By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Marv Cook caught 126 passes during his celebrated career as an Iowa tight end, but one catch will always stand out because of the incredible circumstances.

It happened on Nov. 14, 1987, in Columbus, Ohio.

Iowa was trailing Ohio State 27-22 and faced a fourth and 23 at the Buckeye 28-yard line with 16 seconds left to play, and with no timeouts.

Cook caught a pass from quarterback Chuck Hartlieb on the right sideline and near the Ohio State nine-yard.

Cook spun away from one defender as he made the catch and then bulled over two more defenders, including a defensive back named Bo Pelini, before reaching the end zone.

Cook crossed the goal line by about a foot and with six second seconds left to play.

Iowa would go on to prevail 29-27, marking the first time Iowa had won in Columbus since 1959.

Only once since then has Iowa won in Columbus.

That happened in 1991 and just one day after a disgruntled UI doctoral student had killed six people, including himself, in a shooting rampage on the University of Iowa campus.

As a show of unity and support, the decals were removed from the Iowa helmets on the night before the 1991 game in honor of those that were killed.

Iowa would go on to defeat the Buckeyes 16-9, and that’s the last time Iowa has won in Columbus, 33 years ago.

The Hawkeye will have another chance to end their misery in Columbus when they face yet another talented Ohio State team on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

The explosive Buckeyes are 4-0 and favored by 20 ½ points, and yet, Cook still likes Iowa’s chances to get a rare win in Columbus.

He thinks the Iowa tight ends, led by senior team captain and Ohio native Luke Lachey and junior Addison Ostrenga, could play a key role in making it happen.

Cook praised the Iowa tight ends for their toughness, and for their contributions as blockers for the vastly improved Iowa running game.

Iowa (3-1) is averaging 250.3 rushing yards per game and features a star in the making in junior Kaleb Johnson, who has rushed for 685 yards and scored nine touchdowns in 3 1/2 games.

“I think they’re going to have a huge day and be incredibly effective,” Cook said of the Iowa tight ends Monday in a telephone interview. “They’re built for it, three or four guys getting snaps in the h-back, tight end position and I’m telling you, what they’re really doing is they are absolute hammers in the run game right now.

“They’re getting the edge. They’re getting movement. and they’re sorting things out incredibly well with some of the subtle motion and shifts, really sorting things out and getting on guys. It’s fun to watch and they’re doing incredibly well. It sets up the pass from there. When you can run the ball, it makes the pass so much easier.”

The tight end position has played a key role in each of Iowa’s last two wins in Columbus.

In addition to Cook’s touchdown catch in 1987, former Iowa tight end Alan Cross had a 61-touchdown reception in the 1991 game.

Hayden Fry said after the win in 1991 that his team was playing for the people back home in Iowa City.

Iowa pulled off the upset despite losing starting quarterback Matt Rodgers to an injury in the third quarter.

In 1987, Iowa faced Ohio State in the 11th game and with a three-game winning streak.

The momentum, and the lead, shifted back and forth throughout the game as the Buckeyes scored a touchdown to take a 27-22 lead with 2 minutes, 45 seconds left in the game.

Iowa running back Kevin Harmon then returned the kickoff 35 yards to the Iowa 36.

Hartlieb would go on to complete five of six passes on the drive, capped by his throw to Cook, which came on a play that Iowa had practiced repeatedly.

Cook knew the ball would be thrown to his back shoulder near the sideline. It was up to him to adjust as he had done so many times before in practice.

“We were truly prepped, prepared,” Cook said. “We drilled that stuff over and over and over again. It just becomes instinctive and then you do it until you get it right every time, not until you get it right.

“So he knew what I was going to do and I knew what he was thinking. The offensive line did their job in an incredibly awesome environment of college football with the crowd noise.

“Obviously, an incredible thrill for me. Because to this day, a lot of people still remember it.”

Much of what happened that day is now a blur to Cook, but there are certain things he still remembers, such as speaking with then Iowa tight end coach Don Patterson in the locker room immediately after the win. Cook also remembers the crowd noise, and the plane ride home.

“A portion of the plane ride home, I was just sitting there and thinking about it, letting it all kind of filter in and process in,” Cook said. “It took a while for it to actually sink in.”

As for the crowd noise, Cook said it was so loud that the players had to adjust on the field.

“Literally in the huddle trying to her Chuck call the play and cadence and everything, you had to almost read his lips,” Cook said.

Earle Bruce had been feeling the heat as the Ohio State head coach and was dismissed early the next week.

Iowa was crushed 54-10 the last time it played in Columbus in 2022, but that Iowa team also was ranked among the worst in the nation in multiple offensive statistical categories.

Iowa shocked the college football world in 2017 when it crushed Ohio State 55-24, but that game was played at Kinnick Stadium, as was Iowa’s 33-7 victory over Ohio State in 2004.

The Buckeyes aren’t unbeatable, but they’re close to impossible to beat at home, mostly because they have really good players.

And while the current Iowa team still has major concerns with its passing game, the running game under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester has been so dominant that Iowa no longer ranks near the bottom statistically on offense.

“I’m giving them a good chance,” Cook said of Iowa winning Saturday in Columbus.