FEATURED GAME
Beat #11 Penn State
7
vs
6
Signature road win against a ranked opponent
Football History
Season Snapshot 1976 at a glance
1976 Iowa Football
5-6
Overall
3-5
Big Ten
Bob Commings
Head coach
By the Numbers
Power rating
+3.1
Simple Rating System — #58 nationally
Memorable Games
Highest score
41
vs Syracuse on Sep 18
Best defensive game
held them to 3
vs Syracuse (41-3)
Closest game
1-point win
vs (11) Penn State (7-6)
Biggest win
by 38
vs Syracuse (41-3)
Rankings & Streaks
Longest win streak
2
consecutive wins during the season
Home record
2-3
at Carver / Kinnick / home court
Road record
3-3
true road games (excludes neutral sites)
Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers
Signature Wins
VS FLOYD OF ROSEDALE
Beat Minnesota
22
vs
12
Kept the Floyd of Rosedale — won by 10
BLOWOUT WIN
Beat Syracuse
41
vs
3
Wire-to-wire control — won by 38
ROAD WIN
Beat Michigan State
30
vs
17
Quality road victory
Heartbreakers & Tough Tests
VS A TOP TEAM
Faced #10 Ohio State
14
vs
34
Tough matchup against #10
VS HEARTLAND TROPHY
Faced Wisconsin
21
vs
38
Trophy game came up just short
VS A TOP TEAM
Faced #13 USC
0
vs
55
Tough matchup against #13
Compare This Team
See how the 1976 Hawkeyes stack up against another Iowa season.
1976 Schedule 11 games
| Date | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11 | Away Illinois | 6–24 | L |
| Sep 18 | Home Syracuse | 41–3 | W |
| Sep 25 | Away (11) Penn State | 7–6 | W |
| Oct 2 | Away (13) USC | 0–55 | L |
| Oct 9 | Home (10) Ohio State | 14–34 | L |
| Oct 16 | Home Indiana | 7–14 | L |
| Oct 23 | Away Minnesota | 22–12 | W |
| Oct 30 | Home Northwestern | 13–10 | W |
| Nov 6 | Away Wisconsin | 21–38 | L |
| Nov 13 | Home Purdue | 0–21 | L |
| Nov 20 | Away Michigan State | 30–17 | W |
Team & Player Stats
Per-Game Averages
Points per game
14.6
vs
21.3
Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.
-6.6 points per game
Total yards
—
vs
—
How many yards Iowa moved the ball, versus how many they let the other team move.
Pass yards
88.4
vs
104.6
Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.
-16.2 difference per game
Rush yards
194.9
vs
188.4
Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.
+6.5 difference per game
First downs
—
vs
—
A first down means a fresh set of four tries — earning more is good.
Turnovers
—
vs
—
Times Iowa lost the ball (lower is better) versus times the defense took it back (higher is better).
Top Performers
Team Stats per Game
Stat
Offense
Defense
Diff
Pass Cmp
5.5
8.2
-2.7
Pass Att
14.8
18.5
-3.7
Pass Cmp %
36.8
44.1
-7.3
Pass Yds
88.4
104.6
-16.2
Pass TD
0.5
0.7
-0.2
Rush Att
51.1
49.6
+1.5
Rush Yds
194.9
188.4
+6.5
Rush Y/A
3.8
3.8
0.0
Rush TD
1.4
1.7
-0.3
Plays
—
—
—
Total Yds
—
—
—
Yds/Play
—
—
—
1st Downs
—
—
—
Penalties
—
—
—
Penalty Yds
—
—
—
Fumbles
—
—
—
Interceptions
—
—
—
Turnovers
—
—
—
Player Stats
Passing
| Player | G | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Y/A | AY/A | Y/C | Y/G | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butch CaldwellQB | 11 | 37 | 101 | 36.6 | 616 | 3 | 11 | 6.1 | 1.8 | 16.6 | 56.0 | 75.9 |
| Tom McLaughlinQB | 11 | 22 | 57 | 38.6 | 356 | 2 | 3 | 6.2 | 4.6 | 16.2 | 32.4 | 92.1 |
| Doug PiroQB | 11 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | -11.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -25.0 |
| James ArkeilpaneRB | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Rushing & Receiving
| Player | G | Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Y/A | TD | Y/G | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Y/G | Plays | Yds | TD | ||
| Jon LazarRB | 11 | 95 | 392 | 4.1 | 3 | 35.6 | 7 | 85 | 12.1 | 0 | 7.7 | 102 | 477 | 3 |
| Ernie SheelerRB | 11 | 85 | 362 | 4.3 | 3 | 32.9 | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 0 | 4.7 | 90 | 414 | 3 |
| Tom RennRB | 11 | 91 | 355 | 3.9 | 3 | 32.3 | 5 | 41 | 8.2 | 0 | 3.7 | 96 | 396 | 3 |
| Butch CaldwellQB | 11 | 125 | 389 | 3.1 | 4 | 35.4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 125 | 389 | 4 |
| Bill SchultzWR | 11 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 1.3 | 10 | 288 | 28.8 | 4 | 26.2 | 11 | 302 | 4 |
| Dennis MosleyRB | 11 | 33 | 247 | 7.5 | 1 | 22.5 | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 0 | 1.3 | 37 | 261 | 1 |
| Tom GrineTE | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 12 | 195 | 16.3 | 0 | 17.7 | 12 | 195 | 0 |
| Nate WinstonRB | 11 | 39 | 182 | 4.7 | 1 | 16.5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 39 | 182 | 1 |
| Mike BradyWR | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | 154 | 17.1 | 0 | 14.0 | 9 | 154 | 0 |
