Iowa Hawkeye Football: Ending the Season on a Good Note with Insight Bowl Upset

I'm not going to try to play Pollyanna and act like this was a great season just because it ended well.

I'm not going to say that when Iowa grabbed the lead with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, I wasn't expecting another meltdown.

I'm not going to say that I wasn't pained watching Blaine Gabbert play pitch-and-catch with T.J. Moe.

Regardless, a solid win over a very good 10-2 team was a nice way to end a frustrating season.

Furthermore, there are two things worth keeping in mind when reflecting on this bowl.

Firstly, as the ESPN announcers reminded us time and time again, Blaine Gabbert is arguably the second-best quarterback prospect in all of college football. Certainly, it wasn't fun watching him pile up over 400 yards passing, but it's not as though he was some schlump.

Secondly, as you watch the highlights from the game, consider how many of the players actually making the highlight reel will be back next season.

Stanzi to McNutt for 49 Yards

Facing 3rd-and-5 from his own 38, Stanzi dropped back and knew exactly where he was going.

As the announcer said, "This [was] all on Stanzi. He [knew] he had one-on-one outside." At that point, all he needed was time, and as had been the case all night, the O-line gave him all the time he needed.

Marcus Coker 62-Yard Touchdown Run

Facing 2nd-and-4 from the Iowa 38, Marcus Coker took a simple inside run and turned it into a 62-yard touchdown scamper.

Funny—just seconds before the announcers were saying he didn't have top-line speed.

Also, consider the following things: Firstly, Missouri let up the fewest long rushing plays in the Big 12. Secondly, Coker is untouched on this run. Particularly watch Julian Vandervelde and James Ferentz ride their men downfield.

Then think about how this line dominated an extremely good defensive line. Finally, think about how much experience this line will be returning next season.

Marcus Coker Bounces Off Tacklers

Facing 3rd-and-1, the Iowa coaches had faith in their line and in Coker.

It was a simple run to the right, and the line gets credit for the first down. Again, the inside men—Vandervelde, Ferentz and Josh Koeppel—were particularly impressive.

However, after the first down the credit goes to Coker. He bowled a defensive back over and just kept on running.

On this play, he looked exactly like another pretty good Iowa running back from the recent past—and Coker is only a freshman.

Karl Klug Sack

The Iowa front four has faced a lot of criticism this season, much of it deservedly so. Nevertheless, it was good to see Karl Klug get his due.

It was a simple stunt, and Klug ran right past his blocker.

Blaine Gabbert didn't have a chance.

Micah Hyde

And I thought Micah Hyde couldn't top his last highlight reel play. I was wrong.

Facing 1st-and-10 from the Iowa 39, the Tigers were up by four with just over five minutes to go. Odds were, if they scored a touchdown on this drive, it was over for the Hawks.

However, the defense not only stopped the opposing team—something it has had trouble doing all year in the fourth quarter. They also got the winning score.

Ultimately, it's no Tate to Holloway, but in terms of great Hawkeye bowl moments, this one is up there.

Conservative, Huh?

Yes, Iowa is still extremely conservative. Nevertheless, the advantage of having a reputation for certain tendencies is that when you stray from those tendencies, you catch the other team completely off guard.

In this case, Iowa needed the first down to ice the game. Despite all the invective that has been heaped on the Hawkeye defense, people have forgotten how often the Iowa O has failed to convert key third downs.

With 53 seconds left in the game and the Hawks looking at 3rd-and-3, everybody in the stadium foresaw a dive play to Marcus Coker.

And that's the way it looked, until Stanzi pulled the ball out of Coker's belly, turned around and quickly pitched it to Allen Reisner.

The end result was no less than a win.

A win for you, a win for me, a win for Iowa, a win for the Big Ten, and a win for America.