2020 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2020 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 22nd-year head coach Kirk Ferentz.

2020 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Music City Bowl, No contest vs. Missouri
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 16
Record	6–2 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz (22nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Brian Ferentz (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Phil Parker (9th season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium
Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

2020 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 2 Ohio State xy$^		5	–	0					7	–	1
No. 12 Indiana		6	–	1					6	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					4	–	5
Maryland		2	–	3					2	–	3
Rutgers		3	–	6					3	–	6
Michigan		2	–	4					2	–	4
Michigan State		2	–	5					2	–	5
West Division
No. 10 Northwestern xy		6	–	1					7	–	2
No. 16 Iowa		6	–	2					6	–	2
Wisconsin		3	–	3					4	–	3
Minnesota		3	–	4					3	–	4
Nebraska		3	–	5					3	–	5
Purdue		2	–	4					2	–	4
Illinois		2	–	6					2	–	6
Championship: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Note: Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on October 24. In addition to the title game that was played on December 19, the conference seeded all remaining teams for "championship week" games.[1] Rankings from AP Poll.

On August 11, 2020, the Big Ten Conference canceled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on September 16, the Big Ten reinstated the season, announcing an eight-game season beginning on October 24.^[2] The Hawkeyes compiled a 6–2 record, all in conference games. The team was set to face Missouri in the Music City Bowl, but the game was canceled after Missouri had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues.^[3]

Junior defensive lineman Daviyon Nixon was named Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and was a unanimous First-team All-American.

Schedule

Iowa had games scheduled against Northern Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Illinois, but canceled these games on July 9 due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 24	2:30 p.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	BTN	L 20–24	900
October 31	2:30 p.m.	Northwestern		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN	L 20–21	1,432
November 7	11:00 a.m.	Michigan State		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN	W 49–7	1,441
November 13	6:00 p.m.	at Minnesota		TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (Floyd of Rosedale)	FS1	W 35–7	771
November 21	2:30 p.m.	at Penn State		Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	BTN	W 41–21	1,500
November 27	12:00 p.m.	Nebraska	No. 24	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (The Heroes Game)	FOX	W 26–20	1,469
December 5	2:30 p.m.	at Illinois	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	FS1	W 35–21	875
December 12	2:30 p.m.	Wisconsin	No. 16	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	FS1	W 28–7	1,445
December 19	6:00 p.m.	Michigan	No. 16	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Champions Week)	ESPN	No contest	–
December 30	3:00 p.m.	vs. Missouri*	No. 15	Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN (Music City Bowl)	ESPN	No contest	–
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to game All times are in Central time

| Michigan and Missouri were canceled due to COVID-19.|

^[5]

