1997 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Season — Schedule, Stats, Results

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Season Snapshot 1997 at a glance

1997 Iowa Football

7-5

Overall

4-4

Big Ten

Bowl

Postseason

Lost 7-17 · Sun Bowl

Hayden Fry

Head coach

1997 Schedule 12 games

Date	Opponent	Score
Sep 6	Home Northern Iowa	66–0	W
Sep 13	Home Tulsa	54–16	W
Sep 20	Away Iowa State	63–20	W
Sep 27	Home Illinois	38–10	W
Oct 4	Away (7) Ohio State	7–23	L
Oct 18	Away (5) Michigan	24–28	L
Oct 25	Home Indiana	62–0	W
Nov 1	Home (18) Purdue	35–17	W
Nov 8	Away Wisconsin	10–13	L
Nov 15	Away Northwestern	14–15	L
Nov 22	Home Minnesota	31–0	W
Dec 31	Neutral (16) Arizona State Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX)	7–17	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

34.2 vs 13.2

Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.

+21.0 points per game

Total yards

423.5 vs 244.5

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

+179.0 difference per game

Pass yards

188.5 vs 144.3

Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+44.2 difference per game

Rush yards

235.0 vs 100.2

Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+134.8 difference per game

First downs

18.3 vs 12.8

A first down means a fresh set of four tries — earning more is good.

+5.5 difference per game

Turnovers

2.0 vs 2.5

Times Iowa lost the ball (lower is better) versus times the defense took it back (higher is better).

-0.5 difference per game

Top Performers

Quarterback

Matt Sherman

1,079 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 6 interceptions (6 games).

Lead rusher

Tavian Banks

1,639 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns over 11 games.

Lead receiver

Tim Dwight

39 catches, 653 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns.

Top tackler

Ed Gibson

0 total tackles, — sacks, 2 interceptions.

Team Stats per Game

Stat

Offense

Defense

Diff

Pass Cmp

11.9

11.5

+0.4

Pass Att

22.2

25.8

-3.6

Pass Cmp %

53.7

44.7

+9.0

Pass Yds

188.5

144.3

+44.2

Pass TD

2.1

1.1

+1.0

Rush Att

44.7

34.2

+10.5

Rush Yds

235.0

100.2

+134.8

Rush Y/A

5.3

2.9

+2.4

Rush TD

2.3

0.5

+1.8

Plays

66.9

60.0

+6.9

Total Yds

423.5

244.5

+179.0

Yds/Play

6.3

4.1

+2.2

1st Downs

18.3

12.8

+5.5

Penalties

5.6

5.3

+0.3

Penalty Yds

46.9

49.5

-2.6

Fumbles

1.0

0.8

+0.2

Interceptions

1.0

1.6

-0.6

Turnovers

2.0

2.5

-0.5

Splits

Offense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Home	6.0	6.0	0.0	205.8	281.7	487.5	1.8
Road	5.0	1.0	4.0	167.6	179.0	346.6	2.2

Defense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Home	6.0	6.0	0.0	116.7	65.7	182.3	2.7
Road	5.0	1.0	4.0	177.4	141.6	319.0	2.2

Offense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Loss	4.0	0.0	4.0	124.0	165.5	289.5	2.5
Win	7.0	7.0	0.0	225.3	274.7	500.0	1.7

Defense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Loss	4.0	0.0	4.0	126.5	179.8	306.3	2.0
Win	7.0	7.0	0.0	154.4	54.7	209.1	2.7

Offense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
November	4.0	2.0	2.0	135.3	225.5	360.8	2.0
October	3.0	1.0	2.0	166.7	148.0	314.7	3.0
September	4.0	4.0	0.0	258.0	309.8	567.8	1.3

Defense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
November	4.0	2.0	2.0	146.3	92.0	238.3	2.5
October	3.0	1.0	2.0	139.3	173.7	313.0	3.3
September	4.0	4.0	0.0	146.0	53.3	199.3	1.8

Offense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Saturday	11.0	7.0	4.0	188.5	235.0	423.5	2.0

