Iowa City got a clear glimpse of what Kamari Moulton can look like when everything clicks.
The Iowa back, who flashed last season but often came up just short of the long run, opened with the kind of burst that makes defenses pay. He finished last year with 878 rushing yards at 5.2 per carry and five touchdowns, but the scoring total never really captured how often he was close to breaking things open. Too many times, he’d slip through the second level only to get caught before turning a big play into a monster one.
That frustration showed up again early. Moulton’s first carry got him through the line and around a couple of defenders with an inside cut, only for him to trip up before he could really separate. But Iowa got the payoff on the next possession, when he ran behind a strong opening from the offensive line and took it 50 yards for a touchdown.
“The O-line was working for me today, man,” Moulton said. “Them boys have a lot of grit. Today, even though it was a hot one out there to start the game, them boys really showed up and led me to be able to do what I could do.”
By the end of the first quarter, Moulton had piled up a career-high 132 yards and looked like a different player - confident, composed and fully in rhythm. That’s a sharp turn from where he was after last season, when he said he was battling through a lack of self-belief.
Following a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, Moulton said he spent the offseason having honest conversations with people close to him. New running backs coach Jay Norvell was central to that process.
“I felt like after the season last year, I didn't have confidence in myself,” Moulton said. “At the start of this year, I talked to Coach Norvell about that and kept it 100 with him about where my head was at. Really just being vulnerable in that moment and being able to expand on that, knowing where I want to go.”
Moulton said the relationship has grown quickly because of Norvell’s approach.
“He's a great players coach and he's there for us,” Moulton said. “He lets us know that he wants us all to win.
And he's going to do his best to put us in a position to succeed. I really respect that.”
Kirk Ferentz praised Norvell in similar terms, pointing to how easy he is to connect with and how quickly he has fit in.
“If you get to know Jay a little bit, or just briefly in your interactions, it's hard not to. Jay is just a really people-oriented person,” Ferentz said.
“He's been an excellent coach throughout his entire career, and really, I mean, just fell in our lap. We were fortunate in that regard on a lot of levels.”
Ferentz also noted the way Norvell has connected with Moulton specifically.
“He has a great relationship with his players. Not that anybody previously hasn't.
And I would also say in Kamari's case, again, that's the beauty of being in a program and maturation. You've got to have the right guys.
You have to have guys that really like football, and Kamari's just a good young guy. I mean, I've never seen him have a bad day.
And he's had some reasons to have bad days, but I've just never seen him-he's always eager and ready to go and likes playing football.”
Ferentz has long stressed that Iowa needs its best players at their best, and Moulton looks like a back who has spent the offseason working toward that standard. Iowa expects its offensive line to be a strength again, especially on the interior, and the unit will have 12 regular-season chances to show it.
Moulton, at least for one strong start, is already making the most of it.
“I really worked in the offseason on just being able to run, just being more confident in myself,” Moulton said. “And when I see things (in the defense), just hitting that more. So I was glad to be able to showcase that today.”
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Brown is still expected to share the stage, though, with third-year quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski also slated to play multiple series. For Iowa, the opener is less about naming a long-term winner than getting an early read on both quarterbacks in live action, and the way Ferentz structures those snaps should tell plenty about where the battle stands once the first weekend is in the books. [Read more 🡒]
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Kamari Moulton provided the burst that made everything else easier, and Bryce Hawthorne helped ensure the defense never let the game get uncomfortable. Hawthorne led the defensive line with four tackles and half a sack, while the front seven stayed active enough to keep Northern Illinois from finding much rhythm. For Iowa, the opener was about more than a lopsided result. It was a first look at whether the pieces around the program's identity could hold up, and for one afternoon, they did. [Read more 🡒]