2004 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

2004 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Big Ten co-champion Capital One Bowl champion
Capital One Bowl, W 30–25 vs. LSU
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
AP	No. 8
Record	10–2 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ken O'Keefe (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Norm Parker (6th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium (Capacity: 70,397)
Seasons ← 2003 2005 →

2004 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 14 Michigan $+		7	–	1					9	–	3
No. 8 Iowa +		7	–	1					10	–	2
No. 17 Wisconsin		6	–	2					9	–	3
Northwestern		5	–	3					6	–	6
No. 20 Ohio State		4	–	4					8	–	4
Purdue		4	–	4					7	–	5
Michigan State		4	–	4					5	–	7
Minnesota		3	–	5					7	–	5
Penn State		2	–	6					4	–	7
Illinois		1	–	7					3	–	8
Indiana		1	–	7					3	–	8
$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2004 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games in Kinnick Stadium and were coached by Kirk Ferentz. Finishing the 2003 season with a 10–3 record and an Outback Bowl victory, the Hawkeyes began the season 2–0 with wins over Kent State and Iowa State.^[1] But after rocky performances at Arizona State and Michigan, the Hawkeyes sat at 2–2 going into their game with Michigan State.^[1]

The Hawkeyes handily defeated the Spartans 38–16,^[2] and turned their attention to Ohio State, a team whom the Hawkeyes had not beaten at home since 1983.^[3] Behind a strong defensive performance that allowed only 177 yards,^[4] the Hawkeyes easily defeated the Buckeyes by 26 points, the largest margin of victory over Ohio State in Iowa history at the time.^[3] However, tragedy struck soon thereafter, when head coach Kirk Ferentz's father died.^[5] In the emotional game that ensued, the Hawkeyes narrowly defeated Penn State 6–4 on two Kyle Schlicher field goals.^[6]

The Hawkeyes then raised their record to 8–2 with victories over Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota.^[1] With a share of the Big Ten championship on the line, the Hawkeyes met Wisconsin in the final regular season game of the year. Iowa won the game,^[7] completing its second consecutive unbeaten season at home, and thousands of Hawkeye fans swarmed the field in celebration.^[8] Several weeks following the victory, Iowa accepted a bid to play the LSU Tigers in the 2005 Capital One Bowl.^[9]

In a game that was originally thought to be a defensive matchup,^[10] the Hawkeyes took a 24–12 lead early in the fourth quarter. But behind freshman quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the Tigers stormed back, and took a one-point lead with 46 seconds remaining.^[11] However, LSU's comeback was all for naught, as Iowa's Drew Tate completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Warren Holloway as time expired, giving Iowa the 30–25 win^[11] and a 10–2 final record.^[1]

In 2003, Iowa began the season 4–0^[12] and would eventually complete the regular season with a 9–3 record that included wins over Iowa State, Michigan (Iowa's second straight victory against Michigan), and Minnesota.^[13] However, the Hawkeyes lost to Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue. Finishing fourth in the Big Ten standings,^[14] the Hawkeyes accepted a bid to play the Florida Gators in the Outback Bowl.^[15] Despite falling behind early on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Chris Leak to Kelvin Knight, the Hawkeyes reeled off 27 straight points en route to a 37–17 victory.^[16] It was a milestone victory, as it gave Iowa its second consecutive 10-win season along with the first Hawkeye victory in a January bowl game since the Rose Bowl in 1959.^[16]

Following the season, five Iowa players were selected in the 2004 NFL draft.^[17] Robert Gallery, the 2003 Outland Trophy winner, became the second-highest pick in school history when he was selected 2nd by the Oakland Raiders.^[17] Following Gallery in Iowa's draft order were Bob Sanders, taken 44th by Indianapolis, Nate Kaeding, taken 65th by San Diego, Jared Clauss, taken in the seventh round by Tennessee, and Erik Jensen, who was taken in the seventh round by St. Louis.^[17]

Prior to the season, the Hawkeyes looked to replace seven offensive starters and four defensive starters.^[18] Key losses from 2003 included Maurice Brown, Robert Gallery, Nate Chandler, Fred Russell, and Ramon Ochoa on offense.^[18] Defensively, the Hawkeyes looked to replace Howard Hodges, Jared Clauss, Grant Steen, and Bob Sanders.^[18]

