2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Big Ten West Division champion
Big Ten Championship Game, L 13–16 vs Michigan State
Rose Bowl, L 16–45 vs. Stanford
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 9
2015 record	12–2 (8–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz (17th season)
Offensive coordinator	Greg Davis (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Phil Parker (4th year as DC; 17th overall season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	C. J. Beathard Austin Blythe Jordan Lomax Drew Ott
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium (Capacity: 70,585)
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 6 Michigan State xy$^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 4 Ohio State x		7	–	1					12	–	1
No. 12 Michigan		6	–	2					10	–	3
Penn State		4	–	4					7	–	6
Indiana		2	–	6					6	–	7
Rutgers		1	–	7					4	–	8
Maryland		1	–	7					3	–	9
West Division
No. 9 Iowa xy		8	–	0					12	–	2
No. 23 Northwestern		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 21 Wisconsin		6	–	2					10	–	3
Nebraska		3	–	5					6	–	7
Minnesota		2	–	6					6	–	7
Illinois		2	–	6					5	–	7
Purdue		1	–	7					2	–	10
Championship: Michigan State 16, Iowa 13
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes, led by 17th year head coach Kirk Ferentz, were members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Kinnick Stadium. Despite modest expectations entering the season, the team finished 12–2 overall and 8–0 in Big Ten play to win the West Division. After losing a classic to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Hawkeyes were invited to the 2016 Rose Bowl where they were beaten by Stanford. The team established a new single-season school record for wins.

2015 commitments[]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Ryan Boyle QB	West Des Moines, IA	Dowling Catholic High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	4.6	Mar 26, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Drew Cook ATH	Iowa City, IA	Iowa City Regina High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	4.7	Feb 26, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
James Daniels C	Warren, OH	Warren G. Harding High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	287 lb (130 kg)	5.2	Jul 31, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Adrian Falconer WR	Leesburg, FL	Leesburg High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	186 lb (84 kg)	4.5	Jun 21, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Angelo Garbutt OLB	Carrollton, TX	Hebron High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	4.5	Mar 2, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Eric Graham RB	Prattville, AL	Autauga Academy	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	4.4	Apr 2, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Jack Hockaday OLB	Maroa, IL	Maroa-Forsyth High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	4.6	Mar 29, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Garret Jansen DE	Pella, IA	Pella High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	248 lb (112 kg)	5.0	Jan 30, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Justin Jinning OLB	The Colony, TX	The Colony High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.7	Jun 23, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ron Nash WR	Sioux City, IA	Iowa Western Community College	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	NA	Mar 31, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Anthony Nelson DE	Waukee, IA	Waukee High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	4.9	May 1, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jake Newborg OG	Inwood, IA	West Lyon High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	271 lb (123 kg)	5.0	Aug 31, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Emmanuel Ogwo WR	Mesquite, TX	Van Horn High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.6	Jul 30, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Levi Paulsen OT	Moville, IA	Woodbury Central High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	266 lb (121 kg)	5.0	Feb 3, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Landan Paulsen OG	Moville, IA	Woodbury Central High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	274 lb (124 kg)	5.0	Feb 3, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brady Reiff DE	Parkston, SD	Parkston High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.5	Apr 24, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Michael Slater Jr. DE	Chesterfield, MO	Parkway Central High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	4.7	Oct 15, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jerminic Smith WR	Garland, TX	South Garland High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	4.4	Feb 11, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Nate Vejvoda TE	New Lenox, IL	Providence Catholic High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	4.7	Jul 26, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brett Waechter OT	Hartley, IA	Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	5.0	Nov 6, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Nick Wilson OLB	West Des Moines, IA	Dowling Catholic High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	4.6	Jan 2, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 51   Rivals: 58  247Sports: 59
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "ESPN- College Football Recruiting Schools". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	11:00 am	No. 2 (FCS) Illinois State*		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	W 31–14	59,450
September 12	3:45 pm	at Iowa State*		Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA (Cy-Hawk Trophy)	FOX	W 31–17	61,500
September 19	7:00 pm	Pittsburgh*		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	W 27–24	63,636
September 26	2:30 pm	North Texas*		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPNU	W 62–16	56,041
October 3	11:00 am	at No. 19 Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Heartland Trophy)	ESPN	W 10–6	80,933
October 10	11:00 am	Illinois	No. 22	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN2	W 29–20	66,693
October 17	11:00 am	at No. 20 Northwestern	No. 17	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ABC/ESPN2	W 40–10	44,135
October 31	2:30 pm	Maryland	No. 10	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ABC/ESPN2	W 31–15	62,667
November 7	2:30 pm	at Indiana	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	ESPN	W 35–27	44,739
November 14	7:00 pm	Minnesota	No. 8	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Floyd of Rosedale)	BTN	W 40–35	70,585
November 21	11:00 am	Purdue	No. 6	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN2	W 40–20	62,920
November 27	2:30 pm	at Nebraska	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (Heroes Game)	ABC	W 28–20	90,830
December 5	7:15 pm	vs. No. 5 Michigan State	No. 4	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game) (College GameDay)	FOX	L 13–16	66,985
January 1	4:10 pm	vs. No. 6 Stanford*	No. 5	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) (College GameDay)	ESPN	L 16–45	94,268
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]

