Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes deliver a masterclass on how to blow a football game
IOWA CITY, Iowa — As Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara’s Hail Mary heave fell 7 yards shy of the end zone and landed in the hands of Iowa State defensive back Darien Porter, shock turned into acceptance for the Hawkeyes.
After a dominating first half and twice leading by double digits, the No. 21 Hawkeyes taught a master-level class on how to blow a winnable ball game in a 20-19 loss to Iowa State. The blame is all-encompassing from scheme to execution. Everywhere you look, there was either a personnel breakdown or a head-scratching coaching decision. Everyone takes a bite of this sandwich.
Rather than address the issues chronologically, let’s begin with the Cyclones’ game-winning sequence. Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy drilled a 54-yard field goal with six seconds left to provide the winning margin. But the Hawkeyes committed two critical mistakes to put Konrardy in range. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht completed a 30-yard pass up the right sideline to receiver Jaylin Noel, who streaked past defensive back Sebastian Castro for the reception. Castro was in man coverage but passed Noel off to safety Quinn Schulte, which left the receiver wide open.
CYCLONE STATE!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/IVoJGI8JWt
— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) September 7, 2024
That play might not have mattered had Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz chosen a different option on the previous possession. With time dwindling inside one minute, Iowa faced fourth-and-8 from its 46-yard line. Rather than call timeout, Ferentz elected to take a delay-of-game penalty with the clock hitting 40 seconds left. The decision backed the Hawkeyes up 5 yards for a punt that was fair caught at the Cyclones’ 22-yard line with 34 seconds left. The extra 5 yards were worth more than one extra second on the clock.
“I didn’t think yardage was very significant at that point in the field,” Ferentz said. “We were at midfield. Six of one, half-dozen of another. There was really no benefit, unless I’m missing something.
“He could punt the ball out of the end zone. It didn’t matter. The yardage really wasn’t important. But to your point, we could have. We took a couple timeouts home with us.”
But those plays don’t end up under a microscope if it wasn’t for the Hawkeyes’ goal-line calamities. Twice in the second quarter, the Hawkeyes had the ball first-and-goal inside Iowa State’s 3-yard line — including one series starting at the 1 — only to wind up with field goals.
Both times, the Hawkeyes lined up in a four-tight end formation on first down. With first-and-goal at the 1, McNamara had a reverse-pivot handoff to running back Kamari Moulton, who was leveled by Iowa State defensive tackle Domonique Orange. The Hawkeyes attempted an inside zone but asked tight end Johnny Pascuzzi to block down on Orange, who tossed him aside. The run ended in a 3-yard loss. The next play was a reverse action run by receiver T.J. Washington for a 1-yard loss. A third-down incompletion led to a field goal. This entire series was set up by Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins’ interception at the ISU 12.
Three possessions later, Iowa drove the ball from its 20 to the Iowa State 3. On both first and second down from the 3-yard line, Iowa lined up with four tight ends. The first play was an incomplete pass and the second was a run for no gain. On third down, Iowa shifted to its two-tight end, two-receiver formation. McNamara threw toward tight end Addison Ostrenga in the back of the end zone. While coverage was tight, it wasn’t an impossible throw.
In both cases, Iowa strayed from the personnel groupings it used to advance down the field. On the first series, offensive coordinator Tim Lester got too cute. The second time, Iowa State dropped eight defenders in the end zone on passing plays.
“We’ll obviously be reevaluating that again after (Sunday) when we look at the film and see what we need to do to be better, but it’s just an ongoing thing,” Ferentz said. “You want to have those things available certainly down in there where things are pretty tight. There are a couple plays there that obviously we could have executed better that pushed us back, set us back.”
Iowa could have survived the red zone issues and the late-game breakdown had the passing game been remotely effective for the final three quarters. After the first quarter, McNamara was 8-of-11 passing for 72 yards. Over the final three quarters, he was 5-of-18 for 27 yards and two interceptions.
Timing-wise, McNamara’s first interception ranks as the worst passing decision in recent Iowa memory. With a 13-0 lead early in the third quarter and the ball on Iowa State’s 42-yard line, McNamara rolled to his right, then threw across his body toward the left sideline. He badly underthrew tight end Luke Lachey, and Porter pulled down the interception. It came directly after a 30-yard Iowa State punt to open the second half, and the Hawkeyes could have ended the game’s competitive phase with a scoring drive. Instead, they gave the Cyclones life.
“I just made a dumb decision,” McNamara said. “I should have just thrown it away. I just can’t force a ball in that situation.”
McNamara’s inconsistency remains an issue for the offense. Last week, he completed 8-of-17 passes in the first half then hit 13-of-14 in the second. Regardless, Ferentz remains unwavering in his support of McNamara.
“We expect him to be our quarterback,” Ferentz said. “I expect some ups and downs. I’ve been saying it pretty consistently. He’s still working his way back into shape, as is our whole team with the offense and whatever. But we’ll get better. We’ll improve.”
Iowa’s defense is built to stop the run and not give up big plays. Yet in the third quarter, the Hawkeyes inexplicably gave up a 75-yard touchdown pass from Becht to Noel. Lining up in the right slot, Noel had a free release and had no mandated re-route when he reached the second level. Noel then raced past safety Xavier Nwankpa and was wide open for the score. Higgins took the fall for failing to re-route Noel while defensive coordinator Phil Parker benched Nwankpa for Koen Entringer.
Finally, the game might have gone to overtime had the Hawkeyes made a different choice one snap before Noel’s touchdown. Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson burst into the end zone from the 3-yard line to put the Hawkeyes ahead 19-7. Instead of kicking the extra point, Ferentz opted for a two-point conversion, and McNamara’s pass toward Reece Vander Zee fell incomplete. An extra point was critical.
“I thought it gave us our best chance to win the football game,” Ferentz said on why he opted for the two-point attempt. “To me, the bigger issue is us not getting one touchdown out of those two field goal opportunities, and we had the ball down inside there close. That’s obviously an area we’re going to have to improve on.”
It took a collection of errors and bad decisions for Iowa to lose this game, and that’s by no means a slight to Iowa State’s resilience. A week into September, questions are piling up for the Hawkeyes. There’s still time to come up with the answers, but the stench of this defeat will stick with them for the rest of this season and beyond.
(Photo of Cade McNamara: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
Follow
The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”
A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.
One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.
“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”
Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.
“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”
Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.
Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.
“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
-
California6 minutes ago
Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race
-
Colorado12 minutes agoLandeskog – April 18 | Colorado Avalanche
-
Connecticut18 minutes agoOvernight Forecast for April 19
-
Delaware23 minutes agoState Police Arrest Dover Man for Assault and Aggravated Menacing in Dover – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware
-
Florida30 minutes agoSNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
-
Georgia36 minutes agoGeorgia on nobody’s mind: The Dawgs are under the radar, and that’s a compliment
-
Hawaii42 minutes agoLarge section of Aloha Stadium demolished as project proceeds – West Hawaii Today
-
Idaho47 minutes ago
Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on April 18, 2026
