When we think of "what could've been" moments and seasons in recent Iowa football history, it's easy to think of Stanzi getting hurt against Northwestern in 2009, or MSU's 9 minute drive in the 4th quarter of the Big Ten championship game in 2015; but I think the 2018 season, taken as a whole, is another one that should rankle with near the same intensity.
We finished that year 9-4. Let's take a quick look at the wins:
33-7 vs Northern Illinois
13-3 vs ISU
38-14 vs UNI
48-31 @ Minnesota
42-16 @ Indiana
23-0 vs Maryland
63-0 @ Illinois
31-28 vs Nebraska
27-22 vs Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl
Only the last two were even close games. Most of these were blowouts in which we looked dominant.
The losses?
17-28 vs Wisconsin.
Our first loss. The score is a bit misleading as we had the ball at midfield with the lead with just a few minutes left in the 4th quarter, before they scored on the next possession with under a minute left and then got the ball back on a turnover and got a garbage time TD.
That's a painful enough way to lose on its own, but consider that they were only in the game because of a series of errors, some of which purely dumb luck. Turnover on downs with 1st and goal in the first quarter; Groeneweg's fumble on the punt return at the end of the 1st half after he had crossed midfield, when all the momentum looked to be heading our way; Beyer haplessly backing into essentially a dead ball on a punt return in the next half; failing to get 7 again on a subsequent 1st and goal, on which we got to the 1.
It's a game it felt like we only lost because on the multiple occasions we were on the verge of taking command of the game, an Iowa-hating god stepped in and said, "Not today."
This being the first loss really set the tone for the season. What would we have done, with the great squad we know in retrospect we had, if we had walked away from this one 4-0 and still undefeated?
24-30 @ Penn State.
Another one that still pisses me off. We win this one easily if Stanley, who I think we all appreciate as a solid Hawkeye QB, plays simply bad and not terrible. The overthrow of a wide open Hockenson. The interception at the goalline when we were about to walk in to take the lead in the 4th.
36-38 @ Purdue.
Harsh way to to end the game. Still don't think it was PI. And we're not even talking about it if not for that bogus offensive holding call we got on the prior possession.
10-14 vs Northwestern.
The loss to the unremarkable team that somehow beat this team out for the West championship. Credit to the Cats for how they played in this game but things are probably different if we just don't fumble one of the two occasions that we did at midfield late in the game.
All of these losses were rage-inducing, 4th quarter losses that were not only winnable, but games we should have won. Combined with most of our wins being easy and never-in-doubt contests, it feels like we really squandered what could've been a special season in 2018.
To look on the bright side though:
It's easy to forget how recently we had really solid teams, that hardly ever lost by more than a possession, that were maybe a bit limited offensively but not nearly as dire as the offense of the last two seasons, that made us proud as Hawk fans. These were BF-led offenses.
Can we possibly get back to that this year?
We finished that year 9-4. Let's take a quick look at the wins:
33-7 vs Northern Illinois
13-3 vs ISU
38-14 vs UNI
48-31 @ Minnesota
42-16 @ Indiana
23-0 vs Maryland
63-0 @ Illinois
31-28 vs Nebraska
27-22 vs Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl
Only the last two were even close games. Most of these were blowouts in which we looked dominant.
The losses?
17-28 vs Wisconsin.
Our first loss. The score is a bit misleading as we had the ball at midfield with the lead with just a few minutes left in the 4th quarter, before they scored on the next possession with under a minute left and then got the ball back on a turnover and got a garbage time TD.
That's a painful enough way to lose on its own, but consider that they were only in the game because of a series of errors, some of which purely dumb luck. Turnover on downs with 1st and goal in the first quarter; Groeneweg's fumble on the punt return at the end of the 1st half after he had crossed midfield, when all the momentum looked to be heading our way; Beyer haplessly backing into essentially a dead ball on a punt return in the next half; failing to get 7 again on a subsequent 1st and goal, on which we got to the 1.
It's a game it felt like we only lost because on the multiple occasions we were on the verge of taking command of the game, an Iowa-hating god stepped in and said, "Not today."
This being the first loss really set the tone for the season. What would we have done, with the great squad we know in retrospect we had, if we had walked away from this one 4-0 and still undefeated?
24-30 @ Penn State.
Another one that still pisses me off. We win this one easily if Stanley, who I think we all appreciate as a solid Hawkeye QB, plays simply bad and not terrible. The overthrow of a wide open Hockenson. The interception at the goalline when we were about to walk in to take the lead in the 4th.
36-38 @ Purdue.
Harsh way to to end the game. Still don't think it was PI. And we're not even talking about it if not for that bogus offensive holding call we got on the prior possession.
10-14 vs Northwestern.
The loss to the unremarkable team that somehow beat this team out for the West championship. Credit to the Cats for how they played in this game but things are probably different if we just don't fumble one of the two occasions that we did at midfield late in the game.
All of these losses were rage-inducing, 4th quarter losses that were not only winnable, but games we should have won. Combined with most of our wins being easy and never-in-doubt contests, it feels like we really squandered what could've been a special season in 2018.
To look on the bright side though:
It's easy to forget how recently we had really solid teams, that hardly ever lost by more than a possession, that were maybe a bit limited offensively but not nearly as dire as the offense of the last two seasons, that made us proud as Hawk fans. These were BF-led offenses.
Can we possibly get back to that this year?
