1986 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Season — Schedule, Stats, Results

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Season Snapshot 1986 at a glance

1986 Iowa Football

9-3

Overall

5-3

Big Ten

Bowl

Postseason

Won 39-38 · Holiday Bowl

#16

Final AP rank

Hayden Fry

Head coach

By the Numbers

Power rating

+9.3

Simple Rating System — #22 nationally

Memorable Games

Highest score

vs UTEP on Sep 27

Best defensive game

held them to 3

vs Northern Illinois (57-3)

Closest game

1-point win

vs San Diego State (39-38)

Biggest win

by 62

vs UTEP (69-7)

Rankings & Streaks

Final AP rank

#16

end-of-season Associated Press poll

Longest win streak

consecutive wins during the season

Home record

6-1

at Carver / Kinnick / home court

Road record

3-2

true road games (excludes neutral sites)

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

FEATURED GAME

Beat #17 Michigan State

24 vs 21

at Michigan State · Oct 4, 1986

Signature road win against a ranked opponent

Signature Wins

HOLIDAY BOWL (SAN DIEGO, CA)

Beat San Diego State

39 vs 38

at San Diego State · Dec 30, 1986

Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA) — defining win on the season's biggest stage

VS CY-HAWK

Beat Iowa State

43 vs 7

home vs Iowa State · Sep 13, 1986

Kept the Cy-Hawk — won by 36

VS FLOYD OF ROSEDALE

Beat Minnesota

30 vs 27

at Minnesota · Nov 22, 1986

Kept the Floyd of Rosedale — won by 3

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

HEARTBREAKER

Lost by 3 to Michigan

17 vs 20

at Michigan · Oct 18, 1986

Lost by just 3 in the final minutes

VS A TOP TEAM

Faced #17 Ohio State

10 vs 31

home vs Ohio State · Nov 1, 1986

Tough matchup against #17

TOUGH LOSS

Lost to Illinois

16 vs 20

at Illinois · Nov 8, 1986

Stinging 4-point setback

Compare This Team

See how the 1986 Hawkeyes stack up against another Iowa season.

1986 Schedule 12 games

Date	Opponent	Score
Sep 13	Home Iowa State	43–7	W
Sep 20	Home Northern Illinois	57–3	W
Sep 27	Home UTEP	69–7	W
Oct 4	Away (17) Michigan State	24–21	W
Oct 11	Home Wisconsin	17–6	W
Oct 18	Away (4) Michigan	17–20	L
Oct 25	Home Northwestern	27–20	W
Nov 1	Home (17) Ohio State	10–31	L
Nov 8	Away Illinois	16–20	L
Nov 15	Home Purdue	42–14	W
Nov 22	Away Minnesota	30–27	W
Dec 30	Away San Diego State Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA)	39–38	W

Team & Player Stats

Numbers in plain English. Switch to Advanced to see every column. Full stat tables — passing rates, splits, game-by-game breakdowns.

Per-Game Averages

Points per game

32.6 vs 17.8

Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.

+14.8 points per game

Total yards

— vs —

How many yards Iowa moved the ball, versus how many they let the other team move.

Pass yards

228.1 vs 172.9

Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+55.2 difference per game

Rush yards

192.6 vs 102.6

Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+90.0 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

Quarterback

Mark Vlasic

1,234 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, 4 interceptions (11 games).

Lead rusher

Rick Bayless

1,040 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns over 11 games.

Lead receiver

Jim Mauro

28 catches, 581 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns.

Top tackler

Brad Quast

0 total tackles, — sacks, 2 interceptions.

