By Jordan Hansen
In 2012, quite possibly the most miserable season for Iowa fans in recent memory, the Hawkeyes were 4-2 when they played Penn State.
The team wasn’t great, and losses to Iowa State and Central Michigan had put a damper on things, but there was still hope for the season. Then Penn State came into Kinnick Stadium and beat Iowa, 38-14.
Iowa didn’t win again until the second game of the 2013 season, a losing streak that ballooned to seven games before the Hakeyes mercifully ended by beating Missouri State, a Football Championship Subdivision school.
The Hawkeyes did not go to a bowl in 2012 and finished 4-8 on the season. There could be a similar fate in store for the team this year. After losing 41-14 to Penn State on Nov. 5, Iowa now sits at 5-4 on the season, needing just one win for bowl eligibility.
While there are some noticeable differences in the seasons, there are some startling similarities. For starters, both passing offenses struggled mightily. In 2012, the Hawkeyes struggled to get the ball down field, which is something C.J. Beathard has also had issues with this season.
After Matt VandeBerg was injured, Beathard lost not only his best receiver but also a consistent short to medium threat. There wasn’t any such injury four years ago, but the passing offense struggled all the same in Greg Davis’ first year as offensive coordinator.
As a source of comparison, the 2012 iteration of the Hawkeyes managed just 12 passing plays of 30 yards or longer. With three games remaining in this regular season, Iowa has just 11 of them this season.
The biggest potential similarity, however, could be the final collapse and ensuing slide.
Iowa needs just one win to get bowl eligible, which likely won’t happen this weekend when Michigan comes to Kinnick. The Wolverines have outscored conference teams 273-51.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is going to come into Iowa City and try to burn it all to the ground, just as he’s tried to burn down every other team he’s come across. The man can smell blood in the water, and right now, the Hawkeyes have an open wound.
Speaking of gore, here are some scores of games the Wolverines have won this year in no particular order: 78-0 (Rutgers), 59-3 (Maryland), 63-3 (Hawaii), 51-14 (Central Florida), 41-8 (Illinois), and, of course, it beat Penn State, 49-10.
Granted, Michigan’s win over the Nittany Lions was in late September, but still, it’s the same squad that just handed Kirk Ferentz one of the worst losses of his career. So bad, in fact, that he just flat-out said he didn’t expect this to happen and also went on to sat Iowa wasn’t capable of responding. Yikes.
There’s still a very winnable game against Illinois on the schedule, but it’s in Champaign. Illini head coach Lovie Smith could use some momentum, and a victory against a border rival would provide it.
Anyway, there’s also a game against Nebraska, but that’s a confusing team to figure out. The Huskers are coming of back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Wisconsin, but they have also played very well during certain moments this season. But it very well could be a loss, and if Iowa manages to lose three straight games, it’s not going to a bowl, which would be massively disappointing.
For a season starting with such promise — and coming off a Rose Bowl, to boot — it’s incredibly hard to believe it has a fairly decent chance of missing its first bowl since that ill-fated 2012 season.
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