Plays of the Game collection: All 13 Iowa games

BIG-TIME BEATHARD (Iowa vs. Michigan State)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa faced second and 20 at its 15-yard line

SCORE/TIME: Iowa trailed 9-6, 15:00 left, fourth quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — two wide receivers, two tight ends, one running back; Michigan State — four down linemen, three linebackers, four defensive backs

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard passed 85 yards to wide receiver Tevaun Smith for a touchdown.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The score put Iowa ahead 13-9 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa was in a hole after a holding penalty. The Hawkeyes lined up running back Akrum Wadley directly behind Beathard, who was under center. Smith was split left on the outside with receiver Matt VandeBerg in the left slot and both tight ends to the right. Beathard faked to Wadley over the left guard, and all three linebackers rushed toward Wadley. Smith veered toward the middle of the field like a skinny post and got a step past cornerback Darian Hicks. After a seven-step drop, Beathard launched the pass from his own 8-yard line and connected with Smith at the Michigan State 35-yard line, a full 57 yards in the air. Hicks failed to tackle Smith, who ran the rest of the way for the score.

THE QUOTE 1: 'It was a post. I knew I could beat the guy with my speed. I was beating him over the top. The ball took a little while to get there and we were hand-fighting and I got good timing on the ball, he missed it and I scored that touchdown.' — Smith

THE QUOTE 2: 'It was an excellent call by Greg (Davis) in the box. The guys up front really executed well, play-action, protection was great. ... C.J. put it right out there on the money. Tevaun finished the play. Gave us a spark in the second half. Gave us an opportunity to take the lead. Just a tremendous play.' — Iowa Coach Ferentz said.

THE QUOTE 3: 'It was a great play by their receiver. Our DB was in great position. Just a great ball.' — Michigan State DE Shilique Calhoun

THE QUOTE 3: 'I think the coaches kind of knew, 'Tevaun could beat this guy.' They took a shot and we knew we needed the momentum so that definitely helped us in the game. It was a great ball by C.J. and it was a great ball. It was up there.' — Smith

CANZERI UNTOUCHED FOR 68 YARDS (Iowa vs. Nebraska)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa faced first and 10 at its 32-yard line

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 21-17, 6:53 left, third quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — three wide receivers, a fullback, running back; Nebraska — four down linemen, three linebackers, four defensive backs

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri ran left and past the Nebraska defense for a 68-yard touchdown run.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The run answered Nebraska's touchdown and kept the Hawkeyes two scores ahead.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa opened the drive in an I-formation, no tight ends, one wide receiver to the left and two to the right. Nebraska had four down linemen, two linebackers in the box and one linebacker widened to cover the slot. Iowa ran an inside zone play to the left. Nebraska cornerback Joshua Kalu jammed wide receiver Tevaun Smith at the line of scrimmage, but Smith blocked Kalu out of the field of play. Iowa left tackle Boone Myers blocked defensive end Greg McMullen toward Nebraska's sideline, and left guard Sean Welsh stopped defensive tackle Kevin Williams at the line of scrimmage. Fullback Adam Cox ran through the open lane and stonewalled linebacker Dedrick Young to widen the hole. Welsh slipped off Williams and then blocked linebacker Josh Banderas at the second level. Canzeri hit the hole hard and outraced linebacker Marcus Newby for the touchdown.

THE QUOTE 1: 'We recognized that going into (the second half), you could be a foot off from those plays splitting. Two-yard plays could literally be a foot away from splitting those big ones.' — Iowa QB C.J. Beathard

THE QUOTE 2: 'The line, the tight ends, the fullbacks, the receivers blocking downfield, they make it really easy for me. On both my long touchdowns I didn't get touched.' — Canzeri

THE QUOTE 3: 'He tried to quick-jam me a little bit, and I took advantage of that. I bounced back and I kept blocking him. By him doing that, he sprung Canzeri and had that explosive run.' — Iowa WR Tevaun Smith

THE QUOTE 4: 'It was just the mentality. We weren't playing like ourselves, especially up front in the first half. We just wanted to come out and make the same plays and execute them to the best of our ability.' — Iowa center Austin Blythe

BEATHARD TO KITTLE (Iowa vs. Purdue)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa faced third down and 9 from Purdue's 35

