IOWA CITY — The 69,250 fans at sold-out Kinnick Stadium must’ve felt like they had been taken back to the 2023 season, back when it felt like the best hope for Iowa football to score was on special teams or defense.

A jarring three-point second-half deficit and then a listless three-and-out midway through the third quarter Nov. 22 against Michigan State drew resounding boos.

And the boos were more than justified.

The Hawkeyes ' offense was stinking up the joint, with no signs of life.

And the defense had started to crack, its early-game fuel tank starting to run low.

A three-point deficit quickly became 10, and suddenly Iowa was facing the real possibility of losing as a 17-point home favorite to an opponent that had lost eight straight Big Ten Conference games.

And yet … Iowa

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