1990 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Season — Schedule, Stats, Results

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Seasons All-Time Records In the NFL Legends

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1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990

Season Snapshot 1990 at a glance

1990 Iowa Football

8-4

Overall

6-2

Big Ten

Bowl

Postseason

Lost 34-46 · Rose Bowl

#18

Final AP rank

Hayden Fry

Head coach

By the Numbers

Power rating

+12.9

Simple Rating System — #17 nationally

Memorable Games

Highest score

vs Cincinnati on Sep 15

Best defensive game

held them to 7

vs (18) Michigan State (12-7)

Closest game

1-point win

vs (10) Michigan (24-23)

Biggest win

by 53

vs Cincinnati (63-10)

Rankings & Streaks

Final AP rank

#18

end-of-season Associated Press poll

Longest win streak

consecutive wins during the season

Home record

5-1

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 #5 Illinois

54 vs 28

at Illinois · Nov 3, 1990

Signature road win against a ranked opponent

Signature Wins

ROAD WIN

Beat #10 Michigan

24 vs 23

at Michigan · Oct 20, 1990

Signature road win against a ranked opponent

ROAD WIN

Beat #18 Michigan State

12 vs 7

at Michigan State · Oct 6, 1990

Signature road win against a ranked opponent

VS HEARTLAND TROPHY

Beat Wisconsin

30 vs 10

home vs Wisconsin · Oct 13, 1990

Kept the Heartland Trophy — won by 20

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

ROSE BOWL (PASADENA, CA)

Lost to Washington

34 vs 46

vs Washington (neutral) · Jan 1, 1991

Came up short on the season's biggest stage

HEARTBREAKER

Lost by 1 to Ohio State

26 vs 27

home vs Ohio State · Nov 10, 1990

Lost by just 1 in the final minutes

VS A TOP TEAM

Faced #10 Miami (FL)

21 vs 48

at Miami (FL) · Sep 29, 1990

Tough matchup against #10

Compare This Team

See how the 1990 Hawkeyes stack up against another Iowa season.

1990 Schedule 12 games

Date	Opponent	Score
Sep 15	Home Cincinnati	63–10	W
Sep 22	Home Iowa State	45–35	W
Sep 29	Away (10) Miami (FL)	21–48	L
Oct 6	Away (18) Michigan State	12–7	W
Oct 13	Home Wisconsin	30–10	W
Oct 20	Away (10) Michigan	24–23	W
Oct 27	Home Northwestern	56–14	W
Nov 3	Away (5) Illinois	54–28	W
Nov 10	Home Ohio State	26–27	L
Nov 17	Home Purdue	38–9	W
Nov 24	Away Minnesota	24–31	L
Jan 1	Neutral (8) Washington Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)	34–46	L

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

35.6 vs 24.0

Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.

+11.6 points per game

Total yards

— vs —

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

Pass yards

194.6 vs 203.7

Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.

-9.1 difference per game

Rush yards

232.7 vs 99.5

Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+133.2 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

Quarterback

Matt Rodgers

2,032 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 7 interceptions (11 games).

Lead rusher

Nick Bell

945 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns over 11 games.

Lead receiver

Danan Hughes

28 catches, 398 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns.

Top tackler

Eddie Polly

0 total tackles, — sacks, 1 interceptions.

Team Stats per Game

Stat

Offense

Defense

Diff

Pass Cmp

16.3

17.3

-1.0

Pass Att

25.9

31.7

-5.8

Pass Cmp %

62.8

54.4

+8.4

Pass Yds

194.6

203.7

-9.1

Pass TD

1.5

1.3

+0.2

Rush Att

48.9

35.6

+13.3

Rush Yds

232.7

99.5

+133.2

Rush Y/A

4.8

2.8

+2.0

Rush TD

3.1

1.3

+1.8

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	172	276	62.3	2,032	14	7	7.4	7.2	11.8	184.7	135.8
Jim HartliebQB	10	5	7	71.4	71	1	0	10.1	13.0	14.2	7.1	203.8
Danan HughesWR	11	1	1	100.0	35	0	0	35.0	35.0	35.0	3.2	394.0
Tony StewartRB	11	1	1	100.0	3	1	0	3.0	23.0	3.0	0.3	455.2

