2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Big Ten West Division champion
Big Ten Championship Game, L 3–42 vs. Michigan
Citrus Bowl, vs. Kentucky
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 16
AP	No. 17
CFP	No. 15
2021 record	10–3 (7–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz (23rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Brian Ferentz (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Phil Parker (10th season)
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium (Capacity: 69,250)
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 2 Michigan xy$^		8	–	1					12	–	1
No. 6 Ohio State x		8	–	1					10	–	2
No. 10 Michigan State		7	–	2					10	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					7	–	5
Maryland		3	–	6					6	–	6
Rutgers		2	–	7					5	–	7
Indiana		0	–	9					2	–	10
West Division
No. 15 Iowa xy		7	–	2					10	–	3
Minnesota		6	–	3					8	–	4
Wisconsin		6	–	3					8	–	4
Purdue		6	–	3					8	–	4
Illinois		4	–	5					5	–	7
Nebraska		1	–	8					3	–	9
Northwestern		1	–	8					3	–	9
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2021; Rankings from CFP Rankings

The 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represents the University of Iowa during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes play their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and compete in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They are led by 23rd-year head coach Kirk Ferentz.

With a victory over rival Nebraska on November 26 coupled with a Wisconsin loss to Minnesota the following day, Iowa won its first Big Ten West title since 2015. They competed in the Big Ten Championship Game against East Division co-champion Michigan, where they lost by a 39 point margin.

Previous season[]

After scheduled games against Northern Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Illinois were canceled due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule,^[1] the 2020 Hawkeyes team finished with a 6–2 record to finish in second place in the West Division. They received an invitation to the Music City Bowl with a matchup with Missouri, but the game was cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Tigers' football program.^[2]

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4, 2021	2:30 p.m.	No. 17 Indiana	No. 18	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	W 34–6	68,166
September 11	3:30 p.m.	at No. 9 Iowa State*	No. 10	Jack Trice Stadium Ames,IA (Cy-Hawk Trophy / College GameDay)	ABC	W 27–17	61,500
September 18	2:30 p.m.	Kent State*	No. 5	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	W 30–7	61,932
September 25	2:30 p.m.	Colorado State*	No. 5	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	FS1	W 24–14	65,456
October 1	7:00 p.m.	at Maryland	No. 5	Maryland Stadium College Park, MD	FS1	W 51–14	45,527
October 9	3:00 p.m.	No. 4 Penn State	No. 3	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Big Noon Kickoff)	FOX	W 23–20	69,250
October 16	2:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 2	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ABC	L 7–24	69,250
October 30	11:00 a.m.	at Wisconsin	No. 9	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Heartland Trophy)	ESPN	L 7–27	74,209
November 6	6:00 p.m.	at Northwestern	No. 22	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 17–12	38,141
November 13	2:30 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 20	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Floyd of Rosedale)	BTN	W 27–22	69,250
November 20	1:00 p.m.	Illinois	No. 17	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	FS1	W 33–23	64,132
November 26	12:30 p.m.	at Nebraska	No. 16	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (The Heroes Game)	BTN	W 28–21	86,541
December 4	7:00 p.m.	vs. No. 2 Michigan	No. 13	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game/ Big Noon Kickoff)	FOX	L 3–42	67,183
January 1, 2022	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 22 Kentucky*	No. 15	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Citrus Bowl)	ABC
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Roster[]

