Dec. 29, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Iowa beat No. 12 Missouri 27-24 to win the 2010 Insight Bowl. Iowa played seven games against ranked opponents this year, winning four (#20 Penn State, #24 Michigan, #5 Michigan State and #12 Missouri).
Iowa competed in its 25th bowl game tonight, improving its bowl record to 14-10-1. Iowa improves to 4-1 vs. Big 12 Conference teams in bowl games. Iowa holds an all-time record of 70-65-3 vs. current Big 12 members. The Hawkeyes have won three consecutive bowl contests (2009 Outback, 2010 Orange and 2010 Insight) marking the first time in school history it has won three straight bowl games.
Iowa has been bowl eligible the last 10 seasons and has played in nine bowl games over that span. This marked Iowa’s first appearance in the Insight Bowl and first bowl game in the state of Arizona.
Tonight’s attendance of 53,453 established an Insight Bowl record. The previous mark of 49,385 was set in Tucson (Dec. 26, 1987) when the event was the Copper Bowl. Arizona defeated New Mexico, 20-14.
Freshman RB Marcus Coker, who was named the 2010 Insight Bowl Offensive Player of the Game, started for the fourth time this season. He rushed 33 times for 219 yards, surpassing 100 yards for the second time (22-129 at Indiana) while establishing career-bests in both categories. Coker set an Iowa bowl record with his rushing attempts and yardage. Bob Jeter’s total of 194 yards (nine attempts) vs. California in the 1959 Rose Bowl. The previous record of 29 rushing attempts was set by Shonn Greene vs. South Carolina in the 2009 Outback Bowl.
Coker is the first Hawkeye to rush for over 200 yards in game since Shonn Greene rushed 30 times for 211 yards vs. Purdue (11/15/08). His rushing total of 219 yards ranks sixth-best in a single-game in Hawkeye history. The 33 carries ties for the eighth most in a game.
Coker had a 62-yard touchdown run in the second period. That run is the longest of Coker’s career and is Iowa’s longest touchdown run of the season. Iowa’s previous long touchdown run was 39 yards (Adam Robinson vs. Iowa State). The 62-yard run is the second longest for Iowa this season, as Robinson had a 75-yard run vs. Iowa State. For the season, Coker has 114 carries for 622 yards. His rushing total ranks fifth best for an Iowa freshman, trailing Adam Robinson (775 in 2009) and Ladell Betts (679 in 1998).
Sophomore Micah Hyde, who was named the 2010 Insight Bowl Defensive Player of the Game, had a 72-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth period. The return is an Iowa bowl record and the eighth longest in school history. The return ranks as the second longest in Insight Bowl history. The theft is the fourth of the season for Hyde and his second score (he had a 66-yard touchdown vs. Michigan State).
The touchdown return by Hyde marked Iowa’s sixth non-offensive touchdown of the season. Iowa has four interception returns for touchdowns, a blocked punt return for a score and a KO return for a touchdown.
Iowa maintained possession 29:23, while Missouri had the ball for 29:49. The Hawkeyes averaged 7.3 yards per play, while Missouri averaged 6.0 yards. Iowa was penalized only three times for 19 yards, while the Tigers were flagged five times for 48 yards.
Senior QB Ricky Stanzi completed 11-21 passes for 200 yards. Stanzi completed passes to five different receivers tonight. Stanzi improved his career totals to 542-907 for 7,377 yards and 56 touchdowns. Iowa improves to 26-9 with Stanzi as its starting quarterback. He had at least one touchdown pass in the previous 21 games he played, a school record, before tonight. Stanzi was held without a touchdown pass tonight. He had at least three scoring passes in five of 13 games in 2010. His 25 TD passes in 2010 rank third best for a single season. He is fourth in career completions and attempts and third in passing yards and touchdowns.
Senior punter Ryan Donahue punted for the 51st game in a row, which consists of every game in his career. The Iowa record for consecutive starts is 50 games, held by DL Matt Kroul, who ended his career in Iowa’s win over South Carolina in the 2009 Outback Bowl. Against Missouri, Donahue averaged 44.7 yards on three punts. Donahue was one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter.
WR Colin Sandeman equaled a career high with four catches for 44 yards. TE Allen Reisner had three receptions for 50 yards, including a 39-yarder on the second-to-last play of the game to the one-yard line.
Iowa’s 93-yard scoring drive in the third quarter, which ended in a 21-yard field goal, matched Iowa’s second longest of the season. Iowa had a 97-yard drive vs. Iowa State and a 93-yard drive at Arizona.
