Iowa football: Grading the Hawkeyes after heartbreaking loss to Purdue

In the most-entertaining Big Ten game of the day, Iowa suffered a hurtful defeat when Purdue won 38-36 on a last-second field goal. The loss, the Hawkeyes’ second in two week and third in the Big Ten, basically eliminated their title hopes in the Big Ten West.

Here’s what I liked — and didn’t like — about the Hawkeyes’ loss to Purdue:

What I liked

Quarterback Nate Stanley was back to his old self …

We had concerns about Nate Stanley coming into the game after he sprained his right thumb last week in the loss at Penn State. But he was sharp all night against Purdue, going 21-for-32 passing for 275 yards and a touchdown. He spread the ball around well, completing passes to nine different receivers, and six of them had multiple catches. He led Iowa to a nice comeback when they were down by 11 in the second half, and just came up a little short at the end despite completing 16 of his final 19 throws.

… And his teammates had his back all week

Stanley and his injured thumb probably got too much criticism last week. His teammates didn’t like, and they strongly defended their team leader. “I liked the way Nate came back and battled this week,” Iowa tight end Noah Fant said.“Especially, he probably won’t tell anybody, but I’m sure that his thumb wasn’t feeling the best. He had it taped up and everything, but he battled through it — delivered some great balls out there. He’s just a competitor, and he’s a great leader for us. I feel like he responded, big time, and put us in a good opportunity to win the game.”

No title, but this is still a very likeable team

I had a lot of concerns five weeks ago if this brutal schedule of four road games in five weeks was going to catch up with the Hawkeyes, and sure enough it did. That’s a lot on anybody, at any level. They looked worn out late Saturday night, which hurt when all they needed was one more play to get a win. It rips your guts out when you lose in the final minute because you always feel like you should have won. There was no finger-points, no criticism of each other. It’s a good group.

What I didn’t like

Vaunted defense falters on final drive again

Iowa’s defense has been very good all year, but it’s hard to understand several late-game breakdowns. The first loss of the season came against Wisconsin when Alex Hornibrook went 5-for-5 on a final drive  that ended with a touchdown — and a Badgers win — in the final minute. The same thing happened Saturday at Purdue, when the Boilermakers marched downfield and kicked the game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Losing close games at the buzzer defines a season, and for Iowa, it’s a painful definition. This defense was too good for that to happen, especially twice.

Going for 2 comes back to bite Hawkeyes

Iowa started chasing points in the third quarter and went for a 2-point conversion while trailing 28-23. They didn’t make it, and then didn’t make it a second time trying to double down. Had they kicked both extra points, that late Purdue field goal would have made it 38-all instead of 38-36. “I figured we were going to need the points and I think it played out that way. The more points the better,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. It’s one thing to be aggressive, but it’s easy to be critical when it doesn’t work.

Tom Brew

Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.