2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 2 Deuce Hogan  Fr QB 5 Joey Labas Fr QB 8 Alex Padilla So QB 7 Spencer Petras Jr RB 34 Zach Brand Fr RB 15 Tyler Goodson Jr RB 20 Deavin Hilson Fr RB 21 Ivory Kelly-Martin Sr RB 17 Max White Fr RB 25 Gavin Williams  Fr RB 4 Leshon Williams  Fr FB 40 Turner Pallissard Jr FB 32 Johnny Plewa So FB 38 Monte Pottebaum Jr WR 14 Brody Brecht Fr WR 10 Arland Bruce IV Fr WR 19 Max Cooper Sr WR 1 Nolan Donald So WR 26 Jamison Heinz  Fr WR 81 Desmond Hutson So WR 27 Jack Johnson  Fr WR 6 Keagan Johnson Fr WR 16 Charlie Jones Sr WR 83 Alec Kritta So WR 14 Quavon Matthews  Fr WR 89 Nico Ragaini Jr WR 29 Jackson Ritter So WR 3 Tyrone Tracy Jr WR 0 Diante Vines  Fr WR 28 Isaiah Wagner Fr WR 18 Alec Wick Fr TE 88 Jackson Frericks So TE 46 Tommy Kujawa Sr TE 85 Luke Lachey  Fr TE 84 Sam LaPorta Jr TE 49 Andrew Lentsch Fr TE/FB 42 Denin Limouris Fr TE 80 Josiah Miamen So TE 82 Johnny Pascuzzi Fr TE 48 Bryce Schulte Sr TE 87 Elijah Yelverton  Fr OL 63 Justin Britt So OL 66 Jeremy Chaplin Fr OL 77 Connor Colby Fr OL 74 David Davidkov Fr OL 56 Nick DeJong So OL 67 Gennings Dunker Fr OL 76 Tyler Elsbury  Fr OL 55 Luke Empen Jr OL 69 Tyler Endres So OL 54 Matt Fagan Jr OL 52 Asher Fahey  Fr DL 58 Taylor Fox So OL 73 Cody Ince Jr OL 65 Tyler Linderbaum Jr OL 53 Michael Myslinski Fr OL 79 Jack Plumb Jr OL 78 Mason Richman  Fr OL 64 Kyler Schott Sr OL 70 Beau Stephens Fr OL 57 Clayton Thurm So OL 75 Josh Volk  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL 94 Yahya Black  Fr DL 86 Jeff Bowie Fr DL 88 Isaiah Bruce  Fr DL 45 Deontae Craig  Fr DL 13 Joe Evans Jr DL 48 Ethan Hurkett   Fr DL 95 Logan Jones  Fr DL 85 Logan Lee So DL 59 Griffin Liddle Fr DL 48 Max Llewellyn Fr DL 51 Jeremiah Pittman Fr DL 98 Chris Reames So DL 99 Noah Shannon Jr DL 50 Louie Stec So DL 80 Brennan Sweeney Fr DL 91 Lukas Van Ness  Fr DL 97 Zach VanValkenburg Sr DL 92 John Waggoner Jr DL 86 Jameson Witte  Fr LB 44 Seth Benson Jr LB 31 Jack Campbell Jr LB 39 Eric Epenesa Fr LB 41 Jaden Harrell Fr LB 34 Jay Higgins So LB 5 Jestin Jacobs So LB 46 Logan Klemp Jr LB 32 Eli Miller Fr LB 43 Karson Sharar Fr LB 40 Josef Smith  Fr LB 35 Justice Sullivan Fr LB 25 Kelby Telander Fr LB 36 Mike Timm Jr LB 42 Zach Twedt Fr LB 17 Wyatt Wegener  Fr DB 4 Dane Belton Jr DB 7 Reggie Bracy So DB 29 Sebastian Castro So DB 15 Dallas Craddieth Jr DB 19 Gaven Cooke Fr DB 17 Brenden Deasfernandes  Fr DB 3 Cooper DeJean Fr DB 37 Kyler Fisher So DB 8 Matt Hankins Sr DB 27 Jermari Harris So DB 21 Thomas Hartlieb So DB 28 Jack Koerner Sr DB 11 AJ Lawson  Fr DB 13 Henry Marchese Sr DB 26 Kaevon Merriweather Jr DB 33 Riley Moss Sr DB 12 Jaxon Rexroth Fr DB 22 Terry Roberts Jr DB 30 Quinn Schulte So DB 23 Xavior Williams Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 96 Lucas Amaya So K 1 Aaron Blom  Fr K 94 Caleb Shudak Sr P 2 Ryan Gersonde Sr P 9 Tory Taylor So P 45 Nick Phelps Jr LS 44 Luke Elkin Fr LS 50 Zach Kluver So LS 18 Austin Spiewak Sr LS 97 Liam Reardon  Fr	Head coach Kirk Ferentz Coordinators/assistant coaches Brian Ferentz – Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Phil Parker – Defensive Coordinator/Secondary LeVar Woods – Special Teams Coordinator George Barnett – Offensive Line Kelvin Bell – Defensive Line Ladell Betts – Running Backs Kelton Copeland – Wide Receivers Jay Niemann – Assistant Defensive Line/Defensive Recruiting Coordinator Ken O'Keefe – Quarterbacks Seth Wallace – Assistant Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Raimond Braithwaite – Director, Strength and Conditioning Kohle Helle – Assistant, Strength and Conditioning Drew Heitland – Assistant, Strength and Conditioning Ben Morse – Assistant, Strength and Conditioning Cody Myers – Assistant, Strength and Conditioning John Engelbrecht – Nutrition & Performance Analytics Paul Federici – Director, Football Operations Ben Hansen – Assistant Director, Football Operations Jason Manson – Director of Player Development Sam Brincks – Interim Director, Player Development Scott Southmayd – Director, Player Personnel Tyler Barnes – Director, Recruiting Krisanne Ryther – Recruiting Operations and Special Events Coordinator Caleb Saunders – Director, Football Creative Media Justin Elsner – Football Graphic Designer Eric Copeland – Graduate Assistant Adam Cox – Graduate Assistant Justin Flood – Graduate Assistant Austin Showalter – Director, Football Analytics Shane Viilo – Football Analyst Tyler Parker – Football Analyst Bob Rahfeldt – Director, Football Video Operations Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 10/12/21