Roster[]

2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 16 C. J. Beathard Jr QB 11 Ryan Boyle Fr QB 18 Drew Cook Fr QB 15 Ryan Schmidt Fr QB 8 Tyler Wiegers  Fr RB 40 Lane Akre Fr RB 33 Jordan Canzeri Sr RB 38 Adam Cox Jr RB 29 LeShun Daniels Jr. Jr RB 23 Eric Graham Fr RB 26 Joly Marcel  Fr RB 41 Austin Kelly  Fr RB 45 Drake Kulick So RB 31 Aaron Mends  Fr RB 10 Jonathan Parker So RB 42 Macon Plewa Sr RB 25 Akrum Wadley So WR 2 Brandon Bishop  Fr WR 82 Adrian Falconer Fr WR 84 Andre Harris So WR 17 Jacob Hillyer Sr WR 15 Joshua Jackson  Fr WR 14 Conner Keane So WR 83 Riley McCarron Jr WR 85 Derrick Mitchell, Jr. So WR 21 Ronald Nash Fr WR 6 Emmanuel Ogwo Fr WR 3 Jay Scheel  Fr WR 9 Jerminic Smith Fr WR 4 Tevaun Smith Jr WR 20 Andrew Stone Sr WR 89 Matt VandeBerg Jr TE 87 Jake Duzey  Sr TE 46 George Kittle Jr TE 80 Henry Krieger-Coble Sr TE 92 Jameer Outsey  Fr TE 86 Peter Pekar So TE 92 Blake Simons Fr TE 85 Nate Vejvoda Fr TE 90 Nate Wieting Fr TE 81 Jon Wisnieski  Fr OL 63 Austin Blythe Sr OL 75 Ike Boettger So OL 64 Cole Croston Jr OL 78 James Daniels Fr OL 54 Steve Ferentz Jr OL 76 Dalton Ferguson  Fr OL 74 Mitch Keppy Jr OL 70 Lucas LeGrand  Fr OL 52 Boone Myers So OL 57 Jake Newborg Fr OL 68 Landan Paulsen Fr OL 66 Levi Paulsen Fr OL 69 Keegan Render  Fr OL 59 Ross Reynolds  Fr OL 58 Eric Simmons Sr OL 71 Brett Waechter Fr OL 65 Jordan Walsh Sr OL 73 Ryan Ward Jr OL 79 Sean Welsh So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL 99 Nathan Bazata So DL 90 Sam Brincks  Fr DL 97 Darian Cooper  Sr DL 56 Faith Ekakitie Jr DL 77 Daniel Gaffney So DL 60 Jacob Giese Fr DL 72 Brant Gressel So DL 93 Terrence Harris  Fr DL 40 Parker Hesse  Fr DL 88 Jake Hulett So DL 53 Garret Jansen Fr DL 67 Jaleel Johnson Jr DL 34 Nate Meier Sr DL 98 Anthony Nelson Fr DL 96 Matt Nelson  Fr DL 95 Drew Ott  Sr DL 91 Brady Reiff Fr DL 94 Michael Slater Fr DL 61 Kyle Terlouw Jr LB 41 Bo Bower So LB 51 Drake Dunker Fr LB 36 Cole Fisher Sr LB 22 Angelo Garbutt Fr LB 45 Eric Grimm  Fr LB 48 Jack Hockaday Fr LB 43 Josey Jewell So LB 21 Justin Jinning Fr LB 15 Steve Manders So LB 44 Ben Niemann So LB 39 Travis Perry Sr LB 55 Brady Ross Fr LB 50 Jacob Sobotka  Fr LB 49 Melvin Spears Sr LB 29 Nick Wilson Fr DB 4 Jacob Black So DB 7 Sean Draper Sr DB 28 Maurice Fleming Jr DB 12 Anthony Gair Jr DB 30 Jake Gervase  Fr DB 14 Desmond King Jr DB 8 Isaiah Kramme Fr DB 27 Jordan Lomax Sr DB 13 Greg Mabin Jr DB 4 John Milani Fr DB 11 Michael Ojemudia Fr DB 37 Brandon Snyder  Fr DB 19 Miles Taylor So DB 5 Omar Truitt  Fr DB 26 Kevin Ward So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 2 Mick Ellis So K 1 Marshall Koehn Sr K 91 Miguel Recinos  Fr P 16 Dillon Kidd Sr P 7 Colton Rastetter Fr LS 97 Tyler Kluver So LS 50 Jackson Subbert Fr	Head coach Kirk Ferentz Coordinators/assistant coaches Greg Davis – Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Phil Parker – Defensive Coordinator Brian Ferentz – Offensive Line Bobby Kennedy – Wide Receivers Reese Morgan – Defensive Line Jim Reid – Linebackers Seth Wallace – Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Assistant Coach Chris White – Running Backs and Special Teams LeVar Woods – Tight Ends Chris Doyle – Strength and Conditioning Raimond Braithwaite – Strength and Conditioning Assistant Coach Justin Lima – Strength and Conditioning Assistant Coach Cody Myers – Strength and Conditioning Assistant Coach Joel Welsh, Jr. – Strength and Conditioning Assistant Coach Paul Federici – Director of Football Operations Chic Ejiasi – Director of Player Development Scott Southmayd – Director of Player Personnel Max Allen – Director of New Media Ben Hansen – Assistant Director of Football Operations Kelvin Bell – Director of On-Campus Recruiting Tyler Anderson – Defensive Graduate Assistant Broderick Binns – Special Teams Graduate Assistant A.J. Haase – Offensive Graduate Assistant Ned Amendola, M.D. – Director, UI Sports Medicine Center Doug West – Senior Athletic Trainer Russ Haynes – Associate Director, Athletic Training Services Bob Rahfeldt – Video Coordinator Chris Ruth – Assistant Video Coordinator Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 8/27/15

