College Football Old School Game of the Week: Iowa State Beats Iowa in Triple Overtime Thriller

Iowa State players hold up the CyHawk trophy after their win over Iowa in 2011.

While most college football rivalries often have their annual meeting towards the end of the season, the rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones occurs at the beginning of the season as the two schools separated by 127 miles have met annually in September since the renewal of the series back in 1977(They played in November in 2001 because of the 9/11 attacks and did not play in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic).

Their game on September 10, 2011 is regarded as one of the best in the series as the Cyclones played host to their intrastate rival at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames with the winner set to receive the CyHawk trophy.

Iowa came into the game on a three-year winning streak in the rivalry having held the Cyclones to just 15 points over the previous three meetings.

Iowa was led by head coach Kirk Ferentz, who was in his 13th season as the Hawkeyes' head coach having led the Hawkeyes to bowl games in nine of his 12 seasons in Iowa City after taking over for the legendary Hayden Fry before the 1999 season.

The Hawkeyes were looking to improve off a 8-5 season the previous year as they returned running back Marcus Coker who had run for 219 yards in Iowa's 27-24 win over Missouri in the 2010 Insight Bowl, along with wide receiver Marvin McNutt, who lead the team with 54 catches and 861 yards in 2010 to go along with new starting quarterback James Vanderburg.

The Hawkeyes easily dispatched of Tennessee Tech 34-7 in their regular season opener before traveling to Ames to take on the Cyclones who looking to beat their intrastate rival for the first time since 2007.

Iowa State was led by head coach Paul Rhoads, who was in his third season as the Cyclones' head coach having led Iowa State to a bowl game in his first season in 2009 only to go 5-7 in 2010 and not make it to the postseason.

Like the Hawkeyes, the Cyclones had a new starting quarterback in junior Steele Jantz, who led Iowa State a narrow 20-19 win over Northern Iowa as he scored the game-winning touchdown with a one-yard run with 40 seconds left in the game.

If Iowa State was going to beat Iowa, they would need a better performance from Jantz, who overcome three interceptions to lead the Cyclones to victory the previous week.

The Cyclones got the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 26-yard-line to the Hawkeyes' five-yard-line in 10 plays to set up a 1st & goal when center Tom Farniok's shotgun snap went over Jantz's head and was recovered by Iowa defensive end Broderick Binns at the 18-yard-line to end Iowa State's first drive of the game.

The Hawkeyes would then put together a 12-play, 82-yard drive that over six minutes to complete as Vanderburg completed passes of 32 yards to Keenan Davis and 12 yards to Marvin McNutt that would move Iowa down into Cyclone territory where Vanderburg found Kevon Martin-Manley for a six-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 7-0 lead.

Following an Iowa State three-and-out, the Hawkeyes got the ball back at their 25-yard-line as their second drive of the game began with a 24-yard pass from Vanderburg to tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz  which was followed by five straight runs by Coker for 24 yards to put Iowa at the Cyclones' 27-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

As the second quarter began, Vanderburg would throw the ball on three straight plays, only completing one of those passes for four yards, forcing the Hawkeyes to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Mike Meyer to extend their lead to 10-0.

Iowa running back Marcus Coker(34) would carry the ball 35 times for 140 yards two touchdowns.

After an exchange of punts, the Cyclones drove to the Iowa 12-yard-line only to turn it over again as running back Shontrelle Johnson fumbled the football after a hit by Hawkeyes defensive lineman Thomas Nardo which was recovered by linebacker Tyler Nelsen Iowa the ball back at their five-yard-line.

But two plays later, the Hawkeyes would give it right back to the Cyclones as Coker would be stripped of the football by cornerback Leonard Johnson as linebacker Jake Knott would recover the fumble to give Iowa State the ball at the Iowa 12-yard-line.

Two runs by running back James White gained only one yard to set up 3rd & 9 when Jantz found wide receiver Darius Reynolds for a 11-yard touchdown to put the Cyclones on the board and the cut the Iowa lead to 10-7 midway through the second quarter.

The Iowa State defense would force the Hawkeyes to punt on their ensuing possession to give their offense the ball back at their 43-yard-line as Jantz completed three of four passes for 23 yards while running for 13 yards on four carries to set up a 54-yard field goal by Grant Mahoney, the fifth time he had made a field goal of more than 50 yards in his collegiate career, to tie the game at 10 with 41 seconds left in the first half.

The Hawkeyes would go three-and-out to start the second half but would pin the Cyclones back to their five-yard-line thanks to a 59-yard punt by Eric Guthrie as Iowa State would make it to its 18-yard-line until the Cyclones fumbled the football for the third time in the game as tight end Reid Branderhorst would lose the football following a jarring hit by Iowa linebacker Christian Kirksey, who would also make the recovery at the Iowa State 21-yard-line.

Iowa would move to the Iowa State two-yard-line thanks to passes of 12 yards to Davis and eight yards to Martin-Manley to help set up a 20-yard field goal by Meyer to give the Hawkeyes a 13-10 lead.

The Cyclones would get great field position to start their next drive as Josh Lenz returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to the Hawkeyes' 44-yard-line as Iowa State would drive 20 yards in six plays to set up a 42-yard field goal attempt by Mahoney, only for the kick to sail wide left and no good to keep the score at 13-10 in favor of Iowa.