^[4]

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	18	10	5	5	5	3	2	11	9	19	19	18	17	15	17
Coaches	18	12	7	6	5	3	2 (1)	11	10	16	14	14	12	12	16
CFP	Not released									22	20	17	16	13	15	Not released

Game summaries[]

No. 17 Indiana[]

Indiana at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total No. 17 Hoosiers 3 0 3 0 6 • No. 18 Hawkeyes 14 17 0 3 34 Date: September 4 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:40 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:14 Game attendance: 68,166 Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 10 mph (16 km/h) Referee: Larry Smith TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst) & Rick Pizzo (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 13:35 Iowa Tyler Goodson 56-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 7–0 12:45 Iowa Riley Moss 30-yard interception return (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 14–0 4:28 Indiana Charles Campbell 36-yard field goal Iowa 14–3 2 11:54 Iowa Spencer Petras 9-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 21–3 1:41 Iowa Riley Moss 55-yard interception return (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 28–3 0:00 Iowa Caleb Shudak 41-yard field goal Iowa 31–3 3 8:39 Indiana Charles Campbell 41-yard field goal Iowa 31–6 4 9:52 Iowa Caleb Shudak 35-yard field goal Iowa 34–6

Iowa jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Hawkeyes defense came out in full force, getting three interceptions – including two pick sixes by senior Riley Moss – and kept Indiana out of the end zone. Equally impressive for an opening game, Iowa limited itself to a mere two penalties.

^[5][6]

at No. 9 Iowa State[]

Iowa at Iowa State
Cy-Hawk Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 10 Hawkeyes 0 14 10 3 27 No. 9 Cyclones 3 7 0 7 17 Date: September 11 Location: Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA Game start: 3:37 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 61,500 Game weather: 91 °F (33 °C), Sunny, Wind S 10 mph (16 km/h) Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (ABC): Rece Davis (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) & Holly Rowe (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 0:39 ISU Connor Assalley 23-yard field goal ISU 3–0 2 8:13 Iowa Tyler Goodson 4-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 7–3 1:01 Iowa Charlie Jones 26-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 14–3 0:07 ISU Breece Hall 4-yard run (Connor Assalley kick) Iowa 14–10 3 5:08 Iowa Jack Campbell 6-yard fumble return (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 21–10 2:56 Iowa Caleb Shudak 51-yard field goal Iowa 24–10 4 12:53 Iowa Caleb Shudak 22-yard field goal Iowa 27–10 3:27 ISU Tarique Milton 13-yard pass from Hunter Dekkers (Connor Assalley kick) Iowa 27–17

This season’s Cy-Hawk matchup was a showdown of top 10 teams in the AP poll, making this the first time the schools have faced off as ranked opponents. ESPN's College GameDay was on hand for the second straight time in the series as the annual contest was cancelled the previous year due to COVID-19. Iowa extended its win streak in the series to six games, and has now won five consecutive games against ranked opponents – its longest such streak since 1960.

^[7][8]

Kent State[]

Kent State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Flashes 7 0 0 0 7 • No. 5 Hawkeyes 9 7 7 7 30 Date: September 18 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:40 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:04 Game attendance: 61,932 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Sunny, Wind SE 4 mph (6.4 km/h) Referee: Larry Smith TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst) & Coley Harvey (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 8:03 Iowa Safety, D. Crum sacked by L. Van Ness in end zone Iowa 2–0 6:34 Iowa Tyler Goodson 46-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 9–0 5:00 Kent Keshunn Abram 23-yard pass from D. Crum (A. Glass kick) Iowa 9–7 2 0:19 Iowa Sam LaPorta 5-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 16–7 3 0:32 Iowa Tyler Goodson 35-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 23–7 4 4:07 Iowa Tyler Goodson 2-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 30–7

The Hawkeyes, playing as an AP top 5 team at home for the first time since 1985, won for the 300th time at Kinnick Stadium since its opening in 1929. Tyler Goodson had his best game to date, rushing for 153 yards. This was the first meeting of the programs since 2004.