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	22	17	12	10	10	8	6	3	4	6	9
Coaches	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	23	17	13	11	11	8	6	3 (1)	3 (1)	7	10
CFP	Not released									9	5	5	4	4	5	Not released

Game summaries[]

#2 (FCS) Illinois State[]

Illinois State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total No. 2 (FCS) Redbirds 0 0 0 14 14 • Hawkeyes 7 10 7 7 31 Date: September 5 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 11:01 AM CDT Elapsed time: 2:55 Game attendance: 59,450 Game weather: 84°F, Partly Sunny and Humid, Wind 8–9 MPH Referee: Todd Geerlings TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 7:29 Iowa C. J. Beathard 6-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–0 2 12:35 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 5-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 14–0 2 0:00 Iowa Marshall Koehn 40-yard field goal Iowa 17–0 3 1:22 Iowa Matt VandeBerg 9-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 24–0 4 7:54 Iowa C. J. Beathard 1-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 31–0 4 5:34 Illinois St Brady Tibbits 1-yard pass from Jake Kolbe (Sean Slattery kick) Iowa 31–7 4 0:49 Illinois St Anthony Warrum 22-yard pass from Jake Kolbe (Sean Slattery kick) Iowa 31–14

Iowa was in control of this opening day game but wasn't able to pull away until well into the third quarter. The Hawkeyes had a balanced offensive attack with nearly 450 yards of total offense with Daniels getting over 100 yards on the ground.

^[2]

at Iowa State[]

Iowa at Iowa State
Cy-Hawk Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total • Hawkeyes 3 7 7 14 31 Cyclones 3 14 0 0 17 Date: September 12 Location: Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA Game start: 3:45 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 61,500 Game weather: 67°F, Mostly Sunny, Wind N 5 Referee: Mike Cannon TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Molly McGrath Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 5:44 Iowa Marshall Koehn 49-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 1 2:07 Iowa State Cole Netten 37-yard field goal Tied 3–3 2 13:12 Iowa State Quenton Bundrage 11-yard pass from Sam B. Richardson (Cole Netten kick) Iowa State 10–3 2 4:24 Iowa Tevaun Smith 14-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Tied 10–10 2 2:19 Iowa State Jauan Wesley 29-yard pass from Sam B. Richardson (Cole Netten kick) Iowa State 17–10 3 10:05 Iowa Matt VandeBerg 3-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Tied 17–17 4 2:14 Iowa Riley McCarron 25-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 24–17 4 1:05 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 8-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 31–17

It was an emotional week leading up to the game because former All-Big Ten Safety Tyler Sash and basketball legend Roy Marble died. The Hawkeyes honored Sash by wearing the number 9 (Sash's jersey number at Iowa) in place of the Tigerhawk on one side of their helmets.^[3]

C. J. Beathard threw three touchdown passes to lead the Hawkeyes to victory.^[4] He also added two long runs and was named co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.^[5]

Pittsburgh[]