Defense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Saturday	11.0	7.0	4.0	144.3	100.2	244.5	2.5

Offense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Big 12	1.0	1.0	0.0	342.0	233.0	575.0	1.0
Big Ten	8.0	4.0	4.0	154.4	195.6	350.0	2.4
Non-Major	1.0	1.0	0.0	279.0	379.0	658.0	0.0
WAC	1.0	1.0	0.0	217.0	408.0	625.0	2.0

Defense

Value	G	W	L	Pass Yds	Rush Yds	Total Yds	TO
Big 12	1.0	1.0	0.0	381.0	-11.0	370.0	3.0
Big Ten	8.0	4.0	4.0	134.8	128.0	262.8	2.6
Non-Major	1.0	1.0	0.0	—	—	—	—
WAC	1.0	1.0	0.0	128.0	89.0	217.0	3.0

Player Stats

Passing

Player	G	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate
Matt ShermanQB	6	74	136	54.4	1,079	11	6	7.9	7.6	14.6	179.8	138.9
Randy ReinersQB	10	50	95	52.6	837	11	4	8.8	9.2	16.7	83.7	156.4
Tim DwightWRH-7,AA	11	2	2	100.0	86	1	0	43.0	53.0	43.0	7.8	626.2
Kory HauserQB	6	2	3	66.7	36	0	0	12.0	12.0	18.0	6.0	167.5
Scott MullenQB	3	2	7	28.6	22	0	1	3.1	-3.3	11.0	7.3	26.4
Rob TheinRB	11	1	1	100.0	13	0	0	13.0	13.0	13.0	1.2	209.2

Rushing & Receiving

Player	G	Rushing					Receiving					Scrimmage
		Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Y/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Y/G	Plays	Yds	TD
Tavian BanksRB	11	246	1,639	6.7	17	149.0	18	200	11.1	2	18.2	264	1,839	19
Tim DwightWRH-7,AA	11	8	85	10.6	0	7.7	39	653	16.7	8	59.4	47	738	8
Damon GibsonWR	11	1	-4	-4.0	0	-0.4	23	516	22.4	4	46.9	24	512	4
Rob TheinRB	11	75	377	5.0	3	34.3	6	77	12.8	3	7.0	81	454	6
Doug MillerRB	11	8	175	21.9	0	15.9	3	25	8.3	0	2.3	11	200	0
Michael BurgerRB	11	32	149	4.7	2	13.5	5	47	9.4	0	4.3	37	196	2
Tony CollinsWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	7	134	19.1	1	12.2	7	134	1
Richard WillockWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	9	117	13.0	2	10.6	9	117	2
Randy ReinersQB	10	54	110	2.0	1	11.0	0	0	—	0	0.0	54	110	1
Austin WheatleyTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	7	108	15.4	1	9.8	7	108	1
Trevor BollersRB	10	10	100	10.0	0	10.0	0	0	—	0	0.0	10	100	0
Chris KnipperTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	6	60	10.0	1	5.5	6	60	1
Jed DullTE	7	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	57	19.0	0	8.1	3	57	0
Ricchard CarterWR	9	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	47	15.7	1	5.2	3	47	1
Scott MullenQB	3	8	32	4.0	1	10.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	8	32	1
Kevin KasperWR	10	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	19	19.0	0	1.9	1	19	0
Henry PollioRB	8	1	2	2.0	1	0.3	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	2	1
Matt ShermanQB	6	28	-49	-1.8	0	-8.2	1	13	13.0	0	2.2	29	-36	0

Defense & Fumbles

Player	G	Solo	Ast	Comb	TFL	Sk	Int	Yds	TD	PD	FR	FF
Ed GibsonDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	67	0	—	—	—
Eric ThigpenDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	3	30	0	—	—	—
Jared Devries*DL	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	12	0	—	—	—
Jason HouseDL	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	2	0	—	—	—
Jeff KramerDL	9	—	—	—	—	—	2	30	0	—	—	—
Joe SlatteryDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	0	—	—	—
J.P. LangeDB	7	—	—	—	—	—	1	60	1	—	—	—
Kerry CooksDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	45	1	—	—	—
Matt BowenDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	126	1	—	—	—
Plez AtkinsDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	13	0	—	—	—
Raj ClarkLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	14	0	—	—	—
Tarig HolmanDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	6	0	—	—	—
Tariq PetersonDL	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	0	—	—	—
Tony CollinsWR	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	13	0	—	—	—

