Sept. 19, 2008
- Touchdown Iowa…vote!
- Game Day Central
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
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- Iowa Football wallpaper
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz will close its non-conference schedule Saturday when it travel s to Pittsburgh for a date with the Pitt Panthers at Heinz Field. The game will be televised live by ESPN2 beginning at 11 a.m. Iowa time.
To celebrate Kirk’s 10th season as the Hawkeyes’ head coach, hawkeyesports.com – with Kirk’s assistance – has identified a baker’s dozen (that’s 13 for those fans who don’t really know what a “baker’s dozen” means) plus one of the biggest victories over the previous nine seasons. We’ll reveal a handful each Saturday for the next five Saturdays. On the following Tuesday, fans are invited to return to hawkeyesports.com to vote for their favorite of the group that was revealed.
Last week, fans selected the Hawkeyes’ 42-35 overtime victory at Penn State during the 2002 season as the Round One winner. It was selected over Iowa’s 6-4 victory over the Nittany Lions in 2004 and the Hawkeyes’ 19-16 victory over Texas Tech in the 2001 Alamo Bowl.
Fans will then have the next 10 days to select what they think is the greatest victory during the “Kirk Ferentz Era” with one very lucky voter winning four tickets to their choice of any game on the Hawkeyes’ 2009 schedule.
We hope you enjoy reliving the past as we march our way what promises to be an exciting end to the Hawkeyes’ 2008 non-conference season and the first few games of the 2008 Big Ten Conference slate.
Go Hawks!
Editor’s Note — To watch the free video, fans must register for Hawkeye All-Access. There is no registration fee and the process takes just minutes. It also provides you access to other free and exclusive audio and video available inside the multi-media area of hawkeyesports.com, the official world wide web site of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
ROUND TWO GAMES
A 45-21 victory against Minnesota gave Iowa its first Big Ten championship since 1990, its first undefeated conference record wince 1922, its first 11-win season and its first nine-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes rushed for 365 yards (Fred Russell gained 194, Jermelle Lewis picked up 101) and converted three Golden Gopher turnovers into touchdowns. Although the game was played in the Metrodome, there were an estimated 32,000 Iowa fans in attendance. After the final gun, Hawkeye fans tore down the goal posts and carried them a couple laps around the Metrodome before leaving them on the concourse. Quarterback Brad Banks threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores.
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Quarterback Kyle McCann completed 17 of 27 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns as Iowa defeated a high-powered Northwestern team, 27-27, at Kinnick Stadium. McCann’s 1-yard scoring dive with 6-minutes, 58-seconds left in the game sealed the victory and gave Iowa its first win over a team ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls since a victory over No. 18 Purdue in 1997. It also was the first time Iowa won consecutive games since beating Indiana and Purdue in ’97. It also gave the Hawkeyes three Big Ten victories for the first time since ’97. The Hawkeyes scored on three straight possessions between the second and third quarter and took a 20-3 lead on McCann’s 42-yard aerial to Kevin Kasper with 10:13 left in the third period. With 12 minutes left in the game, McCann engineered a 10-play, 57-yard drive, capping it with a 1-yard dive to give Iowa a 27-10 lead with 6:58 left. Iowa middle linebacker Roger Meyer made a game-high 16 tackles, including three for loss.
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Iowa won a New Year’s Day bowl for the first time since the 1959 Rose Bowl with a stifling 37-17 rout of Florida in the Outback Bowl. MVP Fred Russell rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown, leading the Hawkeyes to double-digit victories in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. Nathan Chandler completed 13 of 25 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. The Iowa defense held the Gators to 57 rushing yards. The Hawkeye offensive line was at the top of its game, helping Iowa to 238 yards rushing, converting 7 of 18 third downs and building a nine-minute advantage in time of possession (34:10 to 25:50).
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ROUND ONE WINNER: Iowa 42, Penn State 35 (ot)
Nate Kaeding booted four field goals — the final one from 47 yards with 44 seconds remaining — as Iowa defeated Texas Tech 19-16 in the Alamo Bowl. It was Iowa’s first bowl victory since defeating Texas Tech 27-0 in the 1996 Alamo Bowl. The Hawkeyes dominated time of possession (35:03 to 24:57). Running back Aaron Greving, who replaced Ladell Betts after three plays, rushed for 115 yards on 25 carries and scored Iowa’s lone touchdown. Quarterback Kyle McCann completed his first 12 passes. Greving, who was named the game’s offensive MVP, rode Iowa’s offensive line to a big first half, when he gained 82 yards on 13 carries. Iowa’s winning drive included a 21-yard completion to Hill, who led Iowa with six catches for 49 yards, and 16-yard scramble by McCann, who completed 19 of 26 for 161 yards.
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Coach Ferentz’s father, John, passed away in Pennsylvania six days before this low-scoring game. A day after the funeral, No. 25 Iowa defeated Penn State 6-4 in State College for its fifth consecutive victory over the Nittany Lions and fourth in a row at Beaver Stadium. Kyle Schlicher kicked two 27-yard field goals and the Hawkeye defense forced five turnovers. Tyler Luebke stripped the ball from Penn State’s Michael Robinson and Chad Greenway recovered with 2:30 left in the game.
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Iowa opened a 23-0 lead, then rallied in overtime to defeat No. 12 Penn State 42-35 for its second of nine consecutive victories. The Hawkeyes won against a ranked team on the road for the first time since a 21-20 victory over No. 6 Penn State in 1996. It was also Iowa’s first victory over a ranked team since it knocked off No. 12 Northwestern in 2000. Quarterback Brad Banks threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Ed Hinkel to give the Hawkeyes a 23-0 lead with 6:04 left in the second quarter. The Hawkeyes led 26-7 at halftime. Kicker Nate Kaeding converted a 55-yard field goal. Iowa took a 35-13 lead into the fourth quarter. In overtime, Banks connected with wide receiver C.J. Jones for a 6-yard touchdown on third-and-goal. Penn State failed to convert on a fourth-down screen pass because of quarterback pressure from Jonathan Babineaux.
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