38-28 win against Rutgers with an injury, has already been ruled out for Saturday’s game. But, he’s not the only tailback set to miss the game against the Hoosiers.
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz spoke to the media on Tuesday during his weekly media availability and revealed that junior running back Jaziun Patterson would also miss Saturday’s game. Patterson sustained an ankle injury during the Hawkeyes’ win in Piscataway, N.J.
“Then medically, Jaz will not make the game, so Patterson is out this week, and we’ll see how that goes as we move forward,” Ferentz said of Patterson.
It’s unfortunate news for Patterson, who appeared on the depth chart for the Indiana game, but will ultimately not play with that ankle injury. Patterson is currently Iowa’s leading rusher in 2025, with 34 carries for 198 yards, good for 5.8 yards per rush.
The good news for the Hawkeys is that starter Kamari Moulton returned against Rutgers and looked good, with 14 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Scarlet Knights. Iowa will rely on the sophomore tailback to carry the load against the Hoosiers. Sophomore Terrell Washington Jr. will be the primary backup. He’s struggled in 2025 so far, with 24 carries for just 95 yards, but he has a chance to come up big on Saturday.
But, the player with the biggest opportunity to shine is true freshman running back Nathan McNeil, who has 14 carries for 80 yards this season. McNeil was the talk of the town in the offseason, really impressing coaches, teammates, and media members. The 5-foot-11, 203-pound tailback is shifty and has shown great explosiveness in limited reps this season. He should be the third-string running back against Indiana and have an opportunity to get some big carries.
With Williams and Patterson out, the Hawkeyes will need all hands on deck in the running back room to step up. It’ll be tough, but the combination of Moulton, Washington Jr., and McNeil could do some damage on Saturday, running behind a strong offensive line.
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