The Hawkeyes had the Cyclones dead to rights in the second half, going up 19-7. That’s a game they typically find a way to win. But it’s those missed opportunities in the first half that eventually came back to bite them later on.
Getting down inside the 3-yard line two separate times and coming away with field goals left points on the board. Iowa’s defense still had an opportunity to seal the win, but allowed a chunk gain at the worst time possible. For the second time in three years, the Cyclones win the Cy-Hawk Trophy at Kinnick.
Kirk Ferentz said he does not regret going for a two-point conversion to take a 21-7 lead in the second half.
“I thought it gave us the best chance to win the football game,” Ferentz said. “To me, the bigger deal is not getting at least one touchdown out of those two field goal opportunities. Obviously, that’s an area we’re going to have to improve on.”
“It hurts, I thought overall going into halftime as an offense we felt pretty good,” Cade McNamara said. “We’re frustrated because we knew we missed some opportunities out there, and ultimately we weren’t able to overcome some of our setbacks.”