George Kittle gets his 'movie' ending for Hawkeyes at Kinnick

IOWA CITY — George Kittle just wanted a win in his final go-round at Kinnick Stadium.

Sure, everyone in black and gold wanted a win Friday night, but as a senior who had to claw his way back from a frustrating injury, Kittle just wanted things to go well. After all, the last time he played, Iowa took a shellacking on the road to Penn State. He had to watch as the Hawkeyes beat No. 3 Michigan and Illinois.

He certainly couldn't have predicted how his return would pan out Friday night. He had two catches for seven yards, but both went for touchdowns.

In his final game at home, Kittle got two last moments of glory — the first time he'd ever had a multi-touchdown game.

'I didn't script a touchdown, I was just planning on winning. That's all I could think about. No, I could not have scripted anything better. That was right out of a movie,' Kittle said. 'Scoring two touchdowns was pretty cool — I had never done it. To be able to add on to everything we did the whole night, it just felt like we were rolling and couldn't be stopped. It was really fun to be able to do that.'

The Iowa offense had taken a solid amount of criticism in the final month of the season with its lack of yardage output — especially in the passing game — and Kittle's absence had a lot to do with that.

No, the senior hasn't been Jimmy Graham as a pass-catching tight end, but he was an invaluable safety valve for quarterback C.J. Beathard. And, more importantly, he was by far the best blocking tight end the Hawkeyes have.

But he was back and as close to full strength as he's been in more than a month. Kittle said after the game there was no way he was missing Senior Night; that he 'was going to play this week regardless of if I had to be in a boot or not.' He said trainers found a 'new way to tape up my foot,' so he was good to go from start to finish for the first time since before the Purdue game.

His ankle was described as a sprain by Coach Kirk Ferentz, and sometimes injuries like those are worse than a clean break because it takes so long to fully heal. Add to that the frustration of being close, but not 100 percent, and it can be maddening.

Thankfully for Kittle and the Hawkeyes, the ending wasn't.

'He tried and tried and couldn't do it (before), so for him to come back and to end up with two touchdowns, I think that's fantastic. What a memory for him his last time at Kinnick,' Ferentz said. 'That's like maybe two days, if you call them two days. One was a walk-through. But both he and Ike Boettger came back and gave it their best, but they both also knew, it's not like they're going to be playing here in the next couple weeks, so I think everybody, just like their quarterback, if you can go, you're going to go.'

Kittle now has a pair of shining moments against Nebraska, his first coming in last year's game in Lincoln, Neb., where he did his now-signature arm flex as he scored that touchdown.

He only got to do a full-on flex Friday night in his second touchdown, as he had to dive to score the first, and was then mobbed by teammates in front of the student section. Kittle joked Nebraska must forget to cover him — that had to be the explanation for the scoring.

Seriously though, Kittle's emotions were on full display, and for great reason. The dog pile, the arm flex; the win — it all was the perfect ending to his career at Kinnick, he said.

'After the game I just kind of let all the emotions spill out,' Kittle said. 'Senior night is a big thing for me. Missing the last couple games was hard, so it was just a lot of built up emotions that all came out at once.

'When (a touchdown) happens I'm just ready to throw those arms up and celebrate. It's an incredible feeling. Especially right there in front of the student section — I can't hear a single thing. It's a moment I'll remember for the rest of my life.'

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