The story behind 2004 Iowa football: An unrelenting Big Ten champion that just found a way to win

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Fifteen years after Iowa’s most recent and unlikeliest Big Ten football title, that team provided enough lessons in perseverance to last the Hawkeyes for a lifetime.

Perhaps no team at Iowa ever will overcome more impactful graduations, injuries and adversity to finish as a league co-champion and finish No. 8 in national polls. The 2004 squad’s toughness and persistence resonate today with Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.

There was an early road loss that stunk so bad a toilet was brought into the weight room. Injuries crippled Iowa’s running game to where the Hawkeyes were down to their fifth running back, a small-town walk-on, by midseason. Yet, that squad was 5-0 in games decided by seven points or fewer and produced the greatest finish in Iowa football history.

This is the story of a season with more twists than Burlington, Iowa’s famed Snake Alley, with a result just as picturesque.

“I think anybody that’s been a part of something significant, a team accomplishment, knows it’s just very difficult to mine the words to express adequately the impact and the lasting impression it has made on my life,” Brian Ferentz said.

“I think in a word that was just a team of resiliency,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said, “and finding a way to win.”

Defensive lockjaw

Kirk Ferentz arrived at Iowa in late 1998 and replaced a legend in Hayden Fry. Ferentz coached offensive line under Fry from 1981 to 1989, then became head coach at the University of Maine. Three years later, Ferentz joined Bill Belichick’s staff with the Cleveland Browns. By 1998, Ferentz was the assistant head coach/offensive line with the Baltimore Ravens.

Replacing one of his mentors wasn’t easy for Ferentz. The 1999 team lacked veteran talent and the difficulty was beyond a typical rebuild. Ferentz installed a different culture from the fun-loving Fry that took years to implement. The Hawkeyes lost all eight Big Ten games and finished 1-10 in Ferentz’s first year.

By Year 2, the program modestly moved forward. Despite a 3-9 campaign, Iowa upset Penn State and Northwestern, the latter of which cost the Wildcats a Rose Bowl trip. In 2001, Iowa qualified for its first bowl since 1997 and beat Texas Tech 19-16 in the Alamo Bowl.

The 2002 season was the culmination of four years of steady improvement. Iowa survived an early loss to Iowa State, then plowed through the Big Ten with little resistance. An 11-1 regular-season record and an 8-0 Big Ten mark sent the No. 3-ranked Hawkeyes to the Orange Bowl and handed Ferentz national coach of the year honors. A 38-17 defeat to USC tempered the mood a bit, but a 10-3 follow-up season in 2003 coupled with a 37-17 whipping of Florida in the Outback Bowl gave the Hawkeyes a No. 8 national ranking in consecutive years.

A seismic personnel change ensued for Ferentz and his staff following the Florida victory. Gone were Outland Trophy winner Robert Gallery, Groza Award winner Nate Kaeding and the most impactful player in the Ferentz era, safety Bob Sanders. Also exiting the program were every starting skill position player, plus the starting tight end, right tackle, center and vital defenders Howard Hodges, Grant Steen and Jared Clauss. That core group of players fueled the turnaround, and replacing them was more difficult than unveiling a new depth chart.

“We didn’t approach it any different than we would any other season,” said Iowa quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe, then the offensive coordinator. “You just move on and begin to prepare the players that you have and play as well as they can, just like we do every year. There wasn’t any other thought process to it.”

Iowa’s defense did return a power-packed core that could keep the team in games while the offense caught up. Led by middle linebacker Abdul Hodge, weakside linebacker Chad Greenway, defensive end Matt Roth and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, the Hawkeyes were built for slugfests.

Hodge hailed from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Greenway grew up on a farm and played six-man football in Mount Vernon, S.D. Their backgrounds could not have been more different. Yet they became best friends.

“The No. 1 influencer of me through my career was Abdul Hodge, no question,” said Greenway, who played 11 seasons and earned two Pro Bowl nods with the Minnesota Vikings. “I often think about the moments we spent jumping on our scooters or riding in the car to class. He was also a communications major, so we had almost every class together.

“It’s well-documented, the story. I come from a farm in South Dakota; he comes from Fort Lauderdale. For us to have this bond, we were inseparable in college, and we fed off each other. We made each other so much better because of how we competed. I wouldn’t let him get better than me, and he wouldn’t let me get better than him.”

That bond was fostered by defensive coordinator Norm Parker.

“I can’t honestly think of one without the other,” Parker told The Cedar Rapids Gazette in 2004. “It’s almost like thinking about twins. I don’t see one of them in my mind without seeing the other one.”

Parker rarely adjusted the personnel in his 4-3 scheme, which appeared basic. But the longtime assistant’s meticulous and detailed instruction provided the defense with discipline to go with its steel trap.

