2004 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

2004 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Big Ten co-champion
Capital One Bowl champion
Capital One Bowl, W 30–25 vs. LSU
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 8
Record10–2 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKen O'Keefe (6th season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorNorm Parker (6th season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumKinnick Stadium
(Capacity: 70,397)
Seasons
← 2003
2005 →
2004 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 14 Michigan $+   7 1     9 3  
No. 8 Iowa +   7 1     10 2  
No. 17 Wisconsin   6 2     9 3  
Northwestern   5 3     6 6  
No. 20 Ohio State   4 4     8 4  
Purdue   4 4     7 5  
Michigan State   4 4     5 7  
Minnesota   3 5     7 5  
Penn State   2 6     4 7  
Illinois   1 7     3 8  
Indiana   1 7     3 8  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2004 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games in Kinnick Stadium and were coached by Kirk Ferentz. Finishing the 2003 season with a 10–3 record and an Outback Bowl victory, the Hawkeyes began the season 2–0 with wins over Kent State and Iowa State.[1] But after rocky performances at Arizona State and Michigan, the Hawkeyes sat at 2–2 going into their game with Michigan State.[1]

The Hawkeyes handily defeated the Spartans 38–16,[2] and turned their attention to Ohio State, a team whom the Hawkeyes had not beaten at home since 1983.[3] Behind a strong defensive performance that allowed only 177 yards,[4] the Hawkeyes easily defeated the Buckeyes by 26 points, the largest margin of victory over Ohio State in Iowa history at the time.[3] However, tragedy struck soon thereafter, when head coach Kirk Ferentz's father died.[5] In the emotional game that ensued, the Hawkeyes narrowly defeated Penn State 6–4 on two Kyle Schlicher field goals.[6]

The Hawkeyes then raised their record to 8–2 with victories over Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota.[1] With a share of the Big Ten championship on the line, the Hawkeyes met Wisconsin in the final regular season game of the year. Iowa won the game,[7] completing its second consecutive unbeaten season at home, and thousands of Hawkeye fans swarmed the field in celebration.[8] Several weeks following the victory, Iowa accepted a bid to play the LSU Tigers in the 2005 Capital One Bowl.[9]

In a game that was originally thought to be a defensive matchup,[10] the Hawkeyes took a 24–12 lead early in the fourth quarter. But behind freshman quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the Tigers stormed back, and took a one-point lead with 46 seconds remaining.[11] However, LSU's comeback was all for naught, as Iowa's Drew Tate completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Warren Holloway as time expired, giving Iowa the 30–25 win[11] and a 10–2 final record.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Iowa 2004 Football Schedule / Results". ESPN. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  2. ^ "Iowa 38, Michigan State 16". HawkeyeSports.com. October 2, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Iowa 33, No. 23 Ohio State 7". HawkeyeSports.com. October 16, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  4. ^ "Iowa Cruises Past No. 25 Ohio State, 33–7". HawkeyeSports.com. October 16, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  5. ^ "Ferentz's Father Passes Away". HawkeyeSports.com. October 20, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  6. ^ "Wine Online: A Defense Battle". HawkeyeSports.com / George Wine. October 24, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  7. ^ "Iowa 30, Wisconsin 7". HawkeyeSports.com. November 20, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  8. ^ "Wisconsin vs. Iowa". USA Today. November 20, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  9. ^ "Iowa Faces "Tough Draw"". HawkeyeSports.com. December 4, 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  10. ^ "Capital One Bowl Breakdown". SI.com. December 29, 2004. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  11. ^ a b "Iowa vs. Louisiana State". USA Today. January 2, 2005. Retrieved August 12, 2007.