IOWA CITY - Iowa did not blink when it got punched first against Iowa State, and that was the whole point.
Down 10-0 in the second quarter, the Hawkeyes stayed locked in on what came next instead of staring at the hole they were in. Tight ends coach Abdul Hodge said the sideline never got rattled.
“Those guys weren’t even looking at the scoreboard,” Hodge said. “Those guys were just worrying about the next play and the next quarter and the next quarter, and eventually something would pop.”
Something did pop, and it ended with Caden Buhr drilling the field goal that sent Iowa past its in-state rival, 16-13. The kick finished off a nine-play, 31-yard march that dragged the Hawkeyes into range the hard way.
The phrase driving that response is printed on the backs of the players’ shirts: “The hardest the longest.”
Quarterback Hank Brown pointed to it after the game, saying the offensive line embodied it when the pressure was highest.
“On the back of our shirts it says ‘The hardest the longest,’” Brown said. “And that’s what our offensive line showed tonight is that, no matter what happened throughout the entirety of the game, when it got to the fourth quarter they came through and they put us in a position to be able to kick that field goal.”
The words come from Tom Moore, a former Hawkeye who played two seasons (1959-60) at Iowa and later became a four-time Super Bowl champion coach. Moore is now on Kirk Ferentz’s staff as an offensive advisor and consultant, and his message has quickly taken hold inside the program.
Ferentz said the idea is simple, but simple is not the same as easy.
“It’s about expecting it to be tough and then just understand you’re going to have to go the full 60, maybe more than that to get it done,” Ferentz said. “‘The longest’ part, the fourth quarter doesn’t matter if you don’t play well going up. You’ve got to give yourself a chance.”
That mindset showed up when Iowa got back into the game. After absorbing the slow start, the Hawkeyes answered with a 75-yard touchdown drive in five plays in the second quarter. Then the defense forced a quick three-and-out, and the offense moved back down the field to tie it with a Buhr field goal.
Leighton Jones said the group never treated the 10-0 deficit like a dead end.
“You can’t shut down when you’re down 10-0,” offensive lineman Leighton Jones said. “It’s college football.
We’ve got 45, 30 minutes left to play. But as far as the young guys and guys with inexperience, we’re just focused on whatever the next drive is we’ve got to make something pop, and eventually we did catch some heat.”
Iowa State kept making life uncomfortable. First-year coach Jimmy Rogers mixed up his looks and formations, testing Iowa’s defense throughout the game. The “hardest the longest” message was there the whole time, just as it had been all offseason, with the slogan showing up on shirts in the weight room.
By the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes looked like a team that had lived that mantra. Iowa State managed just 37 yards in the period, its lowest total of any quarter, and the Cyclones failed on both third-down chances.
“Just trying to finish everything, finish every rep, finish every game has been our mindset through camp, even through the summer phase,” linebacker Jayden Montgomery said. “I think that definitely showed on Saturday.”
The offense did its part late, too. Iowa’s ground game found some traction when it mattered most, as the Hawkeyes piled up 14 carries for 47 yards in the fourth quarter. That was enough to keep the clock moving and leave Iowa with the ball last.
There is still cleanup ahead after the Cy-Hawk win, but Iowa already has something useful from its second game of the season: proof that it can take a shot, keep its footing and finish. As the Hawkeyes turn toward Northern Iowa in their final nonconference game, Moore’s phrase remains the one steering the program forward.
In Other News...
Iowas 2027 Guard Board Just Took A Hit For McCollum
The Hawkeyes 2027 guard board took a noticeable turn this week when four-star prospect Jaxson Davis canceled his official visit to Iowa. Davis, a combo guard who recently transferred to Monarch Academy for his senior season, had once looked like one of the programs top targets in the class, giving Iowa a real early foothold with a player who fit a major need on the perimeter.
Instead, the recruiting picture has shifted quickly. Davis has turned his attention toward other programs, and Ohio State has emerged as a favorite after his recent visit there, leaving Iowa to keep working down the board in the 2027 class. For a staff still trying to build out its future backcourt, losing that kind of momentum is a reminder that these early battles can change fast. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Just Broke From A Kirk Ferentz Scheduling Habit
Iowa has officially added a Week Zero game against North Dakota to its 2027 football schedule, giving the Hawkeyes a rare early start before the rest of the season settles in. The slate also includes games against Ball State and Iowa State before Big Ten play begins, which makes for a busier nonconference setup than Iowa has typically preferred.
For a program long associated with a more familiar scheduling rhythm under Kirk Ferentz, the move stands out as a noticeable break from habit. It also brings back a matchup that has not been played in more than a century, adding a little historical flavor to a schedule that already looks different from the usual Iowa blueprint. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Is Already Pushing For A 2028 Prospect Fans Should Track
Iowa is already getting a head start on the 2028 class with Cole Kelly, a 6-foot-7 forward from Neuqua Valley High School in Illinois who has quickly become one of the names to know for the Hawkeyes. Kelly is a four-star prospect, and Iowa has made its interest clear by bringing him in for an unofficial visit on Sept. 12 while also sending coaches to meet with him in Illinois.
For a program trying to stay ahead in a competitive recruiting race, Kelly is the kind of long-view target that makes sense. Multiple major programs have already extended scholarship offers, but Iowas early push reflects how much value the staff places on his versatility and work ethic. The Hawkeyes are not alone in tracking him, which is exactly why this recruitment is worth watching so early. [Read more 🡒]