Hawkeyes survive wild ending against in-state rival
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There's a reason special teams proves pivotal in football. One game into the 2009 season, the No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes should feel fortunate for what their third phase did.
Two blocked field goals by sophomore Broderick Binns and junior Jeremiha Hunter in the game's final seven seconds allowed the Hawkeyes to escape Kinnick Stadium on Saturday with a 17-16 win over FCS power Northern Iowa.
The Panthers were on the cusp of turning Iowa into college football's laughingstock. But neither Broderick Binns nor Jeremiha Hunter would allow Panther kicker Billy Hallgren to become a Northern Iowa legend.
From 40 yards out, Hallgren had a chance to win it for the Panthers. But Binns would block his field goal attempt from 40 yards out.
"I got in there, got my hands up, and the ball came right to my hands," Binns said. "Jeremiha told everybody 'He kicks the ball low.'"
Then something unusual occurred. Northern Iowa's Ryan Mahaffey dove on the ball and retained possession for the Panthers, giving Hallgren an opportunity to redeem himself.
According to the official NCAA ruling, under Section 3, Article 1, "A scrimmage kick that fails to cross the neutral zone continues in play. All players may catch or recover the ball behind the neutral zone and advance it."
Hunter was near the ball when the kick was blocked, but was told by teammates not to pick it up. Because Mahaffey recovered the ball at the 24-yard line and it was a 1st & 10 when the play took place, Northern Iowa got to keep it with one second left on the clock.
Hallgren would again try from 41 yards away to help Northern Iowa pull off the upset. But then it was Hunter, the man who knew he kicked the ball low and could have earlier cemented the Iowa win without all the chaos, who would come up large when the Hawkeyes needed it most.
"We just came out here and busted our butts," the 6-2 linebacker said. "That last play, that field goal, I was praying the whole time. Me and Pat [Angerer], we got up in there and got our hands up, and I went in and got the block."
The feeling of relief was evident in players after the game.
"When it got blocked the first time, I thought we had the ball and the game was over, and I was just thanking God and thanking our defense for saving us," senior offensive lineman Dace Richardson said. "When they told us they got to kick again, the wind was out and I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.
"To do it once is just amazing, but to do it twice is just unheard of."
Northern Iowa hung with Iowa for most of the game, and actually led 10-3 at halftime. The Hawkeyes would be down by as many as 10 points before getting two second-half touchdowns from redshirt freshman running back Adam Robinson and senior tight end Tony Moeaki, who finished with a career-high 10 receptions for 83 yards.
But going back to special teams, one player Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said stood out from everyone else was junior punter Ryan Donahue, who had four punts for a total of 168 net yards. Three of those punts were downed inside Northern Iowa's own 20-yard line.
"He, by far, was our top performer out there today," Ferentz said. "He just played a fantastic game. We are counting on him to continue to perform like that and it's a great weapon to have."
Iowa heads to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames on Sept. 12 to battle in-state rival Iowa State. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
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