LOOK: Amazing Underwater Photos Of Dogs
GOP Leader: Abortion Is A 'Lifestyle Convenience'
Northern Iowa is not your run-of-the-mill Football Championship Subdivision (or, if you prefer, Division I-AA) program. The Panthers are a regular in the playoffs, advancing to the semifinals in 2008 before losing a gut-wrencher to eventual national champion Richmond.As inexcusable as it may be for major college programs to continue scheduling FCS cupcakes, No. 21 Iowa had to know they weren't in for an easy afternoon at Kinnick Stadium Saturday. If UNI's reputation didn't do it for them, that 10-point third-quarter hole sure seemed to work.
The Hawkeyes rallied, and two blocked field goals in the closing seconds gave them a 17-16 season-opening win over the Panthers.
After falling behind 13-3 in the third, quarterback Ricky Stanzi was able to lead a pair of touchdown drives to give his team the lead. The Hawkeyes had another scoring march halted on a fourth-down stop near the UNI 30.
The Panthers were then able to stage a rally of their own. A field goal with 4:30 to play in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 17-16, then UNI got the ball back. Quarterback Pat Grace, who was solid all afternoon, deftly led Northern Iowa well into normal field goal range. Kicker Billy Hallgren, who had hit from 34 and 39 yards during the second half, came on for a 40-yard attempt with seven seconds to go.
His low kick was blocked, but it never crossed the line of scrimmage. An Iowa player who was going to pick it up chose not to, probably because players across football have been told for years not to touch the ball on a blocked kick like that. However, Northern Iowa recovered and never advanced it beyond the line of scrimmage. That meant UNI would get another opportunity, but Hallgren's kick, again from around 40 yards, was blocked by the Iowa rush up the middle.
It should be very interesting to see what happens to Iowa in the polls next week. Almost losing to Northern Iowa is certainly not a good thing, but it's not the end of their football program. Head coach Kirk Ferentz has a lot of work to do with his team, but at least he found out about those things while they were winning a game.
CNN Cancels Debate After Romney And Paul Pull Out
Marriage Equality In New Jersey Now In Chris Christie's Hands
Congress Agrees On Payroll Tax Cut, Unemployment Extension
MLB Hall Of Famer Dies
House Dems Walk Out Of Birth Control Hearing
Underwear Bomber Sentenced To Life In Prison
Santorum Backer: 'In My Days, They Used Bayer Aspirin For Contraception'
'Colbert Report' Abruptly Suspends Production For The Week
Why New England Town Wants $286,000 Police 'Tank'
WATCH: Honduras Prison Inferno Video
WATCH: Fox News Host Makes Shocking Comment About Black Rep.
Facebook Launches New Feature For Celebs
Pelosi Rips GOP Over Birth Control: I May Be "Moved To Explain Biology To My Colleagues"
Santorum Talks Economy, Knocks Bush On Bailout, Aligns Himself With Reagan
Overwhelming Majority For UN Resolution Calling On Syria's Assad To Step Down
New Jersey School Bus Crash Kills 1, Injures 17
Iran Offers To Talk
They're Back! The Mortgages That Crashed The Economy Regain Street Cred
Rahm Vows To Push For Gay Marriage In Illinois
WATCH: CNN Contributor Compares Sarah Palin To Snooki
The Most Expensive City In The World Is...
Deanna Fei: ASIAN MEN CAN JUMP
Jimmy Carter Casts Movement As 'Relatively Successful'
