To say the outcome of the No. 72 installment of the annual Cy-Hawk rivalry game was a letdown might be the biggest understatement of the year so far.
The Hawkeyes went into Ames with high, albeit lofty, expectations for the pivotal matchup against a ranked Iowa State team.
Both teams entered the matchup with undefeated records, with Iowa at 1-0 and Iowa State at 2-0. However, the Cyclones had all the momentum following two dominating performances against Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland, and against South Dakota.
With history on the line, the Hawkeyes could not knock off the Cyclones in a hard-fought matchup where Iowa State made better plays when it counted.
Following another poor performance by the Iowa passing attack that ultimately doomed the Hawkeyes, Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz discussed what happened.
Ferentz was visibly disappointed in the outcome of the game, and attempted to keep his emotions in check while delivering his postgame press conference.
For the second straight week, Ferentz was adamant that the quad had a good week of practice and their preparation was excellent, even though the game clearly showed the opposite.
The offense struggled to get the passing game going, and have totaled a mere 131 passing yards in two games. The head Hawk knows they need improvement, but stated simply, "we will be fine."
Another key moment came when Ferentz was pressed about losing 10 straight games to ranked teams. He stated, "Thanks for reminding me," and did not know that was the case. After a brief moment, he only said it was disappointing.
The fans are calling for Kirk Ferentz to be fired, and even though it is highly unlikely to happen, the conversations will continue popping up if the Hawkeyes cannot find a way to turn things around in a hurry.