3 lowest-scoring FBS games have a common denominator: Hawkeyes

Surely, you’ve heard of touchdowns. They’re all the rage in college football, for the most part.

They’ll come back to the state of Iowa some day. Last Saturday wasn’t that day, as Iowa had no TDs in its 9-6 loss at Illinois and Iowa State had none in its 10-9 home loss to Kansas State.

To understand how much an aberration those scores are to college football in general, know that those were two of the four lowest-scoring games this season involving all 131 FBS teams.

Iowa has been in the FBS’ three lowest-scoring games of the season. Iowa State has been in two of the top (bottom?) four and three of the top 10.

The only two games involving FBS teams that were without a touchdown involved Iowa, against South Dakota State and Illinois.

A ray of light in this offensive gloom is that Iowa and Iowa State needed big defensive efforts to make this list. The Cyclones are 107th in points per game and the Hawkeyes 116th, but the teams below them give up more points.

Here are the 10 lowest-scoring games of the season:

1. Iowa 7, South Dakota State 3

2. Illinois 9, Iowa 6

3. Iowa State 10, Iowa 7

4. Kansas State 10, Iowa State 9

5. Delaware 14, Navy 7

6. (tie) Massachusetts 20, Stony Brook 3

Air Force 13, Navy 10

Troy 16, Marshall 7

9. Penn State 17, Northwestern 7

10. Kansas 14, Iowa State 11