| Jim McNultyWR | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 6 | 119 | 19.8 | 1 | 10.8 | 6 | 119 | 1 |
| Bobby Lawson | 11 | 18 | 85 | 4.7 | 0 | 7.7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 18 | 85 | 0 |
| Daryl WallsRB | 11 | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 0 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 45 | 0 |
| James ArkeilpaneRB | 11 | 10 | 19 | 1.9 | 0 | 1.7 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 0.7 | 11 | 27 | 0 |
| Dave SchickRB | 11 | 11 | 26 | 2.4 | 0 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 11 | 26 | 0 |
| Tom McLaughlinQB | 11 | 33 | 23 | 0.7 | 0 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 33 | 23 | 0 |
| John ThomasRB | 11 | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | 0 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 21 | 0 |
| Jesse CookRB | 11 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0.3 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 1.5 | 3 | 19 | 0 |
| Doug PiroQB | 11 | 9 | -19 | -2.1 | 0 | -1.7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | -19 | 0 |
Scoring
| Player | G | Rush | Rec | PR | KR | Int | FR | Oth | TD | XPM | XPA | FGM | FGA | 2PM | Sfty | Pts | Pts/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill SchultzWR | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 2.2 |
| Butch CaldwellQB | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 2.2 |
| Tom RennRB | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 1.6 |
| Ernie SheelerRB | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 1.6 |
| Jon LazarRB | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 1.6 |
| Dennis MosleyRB | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0.5 |
| Nate WinstonRB | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0.5 |
| Jim McNultyWR | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0.5 |
Game Logs
| Date | Opp | Rslt | Passing | Rushing | Total | Penalties | TO | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | Rate | Att | Yds | TD | Plays | Yds | Y/P | No | Yds | FL | Int | TO | |||
| Sep 11 | @ Illinois | L 6–24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 18 | Syracuse | W 41–3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 25 | @ Penn State | W 7–6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 2 | @ USC | L 0–55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 9 | Ohio State | L 14–34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 16 | Indiana | L 7–14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 23 | @ Minnesota | W 22–12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 30 | Northwestern | W 13–10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 6 | @ Wisconsin | L 21–38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 13 | Purdue | L 0–21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 20 | @ Michigan State | W 30–17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1976 Roster 18 players
| Player | Class | Pos | Season summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butch Caldwell | — | QB | 37 Cmp, 101 Att, 616 Yds, 3 TD |
| Doug Piro | — | QB | 1 Cmp, 4 Att, 0 Yds, 0 TD |
| Tom McLaughlin | — | QB | 22 Cmp, 57 Att, 356 Yds, 2 TD |
| Daryl Walls | — | RB | 5 Att, 45 Yds, 9.0 Avg |
| Dave Schick | — | RB | 11 Att, 26 Yds, 2.4 Avg |
| Dennis Mosley | — | RB | 33 Att, 247 Yds, 7.5 Avg |
| Ernie Sheeler | — | RB | 85 Att, 362 Yds, 4.3 Avg |
| James Arkeilpane | — | RB | 10 Att, 19 Yds, 1.9 Avg |
| Jesse Cook | — | RB | 2 Att, 3 Yds, 1.5 Avg |
| John Thomas | — | RB | 5 Att, 21 Yds, 4.2 Avg |
| Jon Lazar | — | RB | 95 Att, 392 Yds, 4.1 Avg |
| Nate Winston | — | RB | 39 Att, 182 Yds, 4.7 Avg |
| Tom Renn | — | RB | 91 Att, 355 Yds, 3.9 Avg |
| Tom Grine | — | TE | 12 Rec, 195 Yds, 16.3 Avg |
| Bill Schultz | — | WR | 10 Rec, 288 Yds, 28.8 Avg |
| Jim McNulty | — | WR | 6 Rec, 119 Yds, 19.8 Avg |
| Mike Brady | — | WR | 9 Rec, 154 Yds, 17.1 Avg |
| Bobby Lawson | — | — |
1976 AP Poll Movement
Iowa wasn't ranked in the AP poll this season.
History Library
Chapters of Iowa football history
Explore Iowa football history by chapter. Dive into legendary seasons, unforgettable rivalries, and the program's rich tradition.
Greatest Teams
The squads that defined greatness in Iowa history.
Bowl Games
Iowa's iconic bowl performances.
Rivalries
Historic matchups that shaped tradition.
Best Defenses
The stingiest units to ever wear black & gold.
Player Leaders
Single-season stars in passing, rushing, and tackles.
AP Poll History
Iowa's standing through the national rankings.
Updated Oct 21, 12:30 AM