NFL
By: Zachary Draves
Following a hard 31-0 loss to Penn State last Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes needed to come against Michigan State with a renewed sense of meaning. The game itself turned out to be a grind, but thanks to some fourth quarter heroics and a collective resilience, they were able to eek by with a 26-16 win.
Coach Kirk Ferentz was pleased at how the team rallied and held it together.
“Obviously, we are very happy about the win and proud of how strong the team came together tonight, he said.” “It was a tough battle out there, and obviously it’s important to win a football game you get a chance at. But the bigger story is the display of resilience we saw from all of our players. And at the end of the day, that can win a lot of football games.”
The biggest moment came when cornerback Cooper DeJean returned a 70 yard punt into the endzone that broke a 16-16 tie with 3:45 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter and put the Hawkeyes up 23-16. Kicker Drew Stevens finished the game off with his fourth field goal from 34 yards with 59 seconds left.
It was truly a miracle. On par at least in the short term with Sean Elliotts’ “Memorial Day Miracle” during the 1999 NBA Playoffs and the Tennessee Titans “Music City Miracle” during the 2002 NFC Wild Card game.
The entire dynamic in the stadium had changed to where there were boos at first before “Cooop” took over. In turn, DeJean gave credit to the line for doing their job in enabling him to make that run.
(Courtesy: Brian Ray/hawkeyessports.com)
“The whole unit did a great job,” he said. “It is my job to do what I can with the ball.”
The Iowa native also took pleasure in being a fan favorite for some time.
“To get that kind of love from them is pretty cool,” he said. “The show up every Saturday home or away.”
(Courtesy: Youtube)
It was the culmination of a treacherous journey that began early on in the game.
For much of the first half and until the third quarter, the game itself was largely stagnant with neither side. The Hawkeyes offense, especially their running game, was hobbled and their defense was gassed as the Spartans ran the ball in greater numbers.
The Hawkeyes were dealt a huge blow in the first quarter when starting QB Cade McNamara was taken out of the game for a lower back injury. Prior to that, he had converted on 3/5 passes for a total of 46 yards. At that moment the air had seemed to go out of Kinnick Stadium and a feeling of uncertainty permeated.
Backup QB Deacon Hill took over for the remainder of the game. He completed 11/27 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown. His first touchdown pass of his career came in the second quarter on a 13 yard reception to TE Erick All.
(Courtesy: Brian Ray/hawkeyessports.com)
For Hill, being thrust into this moment was overwhelming especially considering that he only played three games during his COVID stricken senior season of high school in 2021. Now to be playing before a nationally televised audience was more than he could ask for.
“Definitely a different feeling being out there today especially under those lights in that stadium” he said.
In totality, the Spartans led in virtually every offensive category.
MSU had a total of 166 rushing yards and Iowa had 76. The Spartans had 196 passing yards and the Hawkeyes had 161 as was the case in receiving yards.
“We have plenty of work to do,” said Coach Ferentz. “Not going to let that ruin tonight, that’s for sure but I’m really proud of our team’s resilience. And bottom line right now we are 4-1, puts us at 1-1 in the league, and to get back up on our feet after a tough week on our that’s where we’re at right now.”
(Courtesy: Brian Ray/hawkeyessports.com)
As for McNamara’s situation, Coach Ferentz was empathetic as can be while acknowledging that more will be known about his status really soon.
“To go down early with an injury like that, we really won’t know his status until early next week but it’s nonetheless very disappointing. I can only imagine how he’s feeling.”
It will no doubt be a tough road ahead for the Hawkeyes, but they do have this game to savor.
The Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1) return to action Oct. 7, hosting Purdue (2-3, 1-1) for Homecoming. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. (CT) and be streamed live on Peacock.