Replacement starters on offense were Drew Tate, Champ Davis, Jermelle Lewis, Calvin Davis, Tony Jackson, Lee Gray, Mike Elgin, and Chris Felder.^[19] On defense, Derreck Robinson, Tyler Luebke, George Lewis, and Marcus Paschal assumed their roles on the starting lineup.^[19] On special teams, David Bradley returned for his senior season as punter, while Kyle Schlicher replaced Nate Kaeding as the starting kicker.^[19]

• NationalChamps.net – 12th^[19]
• USA today – 12th^[20]
• SI.com – 15th^[21]
• AP top 25 – 19th^[20]

Iowa signed 21 players on National Signing Day, which was February 4, 2004. The Hawkeyes added other late commits to the class with the late additions of defensive lineman Ettore Ewen .^[22]

Another recruit, Kyle Williams, later de-committed from the Hawkeyes and committed to the Purdue Boilermakers.^[23]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Nyere Aumaitre OL	Camden, NJ	Woodrow Wilson HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	5.10	Jan 20, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Walner Belleus CB	Immokalee, FL	Immokalee HS	5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)	177+1⁄2 lb (80.5 kg)	4.42	Dec 14, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Ted Bentler DE	Davenport, IA	Assumption HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	242+1⁄2 lb (110.0 kg)	4.675	Oct 5, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Andy Brodell WR	Ankeny, IA	Ankeny HS	6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m)	182+1⁄2 lb (82.8 kg)	4.40	Sep 28, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Lucas Cox DE	Springdale, PA	Springdale JSHS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	238+1⁄2 lb (108.2 kg)	4.815	Jan 16, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Harold Dalton S	Camden, NJ	Woodrow Wilson HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	183+1⁄2 lb (83.2 kg)	4.48	Oct 26, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Rashad Dunn OG	Evans, GA	Greenbrier HS	6 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	5.20	Jan 26, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Ettore Ewen DT	Tampa, FL	Wharton HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	4.80	Jul 8, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Bradley Fletcher S	Youngstown, OH	Liberty HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.50	Apr 19, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Charles Godfrey CB	Baytown, TX	Lee HS	6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m)	201+1⁄2 lb (91.4 kg)	4.54	Dec 15, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Shonn Greene RB	Atco, NJ	Winslow Township HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.465	Dec 14, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Mitch King LB	Burlington, IA	Burlington Comm. HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.73	Apr 6, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Matt Kroul LB	Mount Vernon, IA	Mount Vernon HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.75	Aug 13, 2002
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Grant McCracken DE	Ankeny, IA	Ankeny HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.80	Jul 26, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Brandon Myers TE	Monroe, IA	PCM HS	6 ft 4+1⁄4 in (1.94 m)	212+1⁄2 lb (96.4 kg)	4.74	Feb 4, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Anton Narinskiy LB	Chagrin Falls, OH	Kenston HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.60	Dec 3, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Seth Olsen OG	Omaha, NE	Millard North HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	302+1⁄2 lb (137.2 kg)	5.40	Jan 9, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Michael Sabers TE	Iowa City, IA	Iowa City HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	232+1⁄2 lb (105.5 kg)	N/A	Jul 11, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Adam Shada DB	Omaha, NE	Millard North HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.50	Jun 27, 2003
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Damian Sims RB	Boca Raton, FL	Leonard HS	5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.475	Jan 28, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Anthony Williams DB	Benton Harbor, MI	Benton Harbor HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	4.62	Feb 4, 2004
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 41   Rivals: 38
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Iowa Commit List for 2004". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 13, 2007. "Scout.com: Football Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved August 13, 2007. "College Football Recruiting Schools". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 13, 2007. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 13, 2007. "2004 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 13, 2007.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	11:00 am	Kent State*	No. 19	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN+	W 39–7	70,397[24]
September 11	11:00 am	Iowa State*	No. 16	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy)	ESPN+	W 17–10	70,397[24]
September 18	9:00 pm	at Arizona State*	No. 16	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	ESPN+	L 7–44	71,700[24]
September 25	2:30 pm	at No. 18 Michigan		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	L 17–30	111,428[24]
October 2	11:00 am	Michigan State		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN+	W 38–16	70,397[24]
October 16	2:30 pm	No. 25 Ohio State		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ABC	W 33–7	70,397[24]
October 23	11:00 am	at Penn State	No. 25	Beaver Stadium State College, PA	ESPN2	W 6–4	108,062[24]
October 30	11:00 am	at Illinois	No. 23	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN+	W 23–13	47,651[24]
November 6	2:30 pm	Purdue	No. 20	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN	W 23–21	70,397[24]
November 13	11:00 am	at Minnesota	No. 19	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN (Battle for the Floyd of Rosedale)	ESPN	W 29–27	64,719[24]
November 20	3:30 pm	No. 9 Wisconsin	No. 17	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Battle for the Heartland Trophy)	ESPN	W 30–7	70,397[24]
January 1	12:00 pm	vs. No. 12 LSU*	No. 11	Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Capital One Bowl)	ABC	W 30–25	70,229[24]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Due to the Big Ten's rotating schedule, the Hawkeyes did not play either Northwestern or Indiana.^[1]

