IOWA CITY — For three quarters, it was football only a defensive coordinator could love, but Iowa loved the result Saturday.
The 56th meeting between Iowa and Iowa State was played in a marsh and defined by defense. With two inches of rain falling between Friday afternoon and kickoff in Iowa City, there was more mud slinging on the soggy Kinnick Stadium turf than a week’s worth of barbs traded between the McCain and Obama camps as both offenses struggled to execute in the wet, windy elements.
And in an intense, hard-hitting, wet game of “Who’s The Real Undefeated Iowa Deal?,” the Hawks proved the contenders in a hard 17-5 dismissal of Iowa State before 70,585 fans.
The unbeaten Hawks used an unbreaking defense, Shonn Greene’s strong 120-yard, one-touchdown performance and Andy Brodell’s game-breaking 81-yard fourth-quarter punt return for a touchdown to reclaim the Cy-Hawk Trophy and the priceless state bragging rights that come with it.
"Lipstick or no lipstick, it looked pretty good to me,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who recorded his fourth victory in 10 chances against the Cyclones, jokingly referring to the Sarah Palin controversy the McCain and Obama presidential campaigns are bickering over. “We knew it was going to be a tough ballgame. I’ll make a prediction too: The next 10 (in the series) will be pretty tough, too.”
For Iowa State (2-1), the game film will be tough to watch today. Missed opportunities bankrupted the Cyclones’ bid at their eighth win over Iowa in the series’ last 11 meetings. Iowa State drove inside the Iowa 5-yard line twice in the second half only to come away empty-handed. Three other drives ended inside the Iowa 30.
The Cyclones trumped the Hawks (3-0) in total yards (325-244) and first downs (18-11), but could only muster a Grant Mahoney 43-yard field goal that tied the sloppy game at 3 with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.
"We just had the worst luck all day down in the red zone, not being able to capitalize,” said ISU quarterback Austen Arnaud, an inconsistent 21-for-34 passing for 224 yards and two interceptions. “On a couple of those plays, we’re one block away or one step away from breaking it.”
The Cyclones’ frustration against Iowa’s vastly improving defense was exemplified on a promising third-quarter drive that derailed at the Hawkeye 1. After marching 65 yards to open the second half, the Cyclones had a critical third-and-4 chance at the Iowa 15. But Arnaud couldn’t audible a play change to his team before the 25-second play clock expired, costing ISU a 5-yard delay of game penalty and killing the drive’s momentum.
Iowa State called a timeout to change course, but with no luck. On the next play, Arnaud came back and went for the money with a long TD attempt to Houston Jones in the end zone. But Arnaud fired short and safety Tyler Sash intercepted the pass at the Iowa 1-yard line. Sash made a career-high 12 tackles and also booked his first career sack.
Iowa has yet to surrender a touchdown this season.
"We grew up a little bit as a defense,” linebacker A.J. Edds said. “We had some big plays by some big guys.”
The Cyclones had a suitcase full of chances but couldn’t cash any in. Iowa did nothing on its ensuing possession following Sash’s pick, and a poor Ryan Donahue punt and an illegal formation penalty on Iowa set ISU with prime real estate at the Hawk 26.
But the Cyclones again shot blanks inside the Iowa red zone. Trying to run for a first down on third-and-8, ISU quarterback Phillip Bates stepped out of bounds at the 4, leading coach Gene Chizik to try a 21-yard field goal on 4th-and-1.
But Mahoney missed, clanking a sidewinding kick off the left goal post. The true freshman converted just one of his four field goal attempts, missing from 38, 21 and 46 yards.
Iowa State dominated the third quarter, running 21 plays to Iowa’s 7, but couldn’t make the plays that mattered.
“We had our chances,” linebacker Michael Bibbs said. “That’s what happens when we don’t capitalize on our chances. We get beat.”
Greene turned in his third consecutive 100-yard game for Iowa and broke the 3-3 stalemate by muscling through the ISU defensive line for a 5-yard touchdown with 12:56 left.
"Those were tough yards today. They didn’t come uncontested,” Ferentz said. “It was a great effort on Shonn’s part.”
Brodell, a junior wide receiver from Ankeny whose Hawkeye career has been stalled by injuries that have prevented him from displaying his full talent, produced the day’s highlight- reel play. Brodell returned a Mike Brandtner punt 81 yards down the Iowa sideline — eluding four tackles along the way — to the house and electrifying the Kinnick crowd.
A year ago, Brodell saw his season derailed by a torn hamstring against Wisconsin. On Saturday, he delivered the dagger that put down Iowa’s biggest rival for good.
"It was the gutsiest play I’ve ever seen,” quarterback Jake Christensen said. “Tearing the hamstring from the bone” and coming back “... I couldn’t be happier for him.”
