Watch: Iowa defense forces safety, Tyler Goodson scores long touchdown run

The Hawkeyes are up 9-0 early over Kent State.

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Jerod Ringwald

Iowa safety Kaevon Merriweather celebrates a safety during a football game between Iowa and Kent State at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (Jerod Ringwald/The Daily Iowan)

Robert Read, Pregame Editor
September 18, 2021

The Iowa defense did it again.

On a third-and-three from its own 15-yard line, Kent State’s center snapped the ball over his quarterback’s head. By the time Dustin Crum jumped on the ball for the Golden Flashes, he was met by Hawkeye defensive linemen Zach VanValkenburg and Lukas Van Ness for a sack in the end zone. The safety put Iowa up 2-0 with 7:56 remaining in the first quarter.

Kent State kicked the ball back to Iowa after the safety, and the Hawkeyes capitalized again. On the third play of Iowa’s third offensive drive of the game, running back Tyler Goodson took a pitch to the left on a misdirection play (similar to one Iowa ran against Minnesota in 2019), and ran 46 yards untouched on his way to the end zone. Iowa leads 9-0 midway through the first quarter. Watch both scoring plays below.