Roster

2020 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 2 Deuce Hogan Fr QB 11 Connor Kapisak So QB 8 Alex Padilla  So QB 7 Spencer Petras So RB 23 Shadrick Byrd  Fr RB 15 Tyler Goodson So RB 21 Ivory Kelly-Martin Jr RB 20 Keontae Luckett  Fr RB 10 Mekhi Sargent Sr RB 25 Gavin Williams Fr RB 4 Leshon Williams Fr FB 41 Colton Dinsdale Sr FB 40 Turner Pallissard So FB 32 Johnny Plewa  Fr FB 38 Monte Pottebaum So WR 9 Jack Combs Jr WR 19 Max Cooper Sr WR 1 Nolan Donald  Fr WR 26 Jamison Heinz Fr WR 81 Desmond Hutson  Fr WR 27 Jack Johnson Fr WR 16 Charlie Jones Jr WR 83 Alec Kritta  Fr WR 82 Calvin Lockett So WR 14 Quavon Matthews Fr WR 89 Nico Ragaini So WR 29 Jackson Ritter  Fr WR 12 Brandon Smith Sr WR 6 Ihmir Smith-Marsette Sr WR 3 Tyrone Tracy So WR 18 Diante Vines Fr WR 28 Isaiah Wagner Fr WR 17 Wyatt Wegener Fr TE 42 Shaun Beyer Sr TE 88 Jackson Frericks  Fr TE 46 Tommy Kujawa Jr TE 85 Luke Lachey Fr TE 84 Sam LaPorta So TE 80 Josiah Miamen  Fr TE 48 Bryce Schulte Jr TE 47 Andrew Wilson Fr TE 87 Elijah Yelverton Fr OL 61 Cole Banwart Sr OL 63 Justin Britt  Fr OL 51 Coy Cronk Sr OL 56 Nick DeJong  Fr OL 76 Tyler Elsbury Fr OL 55 Luke Empen So OL 69 Tyler Endres  Fr OL 54 Matt Fagan So OL 52 Asher Fahey Fr OL 60 Noah Fenske  Fr OL 73 Cody Ince So OL 77 Alaric Jackson Sr OL 71 Mark Kallenberger Jr OL 72 Coy Kirkpatrick Jr OL 65 Tyler Linderbaum So OL 79 Jack Plumb So OL 78 Mason Richman Fr OL 64 Kyler Schott Jr OL 57 Clayton Thurm  Fr OL 75 Josh Volk Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 13 Joe Evans So DL 94 Yahya Black Fr DL 88 Isaiah Bruce Fr DL 45 Deontae Craig Fr DL 53 Spencer Daufeldt  Fr DL 58 Taylor Fox  Fr DL 57 Chauncey Golston Sr DL 96 Jack Heflin Sr DL 48 Ethan Hurkett Fr DL 66 Dalles Jacobus Sr DL 95 Logan Jones Fr DL 93 Jake Karchinski  Fr DL 85 Logan Lee  Fr DL   Michael Lois Fr DL 43 Matt Lorbeck Sr DL 90 Taajhir McCall  Fr DL 98 Chris Reames  Fr DL 74 Austin Schulte Sr DL 99 Noah Shannon So DL 92 John Waggoner So DL 86 Jameson Witte Fr DL 91 Lukas Van Ness Fr DL 97 Zach VanValkenburg Sr DT 54 Daviyon Nixon Jr DT 50 Louie Stec  Fr LB 47 Nick Anderson Sr LB 44 Seth Benson So LB 31 Jack Campbell So LB 34 Jay Higgins Fr LB 5 Jestin Jacobs  Fr LB 55 Yahweh Jeudy  Fr LB 46 Logan Klemp So LB 49 Nick Niemann Sr LB 40 Josef Smith Fr LB 36 Mike Timm So LB 35 Barrington Wade Sr DB 4 Dane Belton So DB 7 Reggie Bracy Fr DB 20 JuJu Brents So DB 29 Sebastian Castro  Fr DB 15 Dallas Craddieth So DB 17 Brenden Deasfernandes Fr DB 37 Kyler Fisher  Fr DB 8 Matt Hankins Sr DB 27 Jermari Harris  Fr DB 21 Thomas Hartlieb  Fr DB 28 Jack Koerner Jr DB 11 AJ Lawson Fr DB 13 Henry Marchese Jr DB 14 Daraun McKinney  Fr DB 26 Kaevon Merriweather So DB 33 Riley Moss Jr DB 16 Terry Roberts So DB 30 Quinn Schulte  Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 96 Lucas Amaya  Fr K 1 Aaron Blom Fr K 3 Keith Duncan Sr K 94 Caleb Shudak Sr P 2 Ryan Gersonde Jr P 9 Tory Taylor Fr P 45 Nick Phelps So LS 50 Zach Kluver  Fr LS 84 Austin Spiewak Sr LS 97 Liam Reardon Fr	Head coach Kirk Ferentz Coordinators/assistant coaches Brian Ferentz – Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Phil Parker – Defensive Coordinator/Secondary LeVar Woods – Special Teams Coordinator Kelvin Bell – Defensive Line Kelton Copeland – Wide Receivers Derrick Foster – Running Backs/Offensive Recruiting Coordinator Jay Niemann – Assistant Defensive Line/Defensive Recruiting Coordinator Ken O'Keefe – Quarterbacks Tim Polasek– Offensive Line Seth Wallace – Assistant Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Raimond Braithwaite – Interim Director, Strength and Conditioning Kohle Helle – Assistant, Strength and Conditioning Ben Morse – Assistant, Strength and Conditioning Cody Myers – Assistant, Strength and Conditioning Drew Heitland – Nutrition & Performance Analytics Paul Federici – Director, Football Operations Ben Hansen – Assistant Director, Football Operations Sam Brincks – Interim Director, Player Development Scott Southmayd – Director, Player Personnel Tyler Barnes – Director, Recruiting Justin Floyd – Graduate Assistant Dylan Chmura – Graduate Assistant Keeston Terry – Graduate Assistant Shane Viilo – Graduate Assistant Austin Showalter – Director of Football Analytics Martin Hopkins – Football Analyst Tyler Parker – Football Analyst Bob Rahfeldt – Video Coordinator Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 10/11/20

Rankings

Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	24	none	—*	—*	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	RV	RV	24	19	18	17	16
Coaches	23	none	—*	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	RV	24	18	17	16	15
CFP	Not released												24	19	16	16	15	Not released

(*) Big Ten Conference members were not eligible for the Week 2 of the AP and Coaches Polls and Week 3 of the AP due to not having a scheduled season at the time.