^[9][10]

Colorado State[]

Colorado State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 0 14 0 0 14 • No. 5 Hawkeyes 0 7 14 3 24 Date: September 25 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:41 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 65,456 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Sunny, Wind W 15 mph (24 km/h) Referee: Mark Kluczynski TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 2 13:45 Iowa Keagan Johnson 43-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 7–0 3:55 CSU T. Centeio 10-yard run (C. Camper kick) Tied 7–7 0:24 CSU G. Williams 3-yard pass from T. Centeio (C. Camper kick) CSU 14–7 3 8:17 Iowa Tyrone Tracy Jr. 6-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Tied 14–14 6:01 Iowa Sam LaPorta 27-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 21–14 4 12:32 Iowa Caleb Shudak 45-yard field goal Iowa 24–14

This was the first meeting between the two schools. After a sluggish start, the Hawkeyes shut out Colorado State in the second half to extend its streak of holding opponents under 25 points.

^[11][12]

at Maryland[]

Iowa at Maryland

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 5 Hawkeyes 3 31 10 7 51 Terrapins 7 0 7 0 14 Date: October 1 Location: Maryland Stadium College Park, MD Game start: 8:04 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3:37 Game attendance: 45,527 Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), Cloudy, Wind N 0 mph (0 km/h) Referee: Jerry McGinn TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 7:16 Iowa Caleb Shudak 41-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 3:37 Maryland Chigoziem Okonkwo 9-yard pass from Taulia Tagovailoa (J. Petrino kick) Maryland 7–3 2 14:57 Iowa Spencer Petras 1-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 10–7 14:04 Iowa Arland Bruce IV 8-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 17–7 10:53 Iowa Spencer Petras 1-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 24–7 5:46 Iowa Monte Pottebaum 2-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 31–7 0:29 Iowa Caleb Shudak 38-yard field goal Iowa 34–7 3 12:49 Iowa Tyler Goodson 67-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 41–7 8:35 Iowa Caleb Shudak 32-yard field goal Iowa 44–7 6:01 Maryland R. Jarrett 7-yard pass from Taulia Tagovailoa (J. Petrino kick) Iowa 44–14 4 14:18 Iowa Tyrone Tracy Jr. 7-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 51–14

In the first match-up of the teams since 2018, Iowa tied the school record with six interceptions in this lopsided road win. It is the first 5–0 start for the program since 2015. The Hawkeyes also scored the most points in a quarter since 2002.

^[13][14]

No. 4 Penn State[]

Penn State at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total No. 4 Nittany Lions 14 3 3 0 20 • No. 3 Hawkeyes 3 7 3 10 23 Date: October 9 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 3:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:39 Game attendance: 69,250 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Cloudy, Wind SE 12 mph (19 km/h) Referee: John O'Neill TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 11:08 Iowa Caleb Shudak 34-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 8:37 Penn State Noah Cain 2-yard rush (Jordan Stout kick) Penn State 7–3 3:21 Penn State Sean Clifford 4-yard rush (Jordan Stout kick) Penn State 14–3 2 12:31 Penn State Jordan Stout 32-yard field goal Penn State 17–3 7:08 Iowa Charlie Jones 9-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Penn State 17–10 3 12:31 Penn State Jordan Stout 32-yard field goal Penn State 20–10 1:36 Iowa Caleb Shudak 48-yard field goal Penn State 20–13 4 8:08 Iowa Caleb Shudak 36-yard field goal Penn State 20–16 6:26 Iowa Nico Ragaini 44-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 23–20

Iowa was seeking its first home win over Penn State since 2010. This match-up of top five teams in the AP poll was the first such game at Kinnick Stadium since No. 2 Michigan visited the No. 1 Hawkeyes in 1985. Iowa fell behind 17–3 to PSU, but after an injury to Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford, the Hawkeyes slowly clawed back, outscoring Penn State 20–3 the rest of the way to earn the 23–20 win. With this victory, Iowa improved to 6–0, became bowl eligible, extended their overall win streak to 12 games, and ascended to No. 2 in both major polls the following day.

