Recap: Hawkeyes Dismantle Cyclones in Cy-Hawk Game

A recap of Iowa’s week two victory over Iowa State

The Iowa Hawkeyes followed up their dominating performance over Miami (OH) with an even better one in week two. Rival Iowa State came into the game with a loss to Northern Iowa, however, considering they always play Iowa tough, not many people figured it would be a blowout. It was.

The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 28-3 lead at halftime and never looked back. They held the Cyclones to just a field goal in their 42-3 rout. Kirk Ferentz took most of his starters out by the start of the fourth quarter and all the backups eventually saw action late in the game.

The Hawkeyes recorded their first interception and fourth turnover of the season with a pick from Ben Niemann of Joel Lanning. It was a tough night for Lanning who went 8-20 through the air for 86 yards and no touchdowns. He was eventually replaced by Jacob Park in the second half, however Park wasn’t much better. The Cyclones backup only went 6-15 for 79 yards.

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C.J. Beathard had one of the best games of his career, though. The Hawkeyes let him Beathard air it out on Saturday night as he eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in his career. He ended the night with 235 yards and three touchdowns on 19-28 passing, including a rushing touchdown, as well.

Nate Stanley entered the game early in the fourth quarter and completed the first pass of his career to freshman tight end Noah Fant. It was a little glimpse into the near future for Hawkeyes’ fans as both will have major roles as soon as next season.

For Iowa, they scored six touchdowns on the night. Akrum Wadley scored one on the ground and one through the air, finishing the game with 49 yards on nine carries. LeShun Daniels Jr was the workhorse for the Hawkeyes on Saturday night. He rushed 15 times for 112 yards and a score. Ferentz continued to feed the hot hand, eventually giving more carries to Wadley later in the game.

Through the air, Wadley, George Kittle and Matt VandeBerg all caught touchdown passes. It was Kittle’s first reception of the season, as he went on to record three catches and 26 yards on the night. The player of the game is Matt VandeBerg, though.

VandeBerg was all over the field for the Hawkeyes. He made a couple of acrobatic catches, including his touchdown grab, and showcased his versatility. He caught a team-high seven passes for 129 yards and also rushed once for 25 yards.

With no clear-cut second receiver on the team, the Hawkeyes need these types of games from VandeBerg, who is clearly their best receiver. Plus, his run for 25 yards on an end around is great to see as it adds another explosive play on the ground for a Hawkeyes team who didn’t always get a home run play in 2015. That has seemingly changed throughout these first two games.

Quick Hits

After the game Matt VandeBerg proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes.
Allen Lazard tweeted out this offseason that the only good team in the Big Ten is Ohio State. He got a lot of hate last night for his remarks last season.

Besides Ohio state the BigTen is a joke.
— Allen Lazard 👑 (@AllenLazard) January 1, 2016

Seeing Kirk Ferentz trust C.J. Beathard to air it out all game was huge and refreshing. Along with a grueling running attack, the Hawkeyes pass game could make this offense very hard to stop.
Iowa’s passing game was much better in week two. There were times that Lanning had way too much time, but drops from the Cyclones helped the Hawkeyes. Besides, a combined 14-35 from two quarterbacks and three points is a job well done.
Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels Jr continue to prove that they’re one of the best duos in the nation. It’s going to be really tough for any team to stop both of them.

Next: Will Iowa's Running Back Duo Continue to Work?

The Hawkeyes will host North Dakota State next week at Kinnick Stadium.