• FootballFantasy.com – 13th^[25]
• Russell rankings – 18th^[26]
• AndersonSports – 18th^[27]

Quarterbacks 5 Tate, Drew – sophomore 7 McCollom, Eric – sophomore 12 Phillips, Cy – junior Running backs 21 Young, Albert – freshman 23 Schnoor, Marcus – junior 28 Sims, Damian – freshman 29 Lewis, Jermelle – senior 32 Sherlock, Kevin – junior 33 Simmons, Marques – sophomore 35 Busch, Tom – freshman 36 Strube, Taylor – freshman 43 Mickens, Aaron – senior 46 Davis, Champ – sophomore 48 Brownlee, Sam – sophomore Wide receivers 3 Aldrich, Chris – freshman 8 Townsend, James – sophomore 11 Hinkel, Ed – junior 20 Huisman, Michael – freshman 22 Davis, Calvin – sophomore 84 Melloy, Matt – junior 86 Holloway, Warren – senior 88 Solomon, Clinton – junior Tight ends 30 Majerus, Ryan – sophomore 41 Barkema, C.J. – junior 81 Jackson, Tony – senior 87 Chandler, Scott – sophomore Offensive line 54 Elgin, Mike – sophomore 58 Larsen, Blake – junior 59 Cronin, Ben – junior 61 Ferentz, Brian – junior 63 Plagman, Todd – sophomore 64 Felder, Chris – sophomore 68 Bowers, Jacob – senior 69 McMahon, Peter – senior 70 Gray, Lee – junior 71 Olsen, Seth – freshman 74 Walker, David – junior 75 Gates, Ben – junior 76 Jones, Mike – sophomore 77 Huntrods, Clint – freshman 79 Dollmeyer, Greg – sophomore

Defensive line 21 Spratt, Jacob – freshman 31 Roth, Matt – senior 45 Babineaux, Jonathan – senior 60 Luebke, Tyler – junior 65 Willcox, Alex – freshman 72 Eshareturi, George – freshman 74 Roos, Nate – junior 86 Browning, Shannon – freshman 90 Elsallal, Saleh – junior 92 Iwebema, Kenny – freshman 94 Kittrell, Richard – sophomore 98 Robinson, Derreck – senior 99 Mattison, Bryan – freshman Linebackers 18 Greenway, Chad – junior 27 Miles, Ed – sophomore 40 Klinkenborg, Mike – freshman 43 Mike Anderson – freshman 47 King, Mitch – freshman 49 Follett, Mike – junior 50 Lewis, George – senior 51 Gabelmann, Zach – sophomore 52 Hodge, Abdul – junior 53 Kroul, Matt – freshman Defensive backs 2 Dalton, Harold – freshman 3 Dawkins, Ma'Quan – sophomore 4 Grigsby, Herb – freshman 10 Belleus, Walner – junior 13 Godfrey, Charles – freshman 14 Moylan, Devan – freshman 15 Merrick, Miguel – sophomore 17 Zanders, Jonathan – freshman 19 Shada, Adam – freshman 20 Allen, Antwan – junior 25 Paschal, Marcus – sophomore 26 Johnson, Jovon – junior 29 Fletcher, Bradley – freshman 32 Becker, Andrew – sophomore 33 Williams, Anthony - freshman 36 Ejiasi, Chigozie – senior 37 Considine, Sean – senior