Team Stats per Game

Stat

Offense

Defense

Diff

Pass Cmp

15.5

13.4

+2.1

Pass Att

26.9

26.5

+0.4

Pass Cmp %

57.8

50.3

+7.5

Pass Yds

228.1

172.9

+55.2

Pass TD

1.6

1.0

+0.6

Rush Att

43.3

38.6

+4.7

Rush Yds

192.6

102.6

+90.0

Rush Y/A

4.5

2.7

+1.8

Rush TD

2.2

0.6

+1.6

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
Mark VlasicQB	11	93	152	61.2	1,234	9	4	8.1	8.1	13.3	112.2	143.7
Tom PoholskyQB	11	64	123	52.0	980	5	8	8.0	5.8	15.3	89.1	119.4
Dan McGwireQB	11	6	12	50.0	174	2	1	14.5	14.1	29.0	15.8	210.1
Chuck HartliebQB	11	7	8	87.5	104	1	0	13.0	15.5	14.9	9.5	238.0
Robert SmithWR	11	1	1	100.0	17	1	0	17.0	37.0	17.0	1.5	572.8

Rushing & Receiving

Player	G	Rushing					Receiving					Scrimmage
		Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Y/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Y/G	Plays	Yds	TD
Rick BaylessRB	11	197	1,040	5.3	9	94.5	30	209	7.0	1	19.0	227	1,249	10
Jim MauroWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	28	581	20.8	5	52.8	28	581	5
David HudsonRB	11	64	468	7.3	6	42.5	7	30	4.3	0	2.7	71	498	6
Quinn EarlyWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	19	433	22.8	2	39.4	19	433	2
Richard BassRB	11	79	351	4.4	4	31.9	5	42	8.4	0	3.8	84	393	4
Robert SmithWR	11	1	-4	-4.0	0	-0.4	22	321	14.6	3	29.2	23	317	3
Mike FlaggTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	15	229	15.3	4	20.8	15	229	4
Marv CookTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	12	204	17.0	0	18.5	12	204	0
Kevin HarmonRB	11	37	154	4.2	3	14.0	6	29	4.8	0	2.6	43	183	3
Kevin RingerRB	11	26	149	5.7	1	13.5	2	12	6.0	0	1.1	28	161	1
Deven HarbertsWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	4	145	36.3	2	13.2	4	145	2
Travis WatkinsWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	4	96	24.0	1	8.7	4	96	1
Grant GoodmanRB	11	20	82	4.1	1	7.5	1	7	7.0	0	0.6	21	89	1
Marc MazzeriWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	8	85	10.6	0	7.7	8	85	0
Marshall CottonRB	11	11	51	4.6	0	4.6	2	27	13.5	0	2.5	13	78	0
Craig ClarkTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	23	7.7	0	2.1	3	23	0
Peter MarcianoWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	18	18.0	0	1.6	1	18	0
Pat CoppingerWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	12	12.0	0	1.1	1	12	0
Steve GreenWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	6	6.0	0	0.5	1	6	0
Chet DavisRB	11	2	3	1.5	0	0.3	0	0	—	0	0.0	2	3	0
Chuck HartliebQB	11	3	3	1.0	0	0.3	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	3	0
Dan McGwireQB	11	3	-23	-7.7	0	-2.1	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	-23	0
Tom PoholskyQB	11	21	-53	-2.5	0	-4.8	0	0	—	0	0.0	21	-53	0
Mark VlasicQB	11	11	-72	-6.5	0	-6.5	0	0	—	0	0.0	11	-72	0

Defense & Fumbles

Player	G	Solo	Ast	Comb	TFL	Sk	Int	Yds	TD	PD	FR	FF
Brad QuastLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	13	0	—	—	—
Bruce GearDL	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	12	0	—	—	—
Dwight SistrunkDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	21	0	—	—	—
George DavisLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	0	—	—	—
Jeff DrostDL	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	36	0	—	—	—
J.J. PukLB	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	0	—	—	—
Keaton SmileyDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	4	20	0	—	—	—
Ken SimsDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	11	0	—	—	—
Kerry BurtDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	3	31	1	—	—	—
Kyle CroweDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	3	21	0	—	—	—
Mark StoopsDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	11	0	—	—	—
Rick SchmidtDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	13	0	—	—	—

