No series of moments shaped the college football postseason like Michigan State’s 22-play, 82-yard touchdown drive that ate more than nine minutes of clock against Iowa in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten championship game.
With a different ending, the Hawkeyes would have headed this month to the College Football Playoff, and the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual may have landed Ohio State.
Iowa instead travels Thursday to California for game-week preparations ahead of its first Rose Bowl in 25 years. The No. 5 Hawkeyes face No. 6 Stanford on New Year’s Day (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Several moments stood out as key on Iowa’s path to Pasadena and a school-record 12 wins. Here’s our choice of the best (in chronological order):
Desmond King’s punt return in the third quarter against Iowa State. This happened in Week 2, before we knew of the Hawkeyes’ capabilities -- and likely before they knew. Iowa had lost three of the past four games to its rival and missed a scoring opportunity at the end of the first half, followed by two punts and a fumble in four second-half drives. When King took a fourth-quarter punt by Colin Downing 34 yards to midfield, it ignited a rally. The Hawkeyes scored in seven plays to break a 17-17 tie and won 31-17.
Brett Greenwood’s Kinnick Stadium entrance before the Pitt game. Greenwood, the former Iowa star safety who suffered a life-altering brain injury in 2011, led Iowa on to the field at night as honorary captain. His presence energized the Hawkeyes, and he continues to serve as an inspiration. Watch Kirk Ferentz’s raw emotion as he talks about Greenwood in this "College GameDay" video.
Marshall Koehn’s 57-yard field goal to beat Pitt. It was the second-longest kick in Iowa history and equaled the longest at Kinnick Stadium, pushing Iowa to a 27-24 Week 3 win. And it was the moment when the Hawkeyes began to look like a team of destiny.
Nate Meier’s big hit on Joel Stave. Iowa’s undersized defensive lineman broke through the line of scrimmage and blew up Stave’s handoff to Taiwan Deal on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line with less than eight minutes to play in the Hawkeyes’ 10-6 win at Wisconsin. Faith Ekakitie recovered the fumble, and Iowa held on defense from there for a huge win to open league play.
Jordan Canzeri’s 75-yard run in the third quarter at Illinois. The longest run from scrimmage by an Iowa player since Shonn Greene covered the same distance in 2008, this served as the highlight of Canzeri’s 256-yard outburst. The long run widened Iowa’s lead to 10 points in a 29-20 win.
King’s 88-yard interception return against Maryland. The Terrapins momentarily seized momentum as Iowa’s offense stalled in the third quarter. King, en route to the Jim Thorpe Award, picked Perry Hills at the 12-yard line as Maryland drove toward a touchdown that could have cut Iowa’s lead to 10 points. The Terps did not manage another first down as Iowa won 31-15.
C.J. Beathard’s clutch work in the second half at Indiana. After the Hoosiers closed to 21-20 early in a furious fourth quarter, Iowa’s junior quarterback hit Matt VandeBerg on for 12 yards to convert a third down and lead to a score. Same song, new verse on the next drive, with tight end Henry Krieger Coble on the receiving end. And when Indiana made it 35-27, Beathard ran for 11 yards and the lone first down Iowa needed to kill the clock.
The 97-yard drive at the end of the second quarter against Minnesota. Beathard hit four straight throws, then scrambled for 26 . LeShun Daniels ran for the score to put Iowa on top 24-14 with 44 seconds left in the first half. The Hawkeyes’ win probability jumped from 68 to 85 percent during this drive. And Minnesota played catch-up for the rest of the night, losing 40-35.
The 91-yard drive in the third quarter against Purdue. With the pressure of a perfect season mounting, could the lowly Boilermakers topple Iowa on Senior Day? Purdue cut a big Iowa lead to 20-13 before Krieger Coble and his cousin, fellow tight end George Kittle, got busy, accounting for 64 yards on the Hawkeyes’ definitive possession in a 40-20 win.
Parker Hesse’s pick-six at Nebraska. The final regular-season obstacle for the Hawkeyes was large on a bitterly cold Black Friday. And Iowa had to win without much offense as it failed to convert a third down on nine tries. With the score tied 7-7 midway through the second quarter, Hesse, the redshirt freshman defensive end, snagged a swing pass from Tommy Armstrong Jr., turning a potential big gain into a 5-yard Iowa touchdown.