Hawkeyes move to 9-0 after improbable comeback against Indiana
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On this windy Iowa City Halloween, the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes performed a familiar trick.
Trailing by 10 points at home to Indiana entering the fourth quarter, the Hawkeye offense overcame an abysmal performance for three quarters, and posted four touchdowns en route to a 42-24 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. The win moves Iowa to 9-0 this season, and 5-0 in Big Ten play.
It was a game that Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz called the most bizarre he had ever been a part of.
"It's got to be at the top," Ferentz said. "I know I haven't been in a game like this, and I doubt I've seen a game like this. It was just so different."
The game got off to a rather uncharacteristic start for the Hawkeyes. After deferring to the second half upon winning the game's coin toss, Indiana took advantage on its opening drive, marching 69 yards down field and getting a four-yard touchdown run from running back Darius Willis to go ahead 7-0.
The Hoosiers went ahead 14-0 in the second quarter before Iowa running back Brandon Wegher rushed for the first of three touchdowns the true freshman scored in his first career start to trim Indiana's lead to seven points.
However, Indiana would recovered a muffed punt by Iowa junior cornerback Amari Spievey, and the Hoosiers responded with a nine-yard touchdown score to go up 21-7 at halftime.
Then fate began to benefit the Hawkeyes. Just as the Hoosiers looked to go ahead three possessions, a tipped ball thrown by Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell that later bounced off three others was intercepted by sophomore safety Tyler Sash. The Oskaloosa native took his sixth pick of the season back 86 yards for a touchdown that brought Iowa within single digits.
Sash got a chance to see the play on tape after the game and was simply amazed.
"I was coming off the corner a little bit. I saw him pass the ball and I turned around," Sash said as he described what the tape showed him. "Somehow, the ball hit me in the back of the head, got tipped, and went in front of the defensive line.
"The ball was parallel to my eyes, and I just got it and took off."
Indiana would respond eventually with a 37-yard field goal from kicker Nick Freeland to put the Hoosiers up 10 points entering the final period.
After throwing five interceptions on the afternoon, four of which came in that third quarter alone, Iowa junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi made two of his biggest throws of the season.
First, the Mentor, Ohio native found last week's hero, Marvin McNutt, on a play-action pass that the sophomore wideout would take 92 yards for a touchdown.
Then on the Hawkeyes' ensuing drive, it would only take one play to score, as Stanzi found junior wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos on a play-action pass taken 66 yards for a score to put Iowa up, 28-24, with 11:38 left in the game.
Stanzi credited offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe for both of his two touchdown throws.
"Coach O'Keefe did a great job because he got me moving, making it more simple to get the ball to guys that can get up the field and make some plays," Stanzi said. "There were some great calls by Coach O'Keefe all game, and then the other guys to catch the ball and doing great things with it afterwards."
The Hawkeyes would get insurance from Wegher, as he would score two more times from six and 27 yards out to seal Iowa's ninth win of the season, which matches its win total from a year ago.
"We're not going to get any style points for beating people in the fourth quarter," junior offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde. "We're not a stylistic team, we're not a sexy team. We're a 'Line up and hit you in the mouth for 60 minutes'-kind of team, and it's getting it done."
With three games left, the Hawkeyes now turn their attention towards Northwestern next week. Once again, it will be an 11 a.m. kickoff from Kinnick Stadium, and the game will be televised by ESPN. Last year, the Wildcats knocked off the Hawkeyes in Iowa City, 22-17.
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