# 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 23rd-year head coach Kirk Ferentz.
With a victory over rival Nebraska on November 26 coupled with a Wisconsin loss to Minnesota the following day, Iowa won its first Big Ten West title since 2015. They competed in the Big Ten Championship Game against East Division co-champion Michigan, where they lost by a 39-point margin. Iowa capped the 2021 season with a frustrating 20–17 loss to No. 22 Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. The Hawkeyes finished with a record of 10–4 (7–2 B1G), the seventh season with 10+ wins in the Ferentz era.
Junior center Tyler Linderbaum was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, unanimous First-team All-American, and was awarded the Rimington Trophy. He later became the 11th Iowa player of the Ferentz era taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 17 Indiana | No. 18 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | BTN | W 34–6 | 68,166 |
| September 11 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 9 Iowa State* | No. 10 | Jack Trice StadiumAmes, IA (rivalry, College GameDay) | ABC | W 27–17 | 61,500 |
| September 18 | 2:30 p.m. | Kent State* | No. 5 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | BTN | W 30–7 | 61,932 |
| September 25 | 2:30 p.m. | Colorado State* | No. 5 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | FS1 | W 24–14 | 65,456 |
| October 1 | 7:00 p.m. | at Maryland | No. 5 | Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD | FS1 | W 51–14 | 45,527 |
| October 9 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 4 Penn State | No. 3 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA (Big Noon Kickoff) | FOX | W 23–20 | 69,250 |
| October 16 | 2:30 p.m. | Purdue | No. 2 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | ABC | L 7–24 | 69,250 |
| October 30 | 11:00 a.m. | at Wisconsin | No. 9 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (rivalry) | ESPN | L 7–27 | 74,209 |
| November 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at Northwestern | No. 22 | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 17–12 | 38,141 |
| November 13 | 2:30 p.m. | Minnesota | No. 20 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA (rivalry) | BTN | W 27–22 | 69,250 |
| November 20 | 1:00 p.m. | Illinois | No. 17 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | FS1 | W 33–23 | 64,132 |
| November 26 | 12:30 p.m. | at Nebraska | No. 16 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (rivalry) | BTN | W 28–21 | 86,541 |
| December 4 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. No. 2 Michigan* | No. 13 | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game, Big Noon Kickoff) | FOX | L 3–42 | 67,183 |
| January 1, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Kentucky* | No. 15 | Camping World StadiumOrlando, FL (Citrus Bowl) | ABC | L 17–20 | 50,769 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 18 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 23 |
| Coaches | 18 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 (1) | 11 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 23 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 22 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 15 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### No. 17 Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 Hoosiers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| • No. 18 Hawkeyes | 14 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 34 |
Iowa jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Hawkeyes defense came out in full force, getting three interceptions – including two pick sixes by senior Riley Moss – and kept Indiana out of the end zone. Equally impressive for an opening game, Iowa limited itself to a mere two penalties.
| Statistics | IU | IOWA |
| First downs | 11 | 18 |
| Total yards | 233 | 303 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 158 |
| Passing yards | 156 | 145 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 32:04 | 27:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Indiana | Passing | Michael Penix Jr. | 14/31, 156 yards, 3 INT |
| Indiana | Rushing | Stephen Carr | 19 carries, 57 yards |
| Indiana | Receiving | Ty Fryfogle | 5 receptions, 84 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 13/27, 145 yards |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 19 carries, 99 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 5 receptions, 83 yards |

### At No. 9 Iowa State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 10 Hawkeyes | 0 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
| No. 9 Cyclones | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
This season's Cy-Hawk matchup was a showdown of top 10 teams in the AP poll, making this the first time the schools have faced off as ranked opponents. ESPN's College GameDay was on hand for the second straight time in the series as the annual contest was cancelled the previous year due to COVID-19. Iowa extended its win streak in the series to six games, and has now won five consecutive games against ranked opponents – its longest such streak since 1960.
| Statistics | IOWA | IOWA ST |
| First downs | 11 | 21 |
| Total yards | 173 | 339 |
| Rushing yards | 67 | 87 |
| Passing yards | 106 | 252 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 31:38 | 28:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 11/21, 106 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 21 carries, 55 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Charle Jones | 2 receptions, 36 yards, TD |
| Iowa State | Passing | Brock Purdy | 13/27, 138 yards, 3 INT |
| Iowa State | Rushing | Breece Hall | 16 carries, 69 yards, TD |
| Iowa State | Receiving | Charlie Kolar | 4 receptions, 34 yards |