Pittsburgh at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 0 7 10 7 24 • Hawkeyes 3 14 0 10 27 Date: September 19 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 7:12 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 63,636 Game weather: 63°F, Mostly Sunny, Wind 2–5 Referee: J. Magallanes TV announcers (BTN): Joe Beninati, Glen Mason Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 8:59 Iowa Marshall Koehn 43-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 2 14:12 Iowa C. J. Beathard 9-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 10–0 2 10:11 Pitt Scott Orndoff 15-yard pass from Nathan Peterman (Chris Blewitt kick) Iowa 10–7 2 0:44 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 4-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 17–7 3 9:40 Pitt Chris Blewitt 48-yard field goal Iowa 17–10 3 5:51 Pitt Pat Amara, Jr. 28-yard return of blocked punt (Chris Blewitt kick) Tied 17–17 4 6:04 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 1-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 24–17 4 0:52 Pitt Tyler Boyd 8-yard pass from Nathan Peterman (Chris Blewitt kick) Tied 24–24 4 0:00 Iowa Marshall Koehn 57-yard field goal Iowa 27–24

The Hawkeyes never trailed in this physical matchup, and Marshall Koehn booted a 57-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa the win.^[6] His effort was good enough to earn Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors.^[7]

North Texas[]

North Texas at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Mean Green 0 13 3 0 16 • Hawkeyes 14 21 13 14 62 Date: September 26 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:32 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 56,041 Game weather: 77°F, Mostly Sunny, Wind W 10 Referee: Jerry McGinn TV announcers (ESPNU): Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 11:36 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 16-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–0 1 5:56 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 10-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 14–0 2 13:17 North Texas Trevor Moore 38-yard field goal Iowa 14–3 2 12:20 Iowa George Kittle 43-yard pass from C. J. Bethard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 21–3 2 10:47 Iowa Tevaun Smith 81-yard pass from C. J. Bethard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 28–3 2 7:54 North Texas Trevor Moore 38-yard field goal Iowa 28–6 2 7:33 North Texas Chris Loving 6-yard pass from Carlos Harris (Trevor Moore kick) Iowa 28–13 2 1:56 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 3-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 35–13 3 10:48 North Texas Trevor Moore 31-yard field goal Iowa 35–16 3 0:45 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 1-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 42–16 3 0:15 Iowa Josey Jewell 34-yard interception return (Marshall Koehn kick failed) Iowa 48–16 4 6:35 Iowa Akrum Wadley 2-yard run (Miguel Recinos kick) Iowa 55–16 4 2:47 Iowa Bo Bower 88-yard interception return (Miguel Recinos kick) Iowa 62–16

The Hawkeyes dominated from start to finish in this lopsided victory. The final result isn't even indicative of how much Iowa rolled over the Mean Green as Iowa called off the dogs in the second half but still continued to score. Jordan Canzeri rushed for 4 touchdowns to tie the Iowa single-game record.

^[8]

at Wisconsin[]

Iowa at #19 Wisconsin
Heartland Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total • Hawkeyes 0 10 0 0 10 No. 19 Badgers 3 0 3 0 6 Date: October 3 Location: Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI Game start: 11:01 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 80,933 Game weather: 50°F, Partly Cloudy, Wind ENE 14 Referee: D. Willard TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Brock Huard, Shannon Spake Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 9:58 Wis Rafael Gaglianone 46-yard field goal Wisconsin 3–0 2 2:59 Iowa George Kittle 1-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–3 2 1:03 Iowa Marshall Koehn 33-yard field goal Iowa 10–3 3 3:40 Wis Rafael Gaglianone 46-yard field goal Iowa 10–6

^[9]

Following a season opening loss to #3 Alabama, the Badgers entered this game ranked #19 after three straight convincing wins (outscoring those opponents 114–3). Wisconsin kicked a field goal on the game's opening possession to take an early 3–0 lead. The Hawkeyes capitalized on two second quarter miscues to take a 10–3 advantage into the locker room. Wisconsin tacked on a field goal in the 3rd quarter, making it 10–6. Midway through the 4th quarter, the Hawkeyes recovered a costly Wisconsin fumble on a 2nd and goal play from the Iowa 1-yard line. The Badgers reached the Iowa 16 on their final possession, but a 4th down pass fell incomplete with 36 seconds remaining and the Hawkeyes ran out the clock, ending a classic defensive battle.^[10] Cornerback Desmond King collected his second two-interception game of the season and was named co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week^[11] and Jim Thorpe Defensive Player of the Week.^[12]

Wisconsin was 71–9 in 80 games at Camp Randall Stadium dating back to the final game of the 2003 regular season and ending with this game. Incredibly, Iowa was 4–1 in those games with Wisconsin going 70–5 against all other opponents.