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	11	155	945	6.1	10	85.9	18	223	12.4	2	20.3	173	1,168	12
Tony StewartRB	11	150	823	5.5	3	74.8	11	113	10.3	1	10.3	161	936	4
Danan HughesWR	11	1	10	10.0	0	0.9	28	398	14.2	5	36.2	29	408	5
Sean SmithWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	24	361	15.0	2	32.8	24	361	2
Lew MontgomeryRB	7	46	195	4.2	6	27.9	14	105	7.5	0	15.0	60	300	6
Michael TitleyWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	28	278	9.9	3	25.3	28	278	3
Jon FilloonWR	9	0	0	—	0	0.0	19	269	14.2	0	29.9	19	269	0
Paul KujawaRB	10	32	146	4.6	2	14.6	15	100	6.7	0	10.0	47	246	2
Marvin LampkinRB	11	38	161	4.2	3	14.6	1	9	9.0	0	0.8	39	170	3
Mike SaundersWR	10	2	2	1.0	0	0.2	13	166	12.8	2	16.6	15	168	2
Jim HartliebQB	10	16	161	10.1	2	16.1	0	0	—	0	0.0	16	161	2
Alan CrossTE	9	0	0	—	0	0.0	6	89	14.8	0	9.9	6	89	0
Matt RodgersQB	11	76	52	0.7	7	4.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	76	52	7
Ernest CrankRB	3	9	41	4.6	0	13.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	9	41	0
Bill LangeOL	7	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	16	16.0	0	2.3	1	16	0
Matt WhitakerTE	10	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	14	14.0	1	1.4	1	14	1
Jason WilsonRB	3	3	11	3.7	0	3.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	11	0
Eric SlowikRB	2	2	11	5.5	0	5.5	0	0	—	0	0.0	2	11	0
Pete MiddletonRB	8	4	10	2.5	1	1.3	0	0	—	0	0.0	4	10	1
Paul BurmeisterQB	2	2	7	3.5	0	3.5	0	0	—	0	0.0	2	7	0
Cliff KingRB	4	1	4	4.0	0	1.0	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	4	0

Defense & Fumbles

Player	G	Solo	Ast	Comb	TFL	Sk	Int	Yds	TD	PD	FR	FF
Eddie PollyDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	3	0	—	—	—
Gary ClarkDB	10	—	—	—	—	—	3	45	0	—	—	—
Jason OlejniczakDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	3	34	1	—	—	—
John DerbyLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	9	0	—	—	—
Melvin FosterLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	14	0	—	—	—
Merton HanksDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	3	27	0	—	—	—

Kick & Punt Returns

Player	G	Kick Returns				Punt Returns				APYd
		Ret	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
Jeff AnttilaKR	11	16	285	17.8	0	20	218	10.9	0	503
Danan HughesWR	11	15	309	20.6	0	0	0	—	0	717
Sean SmithWR	11	3	55	18.3	0	0	0	—	0	416
Merton HanksDB	11	0	0	—	0	2	53	26.5	0	80
Doug BuchDB	9	0	0	—	0	6	16	2.7	0	16
Marvin LampkinRB	11	1	12	12.0	0	0	0	—	0	182
Ron RyanKR	10	1	6	6.0	0	0	0	—	0	6

Kicking & Punting

Player	G	XPM	XPA	XP%	FGM	FGA	FG%	Pts	Pnt	Yds	Y/P
Jim HujsakP	11	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	44	1,628	37.0
Jeff SkillettK	11	45	48	93.8	12	18	66.7	81	—	—	—

