1990 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
Encyclopedia
The 1990 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa
in the 1990 college football season
.
The other two games in the non-conference schedule were both high-scoring affairs, which included their eighth in a series of fifteen straight wins over in-state rival Iowa State, and a loss to the mighty Miami Hurricanes. Even in showing some competitiveness at the game in Miami, FL, few Hawk fans could have guessed what was going to follow, esp. following the 5–6 debacle of the previous season, which represented the first season Iowa had not gone to a bowl since 1980.
But starting the next week, Iowa started what ended up being their third Rose Bowl run in ten seasons. What set this conference season apart from others was that the Hawkeyes played most of their best football on the road. In weeks 1, 3 & 5, Iowa upset what ended up being the other three teams that tied for the Big 10 championship that season, all at their home venue.
First was a wind-blown, defensive struggle at East Lansing, with Iowa holding onto a 12–7 victory. Hayden Fry admitted after the game that every pass he had Matt Rodgers throw was with the wind, which was blowing at a diagonal across Spartan stadium.
After a win over (what ended up being cellar-dweller) Wisconsin at home, Iowa traveled to the Big House in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were still smarting after a tight, tough loss the previous week against Michigan State and it was Homecoming week. But Iowa kept it close throughout. Following a botched two-point conversion by the Wolverines after they had taken a 20–10 lead, the Hawkeyes went to work. Following one Hawkeye touchdown countered by a Michigan field goal, the Hawkeyes put together a drive for the ages, never facing a third-down. Tony Stewart grabbed the last of a series of key passes from Matt Rodgers with one hand, giving the Hawkeyes the ball at the Michigan 1-yard-line. Paul Kujawa ran it in from there, and with the extra point, the Hawks took the lead by the eventual final score of 24–23. A sack by Moses Santos and an interception by linebacker John Derby sealed the stunner.
But the Hawks key road triumphs weren't finished. Two weeks later in Champaign, Illinois, against an Illinois team that had the inside track to the Rose Bowl, Iowa put together one of their best offensive games in the Fry era, especially for a key road game. The Hawkeyes used an early fumble by the Illini to begin an exhibition by RB Nick Bell, the likes of which had rarely been seen in the Big 10 between two undefeated teams (in conference play). Bell literally ran over the Illini, scampering for over 100 yards just in the 1st quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Hawks led by an amazing 28–0, and they stretched it to 41–7 by the end of the half, and 48–7 by the end of the 3rd quarter, before settling for a 54–28 final. It was most likely from the efforts of that game that Nick Bell was named by the media as the Big 10 player of the year.
The Hawkeye bubble burst the next week in Iowa City with a last-second loss to Ohio State. They bounced back the next week with what proved to be a Big-10 clinching win at home against Purdue. Then knowing that they were Rose Bowl-bound before they even took the field, the Hawkeyes dropped their final road game at Minnesota, 31–24. In that game, Tony Stewart became (at least at that time) the Hawkeyes all-time leading rusher, though he lost a key fumble on that play.
The Rose Bowl placed an over-matched Iowa against one of the best teams in the country that season, the Washington Huskies. The Hawkeyes trailed badly at the half before making the game close by the end, but lost in Pasadena again, 46–34. It was Hayden Fry's last trip to Pasadena, and he ended up 0–3 in those games.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in the 1990 college football season
1990 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split championship and the ensuing controversy led to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets...
.