SCORE/TIME: Hawkeyes led 20-13 with 3:30 left, third quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — three wide receivers, one tight end, one running back; Purdue — two down linemen, one standing rush end, two linebackers, six defensive backs

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard threw a dump pass across the middle to tight end George Kittle for a 35-yard touchdown.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The score pushed Iowa to a 27-13 lead and stymied Purdue's momentum.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa lined up two wide receivers and a running back to Beathard's left, one receiver to his right and Kittle flexed to his left. Purdue had man-to-man coverage. Beathard saw a blitz in his pre-snap read and Kittle shifted to end. At the snap, Purdue blitzed six defenders, including slot corner Da'Wan Hunte and two linebackers. Kittle blocked down for two seconds on defensive end Evan Panfil, which brought safety Brandon Roberts toward the line of scrimmage. Kittle then released from his block and bolted toward the middle of the field. Roberts overran Kittle and left Kittle open by the 30-yard line. Beathard placed the ball perfectly to Kittle, who raced untouched for the score.

THE QUOTE 1: 'We were basically faking a mass protection and I was just trying to draw the free safety down because whenever the safety sees me blocking, he's going to blitz. I just held long enough because he started to come downfield, and when I saw that, I just released out in the field and there was no one within 10 yards of me. It's great.' — Kittle

THE QUOTE 2: 'They were bringing an all-out blitz, and I felt like we got into a good check. We've been working it in practice. I saw that blitz and I got us in a check and George slipped out the back door, and the offensive line did a good job of giving me enough time to get it off. It was a big play.' — Beathard

THE QUOTE 3: 'There (were) two eye-discipline violations that we had, one on a naked (bootleg) and one on a delayed route by the tight end that led to touchdowns. ... Those are situations, you're in man-to-man coverage. We had a blitz called on one of them, maybe both of them. We let the guy slip down the seam.' — Purdue Coach Darrell Hazell

THE QUOTE 4: 'It was a check. If they got in a certain blitz that C.J. was going to check it, and I just so happened to be in it. It's all a plan.' — Kittle said

BEATHARD'S BIG-TIME RUSH (Iowa vs. Minnesota)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa faced first and 10 at the Minnesota 40

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 17-14, about 1:20 left, second quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — three wide receivers, one tight end, one running back; Minnesota — four down linemen, two linebackers, five defensive backs.

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard scrambled for 26 yards to the Minnesota 14-yard line with about 1 minute left in the first half.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The run set up a touchdown to put the Hawkeyes up 24-14 at the break.

THE ANALYSIS: Beathard lined up in the shotgun, dropped back to pass and went through three progressions. Minnesota sent linebacker Cody Poock on a blitz. Beathard stepped up in the pocket, then ran to his left. Running back Derrick Mitchell picked up Poock and Beathard cut left off Mitchell's block. Beathard juked Minnesota safety Adekunle Ayinde at the 23-yard line, then continued running to the 18, where he stiff-armed safety Antonio Johnson. Beathard finally was forced out at the 14 by Minnesota cornerback Eric Murray. Three plays later, running back LeShun Daniels scored on a 2-yard run.

THE QUOTE 1: 'It's not easy. That's a tribute to the offense, just playing tough and working their butts off. We kind of grinded it out there with long drives. Those were big drives in the game.' — Beathard

THE QUOTE 2: 'He's feeling better and better every week. Getting treatment every week. It's exciting to actually see him do that.' — Iowa wide receiver Tevaun Smith

THE QUOTE 3: 'Just some of the plays tonight, hurt or not, are just incredible plays for a quarterback to make. He's just the kind of competitor that's going to put it out there for his team.' — Iowa center Austin Blythe

THE QUOTE 4: 'Just keeps performing at a really high rate. The thing that's most pleasing for all of us, looks like he's starting to get healthy again, which a couple weeks ago, even going back to the game in Chicago, that was probably him at the lowest point health-wise, and I can't explain it, but it seems that we're gaining ground now. He looked better last week from a mobility standpoint. But today almost looked like the opening ballgame, so that's a really good thing.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

BEATHARD'S BASH (Iowa vs. Indiana)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa faced second and goal at the Indiana 7

SCORE/TIME: Indiana led 17-14, 23 seconds left, second quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — three wide receivers, one tight end, one running back; Indiana — three down linemen with a stand-up end, two linebackers, five defensive backs.

