Breakout Performance From Iowa’s Young Running Back

All eyes were on the starting quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes last Saturday. But it was a young Iowa running back who stole the show on offense. Meet Iowa's newest young phenom, Xavier Williams.

While the redshirt freshman Williams was expected to be in the mix at running back for Iowa, no one expected the kind of production he put up against UAlbany on Saturday. The Des Moines Register reports that Williams rushed 11 times for 122 yards and a touchdown in Iowa's 34-7 victory. He had a 43-yard run in the second quarter.

Williams' 100-yard rushing day for Iowa put him in the company of another great Iowa running back, Shonn Greene. Williams became the first freshman to record a 100-yard game in his debut since Greene did it in 2005. The Register reports that Williams' 122 yards is the most by an Iowa freshman in a debut since 1970.

The Register reports that Williams is a former three-star recruit who got to sit and watch Kaleb Johnson's amazing senior season in Iowa City last year. At 5'10" and 225 pounds, Williams is a bit like a bowling ball, bouncing off defenders like he did on Saturday.

Iowa's rushing game was the success story of Saturday's win over UAlbany. The Hawkeyes ran for 310 yards on the ground, the most in a season opener since 2002. Critics will point to the ineffective passing game as a reason why. Both sides of the offense will need to improve if Iowa plans to hang with Iowa State in Ames on Saturday.

Welcome to Cy-Hawk week.