No. 10 Iowa Beats Brock Purdy, No. 9 Iowa State 27-17 in Rivalry Matchup

AP Photo/Matthew Putney

For the first time in history, Saturday’s Iowa-Iowa State game pitted two teams ranked inside the top 10.

After Saturday, it may be a long time before the Cyclones find themselves back there.

The Iowa defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions of Brock Purdy, as the Hawkeyes cruised to a 27-17 win over their in-state rivals.

Spencer Petras played the role of able game manager and Tyler Goodson helped grind the clock down on the ground, but it was the Iowa defense that took the starring role. Matt Hankins picked off two passes from a struggling Purdy, who was benched in the fourth quarter, and Jack Campbell took a Breece Hall fumble to the house in the third quarter.

Iowa has now won six straight and holds a 46-22 overall record against Iowa State in their head-to-head matchups.

Notable Stats

Iowa State

QB Brock Purdy: 13-27, 138 yards, 3 INT
RB Breece Hall: 16 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD

Iowa

QB Spencer Petras: 11-21, 106 yards, 1 TD
RB Tyler Goodson: 21 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
DB Matt Hankins: 2 INT

Iowa State Early Leader for Most Overrated Team of 2021 Preseason

Yikes.

The Cyclones entered 2021 with some of the highest expectations in program history and have turned in two straight stinkers. Last week’s 16-10 win over Northern Illinois was an offensive abomination that sent Iowa State back two spots in the rankings, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cyclones were outside the top 20 after this performance.

Purdy does not look anything like the efficient quarterback of his previous three seasons who got some Heisman buzz entering 2021. Hall, who looked like a superstar in last season’s 1,572-yard, 21-touchdown breakout, has been ordinary for two straight weeks.

Matt Campbell, who won Big 12 Coach of the Year in three of the last four seasons, has had no answers or adjustments the first two weeks.

This has been a surprising fall from grace for a team that returned a ton of talent from last year’s Fiesta Bowl winner.

The good news? Last season began with an ugly loss to Louisiana before Campbell and Co. righted the ship for an 8-1 Big 12 record.

Penn State vs. Iowa Has Game of the Year Potential

Sorry to anyone in Happy Valley or Iowa City who feels that headline is a jinx, because it’s true.

Iowa does not have a major test before its Oct. 9 trip to Penn State. The Hawkeyes are home for Kent State and Colorado State before a road game against a Maryland team few expect  to make an impact this season.

Penn State has a difficult test next week against Auburn, but then two highly winnable games against Villanova and Indiana the following two weeks. If the Nittany Lions are able to get by Auburn, the overwhelming odds are we’ll be getting a battle between 5-0—and potentially Top Five—opponents.

With Ohio State falling to Oregon on Saturday, the top of the Big Ten is wide open for the Lions or Hawkeyes to run through.