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard ran a draw for a 7-yard touchdown to put the Hawkeyes back in front 21-17.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The Hawkeyes reclaimed the lead, something they wouldn't relinquish. Iowa now is 9-0, matching its best start in school history.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa lined two receivers and the tight end to the right and one receiver to Beathard's left. At the snap running back Derrick Mitchell ran up the middle to block weakside linebacker Tegray Scales. Beathard followed Mitchell up the middle as guard Sean Welsh blocked defensive tackle Darius Lathan and guard Jordan Walsh stonewalled defensive end Shawn Heffern. Beathard broke to his left and stiff-armed Scales at the 8-yard line. Beathard ran toward the corner at wide receiver Jerminic Smith, who locked up cornerback Andre Brown Jr. With defenders approaching, Beathard 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.

THE QUOTE 1: 'It was a good call by Coach (Greg) Davis. It was a quarterback draw. I was just trying to do anything I could to get it in the end zone. I felt like the only way I could get in was jumping over the top. Obviously I want to hold on to the ball, but we scored, so it was good.' — Beathard

THE QUOTE 2: 'We thought it was going to come back to the foot-yard line. It was a great effort on his part. I guess we can all quit asking about his percent he is because I have no idea and certainly he doesn't, either. It's a good enough percent to look like a football player out there. He's a really tough-minded guy.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

THE QUOTE 3: 'It means a lot. As a team with him being a leader and him going out and doing that, it makes you want to follow him. It makes you want to continue to play hard for him as team.' — Iowa WR Jacob Hillyer

KING'S RANSOM (Iowa vs. Maryland)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Maryland faced first and 10 at Iowa's 12

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 24-7, 7:55 left in the game

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — base 4-3 defense; Maryland — two wide receivers and one tight end to the left, one wide receiver to the right, quarterback in shotgun with running back

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa cornerback Desmond King picked off Maryland quarterback Perry Hills at the 12-yard line and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The touchdown gave Iowa a 31-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

THE ANALYSIS: King lined head-up on Maryland WR Malcolm Culmer on the outside, Iowa OLB Ben Niemann covered WR Jahrvis Davenport and Iowa MLB Josey Jewell defended tight end Avery Edwards to Hills' left side. Culmer ran a 1-yard hitch and appeared to run a screen. Davenport ran diagonally toward King, as did Edwards toward Niemann. Then as Davenport broke to the right, King undercut him. Hills threw to where Davenport was supposed to be, but King beat him there. King hauled in the pass, broke to his left and outran both running back Wes Brown and Hills to the end zone.

THE QUOTE 1: 'I knew exactly where the ball was going. They tried to do it one time, but they didn't throw it that way, 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

THE QUOTE 2: 'I was focused on two people the whole play: (Brown), the running back, and (Hills) on my right side. I saw Jordan (Lomax, Iowa safety) running with me, and I was trying to wait for him to see if he would have got him or not, but (Brown) was kind of gaining up on me a little bit because I was focused on (Hills) coming from my blind side. I focused on him and then once I saw (Hills) get a little tired, I took advantage of it and went right.' — King

THE QUOTE 3: 'It was a screen play. Perry got the ball a little high, the receiver was on an inside screen and the receiver didn't get to the spot. (King) made a good play.' — Maryland interim coach Mike Locksley

THE QUOTE 4: '(King has) got a great instinct for the game, and he continues to show it out there, week in and week out.' — Iowa QB C.J. Beathard

AKRUM CRACKS 'EM (Iowa vs. Northwestern)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa faced second and 8 from the Northwestern 35

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 3-0, first play of the second quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — three wide receivers, one tight end, one running back; Northwestern — four defensive linemen, two linebackers, five defensive backs

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa RB Akrum Wadley took the handoff, ran to the left and burst up the sidelines for a 35-yard touchdown.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The run boosted Iowa's lead to 9-0.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa lined up on the left hash mark with two wide receivers on the right, and tight end Henry Krieger-Coble and wide receiver Jacob Hillyer on the left. Iowa's front line contained every Northwestern defender on the first two levels. Krieger-Coble sealed the edge with a hook block on defensive end Deonte Gibson. Left tackle Cole Croston moved past the line of scrimmage and walled off linebacker Nate Hall, and center Austin Blythe blocked linebacker Anthony Walker. Hillyer ran a slant route inside, taking Northwestern cornerback Nick VanHoose with him. Hillyer cracked down on safety Traevon Henry, and running back Akrum Wadley bounced his run outside of Hillyer's block. VanHoose failed to recover in time, and Wadley streaked up the sideline untouched for the score.

