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Cardiac Hawks: Iowa’s 2021 season defined by big comeback wins
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Iowa finished the year with another classic comeback, erasing a 21-6 deficit to knock off Nebraska in Lincoln.
Believe it or not, it is a position the Hawkeyes became somewhat used to during the 2021 season. With erasing a 15-point deficit in the season-ending win, it became Iowa’s 3rd win after trailing by double digits.
Iowa’s first such win of the season came against Penn State. The Hawkeyes trailed 17-3 before turning things around in the 23-20 win.
The team also fell behind 10-0 early against Illinois before flipping a switch. Iowa outscored the Illini 33-13 the rest of the way in that game.
How impressive is Iowa’s comeback number? According to Scott Dochterman with The Athletic, the Hawkeyes had 3 such wins in the past 5 seasons combined heading into 2021.
Per @starrettjason this is Iowa’s third double-digit comeback win this season (Penn State, Illinois, at Nebraska). Hawkeyes had three such wins in the previous five seasons combined: 2016 Michigan, 2017 at Iowa State, 2020 at Illinois
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) November 26, 2021
Some teams just have a flair for the dramatic. That was definitely the case for the Hawkeyes in 2021.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.