Iowa football has typically been nails over the years when it builds a lead and when it finds just enough offense.
Prior to the TransPerfect Music City Bowl, Iowa was a perfect 32-0 when scoring 21 or more points dating back to the 2020 season. As Iowa licks its wounds from a 27-24 loss against Missouri to cap its 2024 season, the Hawkeyes saw that stretch of perfection fall by the wayside.
Iowa also saw a troubling trend continue against Missouri. For the third time this season, Iowa blew a double-digit lead. The Hawkeyes led the Tigers 24-14 with 5:19 remaining in the third quarter after junior kicker Drew Stevens connected on a 38-yard field goal.
Iowa entered the 2024 season with a 71-2 mark dating back to the start of the 2015 season when leading by eight points or more at any point in a game. The Hawkeyes exit the 2024 campaign losing three games in which they built two-score leads.
Iowa’s loss versus Missouri joined losses this season against Iowa State and at UCLA where the Hawkeyes coughed up double-figure advantages.
The Hawkeyes led the Cyclones 13-0 at halftime before eventually falling 20-19 and Iowa led UCLA 10-0 early from the Rose Bowl before losing 20-17 in Pasadena.
After the latest blown lead, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was asked why that became a shortcoming for this particular Hawkeye team.
“I think each of them are different discussions probably. Maybe the most similar would be the last two. Just some of the things we talked about offensively first half versus the second half I think popped up in both of those. At least from my vantage point. Sometimes that’s going to happen,” Ferentz said.
In his final game donning the black and gold, Iowa defensive end Deontae Craig was tremendous, tallying four tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Still, it wasn’t enough and the 6-foot-3, 266 pound defensive lineman was also left answering why Iowa couldn’t lock down those healthy leads this season.
“I don’t know, it’s tough. I think, first and foremost, you have to give credit to our opponents. Their ability to stick with it even when things aren’t going the best for them, just keep pounding, keep trying to execute at a high level.
“Then to make some mistakes here and there, you have your eyes on the wrong spot, stepping the wrong way, getting out of your gap. When you lose close games like that, that’s how those things happen.
“Obviously there’s nothing we can do about it now. Just go back and stay in the film room, figure out the things that beat us, and for the guys coming back, just work on those things and pay extra close attention to them next time you get in those situations,” Craig said.
Ferentz pointed to Iowa’s inability to deliver complementary football as the main culprit for the trio of double-digit leads that Iowa squandered in 2024.
“If you get in a game like that, then you’re going to have to come up with some stops, too. If the offense isn’t doing it and, conversely, if we’re struggling defensively, it sure helps if you move the ball and get some points. We didn’t do either of those well enough today.
“Every day is a different discussion, but you know, certainly if we want to be a 10-win team or 11-win team like our opponent, you have to do a better job in those. Certainly when you have a lead — I think there was a stat I read earlier in the year that was kind of unbelievable when we had even a seven-point lead, I think it was, our record is pretty damn good. We kind of squelched that one unfortunately. We’ll go back to work, but just, again, really proud of our guys,” Ferentz said.
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