Roth originally was a linebacker from the Chicagoland and shifted to defensive end. Babineaux began his career at fullback, moved to defensive end, then starred on the inside. Greenway was a high school quarterback earmarked for safety who became an All-America linebacker.

Hodge was part of a South Florida pipeline established by then-assistant Bret Bielema that led several players to Iowa City.

“I always flash back to back on those rec fields being out there standing behind Abdul Hodge, for the first time, when he was on the field,” Kirk Ferentz said. “We’re doing a 9-on-7 drill and he was a lot quicker in that drill than I envisioned him being based on his high school tape. His football speed, his instincts, his ability to process information and get where you had to get was pleasant. We thought he was good; he was even better.”

Iowa’s cornerback tandem of Antwan Allen and Jovon Johnson entered its third year together so there was confidence in the secondary. Sanders left a vacancy nobody could fill, however.

Free safety Sean Considine tried to fill that role. As a do-it-all athlete from Byron, Ill., Considine was recruited by Northern Illinois, which offered him a scholarship. On his official visit, current Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck served as his host. That weekend, several out-of-state athletes committed before his exit interview with the NIU coaching staff. His offer was rescinded, and the staff asked him to walk on. Considine figured if he had to pay for college, he’d send tape to a few Big Ten schools.

Iowa invited Considine for an official visit, which Bielema helped facilitate. There was no scholarship offer, but earning one was an option. After investigating the business school, Considine opted for Iowa. He redshirted in 2000, then contributed on special teams. Going into 2002, he felt he had done enough to earn a scholarship.

“I kind of put a little pressure on coach (Phil) Parker,” Considine said. “You’re working your tail off. I was an out-of-state student at the University of Iowa; I think it was like $36,000 a year back then. I wanted to get put on scholarship. To be honest with you, I think that moment when coach Ferentz put me on scholarship was a prouder moment in my life than when I got drafted by the Eagles.”

In 2002, Considine blocked two punts, and both led to touchdowns. He joined Sanders as Iowa’s starting safety tandem in 2003. In the season opener, Iowa intercepted Miami (Ohio) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger four times and Considine recorded one in his first start. The next week against Buffalo, Considine snatched up a fumble and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. In his third game, he blocked two punts against Iowa State.

“I think I had this way of trying to build a niche,” he said. “It didn’t matter if it was special teams, holder, safety, running back. Whatever I was doing, it was important, and the team was going to depend on you at some point. I think that was one of the biggest reasons why I was able to carve out an eight-year NFL career because I took that same approach.”

Offensive challenges

Iowa’s offense was in a different place than its defense. Fred Russell left early for pro football after rushing for 1,331 yards. Gallery, the nation’s meanest ass-kicking offensive lineman, became the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. It was the fourth consecutive season the Hawkeyes would open the season with a new starting quarterback. Nathan Chandler had been the caretaker in 2003 after Brad Banks’ All-America season in 2002. Drew Tate, a sophomore, secured the starting spot after spelling Chandler as a true freshman.

Tate’s path to Iowa was anything but direct. His stepfather, Dick Olin, grew up an Iowa fan and coached in Clinton, Iowa, but he was the head coach at Baytown Lee in east Texas. Going into his junior year, Tate led his school’s 7-on-7 team to the state title, which prompted a scholarship offer from Texas A&M.

“College Station was only two hours from my house in Baytown, and I had a sister that was there and everything,” said Tate, now the quarterbacks coach with the CFL’s British Columbia Lions. “I’m saying, ‘Hell yeah, I’m in. I’ll be an Aggie.’ They were maroon, and my high school colors were maroon and white. So it was kind of like, oh, yeah, it’s perfect.”

Tate remained committed to Texas A&M through two football seasons and was expecting an in-house visit from R.C. Slocum. As his mother was vacuuming the carpet, he noticed breaking news across the ESPN crawl.

“The bottom clicker, R.C. Slocum just been fired from Texas A&M,” Tate said. “It’s the same day. I guess they were on the way to our house. Then they called my dad and it was Allen Waddell, he recruited me from A&M. He called my dad, and was like, ‘Hey, I just got the call, we got fired. So we’re not coming over.’”

Iowa still searched for a quarterback in its 2003 signing class after finishing second to Boston College for Matt Ryan, who preferred staying close to his Philadelphia home. That fall, Iowa running backs coach Carl Jackson, who traveled to Iowa with Fry in 1978 and was rehired by Ferentz in 1999, called Olin to check on Tate. Their courtship intensified when Slocum and A&M officially parted ways.

Tate’s college football interest did not include Iowa. Olin gave him Hawkeye shirts when he was younger, but only All-American returner Tim Dwight piqued the quarterback’s interest. But in 2002, Iowa had won 11 games and was headed to the Orange Bowl.