From there, the Hawkeyes would drive to the Cyclones' 32-yard-line thanks to two passes from Vanderburg to Davis that totaled 28-yards and a 15-yard face mask penalty on Iowa State cornerback Jeremy Reeves, which would lead to a 50-yard field goal by Meyer which increased Iowa's lead to 16-10 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

The Cyclones would begin their next drive at their 27-yard-line as a 57-yard pass from Jantz to wide receiver Aaron Horne, the longest pass play for Iowa State in six years, would help set up Jantz's eight-yard touchdown pass to Lenz that with the extra point gave the Cyclones their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 1:52 to go in the third quarter.

Following an Iowa three-and-out, the Cyclones would get the ball back at their nine-yard-line as Iowa State would take five minutes off the clock as they drove to the Hawkeyes' 20-yard-line when Zach Guyer would come on to attempt a 38-yard field goal.

However, Guyer's kick would sail wide right to keep the score at 17-16 as the Hawkeyes would take over at their 20-yard-line.

The Hawkeyes would drive 80 yards in 11 plays as Vanderburg connected with McNutt for 14 yards to start the drive and later in the drive for 29 yards to set up an one-yard touchdown run by Coker that with a two-point conversion where Vanderburg completed a pass to Davis in the end zone, gave Iowa a 24-17 lead with 5:50 left in regulation.

Iowa State quarterback Steele Jantz would complete 25 of 37 passes for 279 yards and throw four touchdown passes to go along with 42 yards on 16 carries.

Another long kickoff return, this time by Johnson for 40 yards, gave the Cyclones great field position as they begin their next drive at their 41-yard-line.

A false start penalty followed by two plays that picked up zero yards would set up 3rd & 15 from the Iowa State 36-yard-line when Jantz hit Horne for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Iowa 45-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Cyclones were faced with a 3rd & 10 when Jantz scrambled long enough for him to fire an apparent 45-yard touchdown pass to Chris Young only for a holding penalty to be called which negated the touchdown and pushed Iowa State 10 yards back to its 45-yard-line where they would face a 3rd & 20 situation.

That is when Jantz fired a deep back-shoulder pass that was caught by Reynolds for 40-yard gain to give Iowa State a fresh set of downs at the Iowa 15-yard-line.

An incomplete pass followed by a nine-yard pass to Darius Darks followed by a run by Jantz for no gain would set up a 4th & 1 when Jantz was able to run for two yards to pick up the 1st down and give the Cyclones a fresh set of downs at the Iowa four-yard-line.

Following two straight incomplete passes, Jantz would scramble around in the pocket before firing a four-yard touchdown pass to Darks that with the extra point tied the game at 24 with 1:17 remaining in regulation.

The Hawkeyes would take over at their 20-yard-line with two timeouts in their pocket 77 seconds to drive into Iowa State territory and maybe attempt a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

Instead, Coker would run the ball twice for six yards to run out the clock and send the game into overtime, the first time in CyHawk series history that the game had gone into overtime.

Iowa would get the ball to start the overtime period as Vanderburg completed a six-yard pass to McNutt on the Hawkeyes' first play of the extra period which was followed by four straight runs by Coker with the last run being for four yards and a touchdown to give Iowa a 31-24 lead.

Needing a touchdown to extend the game, the Cyclones' overtime drive would begin with a 14-yard run by Johnson that along with a horse collar tackle on Hawkeyes free safety Micah Hyde gave Iowa State a 1st & goal at the Iowa five-yard-line.

But after two runs by Jantz gained only one yard followed by an incomplete pass, the Cyclones were faced with a do-or-die 4th & goal at the Iowa four-yard-line.

That is when Jantz would find Reynolds in the back corner of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 31 and send it into a second overtime period.

It would take the Cyclones seven plays to get back into the end zone as a 13-yard run by Jantz on a 3rd & 9 at the 14-yard-line would set up an one-yard touchdown run by White which would give Iowa State a 38-31 lead.

It would only take the Hawkeyes two plays to get back into the end zone as Vanderburg connected with Davis for a 23-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 38 and sent it to a third overtime period.

Iowa would be unable to move the football on their third overtime possession as Vanderburg completed only one of three passes for four yards leading to Ferentz to send in the field goal unit to attempt a 39-yard field goal only for Iowa State get called for an illegal substitution penalty that moved ball yards forward to make it 4th & 1.

Instead of gambling to try and convert the 1st down, Ferentz sent in the field goal unit as Meyer would go on to kick a 34-yard field goal to give Iowa a 41-38 lead but giving the Cyclones a chance to win the game if they could score a touchdown on their ensuing possession.

Iowa State running back James White scores the game-winning touchdown.

A five-yard pass from Jantz to Lenz followed by a three-yard run by White would set up 3rd & 2 at the Iowa 17-yard-line when Jantz found Darks for nine yards to give the Cyclones a 1st down at the Hawkeyes' eight-yard-line.

Jantz would keep the ball and run for four yards on 1st & goal to put Iowa State at the four-yard-line when Steele tossed the ball to White on a quarterback option play to the right side as the sophomore running back who would run it for the game-winning touchdown to give the Cyclones a 44-41 triple overtime victory and the CyHawk trophy to Iowa State for the first time in four years.

The loss to Iowa State would begin up-and-down season for the Hawkeyes as they could never gain consistency during the regular season as they wound up going 7-5 and back to the Insight Bowl where they would play the Oklahoma Sooners where Bob Stoops, a former Iowa defensive back, would lead the Sooners to a 31-14 victory over his alma mater.

As for the Cyclones, they would win their next game over UConn to improve their record to 3-0 only to go on a four-game losing streak to fall behind .500.

Iowa State would then win its next three games, including a 37-31 overtime upset over #2 Oklahoma State to improve to 6-4, which was followed by two straight losses to end the regular season with a 6-6 record as the Cyclones would be invited to play Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl where they would fall 27-13 to end the season with a 6-7 record.