^[15][16]

Purdue[]

Purdue at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total • Boilermakers 7 7 3 7 24 No. 2 Hawkeyes 0 7 0 0 7 Date: October 16 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:37 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:40 Game attendance: 69,250 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Sunny, Wind W 16 mph (26 km/h) Referee: Jeffrey Servinski TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) and Tom Luginbill (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 3:38 Purdue Aiden O'Connell 6-yard run (Mitchell Fineran kick) Purdue 7–0 2 3:20 Iowa Ivory Kelly-Martin 3-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Tied 7–7 0:19 Purdue TJ Sheffield 3-yard pass from Aiden O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick) Purdue 14–7 3 11:07 Purdue Mitchell Fineran 31-yard field goal Purdue 17–7 4 12:29 Purdue David Bell 21-yard pass from Aiden O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick) Purdue 24–7

The unranked Boilermakers dominated this matchup with the Hawkeyes, and won for the fourth time in the last five meetings with Iowa.

^[17][18]

at Wisconsin[]

Iowa at Wisconsin
Heartland Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total No. 9 Hawkeyes 0 0 7 0 7 • Badgers 7 13 0 7 27 Date: October 30 Location: Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI Game start: 11:02 a.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:24 Game attendance: 74,209 Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), Cloudy, Wind N 10 mph (16 km/h) Referee: Michael Cannon TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Kris Budden (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 3:08 Wisc Jake Ferguson 4-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 7–0 2 12:18 Wisc Collin Larsh 29-yard field goal Wisconsin 10–0 7:40 Wisc Graham Mertz 1-yard run (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 17–0 2:51 Wisc Collin Larsh 32-yard field goal Wisconsin 20–0 3 8:21 Iowa Spencer Petras 1-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Wisconsin 20–7 4 12:54 Wisc Graham Mertz 1-yard run (Collin Larsh kick) Wisconsin 27–7

The unranked Badgers dominated this matchup with the Hawkeyes, and became the first Iowa opponent to score more than 24 points since the 2018 regular season finale.

^[19][20]

at Northwestern[]

Iowa at Northwestern

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 22 Hawkeyes 7 7 3 0 17 Wildcats 0 3 3 6 12 Date: November 6 Location: Ryan Field Evanston, IL Game start: 6:10 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:29 Game attendance: 38,141 Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C), Sunny, Wind S 14 mph (23 km/h) Referee: Ron Snodgrass TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst) and Elise Menaker (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 0:22 Iowa Tyler Goodson 13-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 7–0 2 10:41 Iowa Arland Bruce IV 10-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 14–0 2:11 NW C. Kuhbander 22-yard field goal Iowa 14–3 3 10:41 Iowa Caleb Shudak 25-yard field goal Iowa 17–3 1:58 NW C. Kuhbander 30-yard field goal Iowa 17–6 4 2:21 NW E. Hull 31-yard pass from A. Marty (pass failed) Iowa 17–12

Backup quarterback Alex Padilla led two first-half touchdown drives, and the Iowa defense forced three interceptions as the Hawkeyes snapped a two-game skid.

^[21][22]

Minnesota[]

Minnesota at Iowa
Floyd of Rosedale

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 3 10 3 6 22 • No. 20 Hawkeyes 3 7 7 10 27 Date: November 13 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:42 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:26 Game attendance: 69,250 Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), Cloudy, Wind W 12 mph (19 km/h) Referee: Jerry McGinn TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst) & Rick Pizzo (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 9:49 Iowa Caleb Shudak 50-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 2:07 Minnesota Matthew Trickett 20-yard field goal Tied 3–3 2 13:32 Iowa Alex Padilla 1-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 10–3 5:27 Minnesota Ko Kieft 37-yard pass from Cole Kramer (Matthew Trickett kick) Tied 10–10 0:00 Minnesota Matthew Trickett 31-yard field goal Minnesota 13–10 3 11:51 Iowa Charlie Jones 72-yard pass from Alex Padilla (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 17–13 6:14 Minnesota Matthew Trickett 29-yard field goal Iowa 17–16 4 12:49 Iowa Keagan Johnson 27-yard pass from Alex Padilla (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 24–16 5:28 Minnesota Chris Autman-Bell 68-yard pass from Tanner Morgan (pass failed) Iowa 24–22 0:41 Iowa Caleb Shudak 29-yard field goal Iowa 27–22

In Alex Padilla’s first start at quarterback, Iowa won for the seventh straight time in this trophy series. Padilla threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the victory. The Golden Gophers haven't won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999.