Game summaries

At Purdue

See also: 2020 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Iowa at Purdue

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	17	0	3	20
• Boilermakers	7	7	0	10	24

• Date: October 24
• Location:
  Ross–Ade Stadium
  West Lafayette, IN
• Game start: 3:40 p.m. EDT
• Elapsed time: 3:21
• Game attendance: 900
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), Mostly Sunny, Wind NE 9 mph (14 km/h)
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus, Anthony Herron and Coley Harvey

• Source: Box Score

     

Scoring summary

1	7:07	Purdue	David Bell 9-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J.D. Dellinger kick)	Purdue 7–0
2	10:21	Iowa	Spencer Petras 1-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Tied 7–7
	4:42	Iowa	Mekhi Sargent 1-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 14–7
	1:40	Purdue	David Bell 11-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J.D. Dellinger kick)	Tied 14–14
	0:00	Iowa	Keith Duncan 27-yard field goal	Iowa 17–14
4	13:12	Iowa	Keith Duncan 33-yard field goal	Iowa 20–14
	8:20	Purdue	J.D. Dellinger 29-yard field goal	Iowa 20–17
	2:15	Purdue	David Bell 6-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J.D. Dellinger kick)	Purdue 24–20

^[6]

Statistics	IOWA	PUR
First downs	19	24
Total yards	460	386
Rushing yards	195	104
Passing yards	265	282
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	29:49	30:11

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	22–39, 265 yards
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	16 carries, 77 yards
	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	5 receptions, 71 yards
Purdue	Passing	Aidan O'Connell	31–50, 282 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Zander Horvath	21 carries, 129 yards
	Receiving	David Bell	13 receptions, 121 yards, 3 TD

Northwestern

See also: 2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Northwestern at Iowa
Homecoming

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Wildcats	0	14	7	0	21
Hawkeyes	17	3	0	0	20

• Date: October 31
• Location:
  Kinnick Stadium
  Iowa City, IA
• Game start: 2:35 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:16
• Game attendance: 1,432
• Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Clear and Sunny, Wind 15–20 mph (24–32 km/h)
• Referee: Larry Smith
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Allison Williams

• Source: Box Score

    

Scoring summary

1	11:36	Iowa	Brandon Smith 7-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 7–0
	8:36	Iowa	Tyler Goodson 15-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 14–0
	1:43	Iowa	Keith Duncan 22-yard field goal	Iowa 17–0
2	10:20	NW	Kyric McGowan 3-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick)	Iowa 17–7
	7:09	Iowa	Keith Duncan 47-yard field goal	Iowa 20–7
	1:25	NW	Jesse Brown 1-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick)	Iowa 20–14
3	6:05	NW	Jesse Brown 2-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick)	NW 21–20

^[7][8]

Statistics	NW	IOWA
First downs	18	20
Total yards	273	293
Rushing yards	143	77
Passing yards	130	216
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	33:33	26:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Peyton Ramsey	11–18, 130 yards, INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Bowser	25 carries, 85 yards
	Receiving	Kyric McGowan	5 receptions, 63 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	26–50, 216 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	13 carries, 43 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	7 receptions, 84 yards

Michigan State

See also: 2020 Michigan State Spartans football team

Michigan State at Iowa

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	0	7	0	7
• Hawkeyes	14	21	7	7	49

• Date: November 7
• Location:
  Kinnick Stadium
  Iowa City, IA
• Game start: 11:02 a.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 3:20
• Game attendance: 1,441
• Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), Sunny, Wind S 12 mph (19 km/h)
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, and Paul Carcaterra

• Source: Box Score

    

