2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 23rd-year head coach Kirk Ferentz.
With a victory over rival [2021 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska] on November 26 coupled with a [2021 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin] loss to Minnesota the following day, Iowa won its first Big Ten West title since 2015. They competed in the Big Ten Championship Game against East Division co-champion [2021 2021 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan], where they lost by a 39-point margin. Iowa capped the 2021 season with a frustrating 20–17 loss to No. 22 [2021 2021 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky] in the Citrus Bowl. The Hawkeyes finished with a record of 10–4, the seventh season with 10+ wins in the Ferentz era.
Junior center Tyler Linderbaum was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, unanimous First-team All-American, and was awarded the Rimington Trophy. He later became the 11th Iowa player of the Ferentz era taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Game summaries

No. 17 Indiana

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Iowa jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Hawkeyes defense came out in full force, getting three interceptions - including two pick sixes by senior Riley Moss - and kept Indiana out of the end zone. Equally impressive for an opening game, Iowa limited itself to a mere two penalties.

Statistics	IU	IOWA
First downs	11	18
Total yards	233	303
Rushing yards	77	158
Passing yards	156	145
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	32:04	27:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana	Passing	Michael Penix Jr.	14/31, 156 yards, 3 INT
Indiana	Rushing	Stephen Carr	19 carries, 57 yards
Indiana	Receiving	Ty Fryfogle	5 receptions, 84 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	13/27, 145 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	19 carries, 99 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	5 receptions, 83 yards

At No. 9 Iowa State

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This season's Cy-Hawk matchup was a showdown of top 10 teams in the AP poll, making this the first time the schools have faced off as ranked opponents. ESPN's College GameDay was on hand for the second straight time in the series as the annual contest was cancelled the previous year due to COVID-19. Iowa extended its win streak in the series to six games, and has now won five consecutive games against ranked opponents - its longest such streak since 1960.

Statistics	IOWA	IOWA ST
First downs	11	21
Total yards	173	339
Rushing yards	67	87
Passing yards	106	252
Turnovers	0	4
Time of possession	31:38	28:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	11/21, 106 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	21 carries, 55 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Charle Jones	2 receptions, 36 yards, TD
Iowa State	Passing	Brock Purdy	13/27, 138 yards, 3 INT
Iowa State	Rushing	Breece Hall	16 carries, 69 yards, TD
Iowa State	Receiving	Charlie Kolar	4 receptions, 34 yards

Kent State

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The Hawkeyes, playing as an AP top 5 team at home for the first time since 1985, won for the 300th time at Kinnick Stadium since its opening in 1929. Tyler Goodson had his best game to date, rushing for 153 yards. This was the first meeting of the programs since 2004.

Statistics	KENT	IOWA
First downs	17	21
Total yards	264	418
Rushing yards	79	206
Passing yards	185	212
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	23:22	36:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	16/23, 185 yards, TD
Kent State	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	10 carries, 38 yards
Kent State	Receiving	Keshunn Abram	6 receptions, 138 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	25/36, 209 yards, TD
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	22 carries, 153 yards, 3 TD
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	7 receptions, 65 yards, TD

Colorado State

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This was the first meeting between the two schools. After a sluggish start, the Hawkeyes shut out Colorado State in the second half to extend its streak of holding opponents under 25 points.

Statistics	CSU	IOWA
First downs	12	12
Total yards	250	278
Rushing yards	95	54
Passing yards	155	224
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	31:20	28:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado State	Passing	Todd Centeio	16/30, 155 yards, TD
Colorado State	Rushing	A'Jon Vivens	17 carries, 45 yards
Colorado State	Receiving	Trey McBride	6 receptions, 59 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	15/23, 224 yards, 2 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	18 carries, 57 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	4 receptions, 45 yards, TD

At Maryland

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In the first match-up of the teams since 2018, Iowa tied the school record with six interceptions in this lopsided road win. It is the first 5–0 start for the program since 2015. The Hawkeyes also scored the most points in a quarter since 2002.

Statistics	IOWA	UMD
First downs	24	14
Total yards	428	271
Rushing yards	145	97
Passing yards	283	174
Turnovers	0	7
Time of possession	39:00	21:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	21/30, 259 yards, 3 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	19 carries, 66 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Arland Bruce IV	6 receptions, 43 yards, TD
Maryland	Passing	Taulia Tagovailoa	16/29, 157 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT
Maryland	Rushing	Taulia Tagovailoa	4 carries, 24 yards
Maryland	Receiving	Dontay Demus Jr.	4 receptions, 61 yards

No. 4 Penn State

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Iowa was seeking its first home win over Penn State since 2010 with Fox's Big Noon Kickoff on hand. This match-up of top five teams in the AP poll was the first such game at Kinnick Stadium since No. 2 Michigan visited the No. 1 Hawkeyes in 1985. Iowa fell behind 17–3 to PSU, but after an injury to Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford, the Hawkeyes slowly clawed back, outscoring Penn State 20–3 the rest of the way to earn the 23–20 win. With this victory, Iowa improved to 6–0, became bowl eligible, extended their overall win streak to 12 games, and ascended to No. 2 in both major polls the following day.

Statistics	PSU	IOWA
First downs	18	18
Total yards	287	305
Rushing yards	107	110
Passing yards	180	195
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	24:07	35:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Penn State	Passing	Sean Clifford	15/25, 146 yards, 2 INT
Penn State	Rushing	Sean Clifford	3 carries, 36 yards, TD
Penn State	Receiving	Jahan Dotson	8 receptions, 48 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	17/31, 195 yards, 2 TD, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	25 carries, 88 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Nico Ragaini	4 receptions, 73 yards, TD

Purdue

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The unranked Boilermakers dominated this matchup with the Hawkeyes, and won for the fourth time in the last five meetings with Iowa.

