FEATURED GAME
Beat Iowa State
31
vs
21
Kept the Cy-Hawk — won by 10
Football History
Season Snapshot 1989 at a glance
1989 Iowa Football
5-6
Overall
3-5
Big Ten
Hayden Fry
Head coach
By the Numbers
Shutouts
1
Purdue
Power rating
-2.0
Simple Rating System — #62 nationally
Memorable Games
Highest score
35
vs Northwestern on Oct 28
Best defensive game
held them to 0
vs Purdue (24-0)
Closest game
3-point loss
vs (24) Michigan State (14-17)
Biggest win
by 24
vs Purdue (24-0)
Rankings & Streaks
Longest win streak
2
consecutive wins during the season
Home record
1-5
at Carver / Kinnick / home court
Road record
4-1
true road games (excludes neutral sites)
Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers
Signature Wins
VS HEARTLAND TROPHY
Beat Wisconsin
31
vs
24
Kept the Heartland Trophy — won by 7
BLOWOUT WIN
Beat Purdue
24
vs
0
Wire-to-wire control — won by 24
ROAD WIN
Beat Northwestern
35
vs
22
Quality road victory
Heartbreakers & Tough Tests
HEARTBREAKER
Lost by 3 to Michigan State
14
vs
17
Lost by just 3 in the final minutes
VS A TOP TEAM
Faced #5 Michigan
12
vs
26
Tough matchup against #5
VS A TOP TEAM
Faced #8 Illinois
7
vs
31
Tough matchup against #8
Compare This Team
See how the 1989 Hawkeyes stack up against another Iowa season.
1989 Schedule 11 games
| Date | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16 | Home Oregon | 6–44 | L |
| Sep 23 | Away Iowa State | 31–21 | W |
| Sep 30 | Home Tulsa | 30–22 | W |
| Oct 7 | Home (24) Michigan State | 14–17 | L |
| Oct 14 | Away Wisconsin | 31–24 | W |
| Oct 21 | Home (5) Michigan | 12–26 | L |
| Oct 28 | Away Northwestern | 35–22 | W |
| Nov 4 | Home (8) Illinois | 7–31 | L |
| Nov 11 | Away Ohio State | 0–28 | L |
| Nov 18 | Away Purdue | 24–0 | W |
| Nov 25 | Home Minnesota | 7–43 | L |
Team & Player Stats
Per-Game Averages
Points per game
17.9
vs
25.3
Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.
-7.4 points per game
Total yards
—
vs
—
How many yards Iowa moved the ball, versus how many they let the other team move.
Pass yards
223.2
vs
203.0
Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.
+20.2 difference per game
Rush yards
120.3
vs
146.5
Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.
-26.2 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
17.8
16.5
+1.3
Pass Att
32.0
29.0
+3.0
Pass Cmp %
55.7
57.1
-1.4
Pass Yds
223.2
203.0
+20.2
Pass TD
1.2
1.2
0.0
Rush Att
36.5
43.6
-7.1
Rush Yds
120.3
146.5
-26.2
Rush Y/A
3.3
3.4
-0.1
Rush TD
1.2
1.6
-0.4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt RodgersQB | 11 | 178 | 312 | 57.1 | 2,222 | 12 | 13 | 7.1 | 6.0 | 12.5 | 202.0 | 121.2 |
| Tom PoholskyQB | 5 | 13 | 31 | 41.9 | 142 | 0 | 3 | 4.6 | 0.2 | 10.9 | 28.4 | 61.1 |
| Mike SaundersWR | 11 | 2 | 3 | 66.7 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 22.0 | 28.7 | 33.0 | 6.0 | 361.5 |
| Jim HartliebQB | 9 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 6.3 | -5.0 | 8.3 | 2.8 | 77.5 |
| Michael TitleyTE | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Tony StewartRB | 10 | 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 | ||
| Nick BellRB | 10 | 117 | 603 | 5.2 | 4 | 60.3 | 12 | 96 | 8.0 | 1 | 9.6 | 129 | 699 | 5 |
| Travis WatkinsWR | 10 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 0.8 | 36 | 583 | 16.2 | 4 | 58.3 | 37 | 591 | 4 |
| Mike SaundersWR | 11 | 35 | 158 | 4.5 | 2 | 14.4 | 28 | 343 | 12.3 | 2 | 31.2 | 63 | 501 | 4 |
| Danan HughesWR | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 28 | 471 | 16.8 | 2 | 42.8 | 28 | 471 | 2 |
| Tony StewartRB | 10 | 92 | 356 | 3.9 | 4 | 35.6 | 11 | 79 | 7.2 | 0 | 7.9 | 103 | 435 | 4 |
| Richard BassRB | 11 | 54 | 211 | 3.9 | 0 | 19.2 | 17 | 99 | 5.8 | 2 | 9.0 | 71 | 310 | 2 |
| Peter MarcianoWR | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 19 | 305 | 16.1 | 1 | 27.7 | 19 | 305 | 1 |
| Michael TitleyTE | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 22 | 256 | 11.6 | 0 | 23.3 | 22 | 256 | 0 |
| John PalmerTE | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 13 | 136 | 10.5 | 1 | 12.4 | 13 | 136 | 1 |
| Marvin LampkinRB | 6 | 7 | 25 | 3.6 | 0 | 4.2 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 1.2 | 8 | 32 | 0 |
| Lew MontgomeryRB | 11 | 9 | 16 | 1.8 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 0 | 1.3 | 12 | 30 | 1 |
| Scott NeumanWR | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 4.3 | 3 | 30 | 0 |
| Jon FilloonWR | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 27 | 27.0 | 0 | 5.4 | 1 | 27 | 0 |
| Jim HartliebQB | 9 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 0 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 19 | 0 |
| Alan CrossTE | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 0.6 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Tom PoholskyQB | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Matt RodgersQB | 11 | 79 | -74 | -0.9 | 2 | -6.7 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 0.3 | 80 | -71 | 2 |
Defense & Fumbles
| Player | G | Solo | Ast | Comb | TFL | Sk | Int | Yds | TD | PD | FR | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad QuastLB | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 34 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Eddie PollyDB | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 11 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Leroy Smith*DL | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Merton HanksDB | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Tork HookDB | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
