# 1985 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 1985 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1985 Big Ten Conference football season. The Hawkeyes were led by seventh-year head coach Hayden Fry and played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Chuck Long declared that he would return for his senior season. He became an instant Heisman Trophy candidate, and Iowa was a preseason top five team. After three weeks in 1985, the Hawkeyes ascended to No. 1 in the national rankings for the second time in team history (1960). Three weeks later, in the sixth game of the season, No. 1 Iowa faced No. 2 Michigan at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa trailed 10–9 as the Hawkeyes regained possession of the football at their own 22-yard line with just 5:27 remaining in the game. Long drove the Iowa team to the 12-yard line with two seconds remaining to set up kicker Rob Houghtlin's game-winning field goal as time expired. After a rout of Northwestern, the Hawkeyes were upset by the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. The loss to Ohio State cost Iowa their No. 1 ranking, but the Hawkeyes still won the Big Ten title outright for the first time in 27 years.
Long won a number of major national awards, including the Maxwell Award, given to the nation's top player and the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback, and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the top player in the Big Ten. He was a consensus first-team selection to the 1985 College Football All-America Team and the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy to Bo Jackson of Auburn, losing by just 45 points.
Iowa lost Long's final game, the 1986 Rose Bowl, to UCLA by a score of 45–28. Long's Iowa teams compiled a 35–13–1 record. He graduated with 10,461 passing yards and 74 touchdowns on 782 completions.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 14 | Drake* | No. 5 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | | W 58–0 | 66,135 |
| September 21 | Northern Illinois* | No. 4 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | | W 48–20 | 66,014 |
| September 28 | at Iowa State* | No. 3 | Cyclone StadiumAmes, IA (rivalry) | ABC | W 57–3 | 53,202 |
| October 5 | Michigan State | No. 1 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | CBS | W 35–31 | 66,044 |
| October 12 | at Wisconsin | No. 1 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (rivalry) | | W 23–13 | 79,023 |
| October 19 | No. 2 Michigan | No. 1 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | CBS | W 12–10 | 66,350 |
| October 26 | at Northwestern | No. 1 | Dyche StadiumEvanston, IL | | W 49–10 | 47,269 |
| November 2 | at No. 8 Ohio State | No. 1 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | CBS | L 13–22 | 90,467 |
| November 9 | Illinois | No. 6 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | | W 59–0 | 66,120 |
| November 16 | at Purdue | No. 5 | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | CBS | W 27–24 | 57,762 |
| November 23 | Minnesota | No. 3 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA (rivalry) | TBS | W 31–9 | 66,020 |
| January 1 | vs. No. 13 UCLA* | No. 4 | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | NBC | L 28–45 | 103,292 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## 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 | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | 4 (7) | 4 (5) | 5 (5) | 4 (5) | 3 (5) | 1 (35) | 1 (34) | 1 (27) | 1 (60) | 1 (58) | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 (3) | 3 (3) | 4 (2) | 10 |
| Coaches | 8 (1) | | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 (19) | 1 (16) | 1 (16) | 1 (42) | 1 (42) | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |

## Game summaries
### Drake

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 5 Hawkeyes | 0 | 14 | 37 | 7 | 58 |
| | Drake | Iowa |
| First Downs | 9 | 25 |
| Rushing Yards | –36 | 167 |
| Passing | 19–37–1 | 25–37–0 |
| Passing Yards | 184 | 324 |
| Total Offense | 148 | 491 |
| Fumbles Lost | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Punts-Average | 9–35.5 | 4–36.5 |
| Penalties | 6–59 | 6–37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Drake | Passing | Ed Cheatham | 12–17, 121 yards, INT |
| Drake | Rushing | Lawrence | 3 carries, 10 yards |
| Drake | Receiving | Peterson | 6 receptions, 85 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 21–31, 248 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 14 carries, 58 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Scott Helverson | 7 receptions, 88 yards, 2 TD |

