It was another great flashback game that took place in 2002, the year Iowa went 8-0 in the Big Ten, tied for the Big Ten title and played in the Orange Bowl.
The final game of the regular season was at Minnesota and the Hawks crunched the Gophers 45-21. That was the game the Iowa fans tore down the goalposts and tried to carry them out of the Metrodome. They didn’t succeed.
Brad Banks passed for two touchdowns, ran for two and the Hawkeyes had two running backs run for over 100 yards, Fred Russell ran for 194 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown and Jermelle Lewis added 101 yards and a score.
The Iowa defense forced six turnovers.
Seven straight
The Hawks beat the Gophers for the seventh straight time, the longest win streak in the series.
If you look at the stats you wonder how Iowa won. The Hawks trailed 13-10 at the half scoring first on a Caleb Shudak 50 yard field goal and a one-yard sneak by Alex Padilla.
Iowa had seven first downs, Minnesota 10. The Hawks had 46 yards rushing, the Gophers 139. The biggest difference was the time of possession… Minnesota 20:30, Iowa 9:29. Also, Tory Taylor had one punt for 31 yards.
It didn’t get much better in the second half as the Gophers had 23 first downs to the Hawkeyes 12. The Gophers finished with 189 yards rushing, Hawkeyes 71. How about Minnesota with 40:02 time off possession to Iowa’s 19:40?
How did the Hawkeyes get their eighth win of the season? You start with big plays. Alex Padilla found Charlie Jones wide open on a 72-yard catch and run in the third quarter to give Iowa a 17-13 lead. Then in the fourth quarter, Padilla hit Keegan Johnson in the left flat, who broke two tackles to give Iowa a 24-16 lead. That might have been one of the best plays of the year. The Hawks also came up with some big defensive plays when the game was on the line
Iowa defense
Joe Evans continues to amaze me. Evans, who played quarterback at Ames high school, is listed at 6-2, 248, not big for a defensive end. Plus he was going up against a Minnesota tackle who was 6-9, 380.
The Iowa defense stopped Minnesota twice in the last three minutes and there was Evans, going around that big mountain of a tackle with 11 seconds left, not only sacking Tanner Morgan but knocking the ball out.
Game, set and match.
For the season, Joe has five sacks, 10 for this career, not bad for a walk-on. Jack Campbell led the Hawks with 17 tackles. Zack VanValkenburg 10 including a sack, three for a loss and a quarterback hurry.
Minnesota has a huge and veteran offensive line and they were running the ball well but Tanner Morgan was 14-of-30 and sacked twice.
Iowa offense
This wasn’t a great day for the offense. Padilla, making his first start, went 11-of-24 for 206 yards, one rushing TD, two TD passes and no turnover. Padilla threw a nice deep pass to Charlie Jones and is mobile in the pocket. Six Hawkeyes caught passes and Tyler Goodson picked up 59 yards on the ground. I really thought by now the running game would be better.
The opposing defenses have been loading but the box and Iowa’s ground game is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. The Iowa defense is giving up 2.9 for the season.
Iowa special teams
I told you that Tory Taylor had a punt of only 31 yards in the first half. The second half was much better as Taylor finished with five total punts for a 45.6 average including two inside the 20. That really helps the defense out.
Caleb Shudak was 2-of-2 on field goals. For the season, Shudak has made 12-14 field goals and has not missed an extra point.
Jones had four kickoff returns for 77 yards.
Football wrap up
Good teams find a way to win. Iowa is a good team, not great, although I’ll take 8-2 any time.
I’ve got to give the fans credit. The blackout was great and the crowd was loud to the very end. The Hawks start out as 12-point favorites over Illinois. Iowa was favored by five over Minnesota.
Hawkeye women play three
The Iowa women played three games last week hosting New Hampshire and Samford and traveled to UNI on Sunday, winning all three by at least 20. This is going to be another one of those great passing teams for Lisa Bluder.
Last year the Hawks finished second in the nation in assists. Iowa averaged 20 assists per game last season. Iowa had 21 in its first game with Catlin Clark, Kate Martin and Kylie Feuerbach all getting six. When the leading scorer in the nation, Clark, also led the nation in assists, you have to feel good about the chemistry. They also made 27-28 from the free throw line.
In the Samford win, Iowa had 24 assists and was 9-of-13 from the free throw line.
Against UNI, the Hawks had 15 assists and made 12-of-15 from the free throw line.
For the season, Iowa is 48-of-56 (86%) from the free throw line.
Hawk men play two
Iowa beat Longwood and Kansas City last week.
First of all Keegan Murray is the real deal. How about 24 points, 8-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three, 5-of-5 from the free throw line, seven rebounds and five blocked shots in only 17:29 minutes. That’s pretty impressive in the first game of the year against Longwood. I like the way he drives strong to the basket and finishes.
Kris Murray, who is left-handed, was 7-of-9 for 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shot. The Murray twins are starting strong. Keegan Murray followed that up with 25 points in a blowout against Kansas City. He was 9-of-15 from the floor with four rebounds and three steals.
In the first two games, Joe Toussaint has 10 assists and only two turnovers.
Basketball wrap up
I know it’s early and the competition will get better but both the women’s and men’s teams looked sharp. Both are playing up-tempo, both are shooting well and both have deep benches.
Clark and Keegan Murray are playing at mid-season form.

Gallery • 1 Photos

Darren Miller • Contributed Photo

Zach VanValkenburg takes down the Minnesota ball carrier.