When looking merely at the statistics, Sullivan’s influence appears meager at best. But no one can deny the impact he had on the game.

Iowa’s first three drives of the game with Sullivan at quarterback were three-and-outs. But the Hawkeyes broke through on the fourth with a five-play, 52-yard touchdown scoring drive. After mostly being bottled up to that point, Johnson broke through for a 26-yard score. Iowa took a 12-7 lead into halftime.

Kinnick Stadium is nearly empty. Its faithful fans were already celebrating what became a 40-14 win over Northwestern on Saturday. But Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan was in no mood to take his foot off the gas.