### Kent State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • No. 5 Hawkeyes | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 30 |
The Hawkeyes, playing as an AP top 5 team at home for the first time since 1985, won for the 300th time at Kinnick Stadium since its opening in 1929. Tyler Goodson had his best game to date, rushing for 153 yards. This was the first meeting of the programs since 2004.
| Statistics | KENT | IOWA |
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Total yards | 264 | 418 |
| Rushing yards | 79 | 206 |
| Passing yards | 185 | 212 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:22 | 36:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Dustin Crum | 16/23, 185 yards, TD |
| Kent State | Rushing | Marquez Cooper | 10 carries, 38 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Keshunn Abram | 6 receptions, 138 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 25/36, 209 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 22 carries, 153 yards, 3 TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 7 receptions, 65 yards, TD |

### Colorado State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rams | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| • No. 5 Hawkeyes | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
This was the first meeting between the two schools. After a sluggish start, the Hawkeyes shut out Colorado State in the second half to extend its streak of holding opponents under 25 points.
| Statistics | CSU | IOWA |
| First downs | 12 | 12 |
| Total yards | 250 | 278 |
| Rushing yards | 95 | 54 |
| Passing yards | 155 | 224 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:20 | 28:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Colorado State | Passing | Todd Centeio | 16/30, 155 yards, TD |
| Colorado State | Rushing | A'Jon Vivens | 17 carries, 45 yards |
| Colorado State | Receiving | Trey McBride | 6 receptions, 59 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 15/23, 224 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 18 carries, 57 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 4 receptions, 45 yards, TD |

### At Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 5 Hawkeyes | 3 | 31 | 10 | 7 | 51 |
| Terrapins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
In the first match-up of the teams since 2018, Iowa tied the school record with six interceptions in this lopsided road win. It is the first 5–0 start for the program since 2015. The Hawkeyes also scored the most points in a quarter since 2002.
| Statistics | IOWA | UMD |
| First downs | 24 | 14 |
| Total yards | 428 | 271 |
| Rushing yards | 145 | 97 |
| Passing yards | 283 | 174 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 7 |
| Time of possession | 39:00 | 21:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 21/30, 259 yards, 3 TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 19 carries, 66 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Arland Bruce IV | 6 receptions, 43 yards, TD |
| Maryland | Passing | Taulia Tagovailoa | 16/29, 157 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT |
| Maryland | Rushing | Taulia Tagovailoa | 4 carries, 24 yards |
| Maryland | Receiving | Dontay Demus Jr. | 4 receptions, 61 yards |

### No. 4 Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Nittany Lions | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| • No. 3 Hawkeyes | 3 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 23 |
Iowa was seeking its first home win over Penn State since 2010 with Fox's Big Noon Kickoff on hand. This match-up of top five teams in the AP poll was the first such game at Kinnick Stadium since No. 2 Michigan visited the No. 1 Hawkeyes in 1985. Iowa fell behind 17–3 to PSU, but after an injury to Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford, the Hawkeyes slowly clawed back, outscoring Penn State 20–3 the rest of the way to earn the 23–20 win. With this victory, Iowa improved to 6–0, became bowl eligible, extended their overall win streak to 12 games, and ascended to No. 2 in both major polls the following day.
| Statistics | PSU | IOWA |
| First downs | 18 | 18 |
| Total yards | 287 | 305 |
| Rushing yards | 107 | 110 |
| Passing yards | 180 | 195 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 24:07 | 35:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 15/25, 146 yards, 2 INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | Sean Clifford | 3 carries, 36 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 8 receptions, 48 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 17/31, 195 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 25 carries, 88 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Nico Ragaini | 4 receptions, 73 yards, TD |

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 2 Hawkeyes | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
The unranked Boilermakers dominated this matchup with the Hawkeyes, and won for the fourth time in the last five meetings with Iowa.
| Statistics | PUR | IOWA |
| First downs | 24 | 17 |
| Total yards | 464 | 271 |
| Rushing yards | 86 | 76 |
| Passing yards | 378 | 195 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 34:46 | 25:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Purdue | Passing | Aidan O'Connell | 30/40, 375 yards, 2 TD |
| Purdue | Rushing | King Doerue | 18 carries, 48 yards |
| Purdue | Receiving | David Bell | 11 receptions, 240 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 17/32, 195 yards, 4 INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 12 carries, 68 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 5 receptions, 61 yards |

### At Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Hawkeyes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • Badgers | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
The unranked Badgers dominated this matchup with the Hawkeyes, and became the first Iowa opponent to score more than 24 points since the 2018 regular season finale.
| Statistics | IOWA | WIS |
| First downs | 9 | 16 |
| Total yards | 156 | 270 |
| Rushing yards | 24 | 166 |
| Passing yards | 132 | 104 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 24:13 | 35:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 9/19, 93 yards |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 13 carries, 27 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 3 receptions, 44 yards |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Graham Mertz | 11/22, 104 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Braelon Allen | 20 carries, 104 yards |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Danny Davis III | 5 receptions, 59 yards, TD |

