2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes, led by 17th year head coach Kirk Ferentz, were members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Kinnick Stadium. Despite modest expectations entering the season, the team finished 12–2 overall and 8–0 in Big Ten play to win the West Division. After losing a classic to [2015 2015 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State] in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Hawkeyes were invited to the 2016 Rose Bowl where they were beaten by [2015 2015 Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford]. The team established a new single-season school record for wins.

Rankings

Game summaries

#2 (FCS">Football Championship Subdivision">FCS) Illinois State

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Iowa was in control of this opening day game but wasn't able to pull away until well into the third quarter. The Hawkeyes had a balanced offensive attack with nearly 450 yards of total offense with Daniels getting over 100 yards on the ground.

Statistics	ILL ST	IOWA
First downs	14	22
Total yards	231	431
Rushing yards	35	210
Passing yards	196	221
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	27:32	32:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois State	Passing	Jake Kolbe	11/15, 147 yards, 2 TD
Illinois State	Rushing	M. Coprich	13 carries, 32 yards
Illinois State	Receiving	Anthony Warrum	3 receptions, 58 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	15/24, 211 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	LeShun Daniels	26 carries, 123 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	6 receptions, 59 yards, TD

at Iowa State

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It was an emotional week leading up to the game because former All-Big Ten Safety Tyler Sash and basketball legend Roy Marble died. The Hawkeyes honored Sash by wearing the number 9 in place of the Tigerhawk on one side of their helmets.
C. J. Beathard threw three touchdown passes to lead the Hawkeyes to victory. He also added two long runs and was named co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

Statistics	IOWA	ISU
First downs	22	18
Total yards	475	310
Rushing yards	260	63
Passing yards	215	247
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	33:22	26:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	15/25, 215 yards, 3 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Jordan Cazeri	24 carries, 124 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	9 receptions, 114 yards, TD
Iowa State	Passing	Sam B. Richardson	19/35, 247 yards, 2 TD, INT
Iowa State	Rushing	Trever Ryen	4 carries, 23 yards
Iowa State	Receiving	Allen Lazard	7 receptions, 71 yards

Pittsburgh

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The Hawkeyes never trailed in this physical matchup, and Marshall Koehn booted a 57-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa the win. His effort was good enough to earn Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Statistics	PITT	IOWA
First downs	15	22
Total yards	282	363
Rushing yards	55	105
Passing yards	227	258
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	27:18	32:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Pittsburgh	Passing	Nathan Peterman	20–29, 219 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Pittsburgh	Rushing	D. Hall	14 carries, 38 yards
Pittsburgh	Receiving	Tyler Boyd	10 receptions, 131 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	27–40, 258 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Jordan Canzeri	12 carries, 49 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Tevaun Smith	3 receptions, 73 yards

North Texas

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The Hawkeyes dominated from start to finish in this lopsided victory. The final result isn't even indicative of how much Iowa rolled over the Mean Green as Iowa called off the dogs in the second half but still continued to score. Jordan Canzeri rushed for 4 touchdowns to tie the Iowa single-game record.

Statistics	UNT	IOWA
First downs	22	23
Total yards	356	488
Rushing yards	183	210
Passing yards	173	278
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	28:15	31:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Texas	Passing	Andrew McNulty	14–36, 137 yards, INT
North Texas	Rushing	Jeff Wilson	14 carries, 74 yards
North Texas	Receiving	Carlos Harris	5 receptions, 43 yards
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	18–21, 278 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Jordan Canzeri	22 carries, 115 yards, 4 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Tevaun Smith	4 receptions, 115 yards, TD

at No. 19 Wisconsin

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Following a season opening loss to #3 Alabama, the Badgers entered this game ranked #19 after three straight convincing wins. Wisconsin kicked a field goal on the game's opening possession to take an early 3–0 lead. The Hawkeyes capitalized on two second quarter miscues to take a 10–3 advantage into the locker room. Wisconsin tacked on a field goal in the 3rd quarter, making it 10–6. Midway through the 4th quarter, the Hawkeyes recovered a costly Wisconsin fumble on a 2nd and goal play from the Iowa 1-yard line. The Badgers reached the Iowa 16 on their final possession, but a 4th down pass fell incomplete with 36 seconds remaining and the Hawkeyes ran out the clock, ending a classic defensive battle. Cornerback Desmond King collected his second two-interception game of the season and was named co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Jim Thorpe Defensive Player of the Week.
Wisconsin was 71–9 in 80 games at Camp Randall Stadium dating back to the final game of the 2003 regular season and ending with this game. Incredibly, Iowa was 4–1 in those games with Wisconsin going 70–5 against all other opponents.
After this game, Wisconsin held a 44–43–2 edge in the rivalry.

