Wow, lol.
No, Cade taking a knee would not be the same result as running into a loaded box. Taking a knee would result in a 4 yard loss at the very least. It could also get Cade clocked. When have you ever seen anyone do this?
I get the argument of being aggressive, but your backup plan is to lose yardage. It defeats your own argument that ISU was a threat to score. If so, why would you give them yardage by downing the ball for a loss?
This was Iowa's first time losing with a 10 point lead in the 2nd half since 2014. Running clock and putting it in the hands of the defense has been tried and true. Btw, ISU was in "the exact same position" on their previous drive and didn't score.
This is how football has been played for 150 years (even without a great defense). I get that some pro teams will throw in this situation at times these days. They have better skill players. Their opponents are a bigger threat if given the ball because they have better skill players. And most teams don't have a D as dominant (vs it's level of competition) as Iowa does.
I get that fans don't like how it turned out. But there just isn't any reason for KF to be getting beat up for playing it the way he did. Again, fans would also complain if Iowa lost because KF decided to pass and it resulted in a sack, INT, fumble, or incompletion to stop the clock