NFL
By: Zachary Draves
A crystal clear blue sky and 72-degree weather blessed the Iowa Hawkeyes in their family weekend matchup against Colorado State in their final non-conference game of the year.
The #5 Hawkeyes are riding high off winning their first three games including two wins over conference rivals Indiana and Iowa State, both of whom ranked, which has solidified Iowa’s first top-five ranking since 1985.
The first quarter saw no score and neither side not doing much but for the most part, Colorado State had the statistical advantage in terms of yards and possession of the ball, a recurring theme for much of the half.
Part of that changed at the 13:45 minute mark of the second quarter when Iowa QB Spencer Petras converted to WR Keagan Johnson for a 43 yard TD to put the Hawkeyes on top 7-0.
Then the Rams came right back when their QB Todd Centeio rushed for a 10 yard TD to even things up at 7-7 at the 3:55 minute mark and followed up with a 3 yard TD by Gary Williams to conclude the first half with a stunning 14-7 over the heavily favored Hawkeyes.
The beginning of the second half didn’t look good for the home team as they couldn’t do anything with the ball and a feeling of uncertainty started to permeate through the air.
However, a fumble recovered by LB Jack Campbell and a 6-yard touchdown from WR Tyrone Tracy Jr breathed new life back into the Hawkeyes and evened the game at 14.
From there, the momentum turned back as TE Sam LaPorta’s 27 Yard TD put them up 21-14 and the Iowa defense which had kept them in the game all along came to life.
The fourth quarter was a test for Iowa to assert their worthiness of a top-five national status and a 45-yard field goal that put them up 24-14 was partially a good starting point.
The defense offset the largely lackluster offense and managed to get Iowa past this unexpected hurdle to a 24-14 win that may have been satisfying for their fans but not for the pollsters.
Chances are that this will hurt Iowa in the ratings going forward and they risk being called overrated by the media and their opponents.
Nevertheless, a win is a win no matter how it is done, says DL Zach VanValkenburg.
“Colorado is a great football team and they gave it their best shot and we can’t come out of here with our heads down,” he said.
“We have to see what we are working with.”
Iowa has a short break before they hit the road for their next game against Maryland on Oct. 1st at 7:00 pm EST[pickup_prop id=”10806″]