Schedule
Cincinnati
Kicking off the start of the 1990 Iowa Hawkeye season, the Hawks welcomed in the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats finished out the '89 season at 1–9–1 as the Hawks finished out at 5–6. In a game that ended up in a blowout, the Hawks cruised to a 63–10 win. Iowa managed to set records as well as they pummeled the Cincinnati defense. After Cincinnati built a 7–0 lead after an interception and a 1-yard touchdown run from Joe Abrams, the Hawks took command for the afternoon. After a scoreless first quarter, quarterback Matt Rodgers led the Hawks to 28 unanswered points, following two touchdowns from Rodgers, and one each from running backs Nick Bell and Tony Stewart. Cincinnati scored its last points of the game with a late field goal and ended the half with Iowa up 28–10. After halftime, Iowa went on cruise control. Iowa went on to score 21 points in the 3rd and 14 in the 4th to win the contest 63–10. Rodgers ended the game going 15–27 on passes with 191 yards. Hawkeye offense racked up 662 yards with 455 yards rushing. The defense was excellent as well. The Bearcats were allowed only 4 first downs and 69 yards rushing.The other two games in the non-conference schedule were both high-scoring affairs, which included their eighth in a series of fifteen straight wins over in-state rival Iowa State, and a loss to the mighty Miami Hurricanes. Even in showing some competitiveness at the game in Miami, FL, few Hawk fans could have guessed what was going to follow, esp. following the 5–6 debacle of the previous season, which represented the first season Iowa had not gone to a bowl since 1980.
But starting the next week, Iowa started what ended up being their third Rose Bowl run in ten seasons. What set this conference season apart from others was that the Hawkeyes played most of their best football on the road. In weeks 1, 3 & 5, Iowa upset what ended up being the other three teams that tied for the Big 10 championship that season, all at their home venue.
First was a wind-blown, defensive struggle at East Lansing, with Iowa holding onto a 12–7 victory. Hayden Fry admitted after the game that every pass he had Matt Rodgers throw was with the wind, which was blowing at a diagonal across Spartan stadium.
After a win over (what ended up being cellar-dweller) Wisconsin at home, Iowa traveled to the Big House in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were still smarting after a tight, tough loss the previous week against Michigan State and it was Homecoming week. But Iowa kept it close throughout. Following a botched two-point conversion by the Wolverines after they had taken a 20–10 lead, the Hawkeyes went to work. Following one Hawkeye touchdown countered by a Michigan field goal, the Hawkeyes put together a drive for the ages, never facing a third-down. Tony Stewart grabbed the last of a series of key passes from Matt Rodgers with one hand, giving the Hawkeyes the ball at the Michigan 1-yard-line. Paul Kujawa ran it in from there, and with the extra point, the Hawks took the lead by the eventual final score of 24–23. A sack by Moses Santos and an interception by linebacker John Derby sealed the stunner.
But the Hawks key road triumphs weren't finished. Two weeks later in Champaign, Illinois, against an Illinois team that had the inside track to the Rose Bowl, Iowa put together one of their best offensive games in the Fry era, especially for a key road game. The Hawkeyes used an early fumble by the Illini to begin an exhibition by RB Nick Bell, the likes of which had rarely been seen in the Big 10 between two undefeated teams (in conference play). Bell literally ran over the Illini, scampering for over 100 yards just in the 1st quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Hawks led by an amazing 28–0, and they stretched it to 41–7 by the end of the half, and 48–7 by the end of the 3rd quarter, before settling for a 54–28 final. It was most likely from the efforts of that game that Nick Bell was named by the media as the Big 10 player of the year.
The Hawkeye bubble burst the next week in Iowa City with a last-second loss to Ohio State. They bounced back the next week with what proved to be a Big-10 clinching win at home against Purdue. Then knowing that they were Rose Bowl-bound before they even took the field, the Hawkeyes dropped their final road game at Minnesota, 31–24. In that game, Tony Stewart became (at least at that time) the Hawkeyes all-time leading rusher, though he lost a key fumble on that play.
The Rose Bowl placed an over-matched Iowa against one of the best teams in the country that season, the Washington Huskies. The Hawkeyes trailed badly at the half before making the game close by the end, but lost in Pasadena again, 46–34. It was Hayden Fry's last trip to Pasadena, and he ended up 0–3 in those games.