Kick & Punt Returns

Player	G	Kick Returns				Punt Returns				APYd
		Ret	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
Peter MarcianoWR	11	0	0	—	0	26	286	11.0	1	304
Robert SmithWR	11	10	169	16.9	0	4	32	8.0	0	518
Kevin HarmonRB	11	9	196	21.8	0	0	0	—	0	379
Kerry BurtDB	11	3	43	14.3	0	1	4	4.0	0	78
Grant GoodmanRB	11	2	21	10.5	0	0	0	—	0	110
Marv CookTE	11	1	8	8.0	0	0	0	—	0	212
Rick BaylessRB	11	1	8	8.0	0	0	0	—	0	1,257

Kicking & Punting

Player	G	XPM	XPA	XP%	FGM	FGA	FG%	Pts	Pnt	Yds	Y/P
Gary KostrubalaP	11	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	46	1,866	40.6
Rob HoughtlinK	11	37	39	94.9	13	20	65.0	76	—	—	—
Marv CookTE	11	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	2	69	34.5

Scoring

Player	G	Rush	Rec	PR	Int	FR	Oth	TD	XPM	XPA	FGM	FGA	Sfty	Pts	Pts/G
Rob HoughtlinK	11	0	0	0	0	—	—	0	37	39	13	20	—	81	7.4
Rick BaylessRB	11	9	1	0	0	—	—	10	0	0	0	0	—	66	6.0
David HudsonRB	11	6	0	0	0	—	—	6	0	0	0	0	—	42	3.8
Jim MauroWR	11	0	5	0	0	—	—	5	0	0	0	0	—	30	2.7
Mike FlaggTE	11	0	4	0	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	30	2.7
Richard BassRB	11	4	0	0	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.2
Kevin HarmonRB	11	3	0	0	0	—	—	3	0	0	0	0	—	18	1.6
Robert SmithWR	11	0	3	0	0	—	—	3	0	0	0	0	—	18	1.6
Deven HarbertsWR	11	0	2	0	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Quinn EarlyWR	11	0	2	0	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Travis WatkinsWR	11	0	1	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Grant GoodmanRB	11	1	0	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Kerry BurtDB	11	0	0	0	1	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Kevin RingerRB	11	1	0	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Peter MarcianoWR	11	0	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Marv CookTE	11	0	0	0	0	—	—	0	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Mark VlasicQB	11	0	0	0	0	—	—	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 13	Iowa State	W 43–7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 20	Northern Illinois	W 57–3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 27	UTEP	W 69–7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 4	@ Michigan State	W 24–21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 11	Wisconsin	W 17–6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 18	@ Michigan	L 17–20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 25	Northwestern	W 27–20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 1	Ohio State	L 10–31	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 8	@ Illinois	L 16–20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 15	Purdue	W 42–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 22	@ Minnesota	W 30–27	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dec 30	@ San Diego State Holiday Bowl	W 39–38	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