Kickers 1 Schlicher, Kyle – sophomore Punters 28 Bradley, David – senior 91 Gallery, John – junior Long snappers 66 Asmus, Kody – junior 67 Kesselring, Kyle – junior 65 Olszta, Daniel – freshman – indicates redshirt (sat out one season)

Name	Position	Years at Iowa
Kirk Ferentz	Head coach	Five Years
Ken O'Keefe	Offensive coordinator and Quarterbacks	Five Years
Norm Parker	Defensive coordinator and Linebackers	Five Years
Chris Doyle	Strength and conditioning	Five Years
Lester Erb	Receivers and Special Teams	Four Years
Carl Jackson	Running backs	Five Years
Reese Morgan	Recruiting and Tight Ends	Four Years
Ron Aiken	Defensive line	Five Years
Phil Parker	Defensive backs	Five Years
Darrell Wilson	Linebackers and Special Teams	Four Years

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	19	16	16	16	RV	—	—	—	25	23	20	19	17	12	12	11	8
Coaches	12	13	12	12	24	RV	RV	—	RV	24	20	19	17	14	14	13	8
BCS	Not released								—	23	21	20	18	11	13	12	Not released

Kent State (0–0) at No. 19 Iowa (0–0)

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Flashes 0 7 0 0 7 • No. 19 Hawkeyes 10 13 10 6 39 Date: September 4 Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game start: 11:10 a.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 70,397 Referee: Dan Capron TV announcers (ESPN+): Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 11:27 Iowa Kyle Schlicher 20-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 1:35 Iowa Matt Melloy 9-yard pass from Drew Tate (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 10–0 2 10:23 Iowa Albert Young 1-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 17–0 9:09 Iowa Matt Melloy 4-yard pass from Drew Tate (kick failed) Iowa 23–0 3:02 KSU Jack Williams 99-yard interception return (Travis Mayle kick) Iowa 23–7 3 7:55 Iowa Kyle Schlicher 33-yard field goal Iowa 26–7 2:58 Iowa Aaron Mickens 4-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 33–7 4 8:52 Iowa Chad Greenway 30-yard interception return (kick failed) Iowa 39–7

The Hawkeyes, wearing throwback uniforms commemorating 75 years at Kinnick Stadium, smothered the Golden Flashes. Sophomore Drew Tate had two touchdown passes in his debut as starter. Junior linebacker Chad Greenway had a blocked punt and two interceptions, the latter turning into a pick six midway through the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.^[28]

Statistics	KENT	IOWA
First downs	11	22
Total yards	110	437
Rushing yards	–13	214
Passing yards	123	223
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	18:07	41:53

Iowa State (1–0) at No. 16 Iowa (1–0)
Cy-Hawk Game

1 2 3 4 Total Cyclones 3 0 7 0 10 • No. 16 Hawkeyes 7 7 3 0 17 Date: September 11 Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 70,397 Referee: Jon Bible Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 13:05 IOWA Albert Young 1-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 7–0 1:11 ISU Brian Jansen 42-yard field goal Iowa 7–3 2 2:49 IOWA Ed Hinkel 29-yard pass from Drew Tate (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 14–3 3 10:44 IOWA Kyle Schlicher 39-yard field goal Iowa 17–3 0:36 ISU Todd Blythe 40-yard pass from Austin Flynn (Brian Jansen kick) Iowa 17–10

^[29]

Statistics	ISU	IOWA
First downs	16	16
Total yards	236	305
Rushing yards	66	85
Passing yards	170	220
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	28:23	31:37