Kick & Punt Returns

Player	G	Kick Returns				Punt Returns				APYd
		Ret	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
Tim DwightWR	11	8	229	28.6	0	19	367	19.3	3	1,334
Tony CollinsWR	11	1	27	27.0	0	13	236	18.2	1	410
Ricchard CarterWR	9	5	114	22.8	0	0	0	—	0	161
Damon GibsonWR	11	5	67	13.4	0	0	0	—	0	579
Joe SlatteryDB	11	0	0	—	0	2	17	8.5	0	17
Rob TheinRB	11	1	1	1.0	0	0	0	—	0	455
Chris KnipperTE	11	1	-2	-2.0	0	0	0	—	0	58

Kicking & Punting

Player	G	XPM	XPA	XP%	FGM	FGA	FG%	Pts	Pnt	Yds	Y/P
Jason BakerP	10	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	44	1,783	40.5
Austin WheatleyTE	11	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	5	205	41.0
Zach BromertK	11	50	53	94.3	7	16	43.8	71	—	—	—
Greg McLaughlinK	11	1	1	100.0	0	0	—	1	—	—	—
_ JohnsonK	3	0	0	—	0	3	0.0	0	—	—	—

Scoring

Player	G	Rush	Rec	PR	Int	FR	Oth	TD	XPM	XPA	FGM	FGA	Sfty	Pts	Pts/G
Tavian BanksRB	11	17	2	0	0	—	—	19	0	0	0	0	—	114	10.4
Zach BromertK	11	0	0	0	0	—	—	0	50	53	7	16	—	71	6.5
Tim DwightWR	11	0	8	3	0	—	—	11	0	0	0	0	—	66	6.0
Rob TheinRB	11	3	3	0	0	—	—	6	0	0	0	0	—	36	3.3
Damon GibsonWR	11	0	4	0	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.2
Tony CollinsWR	11	0	1	1	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Richard WillockWR	11	0	2	0	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Michael BurgerRB	11	2	0	0	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Scott MullenQB	3	1	0	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	2.0
Randy ReinersQB	10	1	0	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.6
Chris KnipperTE	11	0	1	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Henry PollioRB	8	1	0	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.8
J.P. LangeDB	7	0	0	0	1	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.9
Kerry CooksDB	11	0	0	0	1	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Matt BowenDB	11	0	0	0	1	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Austin WheatleyTE	11	0	1	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Ricchard CarterWR	9	0	1	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.7
Greg McLaughlinK	11	0	0	0	0	—	—	0	1	1	0	0	—	1	0.1

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 6	UNI	W 66–0	14	23	279	5	12.1	234.5	47	379	4	70	658	9.4	6	61	0	0	0
Sep 13	Tulsa	W 54–16	17	27	217	3	8.0	159.7	51	408	4	78	625	8.0	5	40	1	1	2
Sep 20	@ Iowa State	W 63–20	15	21	342	4	16.3	261.6	41	233	4	62	575	9.3	9	77	0	1	1
Sep 27	Illinois	W 38–10	12	22	194	2	8.8	158.6	41	219	2	63	413	6.6	6	51	2	0	2
Oct 4	@ Ohio State	L 7–23	19	38	202	1	5.3	98.1	35	106	0	73	308	4.2	1	5	2	1	3
Oct 18	@ Michigan	L 24–28	8	21	86	0	4.1	43.9	31	101	2	52	187	3.6	7	56	1	3	4
Oct 25	Indiana	W 62–0	9	18	212	3	11.8	192.8	43	237	3	61	449	7.4	8	77	1	1	2
Nov 1	Purdue	W 35–17	12	21	191	2	9.1	145.9	62	298	3	83	489	5.9	7	51	2	2	4
Nov 8	@ Wisconsin	L 10–13	8	22	137	1	6.2	94.6	37	172	0	59	309	5.2	4	36	1	1	2
Nov 15	@ Northwestern	L 14–15	4	10	71	0	7.1	79.6	55	283	2	65	354	5.4	3	15	0	1	1
Nov 22	Minnesota	W 31–0	13	21	142	2	6.8	150.1	49	149	1	70	291	4.2	6	47	1	0	1
Dec 31	vs Arizona State Sun Bowl	L 7–17	12	27	190	1	7.0	115.8	30	19	0	57	209	3.7	7	44	1	0	1

