CHAPTER
2
IOWA 31, IOWA STATE 17
Hawks come together AMES — All week, there had been talk about the significance surrounding the 2015 Cy-Hawk game. Iowa fans wondered how the new-look Hawkeyes would fare against a Power-5 opponent. Some even called it the biggest game of head coach Kirk Ferentz’s career. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But that’s not what matters. What matters is the fact Iowa came out on top of a contest against an archrival, 31-17, and did enough to prevail following an emotional week. Iowa was riding high after the opening win over Illinois State but had been unfortunately knocked askew because of the deaths of ex-Hawkeyes Tyler Sash and Roy Marble. Throw a rivalry game on top of that, and there’s a matchup the Hawkeyes had to win. We heard all the talk during the off-season — Ferentz recommitting himself to football and re-evaluating every facet of the program, the team committing to finishing games, and a team-first attitude. Through two games — and granted it had only been two games — Iowa looked like a totally different team from the one we’ve seen in the past few seasons. There was life in this team that was impossible not to notice, and that made it a little easier to forget about last season. Ferentz showed a willingness to try different things — kicker Marshall Koehn has 25 rushing yards this season, for Pete’s sake. Save for the two failed fake-field goals, the majority of the changes Iowa employed through its first two games worked. Yes, a quarterback change is obvious, but perhaps the biggest (and yes, it has to do with the quarterback change) is the competition level of this team. Not that they need a reason to, but this team looks Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri jumps over Iowa fullback Adam Cox during the Cy-Hawk Series game. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock)
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incredibly inspired to play, which, by its own admission, was not the case during every contest last year. This point can be illustrated by Iowa’s defense allowing no points and only 5 rushing yards in the second half. Quarterback C.J. Beathard made everyone forget about a subpar first half by leading three touchdown drives and providing a spark to his team after the break. Perhaps this team’s identity (who knew such a thing could exist this early in a season?) was illustrated most by what happened after the game. Instead of a dead sprint to get to the Cy-Hawk Trophy first, as is commonplace in any college-football trophy game, the Iowa players gathered as they do before the game and swarmed over to the trophy. No individuals, only a team. All things considered, that was the best way to do it.
The Hawks didn’t know two starters in Drew Ott and LeShun Daniels Jr. would be sidelined for much of the game because of injuries. They didn’t know they would play and coach with heavy hearts. It may sound corny or like a cliché, but following the tragic loss of Sash and Marble earlier in the week, a team that rallies around each other as the Hawkeyes did in Jack Trice Stadium is more likely to be successful than a group of individuals playing for the individual and the individual only. That showed Sept. 12. From the end of last season, throughout spring ball and throughout camp, Iowa knew it was going to face a test in Ames. As a team, the Hawkeyes passed that test, and if things keep going the way they are, there’s no reason to believe they won’t pass more tests to come.
We knew exactly what this game was. We knew exactly what was on the line. —Jaleel Johnson, defensive tackle
Iowa defensive back Desmond King falls to the ground after a scuttle with both Iowa and Iowa State players. (The Daily Iowan/Alyssa Hitchcock)
TOP: Iowa running back LeShun Daniels, Jr. tries to run through the Iowa State defense. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing) BOTTOM: Iowa players huddle during a timeout of the Cy-Hawk Series game against Iowa State. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock)
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Our lack of first down and second down success put them in what they wanted to be in on third and long and sort of challenged our ability to get in the right place. — Paul Rhoads on Drew Ott, who had 2 sacks
TOP: Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson runs the ball as Iowa defensive lineman Nathan Bazata attempts to tackle him. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock) BOTTOM: Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson barely evades a sack against Iowa at Jack Trice Stadium. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing)
It’s the next play that matters most. We’ve just been harping on that and staying positive all summer. — Jordan Canzeri, running back Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri carries the ball during the Cy-Hawk Series game. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock)
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Powerhouses emerge Receiver reversal Coming into the season, most Hawkeye observers thought senior wide receiver Tevaun Smith would be C.J. Beathard’s first option while Matt VandeBerg and possibly Jacob Hillyer or Riley McCarron would pick up the rest of the catches at the receiver spot. However, through two games, VandeBerg had 15 catches to Smith’s 5. Even more telling was the yardage. Smith had just 47 yards on the season; VandeBerg has 173. To be fair, Smith spent a significant amount of time smothered by defenses and VandeBerg benefited from the relaxed coverage. What was impossible to ignore, however, was VandeBerg’s legitimate talent and eye for the game.
Canzeri can take 20-plus carries, for now Senior running back Jordan Canzeri rushed for 124 yards on 24 carries and added a 19-yard reception for good measure. He scored a late touchdown to ice the game and was effective running the ball, outside of a costly fumble in the third quarter near the Iowa goal line. However, LeShun Daniels Jr.’s ankle injury, meant the Hawkeyes had to turn to Canzeri more, and that would mean extra stress on Canzeri later in the season.
