IOWA CITY, Iowa – With the Iowa football team’s 2016 season opener barely a month away, it is full steam ahead for the players and coaches.

Iowa will start practice this coming week in preparation for the Sept. 3 season opener against Miami (Ohio) at Kinnick Stadium.

But for fans and for the media, it never is too late to look back on Iowa’s historical 2015 season because it isn’t often that a team wins 12 games.

Iowa had never done it until last season, and might never do it again. The odds are certainly stacked against the Hawkeyes.

So why not savor the moments that made the fall of 2015 special because we might never see anything ike it again?

Here are 10 moments that occurred on the playing field as I give you my list of the 10 most pivotal plays from the 2015 season. The list is in chronological order, because frankly, it would’ve been too difficult to list them in order of importance.

The 10 plays sort of feed off each other. Take away any of them except for Tevaun Smith’s 85-yard touchdown catch against Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game and Iowa’s season might have gone in a different direction.

The top 10 in chronological order

Sept. 12 – With his team backed up at to its own 7-yard line and trailing Iowa State 10-3 in Ames, quarterback C.J. Beathard shows the first signs that he is special on a play in which, ironically, he is sacked by Iowa State’s Dale Pierson. As Beathard is going down, he arches his back and with his left hand on the ground and right holding the football, reaches the ball across the goal line to avoid a safety.

Sept. 12 – On the next play from Iowa’s 1-yard line, Beathard rolls out to his right and turns what appeares to be a passing play into a 44-yard run that shifts field position and the momentum. That drive ends with his 14-yard touchdown pass to Tevaun Smith to tie the score at 10. Had Beathard not avoided the safety, Iowa State would’ve led 12-3 and had possession in Ames.

Sept. 19 – Marshall Koehn drills a 57-yard field goal as time expired to secure a 27-24 over Pittsburgh in the third game of the season at Kinnick Stadium. The 57-yard field goal is the second longest in school history and tied a Kinnick Stadium record.

Oct. 3 – Reserve defensive lineman Faith Ekakitie recoveres a fumble against Wisconsin at Iowa’s 1-yard line with the Hawkeyes clinging to a 10-6 lead in the third quarter. The fumble occurrs when Iowa defensive end Nate Meier appears to have stepped on the foot of Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave as he pulls away from center. Stave loses his balance and the football at the same time. Neither team would score again.

Oct. 10 – Illinois trims the lead to 16-13 and has momentum on its side when senior running back Jordan Canzeri blasts through a huge opening and races 75 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, making the score 23-13. Iowa would go on to prevail 29-20, improving to 6-0.

Nov. 7 – With his team leading Indiana 35-27 late in the fourth quarter, Iowa tight end Henry Krieger Coble recovers an onside kick with 2 minutes, 24 seconds remaining to secure the eight-point victory.

Nov. 14 – Iowa is leading Minnesota 40-35 when the Gophers try an onside kicked that sails out of bounds with 1:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. Iowa takes a knee to end a game in which the Gophers score 21 points in the second half.

Nov. 27 – Nebraska had just scored a touchdown to close the gap to 21-17 in the third quarter when Jordan Canzeri breaks loose for a 68-yard scoring run.

Nov. 27 – Nebraska kicks a 42-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-20 with 1:17 remaining, but then Henry Krieger Coble rises to the occasion again by recovering an onside kick to secure an undefeated regular season.

Dec. 5 – Trailing Michigan State 9-6 in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Championship game, Iowa receiver Tevaun Smith slips past his coverage and then catches a perfectly thrown ball by C.J. Beathard for an 85-yard touchdown.

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