Nov. 21, 2004
Here’s the best way to describe Iowa’s 2004 football team:
The Hawkeyes know how to win.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Kirk Ferentz says his team “isn’t the sexiest team in the league,” and “it isn’t the prettiest car in the lot.” And it “doesn’t dazzle you.” He admitted to an ESPN sideline reporter that his team “has no running game.”
All that may be true. I’m not going to argue with the man who is clearly the Coach of the Year in the Big Ten Conference. And yet . . .
The Hawkeyes know how to win.
That was evident again last Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium in the final and most important Big Ten game of the season. The score was just in from Columbus. Ohio State had upset Michigan, giving the winner of Iowa’s game with Wisconsin a share the conference championship.
There was plenty of motivation working for both teams, but the Badgers had additional incentive. They could advance to the Rose Bowl – “The Granddaddy of them all” – by beating Iowa. But it didn’t happen because . . .
The Hawkeyes know how to win.
When Drew Tate uncharacteristically threw interceptions on Iowa’s first two possessions, the defense took the field and slammed the door on the Badgers, who tried but failed on two field goal attempts.
The Hawkeyes know how to win.
When Wisconsin tied the score at 7-7 with less than two minutes left in the first half, it took Iowa only 51 seconds to respond with a score of its own. Tate and Clinton Solomon hooked up on their second touchdown pass to give Iowa a 14-7 cushion and a big momentum boost at intermission.
The Hawkeyes know how to win.
In the third quarter, Iowa converted Sean Considine’s interception into a touchdown, with Tate throwing to Scott Chandler. On Wisconsin’s next possession, a fumble recovery by Tyler Luebke set up Kyle Schlicher’s field goal. Suddenly Iowa had a comfortable 24-7 lead.
The Hawkeyes know how to win.
Schlicher booted two more field goals in the fourth quarter — the first after Iowa’s defense stopped Wisconsin on fourth down, the second after Jonathan Babineaux returned a Badger fumble 39 yards. Wisconsin gained only 79 yards in the second half and Iowa soundly defeated the ninth ranked Badgers 30-7.
Yes, the Hawkeyes know how to win and because they do, they’ve earned a piece of the Big Ten championship – their second in three years – and are on their way to a third straight January bowl game in Florida.
They did it by winning seven straight games in October and November, three of them convincingly (Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin), three by two points (Penn State, Purdue and Minnesota), and one in a windstorm (Illinois).
Personnel losses from a year ago included Outland Trophy winner Robert Gallery, Lou Groza Award winner Nate Kaeding, and the heart and soul of the defense, Bob Sanders. All three are now playing important roles for NFL teams.
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Yeah, yeah, I know. Kirk Ferentz says his team “isn’t the sexiest team in the league,” and “it isn’t the prettiest car in the lot.” And it “doesn’t dazzle you.” He admitted to an ESPN sideline reporter that his team “has no running game.”
All that may be true. I’m not going to argue with the man who is clearly the Coach of the Year in the Big Ten Conference. And yet . . . The Hawkeyes know how to win. |
Coach Ferentz also had to find replacements at quarterback and running back, and when the top three tailbacks went down with season-ending knee injuries, Iowa was left with a one-dimensional offense. All this created a rocky ride in September, when the Hawkeyes split four games, losing to two very good teams, Arizona State and Michigan.
The seven-game winning streak included some memorable escape acts. The Hawkeyes won at Penn State without scoring a touchdown and giving up two safeties. They watched two Minnesota tailbacks each run for more than 150 yards, got out-rushed 359-6, yet managed to come home with Floyd of Rosedale.
“Sometimes you win by not losing,” observed Kirk Ferentz after the latter game.
Bret Bielema is a former Hawkeye captain who coached at his alma mater. He is now the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin. He told the press after Saturday’s game that it was hard for him to believe the final score, considering the total yardage (262) his defense gave up.
“The bottom line,” he said, “is that Iowa converted on the opportunities it had.”
Put another way — the Hawkeyes know how to win.
Editor’s Note: George Wine, the University of Iowa’s long-time sports information director who is now retired and living in Coralville, Iowa, is the author of George Wine Online. George has remained very close to the intercollegiate athletics program at the UI since his retirement and, in fact, has authored two books during that time. The first was a collaboration with the subject of today’s editorial, Hayden Fry, and named “A High Porch Picnic.” The second, “Black & Gold Memories, The Hawkeyes of the 20th Century,” included many of the essays George originally wrote for “The Voice of the Hawkeyes.” As he wrote in the book, “Collectively, they serve as a historical reference, and hopefully provide entertaining reading.” “Black & Gold Memories” is currently available at Barnes & Noble book stores across Iowa and on the world wide web.