Scoring summary

1	11:07	Iowa	Tyler Goodson 3-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 7–0
	4:31	Iowa	Brandon Smith 14-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 14–0
2	11:16	Iowa	Tyler Goodson 9-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 21–0
	1:57	Iowa	Charlie Jones 54-yard punt return (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 28–0
	1:30	Iowa	Riley Moss 54-yard interception return (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 35–0
3	10:06	MSU	Tyler Hunt 1-yard run (Matt Coghlin kick)	Iowa 35–7
	8:47	Iowa	Mekhi Sargent 2-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 42–7
4	11:57	Iowa	Mekhi Sargent 6-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 49–7

Iowa's first win over Michigan State since 2012, and the Hawkeyes' largest in the 48-game series, gave Kirk Ferentz his 163rd win as coach, passing Joe Paterno in total wins as a Big Ten head coach. The Hawkeyes dominated in all three phases of the game and gave Spartan quarterback Rocky Lombardi a long day, intercepting him three times.^[9]

Statistics	MSU	IOWA
First downs	10	19
Total yards	286	405
Rushing yards	59	226
Passing yards	227	179
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	27:55	32:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan State	Passing	Rocky Lombardi	17–37, 227 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Jordan Simmons	9 carries, 34 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Nailor	4 receptions, 119 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	15–27, 167 yards, TD
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	14 carries, 113 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tyrone Tracy	4 receptions, 38 yards

At Minnesota

See also: 2020 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Iowa at Minnesota
Floyd of Rosedale

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hawkeyes	7	7	0	21	35
Golden Gophers	0	0	0	7	7

• Date: November 13
• Location:
  TCF Bank Stadium
  Minneapolis, MN
• Game start: 6:05 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 3:14
• Game attendance: 771
• Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), Sunny, Wind SE 12 mph (19 km/h)
• Referee: Reggie Smith
• TV announcers (FS1): Aaron Goldsmith and Brady Quinn

• Source: Box Score

   

Scoring summary

1	5:42	Iowa	Nico Ragiani 1-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 7–0
2	8:31	Iowa	Tyler Goodson 7-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 14–0
4	13:12	Iowa	Ihmir Smith-Marsette 7-yard pass from Spencer Petras (PAT failed)	Iowa 20–0
	8:56	Iowa	Tyler Goodson 1-yard run (Tyler Goodson run)	Iowa 28–0
	6:37	Iowa	Mekhi Sargent 14-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 35–0
	0:14	Minn	Rashod Bateman 4-yard pass from Tanner Morgan (Michael Lantz kick)	Iowa 35–7

Iowa has won eight of the last nine meetings in this series. The Hawkeyes dominated the Golden Gophers, winning for the third straight time in Minneapolis, to keep Floyd of Rosedale in Iowa City for a sixth straight year.^[10]

Statistics	IOWA	MINN
First downs	20	19
Total yards	346	312
Rushing yards	235	145
Passing yards	111	167
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	23:50	36:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	9–18, 111 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	20 carries, 142 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tyrone Tracy	3 receptions, 36 yards
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	16–33, 167 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Mohamed Ibrahim	33 carries, 144 yards
	Receiving	Rashod Bateman	8 receptions, 111 yards, TD

At Penn State

See also: 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Iowa at Penn State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hawkeyes	3	21	7	10	41
Nittany Lions	7	0	14	0	21

• Date: November 21
• Location:
  Beaver Stadium
  University Park, PA
• Game start: 3:30 EST
• Elapsed time: 3:26
• Game attendance: 1,500
• Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), Cloudy, rain, Wind NW 7 mph (11 km/h)
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (BTN): Joe Beninati, Matt Millen, and Rick Pizzo

• Source: Box Score

      

Scoring summary

1	8:23	Iowa	Keith Duncan 40-yard field goal	Iowa 3–0
	2:12	PSU	Keyvone Lee 6-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick)	Penn State 7–3
2	14:35	Iowa	Tyler Goodson 10-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 10–7
	6:34	Iowa	Mekhi Sargent 1-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 17–7
	0:11	Iowa	Mekhi Sargent 1-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 24–7
3	6:45	Iowa	Spencer Petras 3-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 31–7
	4:01	PSU	Brenton Strange 28-yard pass from Sean Clifford (kick blocked)	Iowa 31–13
	0:07	PSU	Jahan Dotson 68-yard pass from Sean Clifford (Keyvone Lee pass from S. Clifford)	Iowa 31–21
4	7:14	Iowa	Keith Duncan 24-yard field goal	Iowa 34–21
	1:58	Iowa	Daviyon Nixon 71-yard interception return (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 41–21

