Iowa Football: 3 things we learned in Hawkeyes win over Iowa State
Iowa football scored its second straight win over a top-25 team and yet another win over in-state rival Iowa State. Here’s what we learned.
Matt Campbell, the head coach of Iowa State football is the hottest name in the college football coaching ranks. But one thing he can’t do is beat Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa football team.
In the first-ever matchup between Iowa football and Iowa State when both teams have been ranked, let alone ranked in the top-10 of the AP poll, the Hawkeyes didn’t do anything fancy. They just did what they do: play solid football and win games against Iowa State.
There was no special formula. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras was solid and efficient. The best part of his stat line was the zero interceptions.
Iowa State, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. The Hawkeyes defense forced four turnovers and the offense converted those turnovers in 20 points, crushing any hope Cyclone fans had of finally turning things around in the rivalry or even making a run at the College Football Playoff.
It’s possible for Iowa State, but the Cyclones would need to win out and get help. Iowa is looking great now and with back-to-back top-25 wins under their belt, we look at what we learned about Iowa football on Saturday.
Kirk Ferentz can coach the Hawkeyes forever
Over the years, Ferentz has done a lot of winning with Iowa football. He’s led the Hawkeyes to Big Ten championships and even the Rose Bowl.
But one thing he’s been able to do in the latter part of his career is own his rivals — Iowa State and Nebraska. Iowa football currently has a six-game winning streak over the Huskers, its top rival in the Big Ten, and now a six-game winning streak to match it over Iowa State.
And it’s not like the Cyclones are terrible like they used to be. Iowa State has beaten Texas, Oklahoma and even won the Fiesta Bowl. But they still can’t beat Iowa.
When you add in the fact that Iowa has been a consistent top-25 program under Ferentz, plus 12 straight wins over his rivals, the man has more than enough currency built up to coach Iowa as long as he sees fit. He’s not quite Hayden Fry, but he’s a legend in his own right.