After this game, Wisconsin held a 44–43–2 edge in the rivalry.

Illinois[]

Illinois at #22 Iowa
Homecoming

1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Illini 7 0 6 7 20 • No. 22 Hawkeyes 6 10 7 6 29 Date: October 10 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 11:01 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:29 Game attendance: 66,693 Game weather: 57°F, Mostly Sunny, Wind 6 Referee: Daniel Capron TV announcers (ESPN2): Clay Matvick, John Congemi Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 8:30 Iowa George Kittle 21-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick failed) Iowa 6–0 1 6:29 Illinois Ke'Shawn Vaughn 4 yard run (T. Zalewski kick) Illinois 7–6 2 7:50 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 17-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 13–7 2 0:15 Iowa Marshall Koehn 19-yard field goal Iowa 16–7 3 11:32 Illinois T. Zalewski 37-yard field goal Iowa 16–10 3 2:56 Illinois T. Zalewski 40-yard field goal Iowa 16–13 3 2:45 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 75-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 23–13 4 10:13 Illinois Geronimo Allison 53-yard pass from Wes Lunt (T. Zalewski kick) Iowa 23–20 4 3:20 Iowa Marshall Koehn 34-yard field goal Iowa 26–20 4 2:11 Iowa Marshall Koehn 40-yard field goal Iowa 29–20

^[13]

Senior running back Jordan Canzeri carried the ball 43 times (school record) for 256 yards (third-best in school history) and a touchdown.^[14][15] He also had a receiving touchdown, and earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.^[16]

at Northwestern[]

#17 Iowa at #20 Northwestern

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 17 Hawkeyes 3 13 14 10 40 No. 20 Wildcats 0 10 0 0 10 Date: October 17 Location: Ryan Field Evanston, IL Game start: 11:05 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:24 Game attendance: 44,135 Game weather: 46°F, Partly cloudy, Wind NNW 12 Referee: Jeff Servinski TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 9:59 Iowa Marshall Koehn 36-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 2 14:52 Iowa Akrum Wadley 35-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick failed) Iowa 9–0 2 10:15 Iowa Akrum Wadley 4-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 16–0 2 6:18 NW Christian Jones 4-yard pass from Clayton Thorson (Jack Mitchell kick) Iowa 16–7 2 2:40 NW Jack Mitchell 20-yard field goal Iowa 16–10 3 6:42 Iowa Akrum Wadley 2-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 23–10 3 5:26 Iowa Akrum Wadley 4-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 30–10 4 10:49 Iowa Marshall Koehn 22-yard field goal Iowa 33–10 4 7:55 Iowa Derrick Mitchell Jr. 13-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 40–10

^[17]

Despite entering the game very banged up, and losing RB Jordan Canzeri early in this one, Iowa dominated the Wildcats.^[18] Sophomore Akrum Wadley became the second Iowa running back to go over 200 yards in Big Ten play (in 2015). He finished with 204 yards and a school record-tying 4 rushing touchdowns, and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.^[19]

The 30-point Hawkeye victory spoiled Northwestern's Homecoming and the 20-year Reunion of the 1995 Big Ten Championship team.

Maryland[]

Maryland at #10 Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Terrapins 0 0 0 15 15 • No. 10 Hawkeyes 7 14 0 10 31 Date: October 31 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:41 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 62,667 Game weather: 51°F, Cloudy with rain, Wind W 10 Referee: Ron Snodgrass TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer, Olivia Harlan Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 4:42 Iowa Leshun Daniels 1-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–0 2 8:30 Iowa Akrum Wadley 11-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 14–0 2 0:09 Iowa Derrick Mitchell Jr. 2-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 21–0 4 14:37 Maryland Taivon Jacobs 7-yard pass from Perry Hills (Brad Craddock kick) Iowa 21–7 4 11:04 Iowa Marshall Koehn 49-yard field goal Iowa 24–7 4 7:38 Iowa Desmond King 88-yard interception return (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 31–7 4 7:26 Maryland William Likely 100-yard kickoff return (Perry Hills rush) Iowa 31–15

The Hawkeyes never trailed in this game with the Terrapins. However, the game's result was still in doubt well into the fourth quarter until a pick six by eventual Jim Thorpe awardee and future NFL player Desmond King all but assured the victory for Iowa.

