NFL
By: Zachary Draves
A crystal clear blue sky and a subtle warmth in the air was more than ideal weather for a crowd of 61,932 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City as the #5 Hawkeyes took on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University.
The Hawkeyes were coming off two spectacular wins against Indiana and their neighboring rival Iowa State and they now begin a stint of non-conference games that should be a breeze.
From the start, both offenses were hindered by lost yards and incomplete passes.
That defensive stranglehold came through for the Hawkeyes in the form of safety as Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum was sacked by freshman left tackle Lukas Van Ness.
Then the offensive vitality of the home team came alive as Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras converted to Junior running back Tyler Goodson came for a 46-yard touchdown run at the 6:30 mark in the first quarter to put the Hawkeyes up 9-0.
But the Golden Flashes rose and shined as Crum completed to Keshaun Abram for a 23-yard touchdown at the 5:00 minute mark to bring the game to 9-7.
The second quarter was largely a demonstration of defensive prowess as both teams mostly struggled to break through that seemingly impenetrable wall until 20 plays and 95 yards later Iowa converted on a pass from Petras to Junior tight end Sam LaPorta to give the Hawkeyes a 16-7 lead going into the locker room.
Kent State held control of possession for much of the earlier half of the third quarter and much of it can be attributed to a controversial call by the referee overturning a call of pass interference after Petras failed to convert to Junior Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The jeers from the fans permeated and if anything their energy contributed to Iowa retaining possession after Kent State running back Bryan Bradford fumbled at the Iowa 4 in what was sure to be an easy touchdown.
The Hawkeyes soldiered through for much of the latter half of the quarter until the dynamic Tyler Goodson came through again for a 35 yard TD run to give the Hawkeyes a convincing 23-7 lead going into the fourth.
From there it was all Iowa and Goodson got the hat trick at the 4-minute mark to finish it off at 30-7 and solidifying the team’s first top-five ranking since 1985.
Even with it being a non-conference game, the pressure to go out and be the best doesn’t relent according to Tyrone Tracy Jr.
“I think the pressure is there no matter who we play” he said.
“You got to understand that winning isn’t easy, it takes time, you have to prepare for it. You have to understand the fundamentals and details.”
The Hawkeyes will take on Colorado State University at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 2:30 pm CST.