No. 16 Iowa (2–0) at Arizona State (2–0)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 16 Hawkeyes 0 0 0 7 7 • Sun Devils 10 17 10 7 44 Date: September 18 Location: Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ Game start: 7:45 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 71,700 Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C), 84% Humidity, Wind SE 20 mph (32 km/h) Referee: David Cutaia Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 9:49 ASU Moey Mutz 14-yard pass from Andrew Walter (J. Ainsworth kick) ASU 7–0 1:20 ASU J. Ainsworth 28-yard field goal ASU 10–0 2 12:08 ASU Derek Hagan 7-yard pass from Andrew Walter (J. Ainsworth kick) ASU 17–0 2:35 ASU Zach Miller 6-yard pass from Andrew Walter (J. Ainsworth kick) ASU 24–0 0:05 ASU J. Ainsworth 48-yard field goal ASU 27–0 3 9:40 ASU J. Ainsworth 33-yard field goal ASU 30–0 3:04 ASU Derek Hagan 7-yard pass from Andrew Walter (J. Ainsworth kick) ASU 37–0 4 7:47 ASU Zach Miller 5-yard pass from Andrew Walter (J. Ainsworth kick) ASU 44–0 0:18 Iowa Walner Belleus 83-yard punt return (Kyle Schlicher kick) ASU 44–7

^[30]

Statistics	IOWA	ASU
First downs	6	23
Total yards	100	511
Rushing yards	56	76
Passing yards	44	435
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	23:05	36:55

Iowa (2–1) at No. 18 Michigan (2–1)

1 2 3 4 Total Hawkeyes 7 0 3 7 17 • No. 18 Wolverines 0 16 7 7 30 Date: September 18 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Game start: 2:35 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 111,428 Game weather: Low 70s°F, Partly Cloudy, Wind NNW 5–10 mph (8.0–16.1 km/h) Referee: B. LeMonnier Source: Box Score

^[31]

Statistics	IOWA	MICH
First downs	16	18
Total yards	255	329
Rushing yards	61	122
Passing yards	270	236
Turnovers	5	2
Time of possession	27:45	32:15

Michigan State (2–2) at Iowa (2–2)

1 2 3 4 Total Spartans 0 6 0 10 16 • Hawkeyes 14 3 7 14 38 Date: October 2 Location: Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, Iowa Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 11:45 IOWA Jermelle Lewis 47-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 7–0 3:11 IOWA Ed Hinkel 15-yard pass from Drew Tate (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 14–0 2 7:39 MSU Dave Rayner 25-yard field goal Iowa 14–3 0:38 MSU Dave Rayner 23-yard field goal Iowa 14–6 0:02 IOWA Kyle Schlicher 23-yard field goal Iowa 17–6 3 10:54 IOWA Tom Busch 3-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 24–6 4 14:24 IOWA Marques Simmons 1-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 31–6 8:35 MSU Dave Rayner 42-yard field goal Iowa 31–9 6:48 IOWA Marques Simmons 2-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 38–9 4:24 MSU Drew Stanton 1-yard run (Dave Rayner kick) Iowa 38–16

^[32]

Statistics	MSU	IOWA
First downs	27	20
Total yards	449	464
Rushing yards	204	124
Passing yards	245	340
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	31:32	28:28

No. 25 Ohio State (3–2) at Iowa (3–2)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 25 Buckeyes 0 0 0 7 7 • Hawkeyes 7 3 14 9 33 Date: October 16 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:35 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 70,397 Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C), Cloudy, Wind 15–25 mph (24–40 km/h) Referee: Dick Honig Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 3:14 Iowa C. Solomon 11-yard pass from D. Tate (Schlicher kick) Iowa 7–0 2 12:50 Iowa Schlicher 45-yard field goal Iowa 10–0 3 12:25 Iowa S. Chandler 8-yard pass from D. Tate (Schlicher kick) Iowa 17–0 8:28 Iowa C. Solomon 36-yard pass from D. Tate (Schlicher kick) Iowa 24–0 4 14:53 Iowa D. Tate 1-yard run (kick blocked) Iowa 30–0 9:28 Iowa Schlicher 41-yard field goal Iowa 33–0 2:19 OSU Nicol 23-yard pass from T. Smith (Nugent kick) Iowa 33–7

Kirk Ferentz was able to get his first win over Ohio State in this dominant victory. Iowa's defense was relentless and held the Buckeyes to just 27 yards rushing on 29 attempts. Additionally, Ohio State only ran six plays in Hawkeye territory through the first three quarters of the game, and scored their only points with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Sophomore quarterback Drew Tate had four touchdowns (1 rushing).

