A look back at an Iowa football regular season like no other
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – When I look back at the Iowa football’s team 2020 regular season, here are 11 things that stand out.
Why 11, you might ask?
Because so many lists usually stop at 10, but since the 2020 regular season was so unusual, I decided to make this list different.
Iowa still has a bowl game to play, so the list could grow.
But for now, this is what comes to mind about a regular season like no other.
- Resilience: Iowa led Northwestern 17-0 in the first half, but then unraveled as Spencer Petras attempted 50 passes in just his second career start during a deflating 21-20 loss at Kinnick Stadium in the second game.
Iowa had lost at Purdue the previous week 24-20 in the season opener, and was coming off a tumultuous offseason in which multiple former Iowa black players accused the program of racial disparities.
It was easy to assume at that point that the team, and the program were in serious trouble.

It was easy to assume with approximately 30 players choosing to kneel during the National Anthem that the racial unrest had divided the team and that it was impacting the performance on the field.
It was easy to assume that Kirk Ferentz was losing control of the team, and that his message wasn’t be heard anymore.
It was just easy to assume the worst when Iowa was 0-2 because there was so much negativity surrounding the team, and the program.
It was hard enough dealing with a global pandemic, but the Iowa players and coaches also had the racial issues and an 0-2 start to the season adding to the stress.
And yet, the players and coaches have stayed the course, stayed unified and stayed focused on the task at hand, and have since been rewarded with a six-game winning streak that nobody except for maybe the players and coaches saw coming.
And that is the definition of resilience; the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness.
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2. Eight-for-eight: Iowa is one of just three Big Ten teams to have played all eight games during this COVID-19 shortened season.
That speaks volumes about everyone associated with the daily operations surrounding the program, and especially the players for making wise choices and for staying diligent and aware.
“I want to take a minute to congratulate our players and staff for the job they’ve done during the course of the year,” Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. “We’ve been barely affected by the virus – fortunately – over the last 10, 12 weeks, whatever it’s been. I think a lot of it’s just everybody being very, very diligent about what they’re doing, being aware of the protocols that are in place, everybody paying strict attention to it. Also a little bit of luck doesn’t hurt at all.
“I want to compliment everybody on the job they’ve done, especially those on our medical staff here, the doctors and the trainers. The trainers are really on the front line, and Dr. Andy Peterson. The trainers have been on the front line back to June when everything got going here. I can’t say enough about the job they’ve done. Absolutely phenomenal. Just a shame here we didn’t make it to the finish line.”
Andy Peterson was a guest on the Hawk Fanatic/KCJJ radio show and podcast in May and he said then that he was very concerned about the threat of the coronavirus, and that steps were being taken to create the safest environment possible.
Kirk Ferentz turned 65 years old on Aug. 1, so he is considered more at risk from a health standpoint, and the same with Iowa quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe, who is 67.
But neither missed a game this season.
In fact, none of the Iowa coaches have missed a game.
Luck probably has something to do with it, but so does following proper protocol and guidelines, and being smart about it.
Iowa finally had a game canceled due to COVID-19 health concerns, but it was Michigan that canceled Saturday’s postseason game at Kinnick Stadium due to its roster being gutted by positive coronavirus tests.
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3. Daviyon’s ascent: Nobody has ever questioned Daviyon Nixon’s immense talent.
It was more a question about whether Nixon would maximize his talent as a Hawkeye, and that question has since been answered in spectacular fashion.
Over the course of eight weeks, Nixon has ascended to stardom and now ranks among the greatest defensive linemen in program history.
He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of Year on Wednesday, and is a finalist for several national awards.

“Special salute to Daviyon Nixon to be the defensive player of the conference and also the defensive lineman of the conference, that’s a tremendous accomplishment,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Speaks to the improvement he’s made over 12 months. Really worked hard, played an extremely high level. Just happy for him for that recognition.”
Nixon has stayed on a course that sometimes has been difficult.
He spent one semester in junior college after failing to qualify out of high school, and he briefly entered the NCAA transfer portal while at Iowa.
Nixon is now likely to enter the 2021 NFL Draft as a fourth-year junior, and his future looks extremely bright.
His pick-six against Penn State, and the Euro step that came with it, might be the most memorable play from this season.
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4. Center of attention: If Nixon’s pick-six isn’t the play of the year from this season, then perhaps it was Tyler Goodson’s 80-yard touchdown run against Wisconsin this past Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
Goodson certainly showed his speed and elusiveness on the play, and why he made first-team All-Big Ten.
But it was the effort of sophomore center Tyler Linderbaum on the play that really stood out.
Linderbaum didn’t stop running down the field at full speed until Goodson finally crossed the end zone. It was as if Linderbaum was escorting Goodson to the end zone.
The 6-3, 289-pound Linderbaum is obviously very talented, but the effort he made on that one play shows that his rise to stardom goes way beyond physical ability. To hustle like that is a choice.
In just 2 1/2 years, Linderbaum has gone from being a defensive tackle buried on the depth chart as a true freshman in 2018 to arguably the top center in all of college football.
Linderbaum was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media, but oddly enough, the coaches only made him a second-team choice.
Kirk Ferentz was asked about that on Tuesday.
“I have to really be careful,” Ferentz said. “I don’t want to say anything that suggests other players aren’t really good. I don’t want to say that at all.
“I’ll just say this. I haven’t been around many centers in college football better than Tyler Linderbaum. I’ll leave it at that. I’ve been here 30 plus years. Joel Hilgenberg was a pretty good center. We’ve had pretty good centers here. I’m not saying he’s better than Hilgy. I don’t know how many are better than Tyler Linderbaum.”
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5. Spectacular special teams: Iowa had to go down under to find its punter, but LeVar Woods’ 26-hour round trip to Melbourne, Australia was well worth it because it led to Tory Taylor signing with the Hawkeye.
Taylor on Thursday was named the Big Ten Punter of the Year as a true freshman, albeit a 23-year old true freshman.
Taylor’s 44.1-yard average ranks third in the Big Ten and 20th in the NCAA. He has only one touchback in 40 attempts and opposing returners are averaging only 4.6 yards on six punt returns. Opponents have lost two fumbles while fielding punt returns.
Iowa has excelled in all areas of special teams, with Charlie Jones as a punt returner and Keith Duncan as a kicker also having solid seasons.
Duncan hasn’t matched what he accomplished in 2019 as a consensus All-America kicker, but he still has been solid, making 14-of-18 field-goal attempts, with three of his misses coming from 50 yards or beyond.

