The Iowa Hawkeyes‘ 2024 college football season closed in disappointing fashion with a 27-24 loss against Missouri in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
Iowa built a 10-point second half lead when Drew Stevens’ 38-yard field goal split the uprights with 5:19 remaining in the third quarter.
But, the Hawkeyes couldn’t make it stand up as Missouri used a 4-yard touchdown run from receiver Joshua Manning and a pair of long-range field goals from kicker Blake Craig from 51 and 56 yards en route to the Music City Bowl victory.
Afterwards, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz shared his initial remarks on the Hawkeyes’ season-ending defeat against Missouri.
“Obviously disappointed with the outcome. That was not our intention obviously coming here.
“We’re competing tonight. I think our guys played with good effort. I thought they prepared and practiced well getting ready for the bowl game. Bottom line, it’s what I told them in the locker room, we didn’t play well enough to expect to win against a good team, a ranked team. So it’s kind of the bottom line,” Ferentz opened by saying.
Ferentz lamented the miscues that led to the loss, including a costly unnecessary roughness penalty on Iowa safety Quinn Schulte that extended Missouri’s game-tying scoring drive and Hawkeye quarterback Brendan Sullivan’s second-half interception.
“I think three keys to me that made a difference… penalties, probably had a few more than we’re used to. One costly one there certainly in the second half. That was a judgment penalty, and that’s disappointing.
“Turnover, takeaway margin, we came up short in that, and that’s not good for any football team. Certainly not us. Same thing with third down conversions. I think probably the biggest differentiating thing there I would point out, we were clean in the first half turnover-wise, and then had the one pick. It came at a bad time. There’s never a good time, but we had the ball at midfield,” Ferentz said.
Iowa’s inefficiency to keep offensive drives alive after halftime was also a killer.
“Then, the the third down situation. We were 5 out of 6 first half, and that was a point of emphasis. Sorry, 4 out of 5 first half. Then we were up 6 of 13 overall, which you can do the math on that. That’s 1 and 8 in the second half. That’s pertinent.
“These guys are a highly-ranked team penalty-wise and a highly-ranked team turnover and takeaway margin. They’ve done a good job on third down conversions and third down defense. I think in the first half we did a good job of minimizing those yardages, if you will, and were able to stay on the field a little better. Obviously, it didn’t happen the second half. It became a big deal as well,” Ferentz said
Ultimately, it’s now Iowa’s ninth straight loss against a ranked foe, which won’t sit well with Hawkeye fans that are ready to see the program stand toe to toe with more of the nation’s best teams.
“It’s disappointing. In the final minutes we just didn’t have what it took to get it done, so that’s disappointing. Give credit to Missouri. They played a really good football game. They’re a good team, and we give them credit,” Ferentz said.
As Ferentz’s 26th season at the helm concludes, the longtime Iowa head coach wanted to make sure his appreciation for his players was known.
“Two things in the locker room basically is just told the team, I appreciate their effort, and we just didn’t play well enough to win. Then, most importantly, probably is just thanking our seniors. We had a great group of 20-plus seniors that did a great job for us during their entire careers. Some have been five or six years. Others one or two. You know, guys that transferred in. So each and every one of them did a great job exemplifying what it is to be a good student-athlete, good college football player.
“So I really appreciate their efforts. Obviously I wish them the best, and we’ll do all we can to help them as they move forward. A lot of good things this season. A lot of real positives, and this one is going to sting for a little bit,” Ferentz said.
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