^{[20] [21]}

at Indiana[]

#9 Iowa at Indiana

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 9 Hawkeyes 7 14 0 14 35 Hoosiers 3 14 0 10 27 Date: November 7 Location: Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN Game start: 3:35 PM EST Elapsed time: 2:55 Game attendance: 44,739 Game weather: 58°F, Sunny, Wind NW 6 Referee: Jerry McGinn TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jerry Punch Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 14:10 Iowa Akrum Wadley 65-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–0 1 10:09 Indiana Griffin Oakes 32-yard field goal Iowa 7–3 2 12:17 Iowa LeShun Daniels 4-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 14–3 2 8:52 Indiana Jordan Howard 37-yard run (Griffin Oakes kick) Iowa 14–10 2 3:52 Indiana Jordan Howard 29-yard run (Griffin Oakes kick) Indiana 17–14 2 0:17 Iowa C. J. Beathard 7-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 21–17 4 13:22 Indiana Griffin Oakes 28-yard field goal Iowa 21–20 4 10:07 Iowa LeShun Daniels 1-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 28–20 4 6:03 Iowa George Kittle 10-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 35–20 4 2:24 Indiana Michael Cooper 11-yard pass from Nate Sudfeld (Griffin Oakes kick) Iowa 35–27

Every time it looked like Iowa might pull away, Indiana came back to keep it close in this back-and-forth game. One of the most critical plays of the contest came on a C. J. Beathard diving touchdown with only 17 seconds remaining before halftime. The play was reviewed as it looked like he might have lost possession before crossing the goal line but it was ultimately ruled a touchdown.

^{[22] [23]}

Minnesota[]

Minnesota at #5 Iowa
Floyd of Rosedale

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 7 7 7 14 35 • No. 5 Hawkeyes 7 17 3 13 40 Date: November 14 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 7:12 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 70,585 Game weather: 58°F, Clear, Wind 5 Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 4:23 Iowa LeShun Daniels 3-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–0 1 1:54 Minn Mitch Leidner 2-yard run (Ryan Santoso kick) Tied 7–7 2 14:24 Iowa C. J. Beathard 1-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 14–7 2 12:06 Minn Brandon Lingen 40-yard pass from Mitch Leidner (Ryan Santoso kick) Tied 14–14 2 7:47 Iowa Marshall Koehn 47-yard field goal Iowa 17–14 2 0:44 Iowa LeShun Daniels 2-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 24–14 3 8:04 Iowa Marshall Koehn 38-yard field goal Iowa 27–14 3 1:05 Minn R. Williams 1-yard run (Ryan Santoso kick) Iowa 27–21 4 14:30 Iowa C. J. Beathard 1-yard run (C. J. Beathard run failed) Iowa 33–21 4 5:32 Minn Drew Wolitarsky 42-yard pass from Shannon Brooks (Ryan Santoso kick) Iowa 33–28 4 2:01 Iowa LeShun Daniels 51-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 40–28 4 1:16 Minn Shannon Brooks 3-yard run (Ryan Santoso kick) Iowa 40–35

^[24][25]

Minnesota returned to Kinnick Stadium for the annual Floyd of Rosedale game with a lot of momentum from last year, when they routed Iowa 51–14 in the Twin Cities. Minnesota, despite losing David Cobb to the NFL last year and going through a mid-season coaching transition, had a lot to prove as they entered the undefeated #5 Iowa's home stadium in an attempt to deliver the upset. Mitch Leidner, who had not lived up to expectations early in the season, was coming off a good run of games, and had two weeks earlier come within a 4th-down pass at the 1 to beating a hot Michigan team.

Minnesota hung on well to the Hawkeyes but were unable to stop the Iowa halfbacks. LeShun Daniels Jr. ran for nearly 200 yards, and CJ Beathard scored on a play action bootleg in the red zone, reminiscent of Iowa great Chuck Long's game-winning bootleg against Michigan State in 1985.

Iowa kept building on its lead all night, and LeShun Daniels Jr. broke through the box to run it in 51 yards in the final 3 minutes. With Minnesota down two scores, Shannon Brooks took the offense on a high-energy no-huddle drive through the air that took less than 1 minute to score. Minnesota's onside kick failed, and Iowa took the win, 40–35.

Purdue[]

Purdue at #5 Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Boilermakers 0 10 3 7 20 • No. 5 Hawkeyes 14 6 7 13 40 Date: November 21 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 11:00 AM CST Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 62,920 Game weather: 27°F, Mostly sunny, Wind 25 MPH Referee: Jeff Servinski TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Paul Carcaterra Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 8:54 Iowa LeShun Daniels 2-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–0 1 4:32 Iowa LeShun Daniels 13-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 14–0 2 13:40 Iowa Matt VandeBerg 7-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick blocked) Iowa 20–0 2 3:55 Purdue Markell Jones 1-yard run (Paul Griggs kick) Iowa 20–7 2 0:25 Purdue Paul Griggs 20-yard field goal Iowa 20–10 3 10:26 Purdue Paul Griggs 22-yard field goal Iowa 20–13 3 3:20 Iowa George Kittle 35-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 27–13 4 8:40 Iowa Henry Krieger-Coble 22-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick failed) Iowa 33–13 4 4:46 Purdue S. Mikesky 19-yard pass from A. Appleby (Paul Griggs kick) Iowa 33–20 4 2:12 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 42-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 40–20