“I scheduled a visit up to Iowa City and it was (future Florida quarterback) Chris Leak and I, and we were the only two on the visit,” Tate said. “I watched the quarterbacks, and Brad Banks and the Heisman and all this. Honestly, I was a hotheaded cocky kid, slinging it in Texas. I set all these records, man, I came up there and I said, ‘I’m better than all these guys right now.’ That was how I was back then.”

From the downtown pedestrian mall to the euphoria over Iowa football, Tate fell in love with Iowa City and committed. In 2004, he was slated to start.

Inauspicious opening

Most college programs like Iowa would consider 2004 a rebuilding year, especially with a daunting schedule. Through two games, the Hawkeyes had beaten Kent State 39-7 and topped Iowa State 17-10. Their next game was at Arizona State, a team the Hawkeyes had whipped 21-2 in 2003. But only the helmets bore a resemblance to their previous encounter.

Early-season games in Arizona usually are difficult for Big Ten teams. The daytime temperature usually exceeds 100 degrees, so kickoffs are scheduled at night. A 9:30 p.m. CT start swings the advantage toward the host school. On this evening, a massive storm coupled with lightning delayed kickoff by 38 minutes.

Whether it was the rain, the heat or hubris, a handful of players discarded the traditional Swarm to which Iowa takes the field.

“Coincidentally or not, we got our tails kicked,” Considine said. “I’ll never forget after the game, there were plenty of coaches, and coach Ferentz was one of them, that let us know they saw how we ran out on that field. And if we’ve got any individuals on this team, that was what’s going to happen when guys think they’re bigger than the program and do things that are maybe not the Iowa way. I’ll never forget that. It was a great lesson.”

The Sun Devils outgained the Hawkeyes 511-100 in a 44-7 annihilation. Iowa scored its only points with 18 seconds left on an 83-yard Walner Belleus punt return.

“My recollection is watching that punt return wishing he would go down,” Brian Ferentz said, “so we can get on the plane faster. Because I felt like we had been so thoroughly beat that seven points was really not going to make an impact. And it did not.”

“It was a humbling experience,” Tate said. “That was that was a real kick in our mouth.”

With the Big Ten opener the following week at Michigan, then consecutive games against Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, the season had a chance to fall apart. That outcome seemed more realistic than not.

The long flight back to Iowa gave time for the coaches to gather and refocus.

“Our guys have a lot of pride and when something like that happens, that is when their pride begins to show up,” O’Keefe said. “Usually, that starts with the next performance. That’s kind of been our trademark in a lot of ways.”

A loss can linger and fester and break teams apart. It also can galvanize programs immersed with mentally tough characteristics. The day after the Arizona State debacle, the staff sent a message to the team.

“Our coaches did a great job of, we’ve got to flush it,” Tate said. “We’ve got Michigan in less than a week. And so in the weight room, there’s a dang toilet sitting right there on the other side of the door when we walked in the next day. We had to flush it.”

“One thing that that game did is I think it reset our focus and reset our football team,” Brian Ferentz said. “Unfortunately, we had to learn a tough lesson that night.”

The Hawkeyes traveled to Michigan the next week. Five turnovers, including an interception return for a score, doomed Iowa in a 30-17 loss. But there was life in the program, which was questionable after the previous loss.

Back on track

Russell’s departure was important but initially wasn’t viewed as devastating to the Iowa running game. Four quality running backs competed for snaps, with Jermelle Lewis as the heavy favorite. Big, strong and athletic, Lewis (5-11, 215) appeared to be the perfect back for Iowa’s zone scheme. He also was healthy after ACL surgery in spring 2003.

Injuries quickly became an issue. By the fifth game, running backs Albert Young and Marcus Schnoor both were lost for the season with ACL injuries. Then in a 38-16 win against Michigan State, Lewis suffered another torn ACL. That left Marques Simmons, who began the season fourth on the depth chart, as the only available scholarship running back. Next in line was walk-on Sam Brownlee.

Returning to the lineup was Brian Ferentz, whose staph infection after knee surgery the previous February nearly resulted in amputation. Instead of playing center, he shifted to right guard and started the final eight games.

After a week off, the Hawkeyes met No. 25 Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium. The teams had tied for the 2002 Big Ten title with 8-0 records but didn’t play. In 2003, they faced off at Ohio Stadium, and the Buckeyes sank Iowa, 19-10.

Perhaps it was the frustration of eight consecutive losses to Ohio State, losing the chance to battle for the 2002 title or taking out the early-season aggravation. Whatever it was, the Hawkeyes relentlessly pounded the Buckeyes 33-7. Iowa outgained Ohio State 448-177 and allowed only 27 rushing yards. A 73-yard Ohio State drive in the final three minutes engineered by backup quarterback Troy Smith led to the Buckeyes’ only points with 35 seconds left.

