Hawkeyes raise Heartland Trophy for the first time in five years
With the addition of the Heartland Trophy, Iowa now holds all four of its rivalry trophies.
Dec. 12, 2020; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell tackles Wisconsin running back Garrett Groshek during the second quarter of the Iowa v. Wisconsin football game at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa defeated Wisconsin with a score of 28-7.
December 13, 2020
Prior to their 28-7 win on Saturday, the Hawkeyes hadn’t defeated the Badgers in five years. After the victory, Iowa’s trophy case is full for the first time since 2015.
Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeye players said Iowa’s win over Wisconsin and the team’s possession of all four trophies at once might mean more to their head coach than he let on as when met with reporters Saturday evening.
“Our celebration was ecstatic,” running back Tyler Goodson said. “Coach Ferentz crying made it even better. Like I said, these guys, the seniors, haven’t really had a chance to bring the trophy into the locker room for a couple years now, and just knowing that we all worked hard and together to bring back the trophy for the seniors is a great feeling. Most of the time, when we get a big win, [Ferentz] is going to let it loose [and cry].”
“He gets emotional because he knows we put the effort in,” safety Dane Belton said. “We earned this. It wasn’t just given to us.”
The Hawkeyes will hold onto the Cy-Hawk trophy for another year after this year’s matchup in the series was canceled. Iowa defeated Minnesota and Nebraska this season prior to besting the Badgers at Kinnick Stadium.
One of the seniors that hadn’t held the Heartland Trophy is defensive end Chauncey Golston, and he certainly did his part to ensure that the trophy returned to the Hawkeyes’ case. Golston led the team with nine tackles and contributed one third-down sack that netted the Badgers a nine-yard loss.
Golston’s performance was especially impressive considering he was facing the nation’s 11th-best offensive line per Pro Football Focus.
“I have to pay compliments to Chauncey Golston,” Ferentz said. “Did some really good things. Pass-rush, one tackle he had on a third-and-one was really exceptional. Not only did he tackle the guy, but pulled him backwards. The officials, there was no lack of clarity on that one. That was certainly good.”
The Heartland Trophy was in Iowa City when Golston first entered the Hawkeye program, but Iowa lost to Wisconsin in 2016 and hadn’t seen it since. No Hawkeye on this year’s roster had defeated the Badgers prior to Saturday.
“That’s a credit to all the guys that came before me that molded me into the player that I am today,” Golston said. “Shoutout to Parker Hesse, Anthony Nelson, and A.J. [Epenesa], all the guys that came before me.”
Overall, Golston and the Hawkeye defense held the Badgers to under 300 yards of total offense, under 100 yards rushing, and just seven points in the game. In the process, Iowa won its sixth game in a row to finish the regular season 6-2.
“We wanted to finish strong for this regular season,” Golston said. “You don’t know that there’s a next game. Finishing strong, that’s all you can possibly do. So, I’m proud of my guys for that.”
Golston and the seniors have one more game at Kinnick Stadium than they may have thought. The Hawkeyes host Michigan next weekend for their Champions Week game.