Kick & Punt Returns
| Player | G | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | APYd | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| Mike SaundersWR | 11 | 27 | 525 | 19.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 1,026 |
| Danan HughesWR | 11 | 11 | 216 | 19.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 687 |
| Peter MarcianoWR | 11 | 4 | 67 | 16.8 | 0 | 25 | 145 | 5.8 | 0 | 517 |
| Marvin LampkinRB | 6 | 3 | 64 | 21.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 96 |
| Merton HanksDB | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 2 | 37 | 18.5 | 0 | 50 |
| Lew MontgomeryRB | 11 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 44 |
| Eddie PollyDB | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 22 |
| Alan CrossTE | 10 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 11 |
| Richard BassRB | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 310 |
| Michael TitleyTE | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 256 |
Kicking & Punting
| Player | G | XPM | XPA | XP% | FGM | FGA | FG% | Pts | Pnt | Yds | Y/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim HujsakP | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 50 | 1,928 | 38.6 |
| Sean SnyderP | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 7 | 237 | 33.9 |
| George MurphyK | 11 | 23 | 24 | 95.8 | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 35 | — | — | — |
| Jeff SkillettK | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | — | — | — |
Scoring
| Player | G | Rush | Rec | PR | KR | Int | FR | Oth | TD | XPM | XPA | FGM | FGA | 2PM | Sfty | Pts | Pts/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George MurphyK | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 23 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | 35 | 3.2 |
| Nick BellRB | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 3.0 |
| Travis WatkinsWR | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 2.4 |
| Mike SaundersWR | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 2.2 |
| Tony StewartRB | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 2.4 |
| Danan HughesWR | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1.1 |
| Richard BassRB | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1.1 |
| Matt RodgersQB | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1.1 |
| John PalmerTE | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0.5 |
| Peter MarcianoWR | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0.5 |
| Lew MontgomeryRB | 11 | 1 | 0 | 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 16 | Oregon | L 6–44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 23 | @ Iowa State | W 31–21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 30 | Tulsa | W 30–22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 7 | Michigan State | L 14–17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 14 | @ Wisconsin | W 31–24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 21 | Michigan | L 12–26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 28 | @ Northwestern | W 35–22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 4 | Illinois | L 7–31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 11 | @ Ohio State | L 0–28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 18 | @ Purdue | W 24–0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 25 | Minnesota | L 7–43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1989 Roster 26 players
| Player | Class | Pos | Season summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Polly | — | DB | |
| Merton Hanks | — | DB | |
| Tork Hook | — | DB | |
| Leroy Smith* | — | DL | |
| George Murphy | — | K | |
| Jeff Skillett | — | K | |
| Brad Quast | — | LB | |
| Jim Hujsak | — | P | |
| Sean Snyder | — | P | |
| Jim Hartlieb | — | QB | 3 Cmp, 4 Att, 25 Yds, 0 TD |
| Matt Rodgers | — | QB | 178 Cmp, 312 Att, 2222 Yds, 12 TD |
| Tom Poholsky | — | QB | 13 Cmp, 31 Att, 142 Yds, 0 TD |
| Lew Montgomery | — | RB | 9 Att, 16 Yds, 1.8 Avg |
| Marvin Lampkin | — | RB | 7 Att, 25 Yds, 3.6 Avg |
| Nick Bell | — | RB | 117 Att, 603 Yds, 5.2 Avg |
| Richard Bass | — | RB | 54 Att, 211 Yds, 3.9 Avg |
| Tony Stewart | — | RB | 92 Att, 356 Yds, 3.9 Avg |
| Alan Cross | — | TE | 1 Rec, 6 Yds, 6.0 Avg |
| John Palmer | — | TE | 13 Rec, 136 Yds, 10.5 Avg |
| Michael Titley | — | TE | 22 Rec, 256 Yds, 11.6 Avg |
| Danan Hughes | — | WR | 28 Rec, 471 Yds, 16.8 Avg |
| Jon Filloon | — | WR | 1 Rec, 27 Yds, 27.0 Avg |
| Mike Saunders | — | WR | 28 Rec, 343 Yds, 12.3 Avg |
| Peter Marciano | — | WR | 19 Rec, 305 Yds, 16.1 Avg |
| Scott Neuman | — | WR | 3 Rec, 30 Yds, 10.0 Avg |
| Travis Watkins | — | WR | 36 Rec, 583 Yds, 16.2 Avg |
1989 AP Poll Movement
AP Poll
Season
NR
Final Ranking
Season Summary
- Highest Rank
- #23
- Lowest Rank
- #24
- Weeks in Poll
- 2
- Total Weeks
- 12
Week-by-week rankings
Pre
#23
9/12
#24
9/19
NR
9/26
NR
10/3
NR
10/10
NR
10/17
NR
10/24
NR
10/31
NR
11/7
NR
11/14
NR
11/21
NR
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Updated Jun 1, 5:30 AM