We kind of already knew this, but … Defensive end Nate Meier is a good football player. He had 7 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and two quarterback hits against Iowa State. Meier lessened the pain of losing Drew Ott to an elbow injury, and he will continued to produce at a high level in place of Ott. Down the road, this took some pressure off the line. In other defensive-line news, tackle Jaleel Johnson played well, especially in the second-half. Iowa’s line got plenty of pressure down the stretch and, for the most part, kept Iowa State quarterback Sam B. Richardson contained.
C.J. Beathard has wheels Iowa’s quarterback had runs of 44 and 57 yards and ended the day with 77 yards total. (Hey, NCAA — make sacks count as team losses.) It was a quarterback rushing attack that hasn’t been seen by a Hawkeye quarterback since the days of Brad Banks. Few of Beathard’s runs looked planned and more often than not the play was breaking down, so he took off. However, it also opened Beathard up to more hits during a game, so whether Ferentz wants him to keep running is something to keep tabs on. With that said, Beathard protected himself well against the Cyclones and seems to have a knack for knowing when to get down or out of bounds.
Punting with confidence Punter Dillon Kidd — at this point in the season — was averaging a healthy 47.3 yards per punt this season. That was nothing but good news for Iowa. Kidd averaged just 38.5 yards per punt a last year, but he looked more confident than a season ago. Even more importantly, he faced a good return unit in Iowa State and didn’t allow a single yard to a returner. In fact, no one has returned a punt for any positive yards against Kidd and the Hawkeyes through the first two games.
TOP: Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri carries the ball during the Cy-Hawk Series game. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock) SECOND: Iowa defensive backs Jordan Lomax and Greg Mabin sit under the fan on the bench. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing) THIRD: Iowa State fans watch after Iowa scores in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock) BOTTOM: Iowa fans celebrate with Iowa players after winning the Cy-Hawk Series game against Iowa State. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock)
PRIME PLAYS
1
On 3rd and 21 from his own six yard line, C.J.Beathard found Matt VandeBerg for a 48 yard gain. An absolutely perfect ball gave Iowa a boost, and although it failed to score on that drive, it gave the Hawks a spark to score on the next two drives and win the game.
Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson talks to a wide receiver. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing)
2
Following the drive mentioned above, Iowa State gained 30 yards on 7 plays, eating up 3:01 of game time before punting. Returner Desmond King took one 34 yards to midfield. That return set up the go-ahead touchdown for Beathard and Company.
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BOX SCORE
31
IOWA 3 7 7 IOWA ST. 3 14 0
17 14 31 0 14
FIRST QUARTER IOWA — 5:44, Koehn 59-yard field goal ISU — 2:07, Netten 37-yard field goal
SECOND QUARTER ISU — 13:12, Bundrage 11-yard pass from Richardson (Netten kick) IOWA — 4:24, Smith 14-yard pass from Beathard (Koehn kick) ISU — 2:19, Wesley 29-yard pass from Richardson (Netten kick)
THIRD QUARTER IOWA — 10:05, VandeBerg 3-yard pass from Beathard (Koehn kick)
FOURTH QUARTER IOWA — 2:14, McCarron 25-yard pass from Beathard (Koehn kick) IOWA — 1:05, Canzeri 8-yard run (Koehn kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATS RUSHING: IOWA : Canzeri, 24-124-1. Beathard 10-77-0. Daniels Jr., 8-56-0. Koehn, 1-17-0. Team, 1-(-2)-0. Parker, 1-(-12)-0. ISU : Ryen, 4-23-0. Brown, 9-19-0. Richardson, 10-13-0. Warren, 3-9-0. Thomas, 1-(-1)-0.
PASSING: IOWA : Beathard 15-25-215, 3TD, 0 INT. ISU : Richardson, 19-35-247, 2 TD, 1 INT.
RECEIVING: IOWA : VandeBerg, 9-114-1. Krieger-Coble, 2-34-0. Smith, 2-23-1. McCarron, 1-25-1. Canzeri, 1-19-0. ISU : Lazard, 7-71-0. Wesley, 4-76-1. Daley, 2-10-0. Brown, 2-57-0. Ryen, 1-53-0. Montgomery, 1-15-0. Bundrage, 1-11-1. Warren, 1-4-0.
GAME BALL IOWA BEATHARD
When nothing was really clicking for Iowa’s offense, the junior quarterback made things happen with his feet. He also dropped the ball in the bucket for gains fo 48 and 25 yards to Matt VandeBerge and Riley McCarron, respectively.
An Iowa State fan sits in the stands after the Cy-Hawk Series game. (The Daily Iowan/ Alyssa Hitchcock)
IOWA STATE JAUAN WESLEY
Did you see that touchdown catch? Nasty. Granted, it was tailor-made for the Cyclones — Hawkeye strong safety Miles Taylor showed an A-gap blitz, giving him no chance of getting to Wesley in the seam.
It felt good to finally bring that trophy back. We know what it meant. — Nate Meier, defensive end
TOP: Iowa wide receiver Riley McCarron scores a touchdown against Iowa State. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing) BOTTOM: Iowa offensive lineman Eric Simmons and fullback Macon Plewa carry the Cy-Hawk trophy off the field after defeating Iowa State. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing)
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