Blown leads haunt Hawkeyes in 2024 season that had plenty of potential

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As picturesque as the setting was for Monday’s Music City Bowl — sunny and 61 degrees at game time, with the artificial turf making it feel warmer — the final outcome on the field was hardly picturesque for Iowa football.

If anything, the weather greeting the team upon its arrival at The Eastern Iowa Airport on Tuesday — cloudy and in the 30s — might have been a better metaphor for what happened at Nissan Stadium as the Hawkeyes blew a second-half lead and fell to No. 19 Missouri.

Speaking of metaphors, the way Iowa lost in the Music City Bowl was emblematic of an issue plaguing the Hawkeyes throughout the 2024 season — one that did not seem to meet preseason expectations.

From 2015-23, Iowa was 71-2 when leading by at least eight points at any point in the game. Then in 2024, the Hawkeyes blew double-digit leads in three of their five losses.

“We kind of squelched that one unfortunately,” said Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz, who became aware earlier this year of Iowa’s “unbelievable” record when leading.

Iowa had a 13-0 halftime lead against rival Iowa State in Week 2 at Kinnick Stadium, yet suffered a 20-19 loss.

Two months later, Iowa had a 10-0 lead at UCLA, only to leave the Rose Bowl with a thorny 20-17 loss.

Then in Nashville, the Hawkeyes blew a 24-14 lead in the second half on their way to a 27-24 loss.

“Each of them are different discussion probably,” Ferentz said. “Maybe the most similar would be the last two. Just some of the things we talked about offensively first half versus the second half I think popped up in both of those. At least from my vantage point.”

If Iowa held onto its leads against Iowa State and UCLA, the Hawkeyes would have finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and might be on the periphery of College Football Playoff contention. A third 10-win season in a four-year stretch would undoubtedly be a positive.

Instead, the 8-4 Hawkeyes returned to the Music City Bowl — where they just were two years ago — and suffered their ninth consecutive ranked loss to No. 19 Missouri.

Following Monday’s unfortunate outcome, the 2024 team’s five losses are tied (with 2022, 2017 and 2016) for the most for Iowa in any of the last 10 seasons. One would have to go back to 2014 to find an Iowa team that lost more games.

The 8-5 result might not seem so unsightly under other circumstances, but Iowa had a lot working in its favor in 2024 — enough things for quarterback Cade McNamara to say before the season that a CFP berth was a “very realistic goal for this team.”

“I think — just the overall experience and the amount of talent that we have on both sides of the ball — that if we weren’t to have that goal, we’d be holding ourselves short,” McNamara said in August.

The Hawkeyes started 14 seniors in Week 1. They benefited from a much-improved offensive scheme and a much-improved Kaleb Johnson, who had a consensus All-America season. They only had to play one of the four Big Ten teams that appeared in this year’s CFP.

Along with replacing the heavy dose of departing production, the Hawkeyes have other areas that clearly need improvement in 2025. Quarterback play is at the top of the list considering Iowa is 104th in passing efficiency (which may change slightly with the remaining bowl games).

It obviously would go a long way, too, if the Hawkeyes can perform at the level they did in 2015-23 rather than 2024 when leading by eight or more points.

“Certainly if we want to be a 10-win team or 11-win team like our opponent, you have to do a better job in those,” Ferentz said after his third game this season with a blown double-digit lead.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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