Statistics	IOWA	WIS
First downs	14	21
Total yards	221	320
Rushing yards	144	86
Passing yards	77	234
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	29:14	30:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	9/21, 77 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Jordan Canzeri	26 carries, 125 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	6 receptions, 61 yards
Wisconsin	Passing	Joel Stave	21/38, 234 yards, 2 INT
Wisconsin	Rushing	Taiwan Deal	15 carries, 59 yards
Wisconsin	Receiving	Dare Ogunbowale	4 receptions, 43 yards

Illinois

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Senior running back Jordan Canzeri carried the ball 43 times for 256 yards and a touchdown. He also had a receiving touchdown, and earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Statistics	ILL	IOWA
First downs	20	23
Total yards	363	478
Rushing yards	46	278
Passing yards	317	200
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	24:09	35:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Wes Lunt	25–42, 317 yards, TD
Illinois	Rushing	Ke'Shawn Vaughn	19 carries, 67 yards, TD
Illinois	Receiving	Geronimo Allison	8 receptions, 148 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	15–31, 200 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Jordan Canzeri	43 carries, 256 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Jerminic Smith	4 receptions, 118 yards

at No. 20 Northwestern

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Despite entering the game very banged up, and losing RB Jordan Canzeri early in this one, Iowa dominated the Wildcats. Sophomore Akrum Wadley became the second Iowa running back to go over 200 yards in Big Ten play. He finished with 204 yards and a school record-tying 4 rushing touchdowns, and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
The 30-point Hawkeye victory spoiled Northwestern's Homecoming and the 20-year Reunion of the 1995 Big Ten Championship team.

Statistics	IOWA	NW
First downs	24	13
Total yards	492	198
Rushing yards	294	51
Passing yards	198	147
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	37:22	22:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	15/25, 176 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Akrum Wadley	26 carries, 204 yards, 4 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	8 receptions, 78 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Clayton Thorson	17/35, 125 yards, TD, INT
Northwestern	Rushing	Justin Jackson	10 carries, 30 yards
Northwestern	Receiving	Justin Jackson	5 receptions, 17 yards

Maryland

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The Hawkeyes never trailed in this game with the Terrapins. However, the game's result was still in doubt well into the fourth quarter until a pick six by eventual Jim Thorpe awardee and future NFL player Desmond King all but assured the victory for Iowa.

Statistics	MD	IOWA
First downs	15	18
Total yards	241	293
Rushing yards	167	110
Passing yards	74	183
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	27:08	32:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Maryland	Passing	Perry Hills	11–22, 74 yards, TD, 3 INT
Maryland	Rushing	Perry Hills	19 carries, 104 yards
Maryland	Receiving	T. Jacobs	3 receptions, 18 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	12–23, 183 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Akrum Wadley	19 carries, 67 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	3 receptions, 54 yards

at Indiana

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Every time it looked like Iowa might pull away, Indiana came back to keep it close in this back-and-forth game. One of the most critical plays of the contest came on a C. J. Beathard diving touchdown with only 17 seconds remaining before halftime. The play was reviewed as it looked like he might have lost possession before crossing the goal line but it was ultimately ruled a touchdown.

Statistics	IOWA	IU
First downs	26	26
Total yards	467	407
Rushing yards	234	227
Passing yards	233	180
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	34:30	25:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	19/31, 233 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Akrum Wadley	12 carries, 120 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	5 receptions, 68 yards
Indiana	Passing	Nate Sudfeld	16/37, 180 yards, TD, INT
Indiana	Rushing	Jordan Howard	22 carries, 174 yards, 2 TD
Indiana	Receiving	Rickey Jones	4 receptions, 39 yards

