Hlas: Duncan Donuts' kick heard round Football World

IOWA CITY — From outer space, Kinnick Stadium may have looked like a black hole under electric lighting late Saturday night.

On the field after the game, though, the place was the epicenter of life and joy and all the good stuff people feel when their sports team not only wins a big game against a marquee opponent, but had very few folks from here to outer space believing that would happen.

Thousands of black-clad fans mobbed dozens of black-clad players, and a good time was had by all.

Iowa 14, Michigan 13. That automatically becomes a score Hawkeye fans say without straining to recall it, next year and the year after, and in some future year when any two of them bump into each other on Mars.

'Years from now,' Hawkeye senior Jaleel Johnson said late Saturday night, 'nobody will forget the Iowa Hawkeyes took down the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines. It's one of those moments 10, 15 years from now, we'll remember we beat No. 3 Michigan.'

Asked how he would do next, Johnson said 'Go to sleep.' But then he was told fellow defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie had said he was headed to McDonald's, and that sounded pretty good to Johnson, too.

Simple pleasures. Like tackling Michigan running back De'Veon Smith in the end zone for a second-quarter safety. Johnson did that. It was worth two points and Iowa won by one.

At the time, it cut the Wolverines' lead to 10-2. But it did a lot more than that, psychologically. It sent an electric surge through the crowd, and changed the feel of the game. You got a safety against Michigan? That's a sick burn.

So much crazy this night, so much great. Iowa cornerback Greg Mabin hurt an ankle in practice this week and couldn't play. Safety Miles Taylor had an injury that reportedly required concussion protocol on Michigan's first play, and his night was over. That's half the secondary.

Enter first-year freshman Manny Rugamba at corner and fifth-year senior Anthony Gair at safety. Both played well as part of a unit that held Michigan's 497-yard-a-game offense to 203.

Rugamba had a brilliant interception and broke up three other passes. Gair had seven tackles and was a mainstay in holding Michigan to three second-half points.

'I just worked all week as I do every week just to stay prepared,' said Gair.

It wasn't his first moment of truth. He started and had an interception on Pittsburgh's final play in Iowa's there two years ago. But he's done a lot more watching than playing over the years and could have mentally checked out.

Instead, he joined Rugamba to stop Smith for a 3-yard loss on Michigan's first possession, which ended with a punt and immediately established that the Hawkeyes' defense had showed up for this game.

Akrum Wadley had a star turn in this game, which may seem funny to say since he has done significant things this year and before. But against the primo Michigan defense, the junior running back had 167 total yards (of Iowa's 230) and was the most-dominant player on either side.

'What I've been waiting for,' Wadley said. 'Hat's off to the offensive line. They lightened up my load, they pushed a few jokers around, they opened up the holes.

'We needed this really bad, for ourselves, four our fans that come to all the games. They gave us their all. They gave us the energy.

'This is us taking a huge step forward after getting embarrassed (in a 41-14 loss at Penn State) last week.'

Wadley said he hurt himself — relax, it was nothing remotely serious — tackling Keith Duncan on the field after the game. Duncan, by the way, made the last-second 33-yard field goal that decided the game.

Why did you tackle your teammate, Wadley was asked.

'I don't know, man,' he said. 'He's the man, he's the hero. Duncan Donuts.'

Duncan Donuts? Duncan Donuts.

Like all first-year freshmen, Duncan is kept off limits to the press by the coach. Iowa's sports information staff got some quotes from the man/the hero.

'It was an incredible feeling kicking that in front of 70,000 fans,' Duncan said. 'I can't even speak right now.'

Iowa punter Ron Coluzzi said Duncan whips him in ping pong, every time they play.

'He beats me in pool,' Wadley said. 'He sweeped the table on me and he just walked off like it was nothing.

'He do what he do. Duncan, don't underestimate him. He'll wake you up.'

Oh, we know. Duncan made that field goal and woke up college football. He joined Rob Houghtlin and Daniel Murray in Iowa kickers who made unforgettable last-second field goals against Top 3 teams.

Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard was eight years from being born when Houghtlin's kick beat Michigan at Kinnick in 1985. Beathard knew nothing about No. 1 Iowa's 12-10 win over No. 2 Michigan until it was mentioned during Saturday afternoon's Penn State-Indiana telecast.

'The AFLAC trivia question,' Beathard said. 'The last time Iowa beat a top-2 team was 1985. When (Jim) Harbaugh was the quarterback.'

Iowa fans who saw that game still talk about it in detail. Those who saw this one Saturday night will replay it along with Johnson and his teammates for a long, long time.

From a satellite somewhere, Kinnick was just an illuminated black hole. In Football World Saturday night, however, it was the center of the universe.