Iowa football: 3 takeaways from CyHawk win over Iowa State

Iowa football held on to reclaim the CyHawk Trophy against Iowa State on Saturday.

Here’s what we learned in the rivalry contest.

1. Hawkeye dominance continues

This rivalry has been owned by Iowa lately, and that trend resumed on Saturday. The Cyclones won last year, but before that, it was six straight for the Hawkeyes. The psyche of the Cy-Hawk game has been all Hawk for a while.

Kirk Ferentz moved to 14-10 in this rivalry on a day when he also reached the 200-win mark. This was a day in which Iowa won the Cy-Hawk game the way they always win the Cy-Hawk game, with stout defense and just enough offense.

It was fitting that this game featured such a landmark for Ferentz, because you couldn’t have scripted a game more representative of his tenure in Iowa City.

There are ups and downs of the Ferentz era (more on that later), but one of the significant ups has been his success against Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell in this game. On Saturday, the Cy-Hawk Trophy came back to the Hawkeyes, as it has so many times in recent years.

2. Brian Ferentz falls short

One of the more interesting storylines of the offseason that didn’t include realignment was the restructured contract of Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Essentially, the new deal for the head coach’s son stipulates that he must average 25 points per game if he wants to keep his job.

On Saturday, he fell short of that mark. It’s obviously an average, and he’ll have all year to raise that number, but this game was highly indicative of the Hawkeyes’ offensive frustrations.

In a game where the Iowa defense held Iowa State to 13 points, including just three through the first three quarters, this shouldn’t have been close. Once again, instead of putting away an opponent when it had the chance, this offense almost kept this team from a big victory.

The Hawkeyes totaled just 235 yards of offense. They converted a disappointing 5-of-14 third-down attempts. They averaged under six yards per pass and under four yards per carry.

A win is a win, but Iowa was the same old Iowa in this win. Imagine how good this program could be with a competent offense. If Brian Ferentz doesn’t call a better offense, we may find out in 2024.

3. Did Matt Campbell miss his window?

Just a few years ago, Matt Campbell was one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel. His tenure with Iowa State peaked in 2020 with a 9-3 record and a Fiesta Bowl victory.

Since then, things have gotten tough in Ames. In 2021, the Cyclones finished 7-6, and last year a disappointing 4-8. Virtually all of the momentum he had has gone up in smoke. Saturday’s performance only underlined that trend.

Campbell’s background is in offense, yet his offense struggled mightily. Rocco Becht completed only 23 of his 44 passing attempts for 203 yards, just 4.6 yards per attempt.

Things weren’t any better on the ground. The Cyclones gained just 87 rushing yards on 31 attempts. The longest run of the entire game was 11 yards.

A significant lull has set in for this program, and it’s undoubtedly affected Campbell’s job prospects. A coach who once had his name thrown around for extremely prestigious jobs is now struggling to inspire confidence in a lower-tier Big 12 program.

If there’s ever an example of a coach who needed to strike while the iron was hot, it’s Campbell. Instead, he now faces an uphill battle of injecting life back into the Cyclones.