Upstart Hawkeyes vow to rally after blowout
DES MOINES, IOWA— It will be hard to forget how the season ended for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they’ll always remember their sensational start that nearly put then in the College Football Playoff.
Iowa’s surprising 12-0 run before losses in the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl surely can be a rallying point for next season. And the losses — one on a late touchdown, the other a blowout loss in its first Rose Bowl in 25 years — can turn out to help build an even stronger team.
“Very proud of the way the guys have done things, and that really goes back 12 months,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said after Friday’s 45-16 loss to Stanford.
“So this game hurts. We’ll learn from it. We’ll improve.”
Iowa was picked to finish in the middle of the Big Ten West, then rolled off 12 wins in a row to move into the league’s title game against Michigan State. The Spartans won the game 16-13 on a TD with 27 seconds to go.
Iowa also was derided nationally for much of the season in part because its success was so unexpected, plus neither Ohio State nor Michigan was on the schedule.
Next season, the Hawkeyes will likely be the favourite in the Big Ten West. They’ll bring back a host of starters, including quarterback C.J. Beathard and the majority of their defence. And their schedule should provide the opportunity for another strong start.
Replacements must be found for several key players, though.
Senior centre Austin Blythe and guard Jordan Walsh will depart after helping the Hawkeyes control most of their games with a punishing rushing attack.
Running back Jordan Canzeri will be gone after running for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns despite nagging injuries.
Wide receiver Tevaun Smith, a Toronto native, had 563 yards on 32 catches, including an 85-yard touchdown reception in the Big Ten title game.
Iowa will be dogged by questions about whether its loss to Stanford exposed the Hawkeyes as a team that benefited from a soft schedule to rise above where they belonged.
But that’s still much better than last fall, when many wondered if Iowa had seen its best days under Ferentz. ALAMO BOWL: Bram Kohlhausen’s eight-yard touchdown run in the third overtime carried No.11 TCU to a wild 47-41 victory over No. 15 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday night as the Horned Frogs stormed back from a 31-0 halftime deficit behind a backup quarterback.