For the second week in a row, Tate surpassed 300 passing yards and tossed three touchdowns. It became even more necessary after Simmons went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter. Brownlee, the walk-on from little Emmetsburg, Iowa, became the top ballcarrier. Another running back, Damian Sims, had his redshirt yanked and also would see action. The Hawkeyes somehow squeezed out 117 rushing yards, the final time that season that they surpassed 80 yards in a game.

“Bob Griese was doing a game and he asked me just a basic question. ‘What are you going to do?’” O’Keefe said. “We said, ‘We really can’t run the ball. We’re going to have to throw the ball.’ And then every guy that ran the ball did what they could.

“We couldn’t have done a thing without great special teams and defense that year by any means. And Tate’s feet were good enough to keep him alive and help us out from time to time.”

Blowing out Ohio State showcased Iowa’s potential. The players reveled in the victory, but looking back, Tate sees that the Buckeyes were in a similar position as Iowa one month early.

“They hadn’t unleashed Troy Smith yet,” Tate said of the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner. “Actually, in that game, they did in the fourth quarter, and then he went on to do what he did. They didn’t know who they were at the time. We got lucky at the time. We were coming together when they didn’t know what they were doing. They came together later in the season.”

The victory was sweet, but it quickly left the head coach’s thoughts. Something much more important was on his mind.

The greatest game

After the Ohio State victory, Kirk Ferentz and his son, Brian, left the football facility together and drove toward the family home in northeast Iowa City. Kirk Ferentz was on the phone and remembers the moment as vividly as you would expect.

“(My father’s) health had not been great the last couple years there,” Kirk Ferentz said. “So I spoke to him, Saturday night, after the Ohio State game. I was on Burlington (Street) actually hanging a left and Brian was in the car. We both spoke to him. Then the next day, I got a call.”

“That was the last game that my grandfather ever saw us play,” Brian Ferentz said. “He hung on for that game.”

John Ferentz died the next day in his Pittsburgh-area home at age 84.

Few coaches are as emotional as Kirk Ferentz. He invests in people more than his demanding process. Often after games, he’s moved to tears by the bond he develops with his players and coaches. He does the same when he recalls special moments.

That week, the Hawkeyes were set to play Penn State, which was personal for Ferentz. His father-in-law, NFL official Gerry Hart, was friends with Penn State coach Joe Paterno. His brother-in-law, Kevin Hart, played for Paterno. Ferentz grew up in Pittsburgh and knew the pull of that university in his home region.

Ferentz was wrapped up in his football program, which had won two consecutive games and faced a defensive juggernaut in the Nittany Lions. He deemed the matchup too important to make his personal situation public. So no one outside of his tightest inner circle knew about his father’s passing by his weekly Tuesday news conference. None of his players did, either, outside of Brian.

“We’re all human,” Ferentz said. “I just didn’t think it really benefited anybody in this world here to have knowledge of it. Obviously, my family, kids and my wife, everybody knew. But it just didn’t seem like there was any upside in sharing it until I guess it was Tuesday after practice. I told the guys I’ll be out of pocket there for a couple days.”

The rest of the week was a blur for the Ferentz family. They traveled to Pittsburgh, and the head coach gave his father’s eulogy Friday. They left for Happy Valley afterward for a noon ET kickoff.

The overcast conditions mirrored the grueling battle for ground acquisition. On Iowa’s first possession, the center’s snap soared over punter David Bradley’s head and into the end zone. Bradley kicked the ball out of bounds for a safety, and Penn State led 2-0.

(Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

Late in the first quarter, the Hawkeyes moved to the Nittany Lions’ 10 but settled for a field goal and a 3-2 lead. In the second quarter, Considine picked off a Zack Mills pass and returned it to the 10-yard line. Against Michigan, Considine suffered a Lisfranc injury that sidelined him against Michigan State and Ohio State. He talked Phil Parker into letting him travel, but his status remained doubtful. Then Considine went out for pregame warmups and said he could play on one leg. His interception proved pivotal.

“I had spent plenty of time studying film with the younger guys,” Considine said. “It was the one foot that I could drive off of that wasn’t injured. It just happened to be the perfect scenario where I was able to put that good foot in the ground and cut in front of the (dig) route.”

Iowa reached the 3-yard line on that possession, but Tate was sacked on third down and the Hawkeyes kicked another field goal to lead 6-2 at halftime.

“That was most frustrating game I had because they were stopping us and we were stopping ourselves,” Tate said. “We were kind of beating ourselves. But, man, they were good, though.”

Neither team surpassed 100 yards in the first half, and nothing changed in the second half. In the third quarter, Iowa never passed midfield. Penn State couldn’t capitalize, even after blocking a punt at the Iowa 9-yard line. Kicker Robbie Gould’s 25-yard attempt sailed wide left.