1986 Roster 38 players

Player	Class	Pos	Season summary
Dwight Sistrunk	—	DB
Keaton Smiley	—	DB
Ken Sims	—	DB
Kerry Burt	—	DB
Kyle Crowe	—	DB
Mark Stoops	—	DB
Rick Schmidt	—	DB
Bruce Gear	—	DL
Jeff Drost	—	DL
Rob Houghtlin	—	K
Brad Quast	—	LB
George Davis	—	LB
J.J. Puk	—	LB
Gary Kostrubala	—	P
Chuck Hartlieb	—	QB	7 Cmp, 8 Att, 104 Yds, 1 TD
Dan McGwire	—	QB	6 Cmp, 12 Att, 174 Yds, 2 TD
Mark Vlasic	—	QB	108 Cmp, 180 Att, 1456 Yds, 11 TD
Tom Poholsky	—	QB	64 Cmp, 123 Att, 980 Yds, 5 TD
Chet Davis	—	RB	2 Att, 3 Yds, 1.5 Avg
David Hudson	—	RB	73 Att, 511 Yds, 7.0 Avg
Grant Goodman	—	RB	20 Att, 82 Yds, 4.1 Avg
Kevin Harmon	—	RB	41 Att, 182 Yds, 4.4 Avg
Kevin Ringer	—	RB	26 Att, 149 Yds, 5.7 Avg
Marshall Cotton	—	RB	11 Att, 51 Yds, 4.6 Avg
Richard Bass	—	RB	81 Att, 355 Yds, 4.4 Avg
Rick Bayless	—	RB	216 Att, 1150 Yds, 5.3 Avg
Craig Clark	—	TE	3 Rec, 23 Yds, 7.7 Avg
Marv Cook	—	TE	14 Rec, 255 Yds, 18.2 Avg
Mike Flagg	—	TE	19 Rec, 295 Yds, 15.5 Avg
Deven Harberts	—	WR	4 Rec, 145 Yds, 36.3 Avg
Jim Mauro	—	WR	30 Rec, 600 Yds, 20.0 Avg
Marc Mazzeri	—	WR	8 Rec, 85 Yds, 10.6 Avg
Pat Coppinger	—	WR	1 Rec, 12 Yds, 12.0 Avg
Peter Marciano	—	WR	1 Rec, 18 Yds, 18.0 Avg
Quinn Early	—	WR	22 Rec, 490 Yds, 22.3 Avg
Robert Smith	—	WR	22 Rec, 321 Yds, 14.6 Avg
Steve Green	—	WR	1 Rec, 6 Yds, 6.0 Avg
Travis Watkins	—	WR	4 Rec, 96 Yds, 24.0 Avg

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 Iowa Teams

Season	Record	AP Final	Coach	Bowl
1922	7-0	—	Howard Jones	—
1921	7-0	—	Howard Jones	—
1956	9-1	#3	Forest Evashevski	Won — Rose Bowl
1960	8-1	#3	Forest Evashevski	—
1899	8-0-1	—	Alden Knipe	—
1900	7-0-1	—	Alden Knipe	—
2015	12-2	#9	Kirk Ferentz	Lost — Rose Bowl
2009	11-2	#7	Kirk Ferentz	Won — Orange Bowl
2002	11-2	#8	Kirk Ferentz	Lost — Orange Bowl
1991	10-1-1	#10	Hayden Fry	Tied — Holiday Bowl

Iowa Bowl Games

Season	Bowl	Result	Score	Opponent
2025	ReliaQuest Bowl	Won	34-27	vanderbilt
2024	Music City Bowl	Lost	24-27	missouri
2023	Citrus Bowl	Lost	0-35	tennessee
2022	Music City Bowl	Won	21-0	kentucky
2021	Citrus Bowl	Lost	17-20	kentucky
2019	Holiday Bowl	Won	49-24	southern-california
2018	Outback Bowl	Won	27-22	mississippi-state
2017	Pinstripe Bowl	Won	27-20	boston-college
2016	Outback Bowl	Lost	3-30	florida
2015	Rose Bowl	Lost	16-45	stanford
2014	TaxSlayer Bowl	Lost	28-45	tennessee
2013	Outback Bowl	Lost	14-21	louisiana-state
2011	Insight Bowl	Lost	14-31	oklahoma
2010	Insight Bowl	Won	27-24	missouri
2009	Orange Bowl	Won	24-14	georgia-tech
2008	Outback Bowl	Won	31-10	south-carolina
2006	Alamo Bowl	Lost	24-26	texas
2005	Outback Bowl	Lost	24-31	florida
2004	Capital One Bowl	Won	30-25	louisiana-state
2003	Outback Bowl	Won	37-17	florida
2002	Orange Bowl	Lost	17-38	southern-california
2001	Alamo Bowl	Won	19-16	texas-tech
1997	Sun Bowl	Lost	7-17	arizona-state
1996	Alamo Bowl	Won	27-0	texas-tech
1995	Sun Bowl	Won	38-18	washington
1993	Alamo Bowl	Lost	3-37	california
1991	Holiday Bowl	Tied	13-13	brigham-young
1990	Rose Bowl	Lost	34-46	washington
1988	Peach Bowl	Lost	23-28	north-carolina-state
1987	Holiday Bowl	Won	20-19	wyoming
1986	Holiday Bowl	Won	39-38	san-diego-state
1985	Rose Bowl	Lost	28-45	ucla
1984	Freedom Bowl	Won	55-17	texas
1983	Gator Bowl	Lost	6-14	florida
1982	Peach Bowl	Won	28-22	tennessee
1981	Rose Bowl	Lost	0-28	washington
1958	Rose Bowl	Won	38-12	california
1956	Rose Bowl	Won	35-19	oregon-state