THE QUOTE 1: 'We practice that play a lot. 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

THE QUOTE 2: 'We called an outside run. It was to my side, the corner was playing man and the safety was pulled down and I know the safety had outside contain coming down on the running back so I took two pretty much. I ran inside to get the safety and the corner followed me. I had a hand on the corner, and I blocked the safety and Akrum was able to get around me and his speed did the rest.' — Hillyer

THE QUOTE 3: 'All I saw was the back of his jersey and if I see that, that means I did a good job.' — Iowa guard Jordan Walsh

THE QUOTE 4: 'We knew their receivers were going to crash, and when you're in man coverage and somebody goes to crack, you've got to have really good eyes. It's a pretty tough job to do, and its something that I didn't execute that well today.' — VanHoose

CANZERI'S DASH (Iowa vs. Illinois)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa had first and 10 from Iowa's 25-yard line

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 16-13, 2:56 left, third quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — three wide receivers, tight end, running back; Illinois — Four down linemen, three linebackers, four defensive backs

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri took the handoff from quarterback C.J. Beathard and raced 75 yards for a touchdown.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The play answered an Illinois field goal and extended Iowa's lead to 23-13.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard checked out of the play call. Iowa left tackle Cole Croston and left guard Sean Welsh double-teamed Illinois defensive tackle Chunky Clements, and center Austin Blythe locked up with defensive tackle Joe Fotu. Right guard Jordan Walsh pulled behind Blythe's block and drilled linebacker Trey Watson to seal an alley. Canzeri took the handoff and cut behind the double-team and Blythe, who drove his defender about six yards out of the play. Welsh shifted off Clements and blasted weakside linebacker Mason Monheim as Canzeri hit the second level. Canzeri outraced free safety Clayton Fejedelem and Eaton Spence, who was blocked by Iowa freshman wide receiver Jerminic Smith, to the end zone for the score.

THE QUOTE 1: 'We had an original play called — and C.J. put us in a great one with the check — a play that we actually haven't run in a while. Just the fact that he was football smart and he had the awareness to put us in that call, that was great on his part. The line blocked it amazing ... it just opened right up and I just saw it and I took it.' — Canzeri

THE QUOTE 2: 'That's my job to block that guy. If he goes out, you take him out. I'm not supposed to let him cross my face, I'm just doing my job.' — Iowa center Austin Blythe

THE QUOTE 3: 'I just tried to do my job and Jordan did the rest.' — Iowa guard Jordan Walsh

THE QUOTE 4: 'C.J. has done a really good job of giving us that option. He's got his head in the game.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

THE QUOTE 5: 'I'm not going to speculate what happened there, especially when I didn't see it.' — Illinois interim coach Bill Cubit

FAITH AT THE GOAL LINE (Iowa vs. Wisconsin)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Wisconsin faced second and goal at the Iowa 1

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 10-6, 7:50 left in the game

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — 6 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers, 1 safety, 1 cornerback; Wisconsin — 2 tight ends, 2 fullbacks, 1 running back

WHAT HAPPENED: Wisconsin QB Joel Stave fumbled while handling off to running back Taiwan Deal, and Iowa defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie recovered at the Badgers' 5-yard line.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The play preserved Iowa's lead at 10-6, and the Hawkeyes ultimately won by the same score.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa defensive end Nate Meier shifted from the edge to inside as part of Iowa's goal line defense. Meier exploded into the 'A' gap at the snap between Wisconsin center Dan Voltz and right guard Micah Kapoi. Meier's burst caused Kapoi to step back, and Kapoi's left foot stepped on Stave as soon as he tried to reverse pivot and hand off to 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 the fumble and Iowa stopped Wisconsin's best scoring threat.

THE QUOTE 1: 'I have no clue. I had my eyes on my man and what he was doing. He didn't really do much so then I rallied back inside and I noticed the ball was loose and went after that.' — Iowa DT Faith Ekaktie

THE QUOTE 2: 'We got low and we got some good pressure and Faith came up with that huge fumble recovery. 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.' — Iowa DE Nate Meier

THE QUOTE 3: 'It was just an amazing play by Nate and the rest of the defense came in. They could have recovered the fumble, but everybody went 100 percent like they did the whole game and we got it.' — Iowa LB Josey Jewell

THE QUOTE 4: 'Nate is a tough guy to block, even though he's not the biggest guy on the field, but he's got a heart that's really big. He plays hard, and he he's extremely tough.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

THE QUOTE 5: 'Absolutely it takes the wind out of your sail ... Joel got stepped on, and we still had a chance to recover it even when it was on the ground, and we didn't.' — Wisconsin Coach Paul Chryst

BEATHARD TO SMITH FOR 81 YARDS (Iowa vs. North Texas)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa faced first and 15 at its 19-yard line

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 21-3, 10:59 left, second quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — I-formation with two wide receivers on opposite sides, a tight end on the left, fullback, running back; North Texas — Base 4-3 with outside linebacker off the line of scrimmage outside of the tight end.

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard threw an 81-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tevaun Smith.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The touchdown strike put Iowa ahead 28-3 still early in the second quarter.

THE ANALYSIS: North Texas was expecting a run and sent all three linebackers plus free safety Kishawn McClain, who crept toward the line of scrimmage right before the snap. Iowa ran an isolation with fullback Macon Plewa meeting a linebacker in the hole, and Beathard play-faked to running back Jordan Canzeri. Smith was one-on-one with cornerback Zac Whitfield — who did not have safety help — and the wide receiver wove Whitfield and forced the cornerback to flip his hips and gained an inside release. Beathard dropped seven steps, bounced in the pocket and threw a strike to Smith, who caught the ball on the North Texas 35 (53 yards in the air). Smith easily broke free from Whitfield and ran the final 32 yards for the touchdown. It effectively ended the game's competitive phase.

THE QUOTE 1: 'The safety came down. we saw that coverage on film a lot and Coach (Greg) Davis made a call. He predicted that's what they'd do because they did the play before when we got called for a false start. (Smith is) a great receiver, Tevaun's our X-receiver, and I trust him to go up and make a play.' — Iowa QB C.J. Beathard

THE QUOTE 2: 'Actually (the ball in the air) seemed a lot longer when you're running your route. You're kind of hoping that ball comes right away. There's a lot of time and it feels like it's coming real slow. It's something you've really got to adjust to in the game.' — Iowa WR Tevaun Smith

THE QUOTE 3: '(Smith) ran a really nice route on the deep ball. They were sneaking that safety up, so we thought we might have a crack at that.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

KOEHN IS ABLE (Iowa vs. Pittsburgh)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Fourth and 2 at Pittsburgh's 39

SCORE/TIME: Game tied 24-24, 0:02 left in the game

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — traditional field goal formation; Pittsburgh — 10 at the line of scrimmage, one deep returner

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn drilled a 57-yard field goal as time expired. It was the second-longest kick in Iowa football history.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The score gave Iowa a three-point victory.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard scrambled for eight yards on third-and-10 to put the Hawkeyes on the Pitt 39-yard line and immediately called Iowa's final timeout. Iowa lined up on the left hash mark and right before the snap, Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi called timeout. That negated Koehn's short field-goal attempt, which could have been returned by Pitt wide receiver Tyler Boyd. The timeout allowed Koehn to get a second shot at the field goal. He drilled it through the uprights with about five yards to spare to give Iowa its first 3-0 start in six years.

