2003
January 2
For Iowa’s first appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game,
some 47,000 Iowa fans trekked to Miami and the Orange Bowl. The Hawks
made history when senior wide receiver and kick returner C.J. Jones ran
100 yards to become the first Orange Bowl player ever to return the opening
kickoff for a touchdown.
But, after leading 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Hawks fizzled, allowing USC quarterback and Heisman winner Carson Palmer to lead the charge that netted 28 unanswered points. Final score: USC 38, Iowa 17.
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Iowa went into the Orange Bowl
with spirits and the flag raised high. |
September 13
The Hawkeyes snapped their five-game losing skid to instate rival Iowa
State, thanks to big plays on special teams and a strong defense. Defensive
back Sean Considine blocked two punts to tie a school record, while
Nate Kaeding connected on four field goals and four point-after-touchdown
kicks to set a single-game record with 16 kicking points. Kaeding also
passed Rob Houghtlin to become Iowa’s career scoring leader with
291 points. Final score: 40-21.
September 27
Michigan State snapped Iowa’s 13-game regular season winning streak
and 10-game conference winning streak in East Lansing, defeating the
Hawks 20-10.
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Nate Kaeding became Iowa's all-time
leading scorer with 373 points from 2000-2003. |
October 4
The weather was perfect in Iowa City for Homecoming and the game turned
out perfectly, too. The Wolverines put the first 14 points on the board,
but the Hawks rallied to beat Michigan 30-27. Alumni enjoyed Iowa’s
fourth straight homecoming win, while statisticians noted that it was
the first time since the 1984-85 seasons that the Hawks won two straight
against Michigan.
October 18
With a field goal and a fake field goal that turned into a five-yard dash
for the touchdown, placekicker Nate Kaeding scored all ten of Iowa’s
points on this day. But it wasn’t enough. The Ohio State Buckeyes
garnered their eighth straight victory over the Hawkeyes, winning 19-10.
November 1
In his last rushing attempt of the game, running back Fred Russell passed
the 1,000-yard mark for the season, becoming only the third Hawkeye
to top 1,000 yards in a season more than once. Iowa beat Illinois,
41-10, at home in Kinnick Stadium.
November 8
Oops! The Hawks lost their third consecutive conference road game when
Purdue racked up 27 points to Iowa’s 14.
Ending the regular season with a 9-3 record, Iowa garnered an invitation to the January 1 Outback Bowl in Tampa, where they were scheduled to meet the Florida Gators.
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