Minnesota

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Minnesota returned to Kinnick Stadium for the annual Floyd of Rosedale game with a lot of momentum from last year, when they routed Iowa 51–14 in the Twin Cities. Minnesota, despite losing David Cobb to the NFL last year and going through a mid-season coaching transition, had a lot to prove as they entered the undefeated #5 Iowa's home stadium in an attempt to deliver the upset. Mitch Leidner, who had not lived up to expectations early in the season, was coming off a good run of games, and had two weeks earlier come within a 4th-down pass at the 1 to beating a hot Michigan team.
Minnesota hung on well to the Hawkeyes but were unable to stop the Iowa halfbacks. LeShun Daniels Jr. ran for nearly 200 yards, and CJ Beathard scored on a play action bootleg in the red zone, reminiscent of Iowa great Chuck Long's game-winning bootleg against Michigan State in 1985.
Iowa kept building on its lead all night, and LeShun Daniels Jr. broke through the box to run it in 51 yards in the final 3 minutes. With Minnesota down two scores, Shannon Brooks took the offense on a high-energy no-huddle drive through the air that took less than 1 minute to score. Minnesota's onside kick failed, and Iowa took the win, 40–35.

Statistics	MINN	IOWA
First downs	24	27
Total yards	434	506
Rushing yards	133	272
Passing yards	301	234
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	24:28	35:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Minnesota	Passing	Mitch Leidner	19–27, 259 yards, TD
Minnesota	Rushing	Shannon Brooks	14 carries, 86 yards, TD
Minnesota	Receiving	K. J. Maye	7 receptions, 106 yards
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	18–26, 213 yards
Iowa	Rushing	LeShun Daniels	26 carries, 195 yards, 3 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	6 receptions, 74 yards

Purdue

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The Hawkeyes jumped ahead 20–0 early in the second quarter and, after Purdue closed to within 20–13, scored 20 of the game's final 27 points for the 40–20 triumph. The win on Senior Day secured Iowa's first unbeaten record at Kinnick Stadium since the 2004 season, and matched the 7–0 mark at home from the 2003 season.
Senior Jordan Lomax led the Hawkeyes with 13 tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble in earning Lott IMPACT Player of the Week honors.

Statistics	PUR	IOWA
First downs	21	21
Total yards	405	387
Rushing yards	137	174
Passing yards	268	213
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	32:54	27:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Austin Appleby	23–40, 259 yards, TD
Purdue	Rushing	Markell Jones	24 carries, 87 yards, TD
Purdue	Receiving	DeAngelo Yancey	9 receptions, 117 yards
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	12–20, 213 yards, 3 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Jordan Canzeri	13 carries, 95 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Henry Krieger-Coble	4 receptions, 76 yards, TD

at Nebraska

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The Hawkeyes finished their first unbeaten regular season since the 1922 season, establishing a single-season school record with 12 wins. Iowa intercepted four passes, and Jordan Canzeri ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. With wins over Iowa State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska, Iowa recaptured all four rivalry trophies in 2015.

Statistics	IOWA	NEB
First downs	11	22
Total yards	250	433
Rushing yards	153	137
Passing yards	97	296
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	23:54	36:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	9/16, 97 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Jordan Canzeri	17 carries, 140 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Receiving	George Kittle	2 receptions, 35 yards, TD
Nebraska	Passing	Tommy Armstrong Jr.	25/45, 296 yards, 4 INT
Nebraska	Rushing	Imani Cross	19 carries, 55 yards, 2 TD
Nebraska	Receiving	Cethan Carter	4 receptions, 76 yards

vs. No. 5 Michigan State (Big Ten Championship Game)

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Iowa turned the ball over twice in the first half – a fumble leading to the Spartans first points and an interception in the end zone – but led 6–3. Michigan State dominated the third quarter in time of possession and yardage, and tacked on two field goals to lead 9–6. Trailing entering the 4th quarter for the first time all season, the Hawkeyes responded in a big way with an 85-yard touchdown pass from C. J. Beathard to Tevaun Smith that gave Iowa a 13–9 lead with 14:49 remaining. After exchanging punts, Michigan State marched 82 yards in 22 plays and took 9:04 off the clock. The game-winning score came on a 1-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left.

