My No. 3 game in Ferentz Era -- Capital One Bowl

(This is an extension of Marc Morehouse's series on his Iowa football blog. Also, see Scott Dochterman's picks at his blog.)

It wasn't a classic game, start to finish. But the ending ...

Had the finish of the Jan. 1, 2005 Capital One Bowl been in a Rose Bowl or BCS title game, humans would be discussing it 50 years from now. As it is, Iowa fans in 2055 who were cognizant of the Hawkeyes' 30-25 Cap One win over LSU at the time will remember it fondly a half-century later.

Excerpts from my column off of that game:

ORLANDO , Fla. - Absolutely preposterous.

This Iowa football program, winning a 10th game for the third-straight season, winning a second-consecutive New Year's bowl, bolting down a Top Ten finish in the national polls for the third year in a row, collaring two Big Ten title-shares in that run.

Closing this season with eight straight wins despite having next to no rushing offense. Seemingly taking half of Iowa's population with it on these Florida bowl trips. Providing all its fans with decades' worth of big-time thrills.

And now, winning the Capital One Bowl on a last-second bomb.

Absolutely preposterous. Truly, madly, deeply preposterous. ...

It's one thing to have firmly established yourself as a national power. But to add major mystique on network television with a last-play lightning bolt in a New Year's slugfest with defending national-champ LSU? That rocks.

The Hawkeyes badly mismanaged the time on their final desperate drive to try to get into field goal range. Without even realizing it, they were in an all-or-nothing situation from their 44-yard line as the seconds dwindled into single digits.

Quarterback Drew Tate then took the snap. As the cliche goes, time then stood still.

An LSU cornerback who usually is on the field only when the Tigers need an extra defensive back blew his coverage. A senior receiver who had been in end zones during his career only to congratulate teammates was stunningly open. A sophomore quarterback threw a perfect bomb that supplanted Hartlieb-to-Cook in 1987 at Ohio State as Iowa's biggest walk-off home run.

"Drew Tate-to-Warren Holloway" is suddenly a forever-sacred phrase in Hawkdom. ...

During the on-field ceremony to fete the winners, Tate took the mike and said "We're going back to Disney World!" in a humorous twist on the statement most Super Bowl MVPs are paid to make.

Tate's magic kingdom. What a ride it was Saturday.