What a thrilling game we saw in Ames, Iowa for the 2017 Cy-Hawk trophy. The 2017 Iowa vs. Iowa State Cy-Hawk rivalry was definitely one to remember… for Hawkeye fans. Up until the 3rd quarter, the Hawkeyes looked like this game was all in their favor.
You might of thought the Hawkeyes were going to pull away. The perfect, suspenseful, nail-biting ending to one of the best rivalries in football made this one for the books, and a truly unforgettable game.
This game may have looked ugly for the Hawkeyes, and quite hard to watch. But they never gave up, and it was worth it.
This game had lots of up and downs for both Iowa squads. The Cyclone offense was absolutely unstoppable, especially star RB Montgomery. He was an absolute monster and could not be stopped throughout the entire game. The Iowa defense tried everything they could to stop him, and did so when they needed it most. Parker Hesse made perhaps one of the best plays of the game. Hesse intercepted ISU QB Jacob Park to set up 1st & goal. The interception only led to an Iowa FG, but it stopped what could have been another touchdown drive for the Cyclones.
Without RB Akrum Wadley, this game would have been in the hands of the Cyclones fair and square.
The 40+ yard touchdown catch and carry by Wadley was magnificent and the turning point of this game. With under 2 minutes to go, Wadley tied to game up running through five defenders and lunging into the end zone. Without his explosiveness and quickness, this game would have ended up a Cyclone win, and left Iowa giving back the trophy to Ames for the first time since 2014.
Nathan Stanley threw for five touchdown passes in this game, which totals to eight on the season already, and we’re just two games in. With his inexperience and how young he is, Stanley is looking better already. He had a rough second-half but made up for it in the best ways possible, throwing the touchdown pass to Wadley and then the game winning touchdown to Ihmir Smith-Marsette in overtime. Above all the little mistakes, such as overthrown and short passes, Stanley has a very bright future ahead of him as a Hawkeye quarterback.
We learned a lot about the Hawkeyes in this matchup.
We learned defensive struggles, specifically the passing game. More than half of Iowa State’s passes this game were to wide open receivers. With Iowa’s entire team being so young, and losing key defenders such as Desmond King and Greg Mabin, filling their shoes is not all that easy. With what we saw on Saturday, this game could have ended up a whole lot worse if we hadn’t of made few minor adjustments such as putting freshmen AJ Epenesa at the defensive end for the final minutes of the game. Epenesa was a key factor for the defense in this game, putting massive pressure on Jacob Park, which led to many punting situations for the Clones.
Above all the mistakes, this game was the best Cy-Hawk rivalry in recent memory. Both teams wanted this game so badly, which ended in the perfect fashion. A few minor adjustments are needed for the Hawkeye offense, which is no big deal. Stanley is a young, inexperienced quarterback in only his second collegiate start. There is no need to worry. If these Cy-Hawk games continue to be this competitive down the road, sign me up.