Iowa’s Marshall Koehn Beats Pittsburgh With 57-Yard Field Goal To End Game

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is going to keep Iowa guessing. He first seemed to injure his left hip on his 9-yard touchdown scramble that gave Iowa a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

When Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi replaced Chad Voytik at quarterback with Nate Peterman in last week’s 24-7 win over Akron, it created the school’s first in-season quarterback controversy since 2008.

With the ball at the Iowa 42-yard line, Pitt opted for a punt when they needed only a few inches.

ABOUT IOWA (2-0): Beathard has completed 61.2 percent of his 49 passes this season for 426 yards and four TDs without an interception and has run for 103 yards and two scores. The Panthers are coming off a 24-7 victory at Akron, while Iowa defeated Iowa State 31-17 last week.

There was a moment before the game that Iowa fans won’t forget, too. LeShun Daniels Jr. (179 yards) and Jordan Canzeri (152 yards) average a combined 5.3 yards per carry while Matt Vandeberg already has 15 receptions – one more than he had all of last season. Moving Whitehead to safety continues to look like a curious decision since, as I said at the time, Pitt was more set on safety than they were at corner. In the season opener, Ollison rushed for 207 yards in just two quarters. It is believed to be the first rugby-style punt of the Kirk Ferentz era. In a tight game, that often makes the difference and if Pitt expects to win, they’ll likely need kicker Chris Blewitt (yes, actual name – ALL THE JOKES) to come through.

After Narduzzi tried to ice him, Koehn split the uprights from 57-yards, the second longest field goal in school history behind Tim Douglass’ 58-yarder in 1998. They gave up 37 points to Youngstown State, but 14 of those came late in the game on 70+ yard plays on an extremely hot day where I suspect the defense was getting worn down.

His presence provided more versatility in Iowa’s passing game, and even though No. 1 tight end Jake Duzey remained out (torn patellar tendon), he seems closer to returning.

Iowa opened the scoring on a 6-yard run by Beathard; a quarterback draw not often utilized by the Hawkeyes.

So, without its best player, Iowa’s defense stated a strong case as the best unit on the field Saturday night.

Former Iowa defensive back Brett Greenwood will serve as an honorary captain, in addition to being in the locker room with the team before and after the game. Iowa also honored former defensive back Tyler Sash and all-time leading basketball scorer Roy Marble with a moment of silence.