With 8:04 left, the Hawkeyes faced fourth-and-17 from their 1-yard line. Instead of risking another blocked punt or giving the Nittany Lions a short field, Iowa’s staff instructed Bradley to take a safety. Play-by-play broadcaster Pam Ward ripped Kirk Ferentz for the decision, while analyst Mike Tomczak said it was the right move. Following a free kick, Iowa cornerback Jovon Johnson recorded an interception on the next play from scrimmage.

“There’s great footage of one of the ESPN commentators very much second-guessing that decision immediately before they threw an interception and sealed the game for us,” Brian Ferentz said. “It’s one of those rare moments in coaching where you actually look a little bit smarter than you are.”

Iowa gained 25 yards and chopped five minutes off the clock. Penn State had the ball one more time but fumbled on its first play, and the Hawkeyes ran out the clock for a 6-4 victory.

As the seconds ticked away, coach Ferentz broke down and embraced his second-oldest son, James. He did again later in an on-field interview with ESPN’s Dave Ryan.

“It was just such a big emotional game for everybody in the whole program,” Greenway said. “For us to win it that way seemed appropriate, 6-4. Just one of those crazy scores. You think of games like that and the guys you played with and memories you always have.”

“Those are like some of the moments where you just get to see the true power of people and the ability to rise up and do some incredible things for some people you care about,” Considine said. “It was just the team finding a way to win. That was like one of the ugliest football games I’ve ever been a part of, but it was also one of my greatest memories in sports.”

Iowa’s defensive tenacity won the game. Every starting defensive back intercepted a pass. Greenway and Hodge each had 11 tackles. Roth picked up two sacks, and the Nittany Lions totaled 147 yards. Every inch had value with the Hawkeyes gaining just 168 yards.

“That was pretty special … that was pretty special,” said an emotional Kirk Ferentz. “And we got a little help from above, there’s no doubt about that.”

Powering through

Four weeks after the disaster in the desert, the Hawkeyes stood at 3-1 in Big Ten play. The running game was at a standstill, but the defense was impenetrable. After beating Illinois 23-13, the Hawkeyes had allowed four total touchdowns in four weeks. Three of those scores were in the final five minutes when the outcome already was decided.

When the Hawkeyes edged Purdue 23-21 to win their fifth straight game, the run defense had become the best weapon. In four consecutive games, no opponent gained more than 58 yards on the ground. That would change in a big way at rival Minnesota.

The Gophers had sputtered to a 6-4 record after a strong start, but they still boasted one of the nation’s most lethal running combos with Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III. Iowa took a 16-3 lead in the second quarter, but Maroney scored on a 79-yard run two plays later.

With the Hawkeyes leading by two points, the Gophers pounded four straight times for 23 yards to the Iowa 31. On second-and-8 and one minute remaining, Barber III ran left and appeared wide open. Just as quickly, Greenway knifed through untouched and met him in the backfield for a 4-yard loss.

“That’s one of those plays I’ll never forget,” Greenway said. “We had so many NFL players off that defense. It was a unique game, and I got my ass chewed by Norm Parker all the time for shooting the gaps because it was something I could do pretty well. He didn’t let me do it all the time, but I shot the right gap at the right time and made the right play. Sometimes you’ve got to take the risk and it grows your lore as a linebacker within the fan base when you can make a difference in a rivalry game like that.”

“Chad Greenway, the best football player I’ve ever been around in my life,” Tate said.

That play grinds former Minnesota coach Glen Mason to this day, who constantly told his left tackle to chip any linebacker trying to shoot a gap. Both Mason and Greenway live in the western Minneapolis suburbs and they talk about that play, which ultimately forced a longer field goal attempt. Now a broadcaster for BTN, Mason and Phil Parker, now Iowa’s defensive coordinator, discussed the game during one of their pre-game production meetings.

“(Barber) would have scored,” Mason said. “We don’t even have to kick the field goal. He would have scored. When I talked to Greenway he said, ‘I thought, Oh My God, I better make this play.’ He made a mistake, and he got away with it.

“We try a long field goal, and you know.”

With 28 seconds left, Minnesota kicker Rhys Lloyd missed a 51-yard try wide left. Iowa held on 29-27.

It was an improbable victory. The Gophers outrushed Iowa 337-6. Nearly as uneven, the Hawkeyes outgained Minnesota 333-73 through the air.

“There’s a lot of different ways to get to the winner’s circle,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Don’t dwell on what you don’t have, that old quote. Just let’s focus on what we do and try to play to our strengths.

“I think that’s how it applies to that season, certainly.”

Border battle

With six consecutive wins, Iowa had reshaped a season from a potential failure into one of the program’s great success stories. One obstacle remained, however. A date with Wisconsin for the inaugural Heartland Trophy, an added trinket to the century-old rivalry.

But a different trophy was on the minds of both teams. Wisconsin and Iowa both were 6-1 in Big Ten play, just one game behind Michigan. If Ohio State could trip up the Wolverines early Saturday afternoon, the Iowa-Wisconsin winner would share the Big Ten title.

