Even though Iowa made everyone sweat against Michigan State this past weekend, they ultimately pulled out the 20-17 win.
For 75 percent of the game, it was looking like the Hawkeyes would come up short against the Spartans for the second consecutive season.
Luckily for Iowa and all Hawkeye fans, the offense and defense flipped a switch and made a dramatic 10-point second-half comeback to tie the game and eventually seal the victory.
Iowa's 10-point comeback was the second time at Kinnick Stadium this season that the Hawkeyes have come back from a double-digit deficit in the second half.
For the Iowa program, this is a rare feat that we have not seen in over 15 years.
Did some digging this morning.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 23, 2025
For the first time since the 2009 season, Iowa overcame two second-half double-digit deficits at home to win football games; they trailed by 10 against Northern Iowa and 21 against Indiana.
According to 247Sports' Hawkeye insider David Eickholt, for the first time since 2009, the Hawkeyes have overcome two second-half double-digit deficits at home and won the game.
During the 2009 season, Iowa accomplished this after trailing by 10 to Northern Iowa during the first game of the season on November 5 and by 21 to Indiana on October 31.
During the three-quarter struggle, quarterback Mark Gronowski kept preaching to his guys that they could come back because they had done it before. Luckily, his faith in himself and his teammates paid off in a big way on Saturday.
After seeing the Hawkeyes drop two close games in back-to-back weeks, it was good to see the squad rebound from those losses and earn a victory for the seniors in the final home game of the season.