1997 Roster 35 players

Player	Class	Pos	Season summary
Ed Gibson	—	DB
Eric Thigpen	—	DB
Joe Slattery	—	DB
J.P. Lange	—	DB
Kerry Cooks	—	DB
Matt Bowen	—	DB
Plez Atkins	—	DB
Bart Palmer	—	DL
Jared Devries*	—	DL
Jason House	—	DL
Jeff Kramer	—	DL
Tariq Peterson	—	DL
Greg McLaughlin	—	K
Zach Bromert	—	K
Raj Clark	—	LB
Jason Baker	—	P
Kory Hauser	—	QB	2 Cmp, 3 Att, 36 Yds, 0 TD
Matt Sherman	—	QB	82 Cmp, 158 Att, 1199 Yds, 11 TD
Randy Reiners	—	QB	54 Cmp, 100 Att, 907 Yds, 12 TD
Scott Mullen	—	QB	2 Cmp, 7 Att, 22 Yds, 0 TD
Doug Miller	—	RB	28 Att, 175 Yds, 6.3 Avg
Henry Pollio	—	RB	1 Att, 2 Yds, 2.0 Avg
Michael Burger	—	RB	33 Att, 150 Yds, 4.5 Avg
Rob Thein	—	RB	78 Att, 382 Yds, 4.9 Avg
Tavian Banks	—	RB	260 Att, 1691 Yds, 6.5 Avg
Trevor Bollers	—	RB	10 Att, 100 Yds, 10.0 Avg
Austin Wheatley	—	TE	7 Rec, 108 Yds, 15.4 Avg
Chris Knipper	—	TE	7 Rec, 64 Yds, 9.1 Avg
Jed Dull	—	TE	3 Rec, 57 Yds, 19.0 Avg
Damon Gibson	—	WR	26 Rec, 595 Yds, 22.9 Avg
Kevin Kasper	—	WR	1 Rec, 19 Yds, 19.0 Avg
Ricchard Carter	—	WR	3 Rec, 47 Yds, 15.7 Avg
Richard Willock	—	WR	10 Rec, 123 Yds, 12.3 Avg
Tim Dwight	—	WR	42 Rec, 704 Yds, 16.8 Avg
Tony Collins	—	WR	8 Rec, 146 Yds, 18.3 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 Oct 21, 12:30 AM

Football History

Season Snapshot 1997 at a glance

1997 Iowa Football

By the Numbers

Memorable Games

Rankings & Streaks

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

Beat #18 Purdue

Signature Wins

Beat Iowa State

Beat Minnesota

Beat Northern Iowa

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

Faced Wisconsin

Lost to Arizona State

Faced #5 Michigan

Compare This Team

1997 Schedule 12 games

Team & Player Stats

Per-Game Averages

Top Performers

Team Stats per Game

Splits

Offense

Defense

Offense

Defense

Offense

Defense

Offense

Defense

Offense

Defense

Player Stats

Passing

Rushing & Receiving

Defense & Fumbles

Kick & Punt Returns

Kicking & Punting

Scoring

Game Logs

1997 Roster 35 players

1997 AP Poll Movement

AP Poll

Greatest Teams

Bowl Games

Rivalries

Best Defenses

Player Leaders

AP Poll History

Greatest Iowa Teams

Iowa Bowl Games

Iowa Rivalries

Best Iowa Defenses

All-Time Single-Season Leaders

Passing yards

Rushing yards

Receiving yards

Tackles

AP Poll History