### At Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 22 Hawkeyes | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
Backup quarterback Alex Padilla led two first-half touchdown drives, and the Iowa defense forced three interceptions as the Hawkeyes snapped a two-game skid.
| Statistics | IOWA | NW |
| First downs | 19 | 20 |
| Total yards | 361 | 363 |
| Rushing yards | 185 | 93 |
| Passing yards | 176 | 270 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 31:05 | 28:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Alex Padilla | 18/28, 172 yards |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 21 carries, 141 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Keagan Johnson | 5 receptions, 68 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Andrew Marty | 25/44, 270 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Evan Hull | 11 carries, 41 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Evan Hull | 6 receptions, 89 yards, TD |

### Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Gophers | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
| • No. 20 Hawkeyes | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
In Alex Padilla's first start at quarterback, Iowa won for the seventh straight time in this trophy series. Padilla threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the victory. The Golden Gophers haven't won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999.
| Statistics | MIN | IOWA |
| First downs | 23 | 12 |
| Total yards | 409 | 277 |
| Rushing yards | 189 | 71 |
| Passing yards | 220 | 206 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 40:02 | 19:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Minnesota | Passing | Tanner Morgan | 14/30, 183 yards, TD |
| Minnesota | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 29 carries, 126 yards |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Chris Autman-Bell | 5 receptions, 109 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Passing | Alex Padilla | 11/24, 206 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 18 carries, 59 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Charlie Jones | 2 receptions, 106 yards, TD |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 10 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
| • No. 17 Hawkeyes | 7 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 33 |
Iowa won for the eighth straight time in the series. Illinois hasn't won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999.
| Statistics | ILL | IOWA |
| First downs | 11 | 18 |
| Total yards | 312 | 255 |
| Rushing yards | 64 | 172 |
| Passing yards | 248 | 83 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:42 | 34:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Brandon Peters | 16/36, 248 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 13 carries, 42 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Casey Washington | 3 receptions, 61 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Alex Padilla | 6/17, 83 yards, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 27 carries, 132 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Arland Bruce IV | 2 receptions, 45 yards |

### At Nebraska

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 16 Hawkeyes | 0 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 28 |
| Cornhuskers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
After facing a 21–6 third quarter deficit, the Hawkeyes rallied to earn a win over the Cornhuskers as they outscored the home team 22–0 to end the game. It was Iowa's fifth straight victory in Lincoln and seventh straight victory overall in this trophy series.
| Statistics | IOWA | NEB |
| First downs | 19 | 18 |
| Total yards | 364 | 327 |
| Rushing yards | 186 | 129 |
| Passing yards | 178 | 198 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:53 | 28:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 7/13, 102 yards |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 23 carries, 156 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 3 receptions, 61 yards |
| Nebraska | Passing | Logan Smothers | 16/22, 198 yards, INT |
| Nebraska | Rushing | Logan Smothers | 24 carries, 64 yards, 2 TD |
| Nebraska | Receiving | Samori Toure | 6 receptions, 67 yards |

### Vs. No. 2 Michigan (Big Ten Championship game)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 2 Wolverines | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 42 |
| No. 13 Hawkeyes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
This game marked Iowa's second appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game (2015). Ferentz is now 1–2 against Michigan in the Harbaugh era.
| Statistics | MICH | IOWA |
| First downs | 21 | 15 |
| Total yards | 461 | 279 |
| Rushing yards | 211 | 104 |
| Passing yards | 250 | 175 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:21 | 31:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan | Passing | Cade McNamara | 16/24, 169 yards, TD, INT |
| Michigan | Rushing | Blake Corum | 5 carries, 74 yards, TD |
| Michigan | Receiving | Roman Wilson | 2 receptions, 82 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 9/22, 137 yards |
| Iowa | Rushing | Gavin Williams | 12 carries, 56 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 6 receptions, 62 yards |

### Vs. No. 22 Kentucky (Citrus Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Hawkeyes | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| • No. 22 Wildcats | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
The Wildcats and Hawkeyes faced off for the first time, and Iowa returned to the Citrus Bowl for the first time since the 2005 Capital One Bowl. The loss kept the Hawkeyes from winning four consecutive bowl games for the first time in program history.
| Statistics | IOWA | UK |
| First downs | 20 | 24 |
| Total yards | 384 | 354 |
| Rushing yards | 173 | 121 |
| Passing yards | 211 | 233 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:06 | 37:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 19/30, 211 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Gavin Williams | 16 carries, 98 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 7 receptions, 122 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Passing | Will Levis | 17/28, 233 yards, TD, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | 20 carries, 107 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Wan'Dale Robinson | 10 receptions, 170 yards |

## Awards and honors

Individual Awards :
| Player | Award |
| Charlie Jones | Rodgers–Dwight Return Specialist of the Year |
| Tyler Linderbaum | Rimington Trophy Rimington–Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year |
| Riley Moss | Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 1 | 25 | Tyler Linderbaum | C | Baltimore Ravens |
| 4 | 114 | Dane Belton | S | New York Giants |