^[23][24]

Illinois[]

Illinois at Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Illini 10 3 3 7 23 • No. 17 Hawkeyes 7 10 3 13 33 Date: November 20 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 1:10 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:31 Game attendance: 64,132 Referee: Larry Smith TV announcers (FS1): Adam Alexander (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 8:37 Illinois L. Ford 13-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick) Illinois 7–0 3:20 Illinois James McCourt 46-yard field goal Illinois 10–0 3:05 Iowa Charlie Jones 100-yard kickoff return (Caleb Shudak kick) Illinois 10–7 2 14:08 Iowa Arland Bruce IV 2-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 14–10 6:41 Iowa Caleb Shudak 51-yard field goal Iowa 17–10 3:13 Illinois James McCourt 45-yard field goal Iowa 17–13 3 9:12 Iowa Caleb Shudak 48-yard field goal Iowa 20–13 2:46 Illinois James McCourt 53-yard field goal Iowa 20–16 4 9:12 Iowa Caleb Shudak 48-yard field goal Iowa 23–16 9:12 Iowa Caleb Shudak 48-yard field goal Iowa 26–16 1:36 Iowa Jack Campbell 32-yard interception return (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 33–16 0:31 Iowa Isaiah Williams 16-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick) Iowa 33–23

Iowa won for the eighth straight time in the series. Illinois hasn't won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999.

^[25][26]

at Nebraska[]

Iowa at Nebraska
Heroes Trophy

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 16 Hawkeyes 0 6 3 19 28 Cornhuskers 7 7 7 0 21 Date: November 26 Location: Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Game start: 12:31 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 86,541 Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), Sunny, Wind SW 6 mph (9.7 km/h) Referee: Mark Kluczynski TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst) & Rick Pizzo (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 9:18 Neb Logan Smothers 2-yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Neb 7–0 2 10:39 Iowa Caleb Shudak 51-yard field goal Neb 7–3 4:20 Neb Jaquez Yant 1-yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Neb 14–3 0:39 Iowa Caleb Shudak 39-yard field goal Neb 14–6 3 5:54 Neb Logan Smothers 1-yard run (Chase Contreraz kick) Neb 21–6 0:27 Iowa Caleb Shudak 36-yard field goal Neb 21–9 4 14:16 Iowa Kyler Fisher 14-yard blocked punt return (Caleb Shudak kick) Neb 21–16 9:56 Iowa Safety Neb 21–18 7:21 Iowa Caleb Shudak 44-yard field goal Tied 21–21 2:58 Iowa Spencer Petras 2-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick) Iowa 28–21

After facing a 21–6 third quarter deficit, the Hawkeyes rallied to earn a win over the Cornhuskers as they outscored the home team 22–0 to end the game. It was Iowa’s fifth straight victory in Lincoln and seventh straight victory overall in this trophy series.

^[27][28]

vs. No. 2 Michigan (Big Ten Championship Game)[]

Michigan vs Iowa
Big Ten Championship Game

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 2 Wolverines 14 0 7 21 42 No. 13 Hawkeyes 3 0 0 0 3 Date: December 4, 2021 Location: Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN Game start: 8:19 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 67,183 Game weather: None (retractable roof closed) Referee: Mike Cannon TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) & Jenny Taft (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 6:38 Mich Blake Corum 67-yard run (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 7–0 5:27 Mich R. Wilson 75-yard pass from Donovan Edwards (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 14–0 1:26 Iowa Caleb Shudak 22-yard field goal Michigan 14–3 3 8:23 Mich Hassan Haskins 4-yard run (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 21–3 4 11:16 Mich Hassan Haskins 1-yard run (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 28–3 5:24 Mich E. All 5-yard pass from Cade McNamara (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 35–3 1:25 Mich Donovan Edwards 1-yard run (Jake Moody kick) Michigan 42–3

This game marked Iowa’s second appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game (2015). Ferentz is now 1–2 against Michigan in the Harbaugh era.

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vs. No. 22 Kentucky (Citrus Bowl)[]

Kentucky vs Iowa
Citrus Bowl

1 2 Total No. 22 Wildcats 0 No. 15 Hawkeyes 0 Date: January 1, 2022 Location: Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Television network: ABC

The Wildcats and Hawkeyes will face off for the first time. Iowa will be returning to the Citrus Bowl for the first time since the 2005 Capital One Bowl. Additionally, Iowa will be attempting to win four bowl games in a row for the first time in program history.

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Awards and honors[]

Individual Awards

Player	Award	Ref.
Charlie Jones	Rodgers–Dwight Return Specialist of the Year	[32]
Tyler Linderbaum	Rimington Trophy Rimington–Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year	[33][34]
Riley Moss	Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year	[32]

References[]