1991 Holiday Bowl on ESPNU just kicked off
- Thread starter Menace Sockeyes
- Start date
The hail Mary at the end was the weakest effort ever. MR was a good QB but he didn't have the strongest of arms.
Correct. Last one in college football history. Iowa would be 10-1-1 and ranked #10 in the final poll.
Matt Rodgers was the first Iowa quarterback I remember. I thought his dark visor was the coolest thing ever.
Mine was Chuck Hartlieb (barely), but I thought Rodgers was a god. And yes, I wanted a helmet with that visor so badly. 1990 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
Hawks should have been in the cotton bowl that year. First year of a new agreement with the holiday bowl Sent the number two big ten team to San Diego.
I think it was also announced really late like in November while Iowa was in negotiations for the Cotton Bowl? Sent tOSU to the Citrus (Cap one Bowl now) instead of us as well. 3rd trip by Iowa to the Holiday Bowl in 6 years. We got hosed. The 91 team had better credentials than the 09 Orange Bowl team.
That Holiday Bowl and the Michigan game that same season were two of the most frustrating Iowa games I’ve ever watched.
Iowa dominated Michigan for most of the first half and jumped out to an 18-7 lead (should have been 21-7 but they missed the first PAT and kept chasing it with missed 2-point attempts). Then shortly before halftime, still leading 18-13, they faced a 4th and 9 near midfield. Conventional wisdom says punt and try to pin Michigan deep in their own territory and go into the locker room with the lead.
But Hayden decided to go all riverboat gambler and run a fake punt. To Paul &$@*%# Kujawa.
Paul &$@*%# Kujawa was an excellent blocking fullback who could occasionally catch a pass out of the backfield to keep the linebackers honest. But he couldn’t run for 9 yards against the Michigan defense if you gave him a 3-yard head start.
The 4th down attempt predictably failed and Michigan quickly scored to take the lead and all the momentum into halftime. Michigan, with Desmond Howard, then proceeded to steamroll Iowa in the second half.
Iowa dominated Michigan for most of the first half and jumped out to an 18-7 lead (should have been 21-7 but they missed the first PAT and kept chasing it with missed 2-point attempts). Then shortly before halftime, still leading 18-13, they faced a 4th and 9 near midfield. Conventional wisdom says punt and try to pin Michigan deep in their own territory and go into the locker room with the lead.
But Hayden decided to go all riverboat gambler and run a fake punt. To Paul &$@*%# Kujawa.
Paul &$@*%# Kujawa was an excellent blocking fullback who could occasionally catch a pass out of the backfield to keep the linebackers honest. But he couldn’t run for 9 yards against the Michigan defense if you gave him a 3-yard head start.
The 4th down attempt predictably failed and Michigan quickly scored to take the lead and all the momentum into halftime. Michigan, with Desmond Howard, then proceeded to steamroll Iowa in the second half.
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Met Paul once and asked him about that play. He hated the call and thought of calling timeout prior to the snap. One of biggest gaffes by John Hayden Fry.
It wasn't the last one for all college teams. I remember going to Ames for a season opener for isu who was 0-10-1 the year before against Ohio that was 0-11 the year before. It was a shitshow game that I was fricking hammered for rooted for Ohio the first half and isu the 2nd half. They actually shot off fireworks and stormed the field for beating an 0-11 caliber team lol
