Iowa football's plays of the year: Cutting the list to 5

Sometimes selecting the play of a game is easy. The Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2005 comes to mind, or the final play of Iowa's 15-13 win at Michigan State in 2009.

But in other games, picking the game's top play is nebulous. Is it a dynamic play, like a great second-quarter catch? Or is it the game's most important play, a final touchdown or turnover? Often they intersect, like Marshall Koehn's 57-yard field goal to beat Pittsburgh on Sept. 19. Other times, plays marinate and become more important within the context of a season, like Koehn's failed fake field goal attempt against Illinois State that had fans applauding the effort.

Each week, I select and break down the 'Play of the Game' for The Gazette and thegazette.com. Usually, I have a short discussion with colleague Marc Morehouse just to reaffirm my choice. Sometimes we have a difference of opinion. Hey, it's sports, nobody agrees about everything. (Here's his list)

Looking back, there are several games in which I could have picked a different play. Iowa defensive end Parker Hesse's tip-six against Nebraska comes to mind. So does Michigan State running back L.J. Scott's touchdown run in the Big Ten championship game. But with the benefit of hindsight and the absence of a tight deadline, anything is possible.

So, here's my list of Iowa's top five plays of the season (Marc and I also discuss it on our latest podcast).

5. Desmond King's 88-yard interception return against Maryland. In a year where junior cornerback Desmond King earned consensus All-American honors and the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back, this play sums up his entire record-breaking season. It will lead off his highlight reel when he's selected for the NFL draft.

With Iowa leading 24-7 and 7:55 left, Maryland faced first and 10 at Iowa's 12-yard line. At the snap, King anticipated a screen pass play and knew the exact location to where Maryland quarterback Perry Hills' offering was headed. King undercut wide receiver Jahrvis Davenport and beat him to the ball. King caught it, wove to his left and raced 88 yards for the touchdown.

'They tried to do it one time, but they didn't throw it that way,' King said. 'I knew they were going to come back to it. So once I saw the formation, everything just played in my hands. I just went straight to the reception area.'

King tied a school record with eight interceptions this season and some were more important than this one. But none were as dynamic.

4. C.J. Beathard's goal line dive at Indiana. In a classic trap game, Iowa needed every circus play to win at Indiana. That included a hobbling C.J. Beathard, who showed he can fly even with damaged wings.

Down 17-14 with 23 seconds left in the second quarter, Iowa faced second and goal at the Hoosiers' 7. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis called a quarterback draw, and Beathard followed running back Derrick Mitchell into the hole. Beathard broke left, and he stiff-armed linebacker Tegray Scales at the 8-yard line. Beathard raced toward the corner and with defenders approaching, he leapt from the 2-yard line and reached the ball across the goal line. Linebacker Marcus Oliver knocked the ball from Beathard's hands, but it was a split-second after he scored.

'It was a great effort on his part. I guess we can all quit asking about the percent he is because I have no idea and certainly he doesn't, either,' Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'It's a good enough percent to look like a football player out there. He's a really tough-minded guy.'

Like with King, Beathard made a ton of other plays worthy of this list. But his touchdown run showed his competitive spirit and gave Iowa a lead in an important game. The Hawkeyes never trailed the rest of the game.

Beathard goes Superman for Iowa TD - ESPN Video

3. Akrum Wadley's dash at Northwestern. Wadley was known earlier this season as a fumbler, perhaps the worst label a running back can attain. But with original starting running back LeShun Daniels unable to play after an early-season ankle injury and then Jordan Canzeri out with his own ankle issue, Wadley proved in one play that Iowa's rush offense wouldn't miss a beat.

On the second quarter's first play, Iowa faced second and 8 from Northwestern's 35. Wadley ran an outside zone play to his left. Wide receiver Jacob Hillyer ran a slant route inside from the left, and he successfully cracked down on safety Traevon Henry. Wadley bounced his run outside of Hillyer's block. Northwestern cornerback Nick VanHoose originally trailed Hillyer, but failed to recover in time and missed Wadley, who streaked up the sideline untouched for the score.

'We practice that play a lot,' Wadley said. 'I saw the bounce was there, they closed in a corner and there wasn't anybody else to push me back inside so I saw daylight and I took advantage of it.'

Wadley finished with 204 yards and tied a school record with four touchdowns. This play helped give injury-depleted Iowa confidence in a 40-10 win at Northwestern, which finished 10-2.

A. Wadley run for 35 yds for a TD - ESPN Video

2. Faith Ekakitie's fumble recovery inside the 5-yard line at Wisconsin. In the Big Ten's rivalry version of bloody knuckles, Iowa and Wisconsin engaged in a low-scoring, hard-hitting physical battle at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Hawkeyes led 10-6 with 7:50 left in the game, but the Badgers faced second and goal at the Iowa 1. In a goal-line defensive alignment with six linemen across the line of scrimmage, defensive end Nate Meier shifted inside to the 'A' gap. Meier stayed low and exploded between Wisconsin center Dan Voltz and right guard Micah Kapoi at the snap. Meier's blast caused Kapoi to step back, and Kapoi's left foot stepped on Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave as he tried to reverse pivot and hand off to running back Taiwan Deal. Stave fell, the ball grazed Deal and squirted to the 4-yard line. Meier slammed Deal into the ball, which rolled to Iowa defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie at the 5-yard line. Ekakitie recovered, and Iowa survived.

'We got low and we got some good pressure and Faith came up with that huge fumble recovery,' Meier said. 'It was good. Our coaches always harp on us to have a low pad and everything and shoot the gap as hard as you can.'

It was Iowa's first win against the Badgers since 2009, and it proved anything was possible for the Hawkeyes this year. Although it was the Big Ten opener for both teams, that game determined the Big Ten West Division championship. It also told the world that Iowa could finish in the clutch.

IOWA vs. WIS - IOWA fumble recovery - ESPN Video

1. Marshall Koehn's 57-yard field goal against Pittsburgh. In a season filled with memorable moments, no play was more prominent than Marshall Koehn's 57-yard field goal to beat Pittsburgh on the game's final play.

The backdrop was illuminating with the first night game at Kinnick Stadium since 2012. The pregame Swarm featured honorary captain and former four-year starting safety Brett Greenwood, who nearly died in 2011 after his heart stopped during a workout. Greenwood led the team to midfield with aid from only a walker. It was highly emotional.

The game itself was back-and-forth and filled with big plays. Pittsburgh tied the score at 24-24 with 52 seconds left. Instead of playing for overtime, Iowa went for the win. On third and 10 at Pittsburgh's 47-yard line, Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard scrambled for eight yards. He immediately dropped to the ground and called timeout with two seconds left. Iowa lined up on the left hash mark and shortly before the snap, Pittsburgh Coach Pat Narduzzi called timeout. Koehn went ahead and followed through on his attempt despite the timeout, and the ball fell short. The practice swing was all Koehn needed. He got another shot, and he drilled it through the uprights with about five yards to spare to give Iowa the victory.

'It's crazy, I was on YouTube and I was looking up the Daniel Murray kick (against Penn State in 2008) this past week before we were in the hotel, and it was just a moment I wanted to experience and that's a guy I've always looked up to and that was a great kick in Iowa history,' Koehn said. 'I just wanted to watch that kick because it's an amazing kick and an amazing play. Maybe I would get the chance to do that and tonight happened to be the night.'

It was a play that set the tone for a season. It was a moment that will give fans goose bumps 30 years from now.

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com