Jones, a wide receiver from Deerfield, Ill., averaged 10.5 yards per return – the best in the Big Ten and 11th-best in the nation – on 21 punt returns.
Sophomore defensive back Terry Roberts also deserves mention for his performance on special teams. The Erie, Pa., native has a knack for being around the ball, and for making plays.
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6. Ring the Bell: Iowa had to replace three starters on the defensive line, including all-Big Ten defensive end A.J. Epenesa, so there was reason to be concerned about a drop in production happening this season.
That concern didn’t last long, though, as Daviyon Nixon and his cohorts showed they were up to the challenge. Three of Iowa’s starters on the defensive line earned all-Big Ten recognition with senior defensive ends Chauncey Golston and Zach VanValkenburg making first and third-team, respectively.
Some of the credit has to go to Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell for making it all work. Iowa was able to reload rather than rebuild on the defensive line this season, and coaching has much to do with that.
Jay Niemann also deserves mention as defensive line assistant coach. He and Bell appear to work well together judging from the results.
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7. Like father, like son: Speaking of Jay Niemann, his son, senior linebacker Nick Niemann, also deserves praise for his performance, and for his leadership, this season.
Nick Niemann has been a stabilizing force on defense, always steady, and sometimes spectacular.
He leads Iowa with 77 tackles in eight games, while no other player on the team has more than 47 tackles.
Niemann made third-team All-Big Ten, which is a worthy accomplishment, but you could argue that he deserved better.
Niemann is the younger brother of former Iowa linebacker Ben Niemann, who now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if both Niemann brothers are playing for NFL teams next season.
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8. Ihmir’s front flip: It probably wasn’t the wisest decision for Ihmir Smith-Marsette to have performed a front flip upon crossing the end zone on a 53-yard touchdown catch against Wisconsin last Saturday, but he was overcome by emotion, and it’s easy to see why.
This has been an up-and-down season for Iowa’s speedy receiver from New Jersey.
In addition to being arrested for drunken driving in the hours after the Northwestern loss, Smith-Marsette hasn’t had the huge senior season that was expected from him.
He has 25 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. Those are solid numbers, but far short of being spectacular.
It just seems that Smith-Marsette was reacting to a season filled with frustration when he took flight into the end zone.
Unfortunately, he injured his left foot after landing awkwardly, but the injury will not require surgery.
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9. ClapGate: Kirk Ferentz is usually calm, cool and collected when answering questions from the media. He goes out of his way to praise opponents, win or lose, and he chooses his words carefully to avoid controversy, or offending anybody.
But Ferentz will go off script when something really upsets him, and that’s what happened when Ferentz was asked in his press conference after the 26-20 victory over Nebraska about Nebraska head coach Scott Frost having complained to the officials that clapping from the Iowa sideline had caused his center to make several errant snaps.
Ferentz couldn’t believe it when the officials told him during the game that Nebraska’s snaps were being thrown off by clapping from the Iowa sideline.
And he still was hot after the game.
“What the hell are we talking about?” Ferentz said. “It’s stupid. I have no idea. And I know this, I saw across the field (Nebraska) had a little clap routine for third downs or something, I don’t know. This is stuff in my 22nd year, I’ve never been thinking about that.
“Never heard of it. Now if a player on the field was doing it to try to (disrupt the snap), I get that. But what are we talking about? The next thing you know, we’re going to be treating this like golf … where nobody is allowed to say anything.”
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10. Spencer hangs in: Spencer Petras still is very much a work in progress as Iowa’s starting quarterback, but he is also riding a six-game winning streak.
A quarterback is ultimately judged by wins and losses, and from that standpoint, Petras is getting the job done.
The third-year sophomore has struggled with accuracy, and has made some ill-advised throws that have led to interceptions, or caused drives to stall.
But Petras also has shown the ability to bounce back time and time again. He played much better in the second half of games down the stretch.
He has passed for 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns, while also throwing five interceptions. Those statistics are pretty average, even more so when you factor in his 57.1 completion percentage.
Iowa’s 6-2 record is better than average, however, and some of the credit has to go to Petras as the starting quarterback.
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11. Strange and surreal: Never again will I take fans in the stands for granted, not after what has occurred this season.
In no way am I suggesting that it was an over-reaction to prohibit fans from attending games this season for health reasons.
But it’s just not the same without them.
The stadiums and arenas are mostly empty, and that takes so much away from the game-day environment.
It was convenient to be able to drive right up to Kinnick Stadium shortly before kickoff and still have my pick of parking spaces.
But the thrill of that faded quickly.
Hopefully, but the start of the 2021 season, the circumstances will be back to normal, or close to normal because another season without fans would be horrible from a financial standpoint, and from an emotional standpoint.
proven all the naysayers, critics and glass-half-empty