^[33]

Statistics	OSU	IOWA
First downs	12	24
Total yards	177	448
Rushing yards	27	117
Passing yards	150	331
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	26:02	33:58

Iowa (4–2) at Penn State (2–4)

1 2 3 4 Total • Hawkeyes 3 3 0 0 6 Nittany Lions 2 0 0 2 4 Date: October 23 Location: Beaver Stadium State College, PA Game start: 11:02 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:14 Game attendance: 108,062 Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), Cloudy, Wind 0–3 mph (0.0–4.8 km/h) Referee: B.LeMonnier TV announcers (ESPN2): Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Mike Tomczak (analyst) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 13:34 PSU Safety PSU 2–0 1:42 Iowa Schlicher 27-yard field goal Iowa 3–2 2 8:24 Iowa Schlicher 27-yard field goal Iowa 6–2 4 8:04 PSU Safety Iowa 6–4

Iowa's first win without a touchdown since beating Michigan in 1985.^{[34] [35]}

Statistics	IOWA	PSU
First downs	10	6
Total yards	168	147
Rushing yards	42	51
Passing yards	126	96
Turnovers	2	5
Time of possession	33:58	26:02

No. 23 Iowa (5–2) at Illinois (2–6)

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 23 Hawkeyes 0 7 16 0 23 Fighting Illini 7 0 0 6 13 Date: October 30 Location: Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL Game start: 11:10 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 47,651 Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), Fair and Windy, Wind SW 28 mph (45 km/h) Referee: Steve Pamon Source: Box Score

^[36]

Statistics	IOWA	ILL
First downs	19	16
Total yards	319	268
Rushing yards	76	58
Passing yards	243	210
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	35:10	24:50

Purdue (5–3) at No. 20 Iowa (6–2)

1 2 3 4 Total Boilermakers 0 7 7 7 21 • No. 20 Hawkeyes 17 0 0 6 23 Date: November 6 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:35 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:35 Game attendance: 70,397 Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), Clear, Wind WSW 11 mph (18 km/h) Referee: Dave Witvoet Source: Box Score

^[37]

Statistics	PUR	IOWA
First downs	19	18
Total yards	357	321
Rushing yards	52	43
Passing yards	305	278
Turnovers	5	1
Time of possession	27:51	32:09

No. 19 Iowa (7–2) at Minnesota (6–4)
Floyd of Rosedale

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 19 Hawkeyes 10 13 3 3 29 Golden Gophers 3 7 10 7 27 Date: November 13 Location: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN Game start: 11:10 AM CST Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 64,719 Game weather: Indoors Referee: Bill LeMonnier Source: Box Score

In one of the more unlikely victories of the season, Iowa traveled to the Metrodome to challenge the Golden Gophers powerful rushing duo of Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney. The Hawkeye defense came into the game rated #1 in the country in rushing defense.

Despite that, the Gopher tandem shredded the Hawkeye defense with the Gophers outrushing Iowa by an outlandish margin of 337 to 6 in yards gained. The Hawkeyes prevailed however behind the deft passing and scrambling of sophomore quarterback Drew Tate, a pass defense that held the Gophers to 73 yards through the air and forced three turnovers, and Iowa's sophomore place-kicker Kyle Schlicher, who was a perfect 5–5 in field goals.

The Hawkeyes led virtually the entire game, but needed a huge defensive stop in the closing minutes, with Jr. linebacker Chad Greenway stopping Marion Barber III for a key loss on 2nd down in Iowa territory and eventually forcing Minnesota to attempt a 51-yard field goal, trailing by two. Although Gopher placekicker Rhyss Lloyd had won three games in his career with last-minute field goals, this time his attempt shanked wide.