Iowa earned their first win over Penn State since 2010, forcing four turnovers in the process. The victory gave Kirk Ferentz his 100th Big Ten win – just the 4th coach in conference history to achieve the feat – and Penn State their first-ever 0–5 start in the program's 134-year history.^[11]

Statistics	IOWA	PSU
First downs	24	19
Total yards	361	342
Rushing yards	175	62
Passing yards	186	280
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	31:50	28:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	18/28, 186 yards
	Rushing	Mekhi Sargent	15 carries, 101 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Nico Ragaini	4 receptions, 46 yards
Penn State	Passing	Sean Clifford	13/22, 174 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Will Levis	15 carries, 34 yards
	Receiving	Jahan Dotson	8 receptions, 139 yards, TD

Nebraska

See also: 2020 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Nebraska at No. 24 Iowa
Heroes Trophy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	0	13	7	0	20
• No. 24 Hawkeyes	10	3	7	6	26

• Date: November 28
• Location:
  Kinnick Stadium
  Iowa City, IA
• Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 3:16
• Game attendance: 1,469
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C), Partly cloudy, Wind NW 11 mph (18 km/h)
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (FOX): Brian Custer, Robert Smith

• Source: Box Score

      

Scoring summary

1	12:06	Iowa	Keith Duncan 32-yard field goal	Iowa 3–0
	1:09	Iowa	Tyrone Tracy 6-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 10–0
2	12:35	Neb	Connor Culp 31-yard field goal	Iowa 10–3
	9:42	Neb	Connor Culp 39-yard field goal	Iowa 10–6
	3:48	Iowa	Keith Duncan 33-yard field goal	Iowa 13–6
	0:29	Neb	Adrian Martinez 1-yard run (Connor Culp kick)	Tied 13–13
3	12:05	Neb	Rahmir Johnson 12-yard run (Connor Culp kick)	Neb 20–13
	5:47	Iowa	Mekhi Sargent 2-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Tied 20–20
4	14:55	Iowa	Keith Duncan 48-yard field goal	Iowa 23–20
	8:21	Iowa	Keith Duncan 37-yard field goal	Iowa 26–20

Iowa was victorious for the sixth straight time – and seventh in eight meetings – against Nebraska. In this back-and-forth game, turnovers in the fourth quarter hurt the Cornhuskers, as they fumbled twice in the last 10:17. The second of which was forced by Chauncey Golston to keep the Heroes Trophy in Iowa City. Senior Keith Duncan kicked four field goals in a game for the fourth time in his career, joining Nate Kaeding as the only Hawkeye kickers to achieve the feat.^[12]

Statistics	NEB	IOWA
First downs	20	22
Total yards	338	322
Rushing yards	143	129
Passing yards	195	193
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	25:36	34:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	18/20, 174 yards
	Rushing	Wan'Dale Robinson Luke McCaffrey	6 carries, 42 yards 5 carries, 42 yards
	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	9 receptions, 75 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	18/30, 193 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	30 carries, 111 yards
	Receiving	Sam LaPorta	5 receptions, 38 yards

At Illinois

See also: 2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Iowa at Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 19 Hawkeyes	0	13	8	14	35
Fighting Illini	7	7	0	7	21

• Date: December 5
• Location:
  Memorial Stadium
  Champaign, IL
• Game start: 2:40 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 3:19
• Game attendance: 875
• Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), Sunny, Wind NE 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins and Ben Leber

• Source: Box Score

     

Scoring summary

1	8:10	Illinois	Daniel Barker 24-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick)	Illinois 7–0
2	13:30	Illinois	Josh Imatorbhebhe 12-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick)	Illinois 14–0
	6:18	Iowa	Sam LaPorta 22-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick)	Illinois 14–7
	2:54	Iowa	Keith Duncan 40-yard field goal	Illinois 14–10
	0:14	Iowa	Keith Duncan 27-yard field goal	Illinois 14–13
3	8:24	Iowa	Ihmir Smith-Marsette 4-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Tyler Goodson pass from Petras)	Iowa 21–14
4	12:40	Iowa	Shaun Beyer 16-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 28–14
	1:56	Iowa	Ihmir Smith-Marsette 13-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 35–14
	0:24	Illinois	Carlos Sandy 29-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick)	Iowa 35–21

