5 memorable Iowa football wins over Iowa State

Ahead of the 69th renewal of the Cy-Hawk rivalry on Saturday, here are five memorable football wins for the Hawkeyes against the Cyclones:

1977: Iowa 12, Iowa State 10

It was the first time in 43 years that Iowa and Iowa State played.

Iowa State wore uniforms with “BEAT IOWA” emblazoned above the numbers.

The Cyclones couldn’t do what their jerseys said they were going to do, though.

Iowa edged Iowa State, 12-10, while limiting ISU to 96 total yards. All of the scoring happened in an eight-minute stretch of the first half.

The Daily Iowan took a jab at the losing Cyclones on the front page of its next edition.

“God is in his heaven and all is right with the world because the upstart agrarians from the other university have been conquered and sent scurrying back to their sod houses in the western part of the state,” Jay Walljasper wrote in the Daily Iowan.

2015: Iowa 31, Iowa State 17

The 2015 season was undoubtedly special — a 12-0 regular-season record, Big Ten West title and Rose Bowl berth.

The 31-17 win over Iowa State in Week 2 was perhaps an early sign of what was to come.

After trailing, 17-10, at halftime, Iowa scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to ease past its in-state rival.

C.J. Beathard completed 60 percent of his passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 77 yards. Iowa’s rushing attack averaged 5.8 yards per carry.

“Maybe when the Hawkeyes locked arms and walked over to retrieve the Cy-Hawk Trophy was when we should've known something different was happening in 2015,” longtime Gazette reporter Marc Morehouse later wrote in his KF143 series.

2003: Iowa 40, Iowa State 21

At this point, Kirk Ferentz checked a lot of boxes as Iowa football head coach.

In 2001, he delivered a bowl win.

In 2002, he gave the Hawkeyes a share of a Big Ten title. He took them to the Orange Bowl.

But his first win against Iowa State still was barely out of reach heading into the 2003 season. The Cyclones won the first four games against the Hawkeyes, three of which were by one possession.

That changed in 2003 with Iowa’s definitive, 40-21, win over its in-state rival.

The Hawkeyes’ special teams units thrived in the win. Sean Considine blocked two punts, and kicker Nate Kaeding hit four field goals.

By the end of the third quarter, Iowa had a commanding 33-7 lead.

2019: Iowa 18, Iowa State 17

The 2019 game might be the only Iowa win where Iowa State students stormed the field.

Yes, you read that right. Cyclone fans stormed the field during a Hawkeye win.

Amid one of two lightning delays, Iowa State’s student section seemed to be a little impatient and ran across the field.

When the game finally ended — “This game aged everyone about 40 years,” Morehouse wrote at the time — Hawkeye fans were the ones with reason to celebrate.

Led by quarterback Nate Stanley, the Hawkeyes pulled off a second-half upset to win their fifth straight game against the Cyclones.

Iowa State had a 14-6 lead in the second half, and ESPN at one point gave Matt Campbell’s crew an 81.1 percent chance of winning.

Drives ending in a Keith Duncan field goal and Stanley 1-yard touchdown run gave Iowa a 15-14 lead, but the Cyclones struck with a field goal later in the quarter to retake a 17-15 lead.

Then an eight-play, 54-yard drive set up Duncan’s fourth field goal of the day. Iowa led, 18-17.

Brock Purdy and the Cyclones advanced as far as the Iowa 34-yard line, but the Hawkeyes made stops on second, third and fourth downs to halt the potential game-winning drive.

2017: Iowa 44, Iowa State 41 (OT)

Six years earlier, Iowa lost to its in-state rival, 44-41, in triple overtime.

In 2017, the Hawkeyes were on the other side of a 44-41 overtime result.

Stanley showed what he was capable of in his second career start, going 27-for-41 for 333 yards. He had five touchdowns and no interceptions.

The last touchdown — a 5-yarder to Ihmir Smith-Marsette — secured the 44-41 victory in Ames.

Running back Akrum Wadley was Iowa’s leader in rushing and receiving yards with 118 and 72, respectively.

Wadley and Smith-Marsette, who went to the same high school in New Jersey, combined to account for three touchdown receptions and one touchdown run.

Comments: (319) 398-8394; john.steppe@thegazette.com