Bizarro Hawkeyes arrive just in time to douse flames on Iowa's season

Iowa 27, Missouri 24 The template for Iowa's descent from Big Ten contender to rapidly imploding star over the second half of the season went something like this: a) Struggle offensively, especially on the ground; b) Run out of gas defensively, and c) Let a late lead slip away en route to a gut-punch defeat. All four of the Hawkeyes' losses after mid-October came by virtue of opponents' come-from-behind touchdown drives in the final five minutes – three of them in final two minutes – and they only escaped an upset at Indiana when the Hoosiers dropped the game-winning touchdown on their last offensive snap.

As it turns out, the formula for victory in tonight's Insight Bowl was a) Unleash an obscure freshman back for a dominant night on the ground, b) Yield well over 500 yards total offense for only the second time in five years, and c) Storm back for the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, after blowing a 10-point lead in the third. Is it possible that their problem this whole time has been timing?

For starters, it might have helped to have had Marcus Coker in the backfield on a more regular basis, based on his 219-yard outburst – two yards better than former All-American Shonn Greene's career high – in the absence of the Hawkeyes' leading rusher and receiver. Coker gashed the Missouri D for two first half touchdowns, one of them from 62 yards out, and earned a target squarely on his back as a candidate for a sophomore breakout in 2011.

It also helped to have a defense that responded in the face of pressure for a change. After Iowa held the Tigers to just 10 points on three red zone trips in the first half, the momentum began to snowball for Missouri with back-to-back touchdown drives in the third quarter and a Ricky Stanzi interception to open the fourth, giving the Tigers the ball with a chance to add a dagger to their 24-20 advantage. Instead of another fold by the defense, though, the Hawkeyes buckled to down to force Mizzou into a three-and-out, an interception brought back for Iowa's go-ahead touchdown and a turnover on downs on their final three possessions.

Most importantly, watching Micah Hyde's 72-yard pick-six return helps the general morale in Iowa City to not hit the offseason on a four-game losing streak, on top of all the other unpleasantness that's stricken the team over the last two weeks. By no stretch of the imagination will a season that began in the top 10 and ended with five losses – two of them at the hands of Northwestern and Minnesota – go down as a success. But with a little gumption and one truly awful throw by Blaine Gabbert, at least there's something to take into the new year other than total dejection.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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