Scoring

Player	G	Rush	Rec	Int	FR	Oth	TD	XPM	XPA	FGM	FGA	Sfty	Pts	Pts/G
Nick BellRB	11	10	2	0	—	—	12	0	0	0	0	—	84	7.6
Jeff SkillettK	11	0	0	0	—	—	0	45	48	12	18	—	83	7.5
Matt RodgersQB	11	7	0	0	—	—	7	0	0	0	0	—	54	4.9
Lew MontgomeryRB	7	6	0	0	—	—	6	0	0	0	0	—	36	5.1
Danan HughesWR	11	0	5	0	—	—	5	0	0	0	0	—	30	2.7
Tony StewartRB	11	3	1	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.2
Marvin LampkinRB	11	3	0	0	—	—	3	0	0	0	0	—	18	1.6
Michael TitleyWR	11	0	3	0	—	—	3	0	0	0	0	—	18	1.6
Mike SaundersWR	10	0	2	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	18	1.8
Jim HartliebQB	10	2	0	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.2
Paul KujawaRB	10	2	0	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.2
Sean SmithWR	11	0	2	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Pete MiddletonRB	8	1	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.8
Matt WhitakerTE	10	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.6
Jason OlejniczakDB	11	0	0	1	—	—	1	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 15	Cincinnati	W 63–10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 22	Iowa State	W 45–35	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 29	@ Miami (FL)	L 21–48	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 6	@ Michigan State	W 12–7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 13	Wisconsin	W 30–10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 20	@ Michigan	W 24–23	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 27	Northwestern	W 56–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 3	@ Illinois	W 54–28	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 10	Ohio State	L 26–27	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 17	Purdue	W 38–9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 24	@ Minnesota	L 24–31	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jan 1	vs Washington Rose Bowl	L 34–46	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

1990 Roster 32 players

Player	Class	Pos	Season summary
Doug Buch	—	DB
Eddie Polly	—	DB
Gary Clark	—	DB
Jason Olejniczak	—	DB
Merton Hanks	—	DB
Jeff Skillett	—	K
Jeff Anttila	—	KR
Ron Ryan	—	KR
John Derby	—	LB
Melvin Foster	—	LB
Bill Lange	—	OL
Jim Hujsak	—	P
Jim Hartlieb	—	QB	5 Cmp, 7 Att, 71 Yds, 1 TD
Matt Rodgers	—	QB	187 Cmp, 310 Att, 2228 Yds, 15 TD
Paul Burmeister	—	QB
Cliff King	—	RB	1 Att, 4 Yds, 4.0 Avg
Eric Slowik	—	RB	2 Att, 11 Yds, 5.5 Avg
Ernest Crank	—	RB	9 Att, 41 Yds, 4.6 Avg
Jason Wilson	—	RB	3 Att, 11 Yds, 3.7 Avg
Lew Montgomery	—	RB	50 Att, 221 Yds, 4.4 Avg
Marvin Lampkin	—	RB	38 Att, 161 Yds, 4.2 Avg
Nick Bell	—	RB	166 Att, 1009 Yds, 6.1 Avg
Paul Kujawa	—	RB	34 Att, 162 Yds, 4.8 Avg
Pete Middleton	—	RB	4 Att, 10 Yds, 2.5 Avg
Tony Stewart	—	RB	157 Att, 844 Yds, 5.4 Avg
Alan Cross	—	TE	7 Rec, 98 Yds, 14.0 Avg
Matt Whitaker	—	TE	2 Rec, 23 Yds, 11.5 Avg
Danan Hughes	—	WR	29 Rec, 410 Yds, 14.1 Avg
Jon Filloon	—	WR	20 Rec, 322 Yds, 16.1 Avg
Michael Titley	—	WR	29 Rec, 280 Yds, 9.7 Avg
Mike Saunders	—	WR	18 Rec, 265 Yds, 14.7 Avg
Sean Smith	—	WR	24 Rec, 361 Yds, 15.0 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 1990 at a glance

1990 Iowa Football

By the Numbers

Memorable Games

Rankings & Streaks

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

Beat #5 Illinois

Signature Wins

Beat #10 Michigan

Beat #18 Michigan State

Beat Wisconsin

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

Lost to Washington

Lost by 1 to Ohio State

Faced #10 Miami (FL)

Compare This Team

1990 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

1990 Roster 32 players

1990 AP Poll Movement

AP Poll

History Library

Greatest Teams

Bowl Games

Rivalries

Best Defenses

Player Leaders

AP Poll History