Statistics	MSU	IOWA
First downs	20	13
Total yards	365	268
Rushing yards	174	52
Passing yards	191	216
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	36:38	23:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan State	Passing	Connor Cook	16–32, 191 yards, INT
Michigan State	Rushing	LJ Scott	22 carries, 73 yards, TD
Michigan State	Receiving	Aaron Burbridge	5 receptions, 61 yards
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	18–26, 216 yards, TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Derrick Mitchell Jr.	4 carries, 24 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Tevaun Smith	5 receptions, 110 yards, TD

vs. No. 6 Stanford (Rose Bowl)

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The Hawkeyes received a bid to the 2016 Rose Bowl after dropping in the College Football Playoff ranking to #5 in their loss to Michigan State, which came as a surprise to much of sports media who believed that Ohio State would jump the loser of the Big Ten Championship Game. Since the Rose Bowl traditionally gives a bid to the winner of the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, and due to the new College Football Playoff system where the conference champion was likely to enter the playoff, the Rose Bowl committee had announced prior to the Big Ten Championship Game that they would give a bid to the second highest-ranked Big Ten team if a Big Ten team entered the playoff, since it was clear that the winner of the Big Ten Championship Game would finish in the Top 4 ranking.
#5 Iowa was named the home team and #6 Stanford was named the away team. Sports analysts had anticipated the contest to be exciting, due mainly to the matchup between Iowa's strong run defense and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Iowa's run defense finished the season ranked 14th, allowing only 121 yards per game and having defeated historically rushing teams like Wisconsin, Indiana, and Nebraska. Contrarily, Christian McCaffrey led the FBS in the 2015 season with 3,864 all-purpose yards, which came from punt/kick returns, runs from scrimmage, and passes out of the backfield.
Christian McCaffrey caught a short pass and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The Hawkeyes were unable to stop him, as he averaged 9.6 YPC, returned a punt for a touchdown, and converted many third downs. Though he did not rush for any touchdowns from scrimmage, he proved to be the primary playmaker for Stanford, catching a third of Kevin Hogan's passes. McCaffrey was such an offensive threat that Hogan was able to make large gains with the read option, including a wide-open first-quarter option TD run.
Iowa was unable to get their run game going, rushing as a team for 1.3 YPC. The longest Iowa runs came from LeShun Daniels Jr. and Akrum Wadley, as well as a 14-yard scramble by Beathard. Iowa's inability to establish a run game closed up Iowa's potential for play-action passing, which has been Beathard's bread and butter all season. Jordan Canzeri, Iowa's power halfback, was unable to churn significant yardage, and 3rd-team halfback Akrum Wadley split ballcarrying duties with Daniels in the second half. Iowa's halfbacks, their biggest threat all season, were overall unable to garner any significant yardage on the ground; Derek Mitchell Jr., Iowa's 4th-team halfback, saw significant action lining up in the backfield and caught 4 passes for 41 yards, and Wadley also contributed to the pass game by catching 3 for 60.
Stanford shut Iowa out in the first half 35–0, with Stanford's 35 points the most scored in the first half of a Rose Bowl in its entire 102-year history. Stanford's 21–0 first-quarter lead was also the most first-quarter points scored by one team in Rose Bowl history. Christian McCaffrey gained a total of 368 all-purpose yards, setting another Rose Bowl record.
By the second half, Stanford's explosiveness slowed down, scoring just 10 second-half points versus their 35 first-half points. Iowa did not score until the 3rd quarter when placekicker Marshall Koehn kicked a field goal after converting on 4th down earlier in the drive; Beathard threw 2 touchdowns in the 4th quarter, with Koehn missing one of the two PATs.
Iowa had a slight advantage in time of possession, possessing the ball for almost 33 minutes, though they were simply unable to make meaning out of their possessions. Iowa also outgained Stanford through the air by a slim margin, with 239 yards to Stanford's 223.
Iowa remained a symbol of old-school Big Ten power football, with most of their completed passes thrown to tight ends and halfbacks. Matt Vandeberg caught a touchdown pass, but star wideout Tevaun Smith only recorded 2 short receptions.

Statistics	STAN	IOWA
First downs	19	18
Total yards	429	287
Rushing yards	206	48
Passing yards	223	239
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	27:09	32:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Stanford	Passing	Kevin Hogan	12–21, 223 yards, 3 TD, INT
Stanford	Rushing	Christian McCaffrey	18 carries, 172 yards
Stanford	Receiving	Christian McCaffrey	4 receptions, 105 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	C. J. Beathard	21–33, 239 yards, 2 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	LeShun Danils	10 carries, 37 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Matt VandeBerg	4 receptions, 64 yards, TD

Postseason Awards

Kirk Ferentz – Big Ten Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year
Desmond King – Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, Winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back, and Unanimous First-team All-American.

Players in the 2016 NFL draft

Austin Blythe

Center

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