Iowa football has been in this spot before. After an easy win against a non-Power Five school, the Hawkeyes succumb to a second-half collapse against rival Iowa State at Kinnick, finding themselves in a quandary nearly a quarter into the season.
Nearly identical events occurred over two decades ago in 2002 when a 2-0 Iowa squad blew a 24-point lead to the Cyclones. With matchups against Penn State and Michigan looming, the upset put the Hawkeyes’ hopes of a 10-win season and New Year’s bowl game in jeopardy. But this setback spurred not disappointment, but motivation, as Iowa ran the table and finished the regular season 11-1, earning a spot in the Orange Bowl against USC in January.
Coincidentally, Brad Banks, the quarterback and Heisman runner-up of that 2002 team, attended this season’s Cy-Hawk contest and talked with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz on Sunday. For Ferentz, Banks’ response to the Iowa State continues to serve as a curriculum for future Iowa teams.
“I don’t think anybody felt worse, you know, talk about investment,” Ferentz said of the quarterback at his press conference on Tuesday. “Nobody feels worse after a game than him, but he went back to work. Brad’s pretty unflappable. That’s the characteristics that I think he embodies … It’s one of those stories I cover annually with the team. That’s the right idea, that’s what you’re looking to do.”
Iowa players like fullback Hayden Large said 2002 has been brought up in the practice facility this week, adding that Banks’ character has replicated itself in Hawkeye linebacker Jay Higgins, who he said took ownership of his mistakes against Iowa State.
“Jay Higgins, his comments last week were really mature, and they make you proud to be part of this team that has a leader like that,” Large said. “We’ve definitely talked about the ’02 team, and now it’s our team too. We have to respond like the ’02 team too.
As the Hawkeyes seek to emulate this season of old, they must first flush the heartbreaker to the Cyclones, adhering to the team’s customary 24-hour rule. In other words, let the loss linger for a day, absorb lessons, and then redirect attention to the next opponent.
For the 2002 squad, that was Utah State, which was trampled in a 48-7 rout. For this year’s group, the foe will be Troy, a rebuilding squad that suffered plenty of turnover in the offseason and has been hampered by a weak defense so far this season.
These factors make it ripe for another offensive explosion like Iowa had in Week 1, but the Hawkeyes aren’t walking into Kinnick with any overconfidence.
“They’re a consistent team, consistent defense,” Iowa wide receiver Jacob Gill said of the Trojans at Tuesday’s media availability. “They’re a well-coached, well-put-together team. We’ll come out there in full force come Saturday, expecting their best. So we’ll be at our best.”
Over the past two seasons, Troy was the top team in the Sun Belt Conference, earning two conference titles and compiling a 23-4 overall record. In 2023, the Trojans averaged over 400 yards per game and allowed less than 20 points on average to their opponents.
However, many of the key components of that dominant season are now elsewhere. Head coach Jon Sumrall left to fill the vacancy at Tulane, top rusher Kimani Vidal departed for the NFL Draft, and leading tackler Jayden McDonald transferred to Indiana.
Gerad Parker is now at the helm after serving as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator in 2023. Parker, 43, has donned the headset before, having been the interim head coach at Purdue in 2016. He has yet to achieve a win as a head coach and his Trojans are off to a 0-2 start in 2024.
Over those two games, 12 freshman have seen action, as well as 16 who made their first-career FBS start. This inexperience was evident on the defensive side of the ball, as the Trojans have yielded 33 points and 382.5 yards per contest.
Given these numbers, the Hawkeyes aim to exploit any flaws they may find. Gill said the Trojans run a similar defense to Illinois State, with three down linemen and four linebackers. While it’s one thing to drive down the field, it’s another task to convert in the red zone, which the Hawkeyes were somewhat ineffective at, scoring only one touchdown despite being at or inside the five-yard line on three separate occasions.
Iowa tight end Addison Ostrenga said the Hawkeyes hone in on red zone situations during Wednesday practices, but added that effectiveness usually derives from execution, regardless of defensive scheme.
“We’ve got to execute when the ball’s in our hands,” he said. “Take great first steps when we’re blocking and move guys.”
New Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester now has two games in Iowa City under his belt, both revolving around a tale of two halves. This dichotomy was successful against the Redbirds but proved disastrous against the Cyclones. Crafting a productive offense for all four quarters isn’t a simple feat, but Iowa players are confident in his abilities.
“He pushes us every week, tries to bring that energy and make things chaotic so that during the game, we’re not worried about anything,” Ostrenga said.
“I think we’ve kind of built our standard that we started with when we’re getting in camp, and we’re trying to push that standard forward every week,” he continued. “I think we’ve done a great job so far, obviously last week didn’t go the way we wanted it, but I think this week we can step forward and try to get a win.”
Injuries
Troy’s starting center, Eli Russ, missed the Trojans’ Week 2 loss to Memphis due to injury. In the second quarter of action against the Tigers, starting quarterback Goose Crowder went down with a shoulder ailment and didn’t return. Filling in were two walk-ons – Tyler Cappi, a second-year offensive lineman, and Matthew Caldwell, a junior quarterback transfer from Gardner-Webb. The 6-foot-4 Caldwell completed 11-of-19 passes for 113 yards in his FBS debut.
In his Monday press conference, Parker told reporters Russ and Crowder are listed as probable heading into the game against Iowa.
“We’re hopeful they’ll be able to get back and be able to prepare for the game but both will be a week (long) process to see if they can go,” he said.
As for the Hawkeyes, Ferentz said wide receiver Seth Anderson and linebacker Jayden Montgomery would stay sidelined against the Trojans.