Stanzi-to-McNutt

Drew Tate’s touchdown pass to Warren Holloway will always have a special place in Hawkeye fans’ memories. But Ricky Stanzi’s touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt in the final seconds will go down in the annals of Iowa football history as even more significant than “The Catch.”

McNutt’s reception made history on many levels for the Hawkeyes, giving the team and its fans something that has never happened before — an 8-0 start.

“The Catch” capped off a season, giving Iowa a Capital One bowl victory over LSU, but “The Grab,” as I will from now on refer to it as, prolonged and perpetuated perfection.

While both games ended on game-winning receptions, the 2005 Capital One Bowl is different because of Iowa’s offensive success.

The Hawkeyes moved the ball at will. Tate completed 20-of-32 passes for 287 yards.

Before Iowa’s final drive against Michigan State, Stanzi had completed only seven passes for 79 yards. Iowa was unable to successfully move the ball on offense, until Stanzi and McNutt led the Hawkeyes on a sensational game-winning drive.

It was the first time in the team’s 120-year football history that an Iowa squad started a season with an 8-0 record. The victory also gave Iowa its highest BCS ranking ever at No. 4.

And it gave Iowa its first win at Spartan Stadium in 14 years, and Kirk Ferentz his first win ever at Michigan State.

Furthermore, it continues to legitimize the team to the rest of the country. The victory over the Spartans was the seventh come-from-behind victory for Iowa this season.

This further illustrates Iowa’s resiliency, showing this group can come back to win even when nearly all hope is lost.

“The Grab” keeps Iowa’s undefeated season alive and gives Hawkeye fans the opportunity to dream of a Big Ten championship and a certain flower that grows abundantly in Pasadena, Calif. Or possibly something even bigger than that.

— by Mitch Smith

Tate-to-Holloway

OK, I’ll admit I took part in the frenzy of celebration that took place after Iowa’s improbable victory. But what I won’t admit is that the grab by Marvin McNutt was more significant than “The Catch.”

Some fans probably remember Gary Dolphin screaming, “Touchdown Iowa! Touchdown Iowa! No time left on the clock! I don’t believe what I just saw!”

I couldn’t believe it, either.

Drew Tate’s 56-yard hurl to “The Forgotten Man,” Warren Holloway, has been immortalized in countless posters and YouTube videos.

But let’s look at the two plays in a historical context.

The Tate-to-Holloway pass came in 2005 at the end of the Capital One Bowl against the 12th-ranked and defending BCS national champion LSU Tigers. And all Big Ten fans love beating a pretentious SEC team.

Stanzi-to-McNutt was during a regular-season game against an unranked and now .500 Michigan State team.

Yes, this marks the first time in program history that Iowa is 8-0, but what does that mean at this point?

If the season ended today, McNutt’s catch could possibly be more important. But there are still four more games left.

If Iowa loses the rest of its games to finish 8-4 overall, what does the catch mean then?

It means nothing.

Players and teams are often measured by their success in the postseason. Yeah, Dan Marino was a heck of a quarterback, but he will never be called the best because he couldn’t win a Super Bowl.

Right now, a lot of people are probably still on a euphoric high from last weekend, which is why Stanzi-to-McNutt may seem like a more significant play in Iowa’s history. But depending on how the rest of the season goes for this year’s team, there is no way McNutt’s catch should be crowned as the better one.

Tate-to-Holloway was done under more pressure, against a better team, and on a bigger stage — a bowl game.

— by Matt Schommer