1990 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

1990 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Big Ten co-champion
Rose Bowl, L 46–34 vs. Washington
Conference Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 16
AP No. 18
1990 record 8–4 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach Hayden Fry (12th year)
Offensive coordinator Carl Jackson (2nd year)
Defensive coordinator Bill Brashier (12th year)
Home stadium Kinnick Stadium
(Capacity: 70,220)
1990 Big Ten football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#7 Michigan + 6 2 0     9 3 0
#16 Michigan State + 6 2 0     8 3 1
#25 Illinois + 6 2 0     8 4 0
#18 Iowa + 6 2 0     8 4 0
Ohio State 5 2 1     7 4 1
Minnesota 5 3 0     6 5 0
Indiana 3 4 1     6 5 1
Northwestern 1 7 0     2 9 0
Purdue 1 7 0     2 9 0
Wisconsin 0 8 0     1 10 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1990 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium and were led by legendary coach Hayden Fry.

After starting 7-1 and rising to #6 in the polls, Iowa finished the season with an 8-4 record (6-2 Big Ten), winning a four-way tie for the Big Ten Conference championship by defeating the three other teams atop the conference standings – Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois – in their respective head-to-head matchups. The Hawkeyes earned their third trip to Pasadena in ten years, but fell behind early in the 1991 Rose Bowl and lost 46-34 to the Washington Huskies. It would be another 25 years before Iowa would make a return trip to the Rose Bowl.

Season

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 15 1:00 PM Cincinnati* Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA IPTV W 63–10   66,700[1]
September 22 11:00 AM Iowa State* Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Cy-Hawk Trophy) ABC W 45–35   70,389[2]
September 29 7:00 PM at No. 10 Miami (FL)* Orange BowlMiami, FL PPV L 21–48   70,420[3]
October 6 12:00 PM at No. 18 Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI W 12–7   76,873[4]
October 13 1:00 PM Wisconsin No. 25 Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA IPTV W 30–10   69,890[5]
October 20 11:30 AM at No. 10 Michigan No. 23 Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI ESPN W 24–23   105,517[6]
October 27 1:00 PM Northwesterndagger No. 15 Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA W 56–14   69,501[7]
November 3 2:30 PM at No. 5 Illinois No. 13 Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL ABC W 54–28   72,714[8]
November 10 11:00 AM Ohio State No. 6 Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ABC L 26–27   70,033[9]
November 17 2:30 PM Purdue No. 13 Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ABC W 38–9   67,636[10]
November 24 1:30 PM at Minnesota No. 13 Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN (Battle for the Floyd of Rosedale) L 24–31   64,694[11]
January 1 3:30 PM vs. No. 8 Washington* No. 17 Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) ABC L 34–46   101,273[12]
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

[13]

Rankings

Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final
AP NR RV NR RV RV NR 25 22 15 13 6 13 13 18 17 18
Coaches' 15 16

[14]

Game notes

Cincinnati

Cincinnati at Iowa
1 234Total
Bearcats 7 300 10
Hawkeyes 0 282114 63

Kicking off the start of the 1990 Iowa Hawkeye season, the Hawks welcomed in the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats finished out the '89 season at 1–9–1 as the Hawks finished out at 5–6. In a game that ended up in a blowout, the Hawks cruised to a 63–10 win. Iowa managed to set records as well as they pummeled the Cincinnati defense. After Cincinnati built a 7–0 lead after an interception and a 1-yard touchdown run from Joe Abrams, the Hawks took command for the afternoon. After a scoreless first quarter, quarterback Matt Rodgers led the Hawks to 28 unanswered points, following two touchdowns from Rodgers, and one each from running backs Nick Bell and Tony Stewart. Cincinnati scored its last points of the game with a late field goal and ended the half with Iowa up 28–10. After halftime, Iowa went on cruise control. Iowa went on to score 21 points in the 3rd and 14 in the 4th to win the contest 63–10. Rodgers ended the game going 15–27 on passes with 191 yards. Hawkeye offense racked up 662 yards with 455 yards rushing. The defense was excellent as well. The Bearcats were allowed only 4 first downs and 69 yards rushing.

[15]

Iowa State

Iowa State at Iowa
Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy
1 234Total
Cyclones 7 7714 35
Hawkeyes 7 10217 45

The Hawkeyes won a high-scoring affair with in-state rival Iowa State, their eighth in a series of fifteen straight wins in the rivalry.

