This is the year of bad shutout losses, from Iowa to Manhattan and beyond

There was a 34-0 score of sorts in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday, but we in Iowa know it wasn’t the biggest shutout of the year

On the first day of 2024, Tennessee clocked Iowa 35-0 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Those who were there will never forget it. Or already have.

It took just two paragraphs to give two different camps something to get steamed about. That’s a veteran columnist move, my friends. However, I will try to ease the irritation by showing how 34-0 and 35-0 have been eclipsed in the year’s first five months. For instance:

Feb. 4: Ireland 36, Italy 0

In Dublin, the Italians had a rather dismal performance against the Irish in rugby’s Six Nations Cup,

“Scrappy, disjointed and not overly entertaining,” a BBC.com account described a portion of the match.

That’s in the eye of the beholder. Ireland Coach Andy Farrell said “Keeping them to zero is very pleasing.”

It’s also the best way to avoid losing.

April 19: Poplarville 38, McCook 0

That was a high school softball score in Mississippi, where tender mercy must be lacking.

The Poplarville Lady Hornets were on the right side, the McCook Lady Tigers not so much. It was a first-round postseason game.

On May 11, Poplarville’s season ended when it was 38 runs shy of 38 in a 4-0 loss to Purvis. That’s the Purvis Lady Tornadoes. I kid you not.

April 19: Jamaica 39, Trinidad and Tobago 0

This was the first paragraph of the Jamaica Observer’s report on the contest between two national cricket teams:

Jamaica Scorpions were 39 without loss at lunch in their second innings after being asked to follow-on by Trinidad and Tobago Red Force during their regional four-day match at Sabina Park on Friday.

I can’t make out a word of it, either. Let’s hope lunch was good.

Feb. 26: Spring Garden 41, Elba 0

The final score of Spring Garden’s Alabama Class 1A state girls’ basketball semifinal actually was 62-16. It was, however, 41-0 at halftime.

“It was a tough first half,” Elba Coach Shaun Hammonds said. “We just challenged them in the locker room. We just told them, ‘Let’s show some school pride and get after it and see if we can put the ball in the basket,’ and we finally did.”

Elba wasn’t a team without pride. It won 28 games, lost just five. But what can you do against a steamroller? Spring Garden went on to win its second-straight state championship, prevailing by 29 points in the title game.

Jan. 21: Iowa 42, Missouri Valley College 0

Iowa had three pins and six technical falls in this women’s wrestling meet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The University of Iowa’s $31 million wrestling facility was unveiled Thursday, which the women’s team will share with the men’s squad. Now all the Hawkeyes need are some major colleges to add the sport for women and give Iowa some competition. It may be a while.

Almost 100 colleges and universities had women’s wrestling teams in 2023-24, but the only NCAA Division I schools were Iowa, Lindenwood, Presbyterian and Sacred Heart. In dual-meet competition against the other three last season, the Hawkeyes went 4-0 and won by a cumulative score of 166-9.

Iowa went 16-0 overall. It did have a pair of white-knucklers, though, 1-point wins over Division-II Simon Fraser and D-III North Central.

The fan support for Iowa in home meets was excellent in Year One. But the customers will want more than 42-0 thrashings of Missouri Valley.

Jan. 1: Oregon 45, Liberty 0

OK, Liberty scored first for a 6-0 lead in the Fiesta Bowl. Oregon then went on a 45-0 run for a 45-6 win.

Yes, Oregon played Liberty in a bowl game. Yes, it was a New Year’s Six bowl. The Ducks now are part of the Big Ten. Try scoring 45 unanswered points in the conference that had the nation’s top four teams in scoring defense last season.

The following is a passage from an NBCsports.com story from that game, describing what happened after Liberty began the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive:

The Flames ran into waves of Ducks after that.

If you’ve had that dream recently, it’s time to switch medications.

Anyway, all these other 2024 shutout blowouts tell us the aforementioned 34-0 and 35-0 losses weren’t so awful. Unless you were on the losing side, that is.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com