^[26]

The Hawkeyes jumped ahead 20–0 early in the second quarter and, after Purdue closed to within 20–13, scored 20 of the game's final 27 points for the 40–20 triumph. The win on Senior Day secured Iowa's first unbeaten record at Kinnick Stadium since the 2004 season (6–0), and matched the 7–0 mark at home from the 2003 season.^[27][28]

Senior Jordan Lomax led the Hawkeyes with 13 tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble in earning Lott IMPACT Player of the Week honors.^[29]

at Nebraska[]

#4 Iowa at Nebraska
The Heroes Game

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 4 Hawkeyes 0 14 14 0 28 Cornhuskers 0 10 7 3 20 Date: November 27 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:36 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 90,830 Game weather: 24°F, Overcast, Wind N 13 Referee: Ron Snodgrass TV announcers (ABC): Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer, Olivia Harlan Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 2 13:50 Iowa George Kittle 10-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 7–0 2 10:18 Nebraska Imani Cross 4-yard run (Drew Brown kick) Tied 7–7 2 6:38 Iowa Parker Hesse 4-yard Interception return (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 14–7 2 0:03 Nebraska Drew Brown 39-yard field goal Iowa 14–10 3 12:17 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 29-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 21–10 3 7:00 Nebraska Imani Cross 4-yard run (Drew Brown kick) Iowa 21–17 3 6:43 Iowa Jordan Canzeri 68-yard run (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 28–17 4 1:17 Nebraska Drew Brown 42-yard field goal Iowa 28–20

^{[30] [31]}

The Hawkeyes finished their first unbeaten regular season since the 1922 season, establishing a single-season school record with 12 wins.^[32][33][34] Iowa intercepted four passes (Parker Hesse returned one for a touchdown to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors^[35]), and Jordan Canzeri ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. With wins over Iowa State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska, Iowa recaptured all four rivalry trophies in 2015.

vs. Michigan State (Big Ten Championship Game)[]

#5 Michigan State vs. #4 Iowa
Big Ten Championship Game

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 5 Spartans 3 0 6 7 16 No. 4 Hawkeyes 3 3 0 7 13 Date: December 5 Location: Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN Game start: 8:18 PM EST Elapsed time: 3:31 Game attendance: 66,985 Game weather: Indoors Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Molly McGrath Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 11:11 MSU Michael Geiger 23-yard field goal MSU 3–0 1 5:08 Iowa Marshall Koehn 24-yard field goal Tied 3–3 2 13:28 Iowa Marshall Koehn 43-yard field goal Iowa 6–3 3 4:23 MSU Michael Geiger 29-yard field goal Tied 6–6 3 0:57 MSU Michael Geiger 47-yard field goal MSU 9–6 4 14:49 Iowa Tevaun Smith 85-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Iowa 13–9 4 0:27 MSU LJ Scott 1-yard run (Michael Geiger kick) MSU 16–13

^{[36] [37] [38] [39]}

Iowa turned the ball over twice in the first half – a fumble leading to the Spartans first points and an interception in the end zone – but led 6–3. Michigan State dominated the third quarter in time of possession and yardage, and tacked on two field goals to lead 9–6. Trailing entering the 4th quarter for the first time all season, the Hawkeyes responded in a big way with an 85-yard touchdown pass from C. J. Beathard to Tevaun Smith that gave Iowa a 13–9 lead with 14:49 remaining. After exchanging punts, Michigan State marched 82 yards in 22 plays and took 9:04 off the clock. The game-winning score came on a 1-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left.^{[40] [41]}

vs. Stanford (Rose Bowl)[]

#6 Stanford vs. #5 Iowa
Rose Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 6 Cardinal 21 14 3 7 45 No. 5 Hawkeyes 0 0 3 13 16 Date: January 1 Location: Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA Game start: 2:12 PM PST Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 94,268 Game weather: Sunny, 64°F, wind 5 mph SW Referee: Reggie Smith TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor Sources: Box score

