Iowa’s win over Iowa State came down to a moment most fans will barely remember by next week, but the Hawkeyes don’t get to that finish without Tanner Philpott doing his part perfectly.
Big plays usually steal the attention. The hits, the completions, the touchdowns - those are the snaps that get replayed over and over.
But Iowa’s formula has always been built on the less glamorous work, the kind that keeps everything moving when the game tightens up. Against Iowa State, that showed up on the final field goal try.
Caden Buhr’s game-winner could have gone sideways fast. The snap came in behind Philpott, forcing him to reach back, secure it, settle the ball, and turn the laces away from the kicker in a flash. He handled it cleanly, and Buhr drilled the kick to lift Iowa to a 16-13 win with minimal time left.
That’s the kind of play holders are usually asked to make without anyone noticing. When it goes wrong, everybody sees it.
When it goes right, it can disappear into the box score. Philpott’s work deserved more than that.
He was the difference between a clean kick and a potential disaster, and in a sold-out Kinnick Stadium with 70,000 fans and an in-state rival on the other sideline, there was nothing simple about it. The Hawkeyes live for those pressure-cooker moments.
They try to drag opponents into them, then thrive when the game gets uncomfortable. Philpott’s hold was a perfect example of that mindset in action.
Heck of a job by holder Tanner Philpott! This goes to overtime if he doesn’t have cat-like quick reflexes on the game winner. pic.twitter.com/T5EfMGLtn0
Caden Buhr!!!! Cold blooded! And the hold by Tanner Philpott is an underrated part of that make for the Hawkeyes!
In Other News...
Iowa Escaped Cy-Hawk Trouble But One Concern Just Got Louder
Iowa got out of the Cy-Hawk game with a win, but it hardly left the field looking settled. The Hawkeyes leaned on a game-winning field goal to survive a tense rivalry matchup against Iowa State, and the final stretch only sharpened the familiar questions about how much margin this offense can afford to lose. There were bright spots elsewhere, including a special-teams finish that held up when it had to and a defense that delivered enough disruption to keep Iowa in control of the larger moments.
The offensive issues, though, were hard to miss, and they now sit louder after a game like this because Iowa did not exactly overwhelm a very competitive Iowa State team. The Hawkeyes can point to defensive standouts and a few encouraging individual efforts, but the imbalance remains the same story line: when the offense stalls, every possession feels heavier. Even with the victory in hand, the way this one played out left a clear reminder that Iowa may have escaped trouble, but it still has work to do before the concerns stop following it from week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Kirk Ferentz Just Kept Iowas Quarterback Debate Alive
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College GameDay Just Added More Fuel To Iowas Cy-Hawk Stakes
The Cy-Hawk rivalry already carries plenty of heat, and this weeks buildup picked up another layer when College GameDay weighed in on Iowas side of the matchup. The shows hosts and analysts looked ahead to the annual meeting with Iowa State and backed the Hawkeyes, adding a little more national attention to a game that always feels bigger than the record books suggest.
Iowa State comes into the rivalry in the first season under new head coach Jimmy Rogers, which gives the Cyclones a fresh look against an Iowa team that will have the home-field edge at Kinnick Stadium. The setting is set for a late-afternoon kickoff on NBC, and with both fan bases circling the date, the spotlight around the Cy-Hawk game only seems to grow as the week goes on. [Read more 🡒]