QB Drew Tate then guided the Hawks to one closing first down with the help of an offside penalty on Minnesota, and the Hawks survived, winning their sixth consecutive game, all against Big 10 teams. By the time the Hawkeyes kicked off in their next (and final) regular-season game, they learned they would be playing for a portion of the Big Ten title.

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Statistics	IOWA	MINN
First downs	18	20
Total yards	339	410
Rushing yards	6	337
Passing yards	333	73
Turnovers	0	4
Time of possession	30:56	29:04

No. 9 Wisconsin (9–1) at No. 17 Iowa (8–2)
Heartland Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total No. 9 Badgers 0 7 0 0 7 • No. 17 Hawkeyes 7 7 10 6 30 Date: November 20 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:30 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 70,397 Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 14 mph (23 km/h) Referee: Dennis Lipski Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 4:22 Iowa C. Solomon 6-yard pass from Tate (Schlicher kick) Iowa 7–0 2 1:51 Wis Booker 4-yard run (Allen kick) Tied 7–7 1:00 Iowa C. Solomon 51-yard pass from D. Tate (Schlicher kick) Iowa 14–7 3 3:54 Iowa S. Chandler 12-yard pass from D. Tate (Schlicher kick) Iowa 21–7 1:37 Iowa Schlicher 31-yard field goal Iowa 24–7 4 10:59 Iowa Schlicher 21-yard field goal Iowa 27–7 6:50 Iowa Schlicher 34-yard field goal Iowa 30–7

Iowa clinched a share of Big Ten title with this victory over Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes' defense was smothering, holding a top-ten Badger team to just seven points. Fans rushed the field as it capped off a historic run and an undefeated home season.

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Statistics	WIS	IOWA
First downs	15	14
Total yards	186	262
Rushing yards	41	76
Passing yards	145	186
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	26:16	33:44

#11 LSU (9–2) vs. #12 Iowa (9–2)
Capital One Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total No. 11 Tigers 0 12 0 13 25 • No. 12 Hawkeyes 7 7 3 13 30 Date: January 1 Location: Florida Citrus Bowl • Orlando, Florida Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 70,229 Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C), Mostly Sunny Referee: Hal Dowden TV announcers (ABC): Gary Thorne (Play-by-Play), Ed Cunningham (Analyst), Jerry Punch (Sidelines) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 12:42 Iowa Clinton Solomon 57-yard pass from Drew Tate (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 7–0 2 14:51 LSU Chris Jackson 29-yard field goal Iowa 7–3 9:26 LSU Chris Jackson 47-yard field goal Iowa 7–6 1:04 Iowa Punt blocked, recovered by Sean Considine, advanced for a touchdown (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 14–6 0:38 LSU Alley Broussard 74-yard run (Chris Jackson missed PAT) Iowa 14–12 3 9:59 Iowa Kyle Schlicher 19-yard field goal Iowa 17–12 4 12:48 Iowa Marques Simmons 4-yard run (Kyle Schlicher kick) Iowa 24–12 8:21 LSU Skyler Green 22-yard pass from JaMarcus Russell (Chris Jackson kick) Iowa 24–19 0:46 LSU Skyler Green 3-yard pass from JaMarcus Russell (Two-point attempt failed) LSU 25–24 0:00 Iowa Warren Holloway 56-yard pass from Drew Tate Iowa 30–25

LSU would not go away in this back-and-forth bowl game. The Tigers took the lead with under a minute to play. Drew Tate was able to find Warren Holloway for a 56-yard pass as time expired to give the Hawkeyes a miracle victory which would become to be known as "The Catch" among Iowa fans.

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Statistics	LSU	IOWA
First downs	19	16
Total yards	346	334
Rushing yards	118	47
Passing yards	228	287
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	34:12	25:48

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Matt Roth	Defensive End	2	46	Miami Dolphins
Jonathan Babineaux	Defensive Tackle	2	59	Atlanta Falcons
Sean Considine	Defensive Back	4	102	Philadelphia Eagles
Tony Jackson	Tight End	6	196	Seattle Seahawks
Pete McMahon	Tackle	6	214	Oakland Raiders

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