Iowa Hawkeyes: Contenders in the Big 10 Race?

The State of Iowa breathed a collective sigh of relief on Saturday afternoon before breaking into a traditional down-home ritual:Dance of Joy!

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 45-9 on the road. They squelched a potential third conference loss in a row, staving off bowl ignominy for another week or—dare we hope—another season.

All the while, the Iowa faithful sat huddled in front of their bigscreen televisions waiting for the probable collapse, especially when Indiana marched down the field and scored just before halftime, reducing their deficit to only eight points.   

This is the same posture fans held during the last gasps of the Iowa vs. Northwestern contest two weeks ago, as their vaunted Hawks stood ready to score on the Northwestern eight-yard line.

The Hawks had 90 seconds on the clock and five chances to punch it in and win the game at home.  Five pass plays later, they remained locked out—losing a game 22-17 they should have won. 

Last weekend on the road, the Hawkeyes lost to a very good Michigan State squad 16-13, despite a record-breaking day by runningback Shonn Greene with a career high 160 rushing yards.  They had ample chances to win but self-destructed.

For the past three weeks, it has always been close, but no cigar. 

The Hawkeyes lost the previous three contests by a combined total of seven points.  While the defense soared, the offense squandered opportunities and turned the ball over repeatedly.  The offense was definitely sputtering behind new quarterback Ricky Stanzi.

In defeating Indiana, the Hawks were finally clicking on all cylinders.  They barely faltered on passing, punting, and returning as they improved to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Big 10 play. 

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa head coach, characterized the victory as a great team win.

Iowa fans realize that with just a little bit of luck, the Hawkeyes could be 7-0 right now and contending for the Big 10 Conference Title. 

Ah, make believe!

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?