[16]

Miami

Iowa at #10 Miami
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 1470 21
Hurricanes 14 10717 48

After pulling to within 24-21 midway through the third quarter, Iowa fell to the mighty Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl, 48-21. Even in showing some competitiveness at the game in Miami, FL, few Hawk fans could have guessed what was going to follow, especially following the 5–6 debacle of the previous season, which represented the first season Iowa had not gone to a bowl since 1980.

[17]

Michigan State

Iowa at #18 Michigan State
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 903 12
Spartans 0 007 7

In opening Big Ten play, Iowa started what ended up being their third Rose Bowl run in ten seasons. What set this conference season apart from others was that the Hawkeyes played most of their best football on the road. In weeks 1, 3, and 5, Iowa upset what ended up being the other three teams that tied for the Big 10 championship that season, all at their home venue. First was a wind-blown, defensive struggle at East Lansing, with Iowa holding onto a 12–7 victory. Hayden Fry admitted after the game that every pass he had Matt Rodgers throw was with the wind, which was blowing at a diagonal across Spartan Stadium.

[18]

Wisconsin

Wisconsin at #25 Iowa
Rivalry Game
1 234Total
Badgers 0 1000 10
Hawkeyes 3 9018 30

After falling behind 10-3, the Hawkeyes scored the final 27 points of the game to earn a victory over the Badgers in the first meeting between Hayden Fry and former Iowa assistant Barry Alvarez.

[19]

Michigan

#23 Iowa at #10 Michigan
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 7314 24
Wolverines 7 763 23
  • Date: October 20
  • Location: Michigan Stadium
    Ann Arbor, MI
  • Game attendance: 105,517
  • Game weather: 60°F, Sunny, mild and breezy, Wind ESE 13-20 MPH
  • Television network: ESPN

After a win over (what ended up being cellar-dweller) Wisconsin at home, Iowa traveled to the Big House in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were still smarting after a tight, tough loss the previous week against Michigan State and it was Homecoming week. But Iowa kept it close throughout. Following a botched two-point conversion by the Wolverines after they had taken a 20–10 lead, the Hawkeyes went to work. Following one Hawkeye touchdown countered by a Michigan field goal, the Hawkeyes put together a drive for the ages, never facing a third-down. Tony Stewart grabbed the last of a series of key passes from Matt Rodgers with one hand, giving the Hawkeyes the ball at the Michigan 1-yard-line. Paul Kujawa ran it in from there, and with the extra point, the Hawks took the lead by the eventual final score of 24–23. A sack by Moses Santos and an interception by linebacker John Derby sealed the stunner.

[20]

Northwestern

Northwestern at #15 Iowa
1 234Total
Wildcats 0 077 14
Hawkeyes 6 29147 56

Nick Bell rushed 16 times for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tony Stewart added 122 yards on 15 carries as the Hawkeyes rushed for 371 yards.

[21]

Illinois

#13 Iowa at #5 Illinois
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 21 14910 54
Fighting Illini 0 14014 28
  • Sources: [ Box score]

The Hawks key road triumphs weren't finished as they traveled to Champaign, Illinois. Against an Illinois team that had the inside track to the Rose Bowl, Iowa put together one of their best offensive games in the Fry era, especially for a key road game. The Hawkeyes used an early fumble by the Illini to begin an exhibition by RB Nick Bell, the likes of which had rarely been seen in the Big 10 between two undefeated teams (in conference play). Bell literally ran over the Illini, scampering for over 100 yards just in the 1st quarter. The Hawks led by an amazing 28–0 early in the second quarter, and they stretched it to 44–14 by the end of the 3rd quarter, before settling for a 54–28 final. It was most likely from the efforts of that game that Nick Bell was named by the media as the Big 10 player of the year.

[22]

Ohio State

Ohio State at #6 Iowa
1 234Total
Buckeyes 0 14013 27
Hawkeyes 7 1036 26

The Hawkeye bubble burst in Iowa City with a last-second loss to Ohio State. Buckeye WR Bobby Olive caught the game winning TD, his second scoring reception of the 4th quarter, from QB Greg Frey with 0:01 left on the clock. Ohio State also scored a 48-yard touchdown as the first half expired.

