Kirk Ferentz hopes Cy-Hawk game loss can lead to 2002 season comparison

Iowa clocked in at 10th in ESPN’s final returning production rankings this summer. And only one team in the country brought back more production on the defensive side of the ball than the Hawkeyes, who ranked fourth nationally in 2023 with 14.8 points per game allowed.

Even so, just two games into the 2024 season, head coach Kirk Ferentz’s team has a loss next to its name. Iowa, at the time No. 21 in the AP Poll, suffered a stunning and heartbreaking defeat at home to Iowa State last weekend.

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It’s not the first time a veteran-laden Hawkeyes team with big aspirations has dropped the Cy-Hawk game despite enjoying success on the ground and a first-half lead. In 2002, Iowa staked itself to a 24-7 advantage before intermission — then Iowa State rattled off 29 straight points over the final two quarters and beat the Hawkeyes despite the home team rushing for more than 200 yards.

Sound familiar? Last week, Iowa rushed for more than 200 yards in Kinnick Stadium and took a 13-0 lead into the break. Actually, Ferentz’s Hawkeyes were up, 19-7, late in the third quarter. That’s when Iowa State stormed back, first with a 75-yard, catch-and-run touchdown from wideout Jaylin Noel and then with consecutive long field goals from Kyle Konrardy, including a 54-yarder with six seconds left that sealed a 20-19 upset victory.

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“Coincidentally, Brad Banks was here on Sunday in the office,” Ferentz said Tuesday, referencing Iowa’s decorated quarterback from his 2002 team.

“He was at the game and came through, and we got to spend some time with him. We talked about that game. I always said the great thing about Brad’s story, and part of that team’s story, is how he did respond. Everybody knows Brad Banks [Big Ten] Player the Year and runner-up to the Heisman, and he obviously played really well all season long. But it wasn’t an easy path. … That third quarter [against Iowa State] especially was really rough. I share that story a lot with our players annually.”

“Nobody feels worse after a game, in that case, than him,” Ferentz continued, alluding to Iowa’s 36-31 loss in the rivalry 22 years ago. “But he went back to work. Brad’s pretty unflappable. That’s one characteristic he really embodies. Two weeks later, we’re in the very same situation. We got a big lead at Penn State, and all of a sudden that fourth quarter disappeared, and we’re in overtime. And I would suggest a big part of the reason we won that game was Brad’s performance in overtime.”

A six-yard passing touchdown from Banks to wide receiver C.J. Jones on 3rd-and-Goal put the Hawkeyes ahead, and then they turned Penn State over on down the following possession.

That triumphant victory was one of nine straight Banks and his 11-win Iowa squad won in 2002.

“It’s one of those stories I cover annually with the team,” Ferentz said. “That’s the right idea. Like, that’s what you’re looking to do, and then the rest is history. … So those are things we talk about in camp. That’s part of the curriculum, if you will.

“And just during the season you’re going to encounter disappointments, and that’s one of the more disappointing losses I’ve ever been involved with on a personal basis. But life goes on, and it’s what you do in response that really matters.”

It wasn’t just Banks who stepped up, either. Ferentz mentioned how players like tight end Dallas Clark and running back Fred Russell rose to the occasion as well.

Iowa’s 2024 team will need that kind of leadership, too. It could start with fifth-year linebacker Jay Higgins. Regardless of where it comes from, the Hawkeyes need it to bounce back with a favorable schedule and a realistic shot to contend for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.