Close Calls: The only headline for the '09 Hawkeyes

Of course, there was Michigan State and the first-and-70 to go. To a certain extent, the blocked punt at Penn State fits here. Don't forget the wind-aided comeback against Indiana.

And, oh yeah, back-to-back blocked field goals in the opener against Northern Iowa.

“If we don't get those,” defensive end Adrian Clayborn said, “who knows what happens to us.”

The topic is close calls for the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes. They finished 10-2 by the skin of their teeth, yes, but the consistency in which they pulled off these great escapes speaks to something, doesn't it? Doesn't that say something about their chutzpah or plain old cajoles?

Check Michigan State, the No. 1 close call for ‘09 Iowa.

Iowa's offense had zero traction the entire game, but finally managed enough for a Daniel Murray 20-yard field goal and a 9-6 lead with 2:56 left in the game. Then, the Spartans get all nutty with a hook-and-lateral to set up a 30-yard Kirk Cousins-to-Blair White TD for a 13-9 lead with 1:37 left.

After completing just seven passes the entire game, quarterback Ricky Stanzi hit on 4 of 9 for 60 yards, including the 7-yard game-winner to Marvin McNutt with all zeros on the clock for a 15-13 victory.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio might still be on the sideline, blinking and mumbling. Dantonio initially semi-blamed the Spartan Stadium clock operator for Iowa getting off four plays in the final 15 seconds, calling the feat semi-sarcastically “amazing.”

He eventually came around.

“You have what I watched on the film for three-and-a-half to four hours today,” he said. “I was sitting there with a stopwatch saying, ‘Can they get off four plays in 15 seconds?'

“On the stopwatch, they did. I wish I could say it wasn't. But on the stopwatch, it seemed like there was 1.99 left.”

The No. 2 great escape is the last few seconds of the 17-16 squeaker over Northern Iowa.

Iowa defensive end Broderick Binns blocked UNI kicker Billy Hallgren's first 40-yard field goal attempt with seven seconds left in the September season opener. After a seven-minute review and with one second left on the clock, linebacker Jeremiha Hunter reached up with his right hand and smacked down Hallgren's second chance and the Hawkeyes escaped.

What's the real-life equivalent of back-to-back blocked field goals?

“I feel like that'd be hitting green on roulette two times in a row, maybe,” said Stanzi, whose 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Moeaki with 13:18 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner. “That's what I thought of right away. It's like hitting green twice in a row.

“That doesn't happen very often.”

Lightning striking twice, lottery numbers, whatever one-in-a-million cliche you want.

“I doubt there's a person in the stadium who's ever seen anything like that on TV or in person,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It's just a bizarre deal and we're very fortunate.”

The No. 3 close call splinters, it has to. We only have room for three.

So, Clayborn's blocked punt fits in. The final score wasn't as close (21-10), but where would the Hawkeyes have been at then-No. 5 Penn State without Clayborn's block and 53-yard return for a TD?

Then, Indiana. The Hoosiers were up 21-7 and on Iowa's 2 midway through the third quarter. Bing, bang, bong, safety Tyler Sash is returning an interception that was tipped as many as four times (no one really knows for sure) 86 yards for what tipped off a monumental comeback.

The Michigan game fits in here somewhere. A 30-28 victory is a close call. The 27-24 overtime loss at Ohio State, close call. Arkansas State, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Close call, close call and close call.

The entire 2009 season, close call.

Pretty sharp vid from the Big Ten Network on the last play of the game. "7 got 6."

Here's a highlight package from the UNI game with rap soundtrack (don't ask me who and, yes, there are some blue words).

"This is gonna be a Hawkeye touchdown. This is Clayborn, the big defensive end. Blocks it and takes it in. And the Hawkeyes take the lead. A stunning development here in Happy Valley." -- Brent Musburger. (BTW, you hear the PSU student section chant "Boone" or "Boom" before Jeremy Boone's ill-fated effort. Boom, indeed.)

I have never heard this version of the Iowa fight song. Is that MegaDeth?