College football is built on rivalries. It is through the historic rivalries that champions and legends are made. Even if there isn’t a Heisman Trophy or National Championship on the line, those rivalries can transcend time.
One of those is the Iowa Hawkeyes versus Iowa State Cyclones rivalry. Playing for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, the rivalry goes all the way back to 1894 and continues to this day. It has become a yearly contest to determine who is the best in Iowa for at least the next calendar year.
Learning more about the history of this rivalry between two of the best football teams in Iowa. Its beginnings, its profession, and what it means today. Let’s take a deeper dive into the Cy-Hawk rivalry and its history.
The All-Time Records
The first thing to look to in any historical matchup is the all-time record between the two teams. There are ebbs and flows throughout a rivalry, with one side typically gaining the upper hand for a short time here and there.
Despite the Cy-Hawk game going back to 1894, there have only been 69 total matchups between the two. The Hawkeyes hold a clear advantage with a 46-23 record. Iowa has historically been the better program of the two, with a few Big Ten conference championships.
They have also threatened to crack the national championship picture on a few occasions, something Iowa State cannot boast.
What Was the Biggest Game in the Rivalry?
Though some may argue recency bias, it is hard to argue against the 2021 matchup being the biggest in the series’ history. Historically speaking, neither school has been a national powerhouse, though Iowa has repeatedly threatened to break the glass ceiling.
For the 2021 matchup, however, it was a different story. Both teams entered the matchup as AP top 10 teams, Iowa State is ranked 9th and Iowa being 10th.
Any time a pair of top 10 teams face off, it is going to be big news. Given that it was the first time both teams faced one another in that capacity, it goes without saying why this particular game meant so much.
Though close through the half, the Hawkeyes would begin to pull away in the third quarter. With a 24-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes never looked back, walking away with a huge 27-17 victory.
How Did the Last Game Go?
The 2022 game did not have the same fanfare that the 2021 matchup brought with it. Both teams came into the contest unranked for the Iowa City showdown. Though Iowa has held the long-term advantage, Iowa State has had its share of upsets throughout the rivalry’s history.
This latest incarnation would be no different. Despite a final score of 10-7 in Iowa State’s favor, the game was much more uneven than that. The Cyclones outgained the Hawkeyes more than 2-to-1 (313 to 150), with more than twice the passing and rushing yards as well.
Iowa managed to bend but not break, limiting the Cyclones where it mattered most: on the scoreboard. A trio of turnovers nearly wound up being Iowa State’s undoing, with a couple of interceptions and a fumble along the way. Even still, the Cyclones managed to grab a decisive fourth-quarter touchdown to walk out of Kinnick Stadium with the win.
The Most Memorable Games in the Series
Like any long-standing matchup between two teams, there are going to be games that stand out. Given that there have been nearly 70 contests between Iowa and Iowa State, a few manage to stick out in the minds of both team’s faithful.
Here are the most memorable matchups between Iowa and Iowa State in their 128-year rivalry history.
September 10, 2011
In the 58 times the two had met prior to this meeting, they had never gone to overtime. The 2011 matchup would change that, and so much more. If you’re going to go to overtime for the first time, why not do it big?
That’s right, one overtime was not enough to decide this game. It took triple-overtime to award the Cy-Hawk Trophy in 2011, arguably one of the most memorable games in the history of Iowa State’s program, not just in this rivalry.
James White of the Cyclones would score the game-winning 4-yard touchdown, giving Iowa State the 44-41 victory in triple overtime. There was a ton of offense in this one as well, seeing both offenses put up more than 800 yards of total offense. Iowa State quarterback Steele Jantz contributed his share with 279 yards and four touchdown passes on the day.
Another fun fact: despite never having a game in the series go to overtime, the two would do so again just six years later. In that one, the Hawkeyes would be on the right side of the 44-41 decision, winning the game in overtime to avenge their earlier loss in extra time.
September 17, 1977
You may have been wondering why, despite the rivalry lasting more than 120 years, there have been fewer than 70 games in the longstanding history between the two programs. Well, that is because the two schools would not play one another for 43 years.
For Iowa fans, it was a long-awaited chance at vindication. Iowa State had won the last game between the two, a 31-6 victory all the way back on October 20, 1934. That meant four decades of bragging rights for Iowa State and a whole lot of waiting for the Hawkeye faithful.
Iowa State came into Kinnick Stadium with a physical representation of that waiting, with “Beat Iowa” scrawled in capital letters on the chest of their uniforms. The game itself may not have been a barnburner, seeing 22 total points on the day.
That said, those 22 points all came within a span of 7:30 in the first half. From then on, it would turn into a defensive battle, one that would see the Hawkeyes avenge their loss four decades ago, capturing the victory at a 12-10 margin.
September 14, 2002
The 2002 matchup between the Cyclones and Hawkeyes is interesting because both sides were about streaks at that point in the rivalry. Iowa had won 15 straight, beginning in 1983 and lasting through 1997. From 1998 to 2001, Iowa State managed to string together a few victories.
Iowa, beginning to rise among the nationally relevant programs in the early 2000s, was itching to get back on the winning side of the ledger. After the first quarter, things were tied in Kinnick Stadium at 7-7. The second quarter, however, gave the Hawkeyes confidence. The black and gold exploded for 17 points, walking into halftime with a commanding 24-7 lead.
Where this game becomes most memorable is for what happened in the third quarter. The Cyclones responded with their own scoring flurry, racking up 23 points in just over 11 minutes. They would take their first lead of the game late in the third quarter thanks to fullback Joe Woodley’s 1-yard touchdown run, jumping ahead 27-24.
The deficit would grow to 36-24, with Iowa making things interesting in the final five minutes by cutting the lead down to 36-31. Future NFL quarterback Seneca Wallace of Iowa State would go 23-for-37 through the air, racking up 361 yards while passing for one touchdown and rushing for another. The Hawkeyes would have to wait another year to avenge their loss, cutting the Iowa State winning streak off at five.
A Deeper Dive Into the Numbers
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to the all-time record between Iowa and Iowa State. Let’s go further than the 69 contests indicates, getting a better feel for the ups and downs that have happened within the rivalry for the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
Iowa’s Largest Win
Iowa has the largest margin of victory in the history of the rivalry. In 1985, the Hawkeyes laid an unmitigated whooping on the Cyclones, crushing them to the tune of 57-3. The game was decided after a 34-point outburst in the second quarter by the Hawkeyes.
Iowa State’s Largest Win
Though Iowa couldn’t gather the shutout in that stomping, Iowa State’s largest margin of victory saw them deliver the goose egg. The 1978 matchup saw the Cyclones win 31-0, not only delivering the embarrassment of a Cyclone win but making the Hawkeyes wait another year to even score.
Iowa’s Longest Winning Streak
From 1983-1997, it was all Hawkeyes. During that 15-game winning streak, things got ugly on a few occasions. Iowa would rack up scores like 51-10 (1983), 59-21 (1984), 57-3 (1985), 48-9 (1987), and 63-20 (1997) for some of the biggest wins in the series.
Iowa State’s Longest Winning Streak
Iowa State, coming off that embarrassing string of losses, found success in the early aughts. The Cyclones managed five-straight victories starting in 1998 and lasting through the shocker in 2002.
Aside from the 27-9 victory to break the Iowa winning stream in 1998, every other affair was tight, with three of the five wins being decided by a touchdown or less.