Iowa Rivalries

Trophy	Opponent	W-L-T	Years
Cy-Hawk Trophy	Iowa State	47-21	1899–2025
Floyd of Rosedale	Minnesota	54-61-2	1901–2025
Heartland Trophy	Wisconsin	47-48-2	1906–2025
Heroes Trophy	Nebraska	19-26-1	1903–2025

All-time numbers will fill in as historical Iowa schedules are imported.

Best Iowa Defenses

Season	Pts allowed/G	National rank	Record
1899	0.6	#1	8-0
1900	1.5	#3	7-0
1910	2.1	#18	5-2
1929	3.5	#10	4-2
1918	4.0	#14	6-2
1922	4.7	#23	7-0
1935	4.9	#14	4-2
1914	5.1	#21	4-3
1921	5.1	#22	7-0
1928	5.2	#22	6-2

All-Time Single-Season Leaders

Passing yards

Player	Season	Passing
Chuck Hartlieb	1988	3,310
James Vandenberg	2011	3,022
Ricky Stanzi	2010	3,004
Chuck Long	1985	2,978
Nathan Stanley	2019	2,951

Rushing yards

Player	Season	Rushing
Shonn Greene	2008	1,850
Tavian Banks	1997	1,639
Kaleb Johnson	2024	1,537
Marcus Coker	2011	1,384
Fred Russell	2003	1,355

Receiving yards

Player	Season	Receiving
Marvin McNutt	2011	1,315
Keith Chappelle	1980	1,037
Kevin Kasper	2000	1,010
Quinn Early	1987	978
Maurice Brown	2002	966

Tackles

Player	Season	Tackles
Jay Higgins	2023	171
Abdul Hodge	2005	158
Chad Greenway	2005	156
Pat Angerer	2009	145
Jack Campbell	2021	143

AP Poll History

Season	Final AP rank
2025	#17
2023	#24
2021	#23
2020	#16
2019	#15
2018	#25
2015	#9
2009	#7
2008	#20
2004	#8
2003	#8
2002	#8
1996	#18
1995	#25
1991	#10
1990	#18
1987	#16
1986	#16
1985	#10
1984	#16
1983	#14
1981	#18
1960	#3
1958	#2
1957	#6
1956	#3
1953	#9
1939	#9

Updated Jun 1, 5:30 AM

Football History

Season Snapshot 1986 at a glance

1986 Iowa Football

By the Numbers

Memorable Games

Rankings & Streaks

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

Beat #17 Michigan State

Signature Wins

Beat San Diego State

Beat Iowa State

Beat Minnesota

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

Lost by 3 to Michigan

Faced #17 Ohio State

Lost to Illinois

Compare This Team

1986 Schedule 12 games

Team & Player Stats

Per-Game Averages

Top Performers

Team Stats per Game

Player Stats

Passing

Rushing & Receiving

Defense & Fumbles

Kick & Punt Returns

Kicking & Punting

Scoring

Game Logs

1986 Roster 38 players

1986 AP Poll Movement

AP Poll

History Library

Greatest Teams

Bowl Games

Rivalries

Best Defenses

Player Leaders

AP Poll History