The Ohio State-Michigan game kicked off early, with the Iowa-Wisconsin game airing at 3:30 p.m. CT. Both teams would know by kickoff if more was at stake than bragging rights.

“We were not favored in that game; I know that for a fact,” Brian Ferentz said. “They were an excellent football team that year.”

In 1981, Iowa entered the season finale at home needing an Ohio State victory against Michigan to tie for the Big Ten title. It happened that day to send the Hawkeyes to Pasadena. Twenty-three years later, the Buckeyes knocked off the Wolverines to give Iowa another shot at a Big Ten title. This time, a rival had the same objective.

“We knew at that point,” Tate said. “But I was already in game mode. I was playing so nothing mattered. I mean, damn, you could drop an A-bomb a hundred yards from Kinnick Stadium, but I was rolling.”

The game could not have started worse for Tate. On Iowa’s third play from scrimmage, he drilled Wisconsin safety (now defensive coordinator) Jim Leonhard for an interception at the Hawkeyes’ 32. Iowa’s defense held and allowed no points. On the next possession, Leonhard again picked off a pass by Tate. The Badgers missed a field goal.

“Our defense, right?” Tate said. “It was the best defense in the Big Ten.”

Both times, Wisconsin took over inside the Iowa 40 and totaled three yards. Kirk Ferentz now can look back and scoff, but the turnovers aged him by the second that afternoon.

“How about the start of that Wisconsin game?” Ferentz said. “I thought Tate might be on the take. What are you doing? Sticking Jim Leonhard right in the chest? I almost died of a heart attack.”

It’s the type of situation offensive coordinators can’t forget, either.

“I could be wrong, but did we throw two picks in the first quarter in that game?” O’Keefe said. “I’ve tried to wipe a lot stuff out of my memory.”

There was no need, once Tate got it out of his system. The Hawkeyes converted a pair of third downs on their next drive, which ended with a 6-yard touchdown strike from Tate to Clinton Solomon. Wisconsin tied the score at 7-7 with 1:51 left in the half, but three plays into Iowa’s next possession, Tate scrambled in the pocket and again connected with Solomon for 51 yards to push Iowa ahead 14-7.

In the second half, the Hawkeyes’ defense clamped down. Of Wisconsin’s 41 rushing yards, only six came after halftime. Tate hooked up with tight end Scott Chandler late in the third quarter for the quarterback’s third passing score. The Hawkeyes added three field goals and blew out the Badgers 30-7.

It was yet another powerful performance by Iowa’s defense, which limited Wisconsin to 186 yards. The Hawkeyes recorded four sacks and forced four turnovers.

“To me, the most memorable game, the best game, was here at Kinnick to beat Wisconsin to secure part of the Big Ten title,” Greenway said. “A lot of plays and things that happened in that game were spectacular.”

Fans stormed the field, and Ferentz hoisted his second Big Ten championship trophy in a three-year period. With the league now playing an annual title game, that scene never will be duplicated.

“One of my greatest experiences as a Hawkeye was fans running out and them picking me up and carrying me off the field,” Considine said. “Just to beat Wisconsin for a share of the Big Ten championship was a pretty special way to end your career in Kinnick Stadium.”

“That was kind of storybook there,” Brian Ferentz said. “Winning a Big Ten championship in Kinnick Stadium with our fans, getting a chance to celebrate in the postgame, that was a great moment. I’ll never forget being in that locker room and the feeling that we had in there.”

The Huddle

Despite its loss to Ohio State, Michigan claimed the automatic Rose Bowl slot based on its head-to-head victory against Iowa. The Hawkeyes were headed to the Capital One Bowl to meet defending national champion LSU.

The Tigers were 9-2, just like Iowa, and they arguably were the two best teams left out of the Bowl Championship Series. LSU was loaded athletically, with seven first-round NFL draft picks playing for coach Nick Saban.

“I actually joked with our staff that after a Purdue game or whatever, somewhere in November, as I went in there on our Sunday and said if we mess around and keep winning these close games, we’re going to get totally mismatched on New Year’s Day and just get blown out,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Which is exactly what happened, except we won. But it was a total mismatch.”

During the week of festivities, Iowa’s players could sense disrespect from LSU’s players. The Hawkeyes’ hardened edge mixed with their own elite players didn’t stand out in the same fashion.

The previous season, Iowa faced Florida in the Outback Bowl. Kaeding was Iowa’s All-America kicker and ultimately a third-round draft pick. When asked about Kaeding, Florida coach Ron Zook thought Kaeding was one of Iowa’s running backs, saying, “Well, I mean he’s a little like our situation in that all three of our running backs are a little different in the way that they run.”

Iowa magnified the slight and stomped the Gators, 37-17. This LSU team was more talented and better coached than Zook’s Florida team, however.