Scoring summary 1 14:49 Stan C. McCaffrey 75-yard pass from K. Hogan (Ukropina kick) Stan 7–0 1 9:12 Stan K. Hogan 8-yard run (Ukropina kick) Stan 14–0 1 4:07 Stan Meeks 66-yard INT return (Ukropina kick) Stan 21–0 2 14:12 Stan C. McCaffrey 66-yard punt return (Ukropina kick) Stan 28–0 2 8:22 Stan M. Rector 31-yard pass from K. Hogan (Ukropina kick) Stan 35–0 3 11:09 Stan Ukropina 31-yard field goal Stan 38–0 3 3:36 Iowa Marshall Koehn 39-yard field goal Stan 38–3 4 13:12 Iowa Matt VandeBerg 36-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick failed) Stan 38–9 4 2:46 Iowa Akrum Wadley 31-yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Marshall Koehn kick) Stan 38–16 4 1:54 Stan M. Rector 42-yard pass from K. Hogan (Ukropina kick) Stan 45–16

^{[42] [43] [44]}

The Hawkeyes received a bid to the 2016 Rose Bowl after dropping in the College Football Playoff ranking to #5 in their loss to Michigan State, which came as a surprise to much of sports media who believed that Ohio State would jump the loser of the Big Ten Championship Game. Since the Rose Bowl traditionally gives a bid to the winner of the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, and due to the new College Football Playoff system where the conference champion was likely to enter the playoff, the Rose Bowl committee had announced prior to the Big Ten Championship Game that they would give a bid to the second highest-ranked Big Ten team if a Big Ten team entered the playoff, since it was clear that the winner of the Big Ten Championship Game would finish in the Top 4 ranking.

#5 Iowa was named the home team and #6 Stanford was named the away team. Sports analysts had anticipated the contest to be exciting, due mainly to the matchup between Iowa's strong run defense and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Iowa's run defense finished the season ranked 14th, allowing only 121 yards per game and having defeated historically rushing teams like Wisconsin, Indiana, and Nebraska.^[45] Contrarily, Christian McCaffrey led the FBS in the 2015 season with 3,864 all-purpose yards, which came from punt/kick returns, runs from scrimmage, and passes out of the backfield.^[46]

Christian McCaffrey caught a short pass and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The Hawkeyes were unable to stop him, as he averaged 9.6 YPC (172 yards on 18 carries), returned a punt for a touchdown, and converted many third downs. Though he did not rush for any touchdowns from scrimmage, he proved to be the primary playmaker for Stanford, catching a third (4) of Kevin Hogan's passes. McCaffrey was such an offensive threat that Hogan was able to make large gains with the read option, including a wide-open first-quarter option TD run.

Iowa was unable to get their run game going, rushing as a team for 1.3 YPC (48 yards on 38 carries). The longest Iowa runs came from LeShun Daniels, Jr. and Akrum Wadley (14 and 12 yards, respectively),^[47] as well as a 14-yard scramble by Beathard. Iowa's inability to establish a run game closed up Iowa's potential for play-action passing, which has been Beathard's bread and butter all season. Jordan Canzeri, Iowa's power halfback, was unable to churn significant yardage, and 3rd-team halfback Akrum Wadley (who had a 200-yard game at Northwestern, when Daniels and Canzeri were both injured) split ballcarrying duties with Daniels in the second half. Iowa's halfbacks, their biggest threat all season, were overall unable to garner any significant yardage on the ground; Derek Mitchell, Jr., Iowa's 4th-team halfback, saw significant action lining up in the backfield and caught 4 passes for 41 yards, and Wadley also contributed to the pass game by catching 3 for 60.^[47]

Stanford shut Iowa out in the first half 35–0, with Stanford's 35 points the most scored in the first half of a Rose Bowl in its entire 102-year history.^[48] Stanford's 21–0 first-quarter lead was also the most first-quarter points scored by one team in Rose Bowl history.^[48] Christian McCaffrey gained a total of 368 all-purpose yards, setting another Rose Bowl record.^[48]

By the second half, Stanford's explosiveness slowed down, scoring just 10 second-half points versus their 35 first-half points. Iowa did not score until the 3rd quarter when placekicker Marshall Koehn kicked a field goal after converting on 4th down earlier in the drive; Beathard threw 2 touchdowns in the 4th quarter, with Koehn missing one of the two PATs.

Iowa had a slight advantage in time of possession, possessing the ball for almost 33 minutes, though they were simply unable to make meaning out of their possessions. Iowa also outgained Stanford through the air by a slim margin, with 239 yards to Stanford's 223.^[49]

Iowa remained a symbol of old-school Big Ten power football, with most of their completed passes thrown to tight ends and halfbacks. Matt Vandeberg caught a touchdown pass, but star wideout Tevaun Smith only recorded 2 short receptions.

Postseason Awards[]

• Kirk Ferentz – Big Ten Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year,^[50] Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year^[51]
• Desmond King – Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, Winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back,^[52] and Unanimous First-team All-American.

Players in the 2016 NFL Draft[]

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club	Ref
Austin Blythe	Center	7	248	Indianapolis Colts	[53]

References[]