[23]

Purdue

Purdue at #13 Iowa
1 234Total
Boilermakers 0 306 9
Hawkeyes 7 71014 38

The Hawkeyes, entering as 26-point favorites, bounced back with what proved to be a Big 10-clinching win at home against Purdue.

[24]

Minnesota

#13 Iowa at Minnesota
Battle for Floyd of Rosedale
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 1077 24
Golden Gophers 7 1437 31

Knowing that they were Rose Bowl-bound before they even took the field, the Hawkeyes dropped their final road game at Minnesota, 31–24. In that game, Tony Stewart became the Hawkeyes all-time leading rusher (at least at that time), though he lost a key fumble on that play.

[25]

Rose Bowl

#17 Iowa vs. #8 Washington
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 7720 34
Huskies 10 2367 46
  • Sources: [Box score]

The Rose Bowl placed an over-matched Iowa against one of the best teams in the country that season, the Washington Huskies, led by head coach Don James. The Hawkeyes trailed badly at the half and trailed 39–14 after three quarters. With Washington reserves taking over in the fourth quarter, Iowa scored two touchdowns to draw within thirteen. With another Washington touchdown the margin was back to twenty, and Iowa's late last score and conversion brought them to within a dozen where the game ended, 46–34. It was Hayden Fry's last trip to Pasadena, and he ended up 0–3 in those games.[26]


Postseason Awards

Team players in the 1991 NFL Draft

Main article: 1991 NFL Draft
Player Position Round Pick NFL Club
Nick Bell Running Back2 43 Los Angeles Raiders
Merton Hanks Defensive Back 5 122 San Francisco 49ers
Michael Titley Tight End 10 275 Miami Dolphins
Tony Stewart Running Back 11 297 Seattle Seahawks

[27]

Other notable players

References

  1. Wingert, Scott (September 16, 1990). "Iowa Smashes Records, Kicks Cincinnati, 63-10". The Telegraph Herald.
  2. "Big Eight Roundup". Daily Union. September 23, 1990.
  3. Hinshaw, Lydia (September 30, 1990). "'Canes Clip Hawkeyes, Await Battle With Seminoles". Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal.
  4. "Iowa 12, Michigan St. 7". Ocala Star-Banner. October 7, 1990.
  5. "Iowa 30, Wisconsin 20". Ocala Star-Banner. October 14, 1990.
  6. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1990fbt.htm
  7. "Iowa 56, Northwestern 14". Gadsden Times. October 28, 1990.
  8. "No. 13 Iowa, No. 5 Illinois". Kingman Daily Miner. November 4, 1990.
  9. Sherman, Ed (November 11, 1990). "Ohio State Stuns Iowa, Stays Alive". Chicago Tribune.
  10. "Iowa 38, Purdue 9". Gainesville Sun. November 18, 1990.
  11. "It's Like a Road Game at Home". Star Tribune. November 25, 1990.
  12. Cunningham, Dave (January 2, 1991). "Fry Proves Prophetic In Loss To Washington". Orlando Sentinel.
  13. "1990 Iowa Hawkeyes Schedule and Results". sports-reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  14. "Iowa 1990 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  15. "Iowa 63, Cincinnati 10". Chicago Tribune. September 16, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  16. "In Battle of Iowas, Hawkeyes Extend Win Streak, 45-35". Los Angeles Times. September 23, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  17. "Hawks go down gamely: 10th rated Miami tops Iowa, 48-21". The Gazette. September 30, 1990. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  18. "Iowa defense, Foster stonewall Michigan St.". Chicago Tribune. October 7, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  19. "Iowa punishes Wisconsin with all-day running game". Chicago Tribune. October 14, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  20. "Iowa makes it 2 for 2 in Michigan". Chicago Tribune. October 21, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  21. "Tuneup For Showdown: Iowa Routs NU". Chicago Tribune. October 28, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  22. "College Football; Scent of Roses for Hawkeyes". New York Times. November 4, 1990. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  23. "Ohio State Stuns Iowa, Stays Alive". Chicago Tribune. November 11, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  24. "No Room to Run, So Iowa Passes Purdue". Los Angeles Times. November 18, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  25. "Iowa Finds Rose Amid Thorns: Big Ten: Hawkeyes lose to Minnesota but gain the bowl berth out of four-way tie for conference title.". Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1990. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  26. "Washington Outlasts Fast-Finishing Iowa". New York Times. January 2, 1991. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  27. "1991 NFL Draft". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
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