“I’ll never forget when I was at Iowa and we’d go play those SEC teams,” Considine said. “They looked like NFL football players compared to most of the guys on our team. That’s not to discredit Iowa or anything like that. But their roster top to bottom looked much different than ours. It was kind of funny. We’d go to the team events, and they were eyeballing us and looking us up and down. I think they thought that they were going to kill us.

“Little did they know, we didn’t care. We’re there to play football. We’re going to punch you in the mouth, and that’s what we did.”

Iowa did unleash its own brand of bravado, courtesy of Roth. He was the defensive tone-setter in attitude and production. A second-team All-America defensive end, Roth regularly fueled the Hawkeyes’ intensity. Matched up against Gallery in practice one year, the two fought and Roth ripped Gallery’s facemask off his helmet and paraded it around the practice field. That incident, though mythical in Iowa City, was a footnote compared with what he did before the Capital One Bowl.

At the Hawkeye Huddle in Orlando, the players joined Iowa brass in front of more than 10,000 fans. Roth stood on stage and shouted, “I’ve got two words for LSU.” The bombastic senior then stuck both of his middle fingers up in the air, which riled up the crowd and horrified Iowa administrators.

“I was standing right next to him,” Considine said. “I just gave my professional speech and trying to act like a class organization, and Roth ripped the microphone out of my hand and said, ‘Let me take care of this.’ He had a unique way of doing things.”

The Catch

A season removed from its BCS championship, LSU had its own distractions. A one-point loss to Auburn kept LSU from the SEC title game. Rumors swirled about Saban leaving for the Miami Dolphins, which impacted the mood surrounding the team.

On Iowa’s first possession, Tate hit Solomon on a 57-yard touchdown strike to take a 7-0 lead. After a pair of LSU field goals in the second quarter, the Tigers faced fourth-and-2 at their 28. Iowa put a full rush on punter Chris Jackson, and Miguel Merrick broke through with a block. The ball caromed to the 7-yard line, where Considine scooped it up and scored to give the Hawkeyes a 14-6 lead.

“I was always asked joking around those guys, ‘Hey, do you mind if I blocked a punt and scored,’” said Considine, who blocked five career punts.

By early in the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes had built a 24-12 lead. LSU switched quarterbacks from Marcus Randall to JaMarcus Russell, and the game’s vibe changed. On consecutive drives, Russell showed why he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2007. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. After dominating the game, Iowa trailed 25-24 with 46 seconds left.

From the coaches to the players and certainly the fans, the score felt like a gut punch. However, the Hawkeyes had the cockiest player on the field in Tate, who was sure he would get kicker Kyle Schlicher in field-goal range.

“I remember being like, ‘Man, we are good. We’ve got this,’” Tate said. “We’ve got good field position. We’ve got two timeouts. We’ve got time. And then, I don’t know how that happened. But it happened.”

Two completions quickly moved the Hawkeyes from their 29 to the 49. Iowa was hit with a false-start penalty that backed it up 5 yards. Then the entire team was oblivious when the referee wound his arm and the clock started once again.

“They’ve got to call timeout!” Iowa play-by-play broadcaster Gary Dolphin screamed into the microphone. “They wind the clock! Nine seconds to play and Drew Tate doesn’t know that!”

“We were trying to get clarification on what was going to happen, and the clock started basically,” O’Keefe said.

“When we broke the huddle, I hear, ‘Clock’s going, clock’s going,” Tate said. “I turn and look and the ref is blowing it. I’m waving my arms like, ‘Oh shit, hey, last play, last play!’”

On the sideline, panic had set in.

“I was standing next to Phil Parker,” Considine said. “If you’ve ever stood in a game and heard Phil Parker’s mouth … I think Phil was questioning the clock management more than anybody.”

“The game’s going to end on this play!”

Tate stood in the shotgun. To his right were tight end Scott Chandler flexed, receiver Warren Holloway in the slot and receiver Ed Hinkel split wide. Solomon was the only receiver to Tate’s left. LSU brought a linebacker and safety blitz from Tate’s left, but both defenders were picked up.

“They brought the free safety weak and we were hot, and I was supposed to hit Clinton Solomon on the slant for the hot adjustment,” Tate said. “He got blocked off and the safety just kind of got in the way of the slant lane. He just stopped, and then the running back picked up the will linebacker.”

All three targets to Tate’s right ran go routes down the field. Tate shuffled two steps to his right, stepped up in the pocket and let it fly. His touchdown pass to Solomon earlier in the game was the same formation, with LSU defenders playing Cover-3. This time, the Tigers switched to Cover-1, except for one player. Holloway’s defender played Cover-3.

“All of a sudden, he just dips off to the flat,” Tate said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, wow.’ So I just chucked it. I thought I overthrew him at first.”

