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Iowa’s offense got off to a sluggish start for a second week in a row, but much like last Saturday, the Hawkeyes came up big when it was most important.
Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes survived a 13-3 battle against Iowa State, marking the fourth straight year Iowa has knocked off its in-state rival and claimed the Cy-Hawk Trophy. It was ugly, it was defensive and it was everything you’d expect out of the two programs.
This was the second straight week that Iowa’s offense struggled to score in the first half, taking a 3-3 tie into halftime. The third and fourth quarters weren’t much better, but the Hawkeyes did strike pay dirt with less than five minutes left in the game, making it a two-score game.
Considering how stingy both defenses were playing, the 10-point lead was nearly insurmountable.
Iowa’s defense held Iowa State under 200 total yards offensively, and surrendered just 22 rushing yards on 24 attempts. Last week, the Hawkeyes surrendered 101 yards to Northern Illinois in a 33-7 win.
What’s the lesson after Iowa has defensively dominated its first two opponents?
Ferentz’s bunch is pretty good on that side of the ball.
Iowa hasn’t done anything special offensively and has struggled mightily in six of the eight quarters its played this season. Still, it hasn’t mattered, because the defense has been overwhelming. And in the B1G West, owning a defense that tough is a huge advantage.
Next week, Iowa welcomes in Northern Iowa, an FCS opponent to round out the non-conference schedule. The following Saturday No. 5 Wisconsin comes to town, the team everyone has already tabbed as the winner of the B1G West.
This defense is for real and Iowa might give the Badgers a run for their money, especially in Kinnick Stadium.
But for now, Ferentz and the Hawkeyes can enjoy their fourth straight win over the Cyclones.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB