Iowa’s second-half failure against Iowa State cost more than just the Cy-Hawk trophy

Iowa’s normally excellent defense falls to 20-19 defeat of Cyclones

IOWA CITY — Kirk Ferentz knew he couldn’t take the Iowa football team’s 13-point lead at halftime lightly.

“It’s not over yet, if you believe the experience,” Ferentz told a CBS reporter during halftime of Saturday’s game at Kinnick Stadium.

Ferentz was right, as Iowa State erased the 21st-seeded Hawkeyes’ halftime lead and gave a team that entered the 2024 season with College Football Playoff aspirations a brutal reality check.

One of the hallmarks of Iowa’s success in recent years — its stellar defense — fell flat in a disastrous second half, leading to a 20-19 loss to its in-state rival.

The same defense that held Illinois State to a point last week and led the nation in yards allowed per play in 2022 and 2023 struggled in the second half.

The Hawkeyes (1-1) allowed opponents to score 20 points — more than in any of Cy-Hawk’s previous five games — and 260 total yards in the second half alone.

Iowa State (2-0) quarterback Rocco Becht’s nearly 272 passing yards came in the second half. Becht, making his second Cy-Hawk start, completed 23 of 35 passes, including a 30-yard pass to Jaylin Noel that set up Kyle Konrardy’s game-winning 54-yard field goal with five seconds left.

Although the loss does not lie solely with the defense.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara was 13 of 29 for 99 yards and threw two interceptions. One set up Iowa State’s touchdown drive and the other was on the final play of the game. He had just one pass of more than 20 yards.

Iowa starter Kaleb Johnson had a great showing — he rushed for 25 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns — but no other Iowa player had more than 20 yards on Saturday.

In the second half, Iowa also had a series of three consecutive drives that ended with three outs.

It was Iowa State’s second consecutive Cy-Hawk victory at Kinnick Stadium. As bitter as losing a rivalry trophy may be, Saturday’s result also hurts Iowa’s path to postseason prosperity.

Before Saturday’s game, ESPN’s Football Power Index gave the Hawkeyes a 10.7 percent chance of making the 12-team CFP. A Cy-Hawk loss doesn’t completely close the door on Iowa’s CFP hopes, but the path is much more difficult.

Only one of Iowa State’s 10 remaining regular-season opponents is ranked, and that’s No. 2 Ohio State — an opponent that will be a heavy favorite to face the Hawkeyes.

If Iowa loses to Ohio State on Oct. 5 and wins its remaining nine games, the Hawkeyes are 10-2 but potentially without any ranked wins. It’s unlikely their ratings will be high enough in their last contest.

Iowa will wrap up its non-conference schedule next Saturday at home against Troy at 3 p.m. The Trojans, under new coach Gerald Parker, are 0-2 after losses to Nevada and Memphis. This will be their last chance to warm up before their next rivalry game against Minnesota on Sept. 21.

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