Iowa was 3-4 in the red zone vs. Missouri, collecting a rushing touchdown and two field goals. Iowa took a knee for the final play of the game on the one-yard line on its final red zone possession. For the season, Iowa is 43-48 in the red zone, scoring 14 rushing touchdowns, 17 passing touchdowns and 12 field goals. Iowa lost a fumble in the red zone and ended the game in the red zone against Eastern Illinois, had a missed field goal vs. Ball State and Indiana and a fumbled snap on a potential field goal attempt vs. Wisconsin. Iowa has scored on 106 of the last 117 red zone possessions (70 TDs and 36 FGs), dating back to the Michigan State game in 2008. Iowa is 87-98 (.714) combined inside the red zone its last 29 games.
Missouri was 4-5 in the red zone, collecting two rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown and a field goal, with one interception. Iowa opponents are 33-43 in the red zone, with 11 passing touchdowns, 13 rushing touchdowns and nine field goals.
Iowa won the toss and elected to receive. Iowa has started on offense in 124 of its last 143 contests. The Hawkeyes have started the game on offense in 127-of-149 games under Coach Kirk Ferentz. Iowa games vs. Minnesota (11/27/10), Wisconsin (10/23/10), Ohio State (11/14/07), Indiana (10/31/09), Purdue (11/15/08), Penn State (11/08/08), Wisconsin (10/10/08), Minnesota (11/10/07), at Northwestern (11/3/07), vs. Michigan State (10/27/07), at Penn State (10/6/07), vs. Iowa State (9/16/06), vs. Minnesota (11/19/05), vs. Michigan (10/22/05), at Purdue (10/8/05), at Minnesota (11/13/04), vs. Purdue (11/6/04), at Miami, OH (9/7/02) and at Michigan State (9/27/03) are the only contests that the Hawkeyes didn’t start on offense. Iowa won 13 of the 19 games.
Iowa scored on its first possession for the eighth time in 13 games. Iowa collected field goals on its first drive vs. Penn State and Indiana and began games vs. Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota and Missouri with touchdown drives.
Missouri scored a field goal on its first possession, becoming Iowa’s seventh opponent to score on its first drive. Iowa has allowed just nine opponents (Indiana, game nine, and Penn State, game four, both in 2009, and Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota and Missouri, 2010) to score on their opening drive in its last 39 games.
Freshman PK Mike Meyer made a 34-yard field goal in the first half and added 21-yard kick in the third quarter. He has made 14-17 field goals this season and has scored 73 points. That total ranks 19th best for a single season at Iowa.
Both defenses had two takeaways, both interceptions, and both scoring seven points following their opponents miscue.
Iowa did not score following an interception late in the second quarter, but scored on a 72-yard interception return in the fourth quarter. Iowa has scored 95 points following 24 opponent turnovers, plus 14 points following a blocked punt and a blocked field goal. Iowa collected at least one turnover in 12 of 13 games this season and in 11-of-13 games last season. The Hawkeye defense has collected at least one takeaway in 56 of its last 62 games, dating back to 2006. Iowa entered the Insight Bowl tied for seventh nationally in turnover margin.
Iowa opponents have scored 28 points following 10 Iowa turnovers, with Missouri scoring a touchdown after a third quarter interception.
Senior DB Brett Greenwood had his team-leading fifth interception of the season near the end of the second quarter. Greenwood has 12 career interceptions to rank tied for sixth in career thefts with Steve Wilson. Iowa entered the Insight Bowl tied for second in the nation with 17 thefts during the regular season.
Junior WR Marvin McNutt, Jr. had a 49-yard reception on Iowa’s first drive that led to a touchdown. McNutt, Jr. is tied for fourth in career TD receptions. He ended the game with two catches for 63 yards and led Iowa in receiving for the season with 53 receptions for 861 yards and eight touchdowns.
Iowa’s defense was credited with two sacks, six tackles for loss and one pass break-up. DB Brett Greenwood was credited with a game-high 11 tackles. DB Shaun Prater collected nine stops, one shy of a personal best. DL Karl Klug had five tackles, including equaling a career high with two TFLs.
In 12 regular season games, Iowa opponents started just seven of 132 possessions on the Iowa side of the field.
Instant Replay was not used in the first three periods. In the fourth period, the ruling on the field, a Missouri interception, was upheld. A Missouri reception that would have been enough yards to move the chains, on a fourth down play, was overturned after review.