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| • Hawkeyes | 14 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 48 |
Senior WR Bill Happel had a big day with 207 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. The yardage total marked the first time a Hawkeye had more than 200 yards receiving in a single game and stood as the school record for two years.
| | NIU | Iowa |
| First Downs | 8 | 25 |
| Rushing Yards | 16 | 187 |
| Passing | 5–14–2 | 20–32–3 |
| Passing Yards | 69 | 347 |
| Total Offense | 85 | 534 |
| Fumbles Lost | 4–3 | 3–3 |
| Punts-Average | 10–43.8 | 3–48.0 |
| Penalties | 2–10 | 7–55 |
| Time of Possession | 30:35 | 29:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Marshall Taylor | 3–9, 41 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antonio Davis | 6 carries, 27 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Andy Wooldridge | 2 receptions, 37 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 18–28, 270 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 17 carries, 92 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Bill Happel | 9 receptions, 207 yards, 3 TD |

### at Iowa State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 3 Hawkeyes | 7 | 34 | 16 | 0 | 57 |
| Cyclones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
The Hawkeyes earned the third of 15 consecutive wins over their in-state rivals. To date, this remains the largest margin of victory in the series. The convincing win vaulted Iowa to the #1 ranking in the country, a spot they would occupy for five consecutive weeks.
| | Iowa | ISU |
| First Downs | 23 | 13 |
| Rushing Yards | 138 | 73 |
| Passing | 24–40–0 | 16–33–1 |
| Passing Yards | 357 | 157 |
| Total Offense | 495 | 230 |
| Fumbles Lost | 3–2 | 6–3 |
| Punts-Average | 3–38.7 | 8–35.1 |
| Penalties | 6–55 | 4–26 |
| Time of Possession | 28:33 | 31:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 19–32, 223 yards, 3 TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 19 carries, 103 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Scott Helverson | 8 receptions, 154 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa State | Passing | Alex Espinoza | 16–33, 157 yards, INT |
| Iowa State | Rushing | Marques Rodgers | 12 carries, 55 yards |
| Iowa State | Receiving | Danny Gantt | 4 receptions, 43 yards |

### Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| • No. 1 Hawkeyes | 7 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 35 |
In their first game since ascending to the #1 ranking, the Hawkeyes survived a wild, back and forth thriller. The teams combined for well over 1,000 yards of total offense. Chuck Long (30–39, 380 yards, 4 TD) scored the winning touchdown on a 2-yard bootleg with 27 seconds remaining.
| | MSU | Iowa |
| First Downs | 28 | 25 |
| Rushing Yards | 305 | 108 |
| Passing | 18–28–0 | 30–39–2 |
| Passing Yards | 275 | 380 |
| Total Offense | 580 | 488 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Punts-Average | 6–37.0 | 5–45.2 |
| Penalties | 9–50 | 4–40 |
| Time of Possession | 36:15 | 23:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan State | Passing | Bobby McAllister | 18–27, 275 yards, TD |
| Michigan State | Rushing | Lorenzo White | 39 carries, 226 yards, 2 TD |
| Michigan State | Receiving | Mark Ingram | 7 receptions, 148 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 30–39, 380 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 20 carries, 84 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Scott Helverson | 9 receptions, 102 yards |

### at Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 1 Hawkeyes | 3 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 23 |
| Badgers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| | Iowa | Wis |
| First Downs | 15 | 17 |
| Rushing Yards | 174 | 172 |
| Passing | 18–30–1 | 13–31–3 |
| Passing Yards | 167 | 134 |
| Total Offense | 341 | 306 |
| Fumbles Lost | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Punts-Average | 5–43.4 | 8–36.8 |
| Penalties | 7–49 | 5–35 |
| Time of Possession | 26:58 | 33:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 18–28, 167 yards, TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 20 carries, 175 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Ronnie Harmon | 8 receptions, 62 yards |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Bud Keyes | 7–19, 88 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Larry Emery | 19 carries, 104 yards |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Scott Sharron | 5 receptions, 47 yards |

