By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The 2004 Iowa football team made little sense and therein lies its beauty.

Kirk Ferentz’s sixth team at Iowa, which will be honored at this year’s 11th annual FRYfest event on Aug. 30th, surpassed expectations by defying the odds and by crushing stereotypes.

Iowa did the improbable in 2004 by doing the improbable on a game-by-game basis.

A team that was initially built to have a control-the-tempo running game featuring Jermelle Lewis barely had a running game in 2004, and yet, still won a share of the Big Ten title and finished 10-2 overall.

Injuries decimated Iowa at running back in 2004 to where seldom-used walk-on Sam Brownlee became the primary ball carrier during conference play.

He led Iowa in rushing with just 227 yards on 94 attempts, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry and scoring no touchdowns.

To put that in perspective, only two other players since 1933 have led Iowa in rushing for an entire season with fewer yards. Nile Kinnick led Iowa with 214 rushing yards in 1937, while Jerry Niles had a team-high 176 rushing yards in 1938.

But Brownlee did just enough so defenses had to at least be aware of him, and that was all that quarterback Drew Tate needed that season.

Tate was only sophomore, and a first-year starter in 2004, but he played with the poise and precision of a seasoned veteran and with a level of passion and energy that was matched by few.

He also had some talented receivers, including Clinton Solomon and Ed Hinkel, and a rock-solid defense on his side.

But Tate hardly had any running game, but still was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2004.

Iowa won its first two games in 2004 against Kent State State (39-7) and against Iowa State (17-10), but then was pounded by Arizona State 44-7 in the third game in Tempe, Ariz.

The drubbing in the desert was followed by a 30-17 loss at Michigan in the Big Ten opener a week later, so the chance of winning a Big Ten title for the second time in three seasons was the furthest thing from anybody's mind at that point.

But something lit a spark in the 2004 squad after the Michigan loss because Iowa never lost again that season.

A  season that defied the odds ended fittingly with a play that defied the odds as Tate completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to senior Warren Holloway as time expired to defeat Louisiana State 30-25 in the Capital One Bowl.

It was Holloway’s only touchdown catch as a Hawkeye, and the 2005 Capital One Bowl was also Nick Saban’s last game as the LSU head coach and Tyler Luebke’s last game as an Iowa player.

Luebke was a senior on the 2004 team and started at defensive tackle after having joined the Iowa program as a walk-on. He was part of an Iowa defense that included pass-rusher extraordinaire Matt Roth and star linebackers Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge.

“Obviously, as a defensive player I like to toot our own horn, sometimes,” Luebke said Wednesday. “I feel like the defense stepped up and made plays happen.

“You did what you could do to do your job and that’s all you could do.”

Brownlee became a fan favorite for how hard he competed despite having limited ability. Fellow running back Aaron Mickens also provided a presence at running back.

“He was the only guy we had left, he and Brownlee,” Luebke said.

The players on Iowa’s 2004 squad are now in their mid-to-late 30s and their incredible season marks the last time that Iowa has won a Big Ten title.

“It’s pretty cool,” said the 37-year old Luebke, who grew up in Iowa City and now sells real estate in his hometown. “We had some good guys on that team. But we didn’t have a full-fledged team of exceptional athletes.”

The 2004 squad will be remembered for overcoming adversity and for refusing to wilt under difficult circumstances.  

Asked if it feels like it's been 15 years since the magical 2004 season, Luebke said:

“Some days more than others.”