THE QUOTE 1: 'I was on the sidelines, I was watching the kick. I had full faith that Marshall has the leg to nail that kick. They called a timeout. The first time he mishit it and he still almost made it. It was a mistake on their part when I saw they called a timeout. I was like, 'Man, he's going to hit this next one. There's almost no doubt in my mind he's going to hit it.' It's one of the best feelings I've ever felt when he hit that field goal.' — Iowa QB C.J. Beathard

THE QUOTE 2: '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. 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.' — Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn

THE QUOTE 3: 'There was, you know, whatever you do, it doesn't work, then you're wrong, I guess, one of those deals. But didn't seem to faze him at all. It looked like a Rob Houghtlin moment, quite frankly, out there when he looked over at our bench. It looked like he was pretty confident.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

BEATHARD TO MCCARRON (Iowa vs. Iowa State)

DOWN, DISTANCE: First and 10 from the Iowa State 25

SCORE/TIME: Game tied 17-17, 2:23 left in the game

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — 2 TEs, 1 WR, FB, RB; Iowa State — Base defensive personnel

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa wide receiver Riley McCarron hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback C.J. Beathard in the corner of the end zone to give the Hawkeyes a 24-17 lead.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: McCarron's catch gave Iowa the lead late in the fourth quarter and ultimately the victory to reclaim the Cy-Hawk Trophy.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa lined up in an I-formation with McCarron off the ball to Beathard's left. Iowa faked a stretch play to the right to running back Jordan Canzeri, and Beathard rolled to the left. Eight Iowa State defenders charged toward the line of scrimmage reading run. Both tight ends ran drag routes from left to right. Beathard threw across his body, just past ISU cornerback Jomal Wiltz and into McCarron's arms for the touchdown.

THE QUOTE 1: 'Coach (Greg) Davis made a great call. We'd been running the ball a lot out of that formation and linebackers and the line bit on it. Riley made a good route, it was a double move, the corner bit on it, and made a big catch in the end zone. He's actually my roommate. A great guy. A trustworthy guy. He's accountable. You know where he's going to be. What better way to score your first touchdown than in a game like that? At the point in the game it was, too' — Beathard

THE QUOTE 2: 'Coaches called the play, I ran the route I'm supposed to run, great job by the offensive line. C.J. with the outstanding throw. Can't ask for anything better than that.' — McCarron

THE QUOTE 3: 'He's a guy that works harder than anybody else on the team. I would stand by that. He's one of the hardest workers. For him to come out, he wished he could have had that earlier pass (which was dropped), but we had trust in him and it paid off when he was able to score that touchdown. ' — Iowa wide receiver Matt VandeBerg

CANZERI'S SLASH AND DASH (Iowa vs. Illinois State)

DOWN, DISTANCE: Iowa had first and 10 at its 33

SCORE/TIME: Iowa led 14-0, 0:37 left in first half

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB in shotgun; Illinois State — Nickel defense, rushed four, dropped seven

WHAT HAPPENED: Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri hauled in a screen pass from quarterback C.J. Beathard on the left side, cut back across the field and raced 51 yards to put the Hawkeyes in scoring position late in the second quarter.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The dash pushed Iowa into field-goal range, which the Hawkeyes converted to take a 17-0 halftime lead.

THE ANALYSIS: Iowa had a tight end flexed and two wide receivers off the ball to the left, Canzeri to the right of Beathard in the backfield and Tevaun Smith split right. Canzeri hauled in the pass underneath the rush at Iowa's 32 behind center Austin Blythe and guard Sean Welsh. Illinois State defensive end David Perkins crushed Beathard as soon as the ball left his hand. Canzeri raced left for 13 yards, then cut across the field, picking up vital blocks from tight end Henry Krieger-Coble and wide receiver Tevaun Smith before heading out of bounds at the 16-yard line. At that point in the game and that location on the field, Iowa normally wouldn't attempt something daring. The Hawkeyes' aggressive play call paid dividends.

THE QUOTE 1: 'I just read off of their blocks and then when I cut the field, Tevaun (Smith) was there to set up another block so great play, great call. I'm just happy that it played out the way it did.' — Canzeri

THE QUOTE 2: 'Maybe teams want to shut it down and go into half, but we want to make sure we're always going. We don't want to sit back on our heels ever. We're the aggressor, and I think in that specific opportunity we took advantage.' — Iowa wide receiver Matt VandeBerg

THE QUOTE 3: 'He got the ball and when I saw him cut back, I was like it was going to be a big play. That was exciting to see him just take off.' — Iowa tackle Ike Boettger

THE QUOTE 4: 'If you get hit in the face, then you're going to get out there without any damage. But if he can get something going early, that gives you a chance to maybe get some points, and Jordan made a great play on that.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

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