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(AP) - Iowa used to be so thin at running back that it used a fullback there for three years. That is not a problem anymore.
The emergence of sophomores Akrum Wadley and Derrick Mitchell, combined with last week's return by opening day starter LeShun Daniels, has left No. 10 Iowa (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) loaded at running back. The Hawkeyes can take their time with leading rusher Jordan Canzeri, who is expected back soon following an ankle sprain.
The Hawkeyes should have at least three backs ready Saturday when they visit Indiana (4-4, 0-4) with a chance to match the best start in school history.
"We caught a break when LeShun came back. I thought LeShun looked the way we had hoped," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "One thing about injuries. It forces you to develop depth."
Daniels, Iowa's power option at 225 pounds, sprained his right ankle during a 31-17 win at Iowa State in mid-September. He tried to play through his injury, but Iowa finally sat Daniels for two weeks ahead of its bye.
The rest helped Daniels, who had 60 yards on 13 carries last weekend in a 31-15 win over Maryland.
"It's nice to have him back. He's our biggest back, and he's also got speed as well. And he runs the ball hard and tough," quarterback C.J. Beathard said. "We've been missing him."
The absence of Canzeri - who has rushed for 698 yards and nine touchdowns to go with 17 receptions - paved the way for Wadley to show he had moved beyond the ball security issues that left him benched for most of 2015. Wadley had 204 yards rushing and four touchdowns in relief of Canzeri in a 40-10 win at Northwestern on Oct. 17.
He followed up with just 67 yards against Maryland, with Iowa determined to run on a defense determined to stop it.
Mitchell, a receiver converted to back in the offseason, was used on passing downs against the Terrapins and only registered one carry and a pair of receptions. Still, Mitchell is averaging 7.4 yards on 18 carries.
Iowa's run-first strategy, with nearly twice as many run plays called as passes in Big Ten play, is hardly a surprise. The Hawkeyes are winning the way they always have under Ferentz.
Iowa's most successful teams played great defense and controlled the clock with a physical line paving the way for the ground game. The Hawkeyes slid toward mediocrity in recent years partly because they didn't have the personnel needed to play that way.
But Iowa has rediscovered its winning ways behind its backs, a punishing line and a defense that has allowed just 122 points all season - one more than top-ranked Ohio State.
"It's something for a long time we've taken pride in here, way before I got here. It's something that's always been a part of the identity of our offense," sophomore guard Sean Welsh said.
Iowa's rushing offense is bad news for Indiana, which is 12th in the 14-team conference with 166.5 yards per game allowed on the ground. That has led to the Hoosiers being last in total defense by giving up an average of 508.6 yards.
Then-No. 7 Michigan State passed that number two weeks ago, gaining 540 yards in beating Indiana 52-26 before the Hoosiers' bye.
After opening the season with four straight wins and then losing four games in a row, that bye couldn't have come at a better time.
Four games remain in the regular season - Iowa and No. 16 Michigan at home, followed by Maryland and Purdue on the road. Somehow, Indiana needs to find a way to win at least twice to become bowl eligible.
That from a team that is 5-23 in November the past seven seasons. This game marks the third time in the last five that Indiana has faced a top 10 opponent. Indiana lost 34-27 to Ohio State and then to the Spartans.
Senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said the bye week allowed his team to get recommitted to becoming bowl eligible for just the second time since 1994.
"I just think the hunger is back," Sudfeld said. "We're kind of forgetting the disappointments and forgetting the successes we've had and kind of just going each week now one at a time.
"We know how good of a team we are. We didn't feel like we were out of any of the games that we played in and we've played against some of the best teams in the country. We feel like we're toe-to-toe with those guys and we're excited to go out these next four weeks."
Iowa won for the fifth time in six meetings last season, 45-29 behind 207 rushing yards.