### No. 2 Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Wolverines | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| • No. 1 Hawkeyes | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
The #1 Hawkeyes dominated the game statistically — holding major advantages in total yards (422–182), offensive plays (84–41), and time of possession (38:05-21:55) — but could not find the end zone. Rob Houghtlin kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired to lift the top-ranked Hawkeyes to victory over the #2 "Wolverdinks", as Houghtlin referred to them.
| | Mich | Iowa |
| First Downs | 9 | 26 |
| Rushing Yards | 127 | 125 |
| Passing | 8–13–0 | 26–39–1 |
| Passing Yards | 55 | 297 |
| Total Offense | 182 | 422 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Punts-Average | 6–39.8 | 3–31.7 |
| Penalties | 4–35 | 3–26 |
| Time of Possession | 21:55 | 38:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan | Passing | Jim Harbaugh | 8–13, 55 yards, TD |
| Michigan | Rushing | Jamie Morris | 14 carries, 70 yards |
| Michigan | Receiving | Paul Jokisch | 2 receptions, 23 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 26–39, 297 yards, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 32 carries, 120 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Bill Happel | 9 receptions, 107 yards |

### at Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 1 Hawkeyes | 7 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
On a windy day in Evanston, Chuck Long went 19-26 for 399 yards and a Big Ten record-tying 6 TDs. Bill Happel hauled in three touchdowns, finishing with 117 yards on 5 receptions.
| | Iowa | NW |
| First Downs | 20 | 18 |
| Rushing Yards | 124 | 46 |
| Passing | 19–26–1 | 21–40–3 |
| Passing Yards | 399 | 242 |
| Total Offense | 523 | 288 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Punts-Average | 4–36.3 | 7–42.6 |
| Penalties | 4–34 | 3–15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 19–26, 399 yards, 6 TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 14 carries, 74 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Bill Happel | 5 receptions, 117 yards, 3 TD |
| Northwestern | Passing | Mike Greenfield | 21–40, 242 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Mike Greenfield | 29 carries, 18 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | George Jones | 4 receptions, 84 yards |

### at No. 8 Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Hawkeyes | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| • No. 8 Buckeyes | 5 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 22 |
| | Iowa | Ohio St |
| First Downs | 21 | 16 |
| Rushing Yards | 186 | 233 |
| Passing | 17–34–4 | 10–17–2 |
| Passing Yards | 169 | 151 |
| Total Offense | 345 | 370 |
| Fumbles Lost | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Punts-Average | 4–32.5 | 4–45.3 |
| Penalties | 3–16 | 7–57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 19–26, 169 yards, 4 INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 26 carries, 120 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Ronnie Harmon | 5 receptions, 19 yards |
| Ohio State | Passing | Jim Karsatos | 10–17, 151 yards, 2 INT |
| Ohio State | Rushing | George Cooper | 17 carries, 104 yards |
| Ohio State | Receiving | Cris Carter | 3 receptions, 65 yards |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 6 Hawkeyes | 35 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 59 |
| | Illinois | Iowa |
| First Downs | 14 | 27 |
| Rushing Yards | 5 | 232 |
| Passing | 30–58–5 | 27–41–1 |
| Passing Yards | 227 | 316 |
| Total Offense | 232 | 548 |
| Fumbles Lost | 5–4 | 1–0 |
| Punts-Average | 9–34.8 | 6–42.2 |
| Penalties | 10–82 | 5–62 |
| Time of Possession | 27:09 | 32:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Jack Trudeau | 26–47, 208 yards, 4 INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Thomas Rooks | 7 carries, 26 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | David Williams | 10 receptions, 70 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 22–30, 289 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 32 carries, 120 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Robert Smith | 3 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD |

### at Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 5 Hawkeyes | 7 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| | Iowa | Purdue |
| First Downs | 28 | 16 |
| Rushing Yards | 206 | 36 |
| Passing | 20–33–1 | 23–32–1 |
| Passing Yards | 268 | 315 |
| Total Offense | 474 | 351 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Punts-Average | 5–31.8 | 4–29.8 |
| Penalties | 4–19 | 2–10 |
| Time of Possession | 34:30 | 25:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 20–33, 268 yards, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 25 carries, 122 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Ronnie Harmon | 9 receptions, 118 yards |
| Purdue | Passing | Jim Everett | 23–32, 315 yards, TD, INT |
| Purdue | Rushing | Ray Wallace | 10 carries, 21 yards |
| Purdue | Receiving | Steve Griffin | 4 receptions, 110 yards, TD |

### Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Gophers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| • No. 3 Hawkeyes | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
In the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale, Iowa beat the Golden Gophers in Lou Holtz's last game as Minnesota's head coach. Chuck Long, in his final game at Kinnick Stadium, became the first player in Big Ten history to eclipse 10,000 career passing yards.
| | Minn | Iowa |
| First Downs | 18 | 24 |
| Rushing Yards | 154 | 177 |
| Passing | 9–18–0 | 21–31–1 |
| Passing Yards | 118 | 268 |
| Total Offense | 272 | 445 |
| Fumbles Lost | 4–2 | 2–1 |
| Punts-Average | 6–32.8 | 2–39.5 |
| Penalties | 1–5 | 6–30 |
| Time of Possession | 30:10 | 29:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Minnesota | Passing | Rickey Foggie | 6–13, 69 yards |
| Minnesota | Rushing | David Puk | 13 carries, 61 yards |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Eugene Gailord | 3 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 21–31, 268 yards, TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 13 carries, 75 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Scott Helverson | 7 receptions, 86 yards |

### vs. No. 13 UCLA (Rose Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 13 Bruins | 10 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
| No. 4 Hawkeyes | 7 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 28 |
| | UCLA | Iowa |
| First Downs | 29 | 25 |
| Rushing Yards | 55–299 | 34–82 |
| Passing | 16–26–1 | 29–38–1 |
| Passing Yards | 189 | 319 |
| Total Offense | 488 | 401 |
| Fumbles Lost | 3–2 | 4–4 |
| Punts-Average | 2–38.5 | 2–32.5 |
| Penalties | 6–36 | 5–40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UCLA | Passing | Matt Stevens | 16–26, 189 yards, TD, INT |
| UCLA | Rushing | Eric Ball | 12 carries, 67 yards |
| UCLA | Receiving | Mike Sherrard | 4 receptions, 48 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Chuck Long | 29–37, 319 yards, TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Ronnie Harmon | 14 carries, 55 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Ronnie Harmon | 11 receptions, 102 yards |

## Awards and honors

* Chuck Long, Quarterback – Big Ten Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award, and Runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. Consensus First-team All-American.
* Larry StationLinebacker $2 – Consensus First-team All-American.

## Team players in the 1986 NFL draft

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Chuck Long | Quarterback | 1 | 12 | Detroit Lions |
| Ronnie Harmon | Running back | 1 | 16 | Buffalo Bills |
| Mike Haight | Tackle | 1 | 22 | New York Jets |
| Devon Mitchell | Defensive back | 4 | 92 | Detroit Lions |
| Larry Station | Linebacker | 11 | 287 | Pittsburgh Steelers |

## Future head coaches

| Name | 1985 Position | School | Tenure |
| Bill Snyder | Offensive coordinator/QB Coach | Kansas State | 1989–2005, 2009–2018 |
| Barry Alvarez | Linebackers Coach | Wisconsin | 1990–2005 |
| Dan McCarney | Defensive line coach | Iowa State North Texas | 1995–2006 2011–2015 |
| Bob Stoops | Volunteer Coach | Oklahoma | 1999–2016 |
| Kirk Ferentz | Offensive line coach | Iowa | 1999–present |
| Don Patterson | Tight ends coach | Western Illinois | 1999–2009 |
| Chuck Long | Quarterback | San Diego State | 2006–2008 |
| Mark Stoops | Defensive back | Kentucky | 2013–present |
| Jay Norvell | Defensive backs | Nevada Colorado State | 2017–2021 2022–present |