Statistics	PUR	IOWA
First downs	24	17
Total yards	464	271
Rushing yards	86	76
Passing yards	378	195
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	34:46	25:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Aidan O'Connell	30/40, 375 yards, 2 TD
Purdue	Rushing	King Doerue	18 carries, 48 yards
Purdue	Receiving	David Bell	11 receptions, 240 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	17/32, 195 yards, 4 INT
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	12 carries, 68 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	5 receptions, 61 yards

At Wisconsin

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The unranked Badgers dominated this matchup with the Hawkeyes, and became the first Iowa opponent to score more than 24 points since the 2018 regular season finale.

Statistics	IOWA	WIS
First downs	9	16
Total yards	156	270
Rushing yards	24	166
Passing yards	132	104
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	24:13	35:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	9/19, 93 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	13 carries, 27 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	3 receptions, 44 yards
Wisconsin	Passing	Graham Mertz	11/22, 104 yards, TD
Wisconsin	Rushing	Braelon Allen	20 carries, 104 yards
Wisconsin	Receiving	Danny Davis III	5 receptions, 59 yards, TD

At Northwestern

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Backup quarterback Alex Padilla led two first-half touchdown drives, and the Iowa defense forced three interceptions as the Hawkeyes snapped a two-game skid.

Statistics	IOWA	NW
First downs	19	20
Total yards	361	363
Rushing yards	185	93
Passing yards	176	270
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	31:05	28:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Alex Padilla	18/28, 172 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	21 carries, 141 yards, TD
Iowa	Receiving	Keagan Johnson	5 receptions, 68 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Andrew Marty	25/44, 270 yards, TD, 3 INT
Northwestern	Rushing	Evan Hull	11 carries, 41 yards
Northwestern	Receiving	Evan Hull	6 receptions, 89 yards, TD

Minnesota

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In Alex Padilla's first start at quarterback, Iowa won for the seventh straight time in this trophy series. Padilla threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the victory. The Golden Gophers haven't won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999.

Statistics	MIN	IOWA
First downs	23	12
Total yards	409	277
Rushing yards	189	71
Passing yards	220	206
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	40:02	19:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	14/30, 183 yards, TD
Minnesota	Rushing	Ky Thomas	29 carries, 126 yards
Minnesota	Receiving	Chris Autman-Bell	5 receptions, 109 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Alex Padilla	11/24, 206 yards, 2 TD
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	18 carries, 59 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Charlie Jones	2 receptions, 106 yards, TD

Illinois

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Iowa won for the eighth straight time in the series. Illinois hasn't won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999.

Statistics	ILL	IOWA
First downs	11	18
Total yards	312	255
Rushing yards	64	172
Passing yards	248	83
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	25:42	34:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	16/36, 248 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Illinois	Rushing	Chase Brown	13 carries, 42 yards
Illinois	Receiving	Casey Washington	3 receptions, 61 yards
Iowa	Passing	Alex Padilla	6/17, 83 yards, INT
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	27 carries, 132 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Arland Bruce IV	2 receptions, 45 yards

At Nebraska

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After facing a 21–6 third quarter deficit, the Hawkeyes rallied to earn a win over the Cornhuskers as they outscored the home team 22–0 to end the game. It was Iowa's fifth straight victory in Lincoln and seventh straight victory overall in this trophy series.

Statistics	IOWA	NEB
First downs	19	18
Total yards	364	327
Rushing yards	186	129
Passing yards	178	198
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	31:53	28:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	7/13, 102 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	23 carries, 156 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	3 receptions, 61 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Logan Smothers	16/22, 198 yards, INT
Nebraska	Rushing	Logan Smothers	24 carries, 64 yards, 2 TD
Nebraska	Receiving	Samori Toure	6 receptions, 67 yards

Vs. No. 2 Michigan (Big Ten Championship game)

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This game marked Iowa's second appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game. Ferentz is now 1–2 against Michigan in the Harbaugh era.

Statistics	MICH	IOWA
First downs	21	15
Total yards	461	279
Rushing yards	211	104
Passing yards	250	175
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	28:21	31:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing	Cade McNamara	16/24, 169 yards, TD, INT
Michigan	Rushing	Blake Corum	5 carries, 74 yards, TD
Michigan	Receiving	Roman Wilson	2 receptions, 82 yards, TD
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	9/22, 137 yards
Iowa	Rushing	Gavin Williams	12 carries, 56 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	6 receptions, 62 yards

Vs. No. 22 Kentucky (Citrus Bowl)

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The Wildcats and Hawkeyes faced off for the first time, and Iowa returned to the Citrus Bowl for the first time since the 2005 Capital One Bowl. The loss kept the Hawkeyes from winning four consecutive bowl games for the first time in program history.

Statistics	IOWA	UK
First downs	20	24
Total yards	384	354
Rushing yards	173	121
Passing yards	211	233
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	22:06	37:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	19/30, 211 yards, TD, 3 INT
Iowa	Rushing	Gavin Williams	16 carries, 98 yards
Iowa	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	7 receptions, 122 yards, TD
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	17/28, 233 yards, TD, INT
Kentucky	Rushing	Chris Rodriguez Jr.	20 carries, 107 yards, TD
Kentucky	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	10 receptions, 170 yards

Players drafted into the NFL

1	25	Tyler Linderbaum	C	Baltimore Ravens
4	114	Dane Belton	S	New York Giants