“Every now and then you get lucky, and they blitzed us and the free safety stopped running,” O’Keefe said. “Tate moved a little bit to his right to get away from him. He stopped running at him, that allowed Drew to set his feet and throw the ball up the seam.”

Tate launched the ball from his own 37-yard line toward a wide-open Holloway, who caught the ball at the LSU 16-yard line with two seconds left. Hinkel’s defender, Travis Daniels, sprinted toward Holloway, lunged and missed. Holloway blazed into the end zone as time expired.

“He fires downfield, it’s caught … And into the end zone! Touchdown Iowa! Touchdown Iowa! No time on the clock!”

“Oh My God, I don’t believe what I just saw!”

Dolphin, Iowa’s 30,000 fans in the stands and millions who watched on television were flabbergasted. An epic mistake turned into the greatest play in Iowa sports history.

“They wanted three points. They got a miracle,” wrote Marc Morehouse of The Cedar Rapids Gazette. “They called ‘all up.’ They got ESPN Classic.”

A mob ensued in the end zone. Tate yanked off his helmet and sprinted around the field. In his final game, Holloway came up with his only touchdown reception.

“I didn’t know it at the time that was his only touchdown,” Tate said. “They told us that after and then I was like, ‘Dude, they’re gonna make a movie.’”

Considine was the third player to reach Holloway.

“I got crushed on the pile,” he said. “I thought I was going to die.”

Brian Ferentz was on the field and joined the end zone party. He conceded the Hawkeyes “were extremely lucky” but “I’ll take it any way we can get it.”

Magic. Moment. History.

Legacy

The echoes of 2004 have dissipated but not the memories. The rock-solid defense produced seven NFL draft picks, including a first-rounder in Greenway, a 12-year pro in Babineaux, quality NFL players in Hodge, Roth, Charles Godfrey and Kenny Iwebema, plus Considine.

The victory against LSU gave Iowa a 10-2 overall record and a No. 8 final ranking for the third consecutive year. The Hawkeyes averaged just 2.0 yards per carry, last in the FBS, and 72.6 rushing yards per game (second to last). But Iowa’s run defense allowed just 92.5 yards per game, which led the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally. Iowa’s turnover margin also led the league. Tate and the passing game put up 263.4 yards a game, while the defense allowed just 182.5. Babineaux ranked second nationally with 25 tackles for loss.

Every Iowa football season contains shades of what the 2004 team faced. Some, like in 2015, met the challenge. Others, like in 2012, couldn’t overcome injuries and other types of adversity.

What the 2004 team accomplished is rare, but it’s something the staff still can explain to today’s players. A 2-2 start with a horrific outcome doesn’t mean a season is lost. The next player in a game still makes a difference. When one aspect is shut down, another can elevate it.

Losing elite players to graduation and injury forced the coaching staff to create a game plan the players could execute. The Hawkeyes’ traditional running attack stalled, so O’Keefe built through the air. An elite defense suffocated opponents, and special teams provided points along the margins.

“One of the most impressive things I’ve witnessed in pro football was the Redskins winning three Super Bowls (from 1982-91) with three different quarterbacks,” Kirk Ferentz said. “We were a top-10 team in ’02, ’03, ’04 with three different quarterbacks (Banks, Chandler, Tate). So, to me, that’s coaching. That’s really coaching.

“Ken did a great job of tailoring the game plan towards the players, plus what was around them, what we could do, and made good use of that. And then also, he had a good feel for what our team was; we had a really good defensive team in ’04. So he understood that and was not going to put the defense in a bad position. We played smart football that way.”

Iowa’s foundation remains the same 15 years later with Kirk Ferentz, O’Keefe, Parker, Brian Ferentz and strength coach Chris Doyle. Outside of some tweaks, the mindset remains the same.

Fifteen years later, those players marvel at how the coaching staff put them in position to succeed back then and today.

Tate watched Iowa’s 27-22 win against Mississippi State in this year’s Outback Bowl and saw similar elements. Led by three first-round draft picks, Mississippi State shut down Iowa’s running game. Yet Iowa stuck with the run to help its defense, plus force Bulldogs defenders to respect the run just enough to open up play-action passes. Quarterback Nate Stanley threw three touchdowns against a defense that had allowed five all year.

“These coaches, they’re always able to put their players in the best situation for them to be successful, so they have an opportunity to win the game,” Tate said. “They’ve proven it. I mean, look what they did in the bowl game against Mississippi State. I was so proud.

“I think that’s a perfect example of why Iowa is who they are and who they’ve been for as long as they’ve been doing it. It’s just the way that they do business. It’s the way they coach. It’s their lifestyle. It’s how they treat people. They call it the Iowa way, right? I mean, it’s got to be. No one else does it in college football the way Iowa does it.”

(Top photo: Matt Stroshane / Getty Images)

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