Iowa hasn't lost to Illinois since 2008. This was their seventh straight victory in the series and have won 12 of the last 13 overall. Illinois jumped out to a 14–0 lead early but the Hawkeyes put up 35 unanswered points and controlled the line of scrimmage from that point on having the ability to both run and pass the ball effectively.^[13]

Statistics	IOWA	ILL
First downs	22	20
Total yards	424	348
Rushing yards	204	149
Passing yards	220	199
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	30:26	29:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	18/28, 220 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	19 carries, 92 yards
	Receiving	Brandon Smith	5 receptions, 58 yards
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	10/18, 116 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Chase Brown	18 carries, 83 yards
	Receiving	Josh Imatorbhebhe	4 receptions, 48 yards, TD

Wisconsin

See also: 2020 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Wisconsin at Iowa
Heartland Trophy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Badgers	0	0	7	0	7
• No. 16 Hawkeyes	3	3	15	7	28

• Date: December 12
• Location:
  Kinnick Stadium
  Iowa City, IA
• Game start: 2:40 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 3:16
• Game attendance: 1,445
• Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), Overcast, Snow, Wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
• Referee: Larry Smith
• TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman

  

Scoring summary

1	7:12	Iowa	Keith Duncan 40-yard field goal	Iowa 3–0
2	0:01	Iowa	Keith Duncan 45-yard field goal	Iowa 6–0
3	8:49	Iowa	Ihmir Smith-Marsette 19-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Brandon Smith pass from Petras)	Iowa 14–0
	5:42	Wisc	Nakia Watson 1-yard run (Collin Larsh kick)	Iowa 14–7
	1:23	Iowa	Ihmir Smith-Marsette 53-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 21–7
4	4:09	Iowa	Tyler Goodson 80-yard run (Keith Duncan kick)	Iowa 28–7

Iowa won at home over Wisconsin for the first time since 2008 to recapture the bull. After a slow start on the snow-covered field in the first half, the Hawkeyes put up three touchdowns in the second, and were able to stop the Badgers on several fourth down attempts.^[14]

Statistics	WIS	IOWA
First downs	11	13
Total yards	225	338
Rushing yards	56	127
Passing yards	169	211
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	34:11	25:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wisconsin	Passing	Graham Mertz	20/38, 169 yards, INT
	Rushing	Nakia Watson	13 carries, 29 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jack Dunn	5 receptions, 55 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	14/25, 211 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	11 carries, 106 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	7 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD

Michigan

See also: 2020 Michigan Wolverines football team

Michigan at Iowa
Champions Week

Team	1	2	Total
Wolverines			0
No. 16 Hawkeyes			0

• Date: December 19
• Location:
  Kinnick Stadium
  Iowa City, IA
• Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Television network: ESPN

Iowa was looking to avenge a loss in Ann Arbor from previous season, but it was announced on December 15 the game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Wolverines program.^[15]

Vs. Missouri (Music City Bowl)

Main article: 2020 Music City Bowl

See also: 2020 Missouri Tigers football team

Iowa vs. Missouri
Music City Bowl

Team	1	2	Total
No. 15 Hawkeyes			0
Tigers			0

• Date: December 30
• Location:
  Nissan Stadium
  Nashville, TN
• Game start: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Television network: ESPN

^[16]

Due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Tigers' football program, the Music City Bowl was canceled, ending the season for both the Hawkeyes and the Tigers.^[17]

Had the game been played, it would have been the first meeting between Iowa and Missouri in a decade. If Iowa had won the game, it would have given Kirk Ferentz his 10th bowl win, which would have tied Joe Paterno for first all-time in Big 10 history.

Awards and honors

Individual Awards

Player	Award	Ref.
Daviyon Nixon	Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year Smith–Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year	[18]
Tory Taylor	Eddleman–Fields Punter of the Year	[19]

See also: 2020 College Football All-America Team and 2020 All-Big Ten Conference football team

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2021 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	84	Chauncey Golston	DE	Dallas Cowboys
5	157	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	WR	Minnesota Vikings
5	158	Daviyon Nixon	DT	Carolina Panthers
6	185	Nick Niemann	ILB	Los Angeles Chargers