Conference standings
| Big Ten Conference Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east... |
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| Team | W | L | T | PCT | Conf. | Bowl Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 6–2 | Lost to Clemson Clemson Tigers football The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... in the Hall of Fame Bowl 1991 Hall of Fame Bowl The 1991 edition to the Hall of Fame Bowl featured the fourteenth ranked Clemson Tigers, and the sixteenth ranked . It was the fifth edition to the Hall of Fame Bowl.Clemson's Chris Gardocki kicked an 18 yard field goal as the Tigers built a 3-0 lead... |
|
| Iowa Hawkeyes | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 6–2 | Lost to Washington Washington Huskies football College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by... in the Rose Bowl 1991 Rose Bowl The 1991 Rose Bowl was the 77th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 1991. The #8 Washington Huskies built a 33-7 halftime lead and defeated the #17 Iowa Hawkeyes 46-34. Washington sophomore quarterback Mark Brunell was named the Player of the Game.... |
| Michigan Wolverines 1990 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1990 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1990 college football season. The team's head coach was Gary Moeller. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium... |
9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | Defeated Mississippi in the Gator Bowl 1991 Gator Bowl (January) The January 1991 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1991. The Michigan Wolverines, co-champions of the Big Ten Conference, defeated the Ole Miss Rebels of the Southeastern Conference, 35–3.... |
| Michigan State Spartans 1990 Michigan State Spartans football team The 1990 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Schedule:-Team members in the NFL:... |
8 | 3 | 1 | .708 | 6–2 | Defeated USC in the John Hancock Bowl |
| Ohio State Buckeyes 1990 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 1990 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1990-1991. The Buckeyes compiled a 7–4–1 record, including the in Memphis, Tennessee, where they lost 23–11 to the .... |
7 | 4 | 1 | .625 | 5–2–1 | Lost to Air Force Air Force Falcons football The Air Force Falcons are a college football team from the United States Air Force Academy, located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA Division I and the Mountain West Conference.-Style:... in the Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003... |
| Minnesota Golden Gophers | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 5–3 | |
| 6 | 5 | 1 | .542 | 3–4–1 | ||
| 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 1–7 | ||
| 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 1–7 | ||
| Wisconsin Badgers 1990 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 1990 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1990 college football season.-Schedule:-Team players in the 1991 NFL Draft:... |
1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | 0–8 | |
Team players in the NFL
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL Club |
| Nick Bell Nick Bell (American football) H. Nickolas "Nick" Bell is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League. He played three seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders.... |
Running Back | 2 | 43 | Los Angeles Raiders 1991 Los Angeles Raiders season The 1991 Los Angeles Raiders season was their 32nd in the league. They were unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only nine games. The team qualified for the playoffs for the second straight season.-Roster:-Schedule:... |
| Merton Hanks Merton Hanks Merton Edward Hanks is a former safety in the National Football League.Hanks attended Lake Highlands High School, where he was a district track and field champion. He went on to the University of Iowa, earning all-Big Ten honors at cornerback... |
Defensive Back | 5 | 122 | San Francisco 49ers 1991 San Francisco 49ers season The 1991 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 42nd year with the National Football League. The franchise did not qualify for the postseason for the first time since the 1982 season... |
| Michael Titley | Tight End | 10 | 275 | Miami Dolphins 1991 Miami Dolphins season The 1991 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 26th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games and failing to qualify for the playoffs.-Staff:-Roster:... |
| Tony Stewart | Running Back | 11 | 297 | Seattle Seahawks 1991 Seattle Seahawks season The 1991 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 16th season with the National Football League. The 1991 season was the last season for head coach Chuck Knox.-1991 NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-External links:* *... |
Other notable players
- Bret BielemaBret Bielema-Personal life:Bielema announced on April 1, 2011 that he was engaged to his girlfriend, Jen. The wedding is scheduled for spring 2012.-External links:* *...
, nose guard – Head coach at WisconsinWisconsin Badgers footballThe Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
, 2006–present