Missouri allowed 7.5 yards per play in the first half of the Music City Bowl against Iowa, and that doesn’t include a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown by the Hawkeyes on special teams. The 7.5 yards per play is the most for Iowa since 2019 against Middle Tennessee, a Blue Raider team that finished 4-8 that season.

Brandon Sullivan, who spent most of the season as the backup to starting quarterback Cade McNamara, threw 8/9 for 88 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He also added five carries for 31 yards. His performance was characterized by loose coverage with no pressure from the Mizzou defensive line, which allowed him to play with ease on quick passes.

“We knew at halftime that if we could just contain the quarterback run, we would be fine. “(Sullivan)’s struggles hurt us,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

Even without Doak Walker finalist halfback Kaleb Johnson, who decided to prepare for the NFL Draft, the Hawkeyes rushed for 107 yards on 6.1 yards per carry in the first half, showing their ability to run the football in all three facets to move.

Missed tackles were a big problem in the first half as this move from Sullivan caused a stir across America. The defensive performance was particularly surprising considering there were no escape options on that side of the ball.

However, the narrative that the Tigers were dominated was dashed in the second half as they embraced the season’s mantra of offense and after a lackluster first half, the Tigers produced a near-perfect second half.

With a 21-14 lead and possession early in the second half, Iowa had a great chance to score points and give the Hawkeyes the first two possessions of the game. However, the Missouri defense received its first forced stop of the day and forced Iowa to punt, keeping the game within reach.

I say the first “forced stop” because the Hawkeyes’ only punt in the first half came on two Iowa unforced errors: a drop on third down and short by a Hawkeye tight end who was wide open and Kirk Ferentz decided not to try on fourth-and-short in Tigers territory, even though his offense was averaging more than seven yards per play.

Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s defense seemed to adapt very well to Iowa’s offense, at least on the passing side, as his team allowed just 17 yards of passing on the first two drives of the half. Iowa was still making progress with chunk runs, one of the few things their offense had done well up to that point.

As the stops began to pile up for Mizzou, the careless penalties and missed tackles that were key to Iowa’s first-half lead were erased. Sullivan suddenly looked like the Iowa quarterback the college football world had become accustomed to in recent years: He missed throws and couldn’t escape the pressure.

After the field goal to start the half, the Tigers forced either a turnover or a three-and-out to end every Iowa drive the rest of the game. The turnover was a third-down interception by Toriano Pride Jr., which I believe was indicative of the defense’s shift in the second half. Missouri simply put in more effort, which allowed them to operate more efficiently.

The changes in defensive system and mentality resulted in the Hawkeyes only allowing 3.6 yards per play in the second half, with Sullivan finishing with just 131 yards passing after amassing just 43 yards in the second half . On the rushing side, the Hawkeyes’ yards per carry fell 1.7 yards per carry in the second half to a much healthier 4.4 yards per (in the eyes of the Missouri defense, of course).

“We were pretty good early in the game,” Iowa fullback Kaden Wetjen said. “They just made some defensive changes. I can’t tell you what stopped us, but we made some mental mistakes.”

Third downs were also a big turning point in the second half, as the Hawkeyes shot an incredible 80% from third down in the first half and just 12.5% ​​in the second half.

“That was a focus. Four of five in the first half,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Then we were 6 out of 13 ahead in the overall standings, you can do the math. That’s 1-8 in the second half. This is relevant.”

The good defensive play didn’t stop there, as the Tigers stuffed the previously strong Hawkeye running game on multiple occasions, including a game-winning quarterback sneak by Sullivan on fourth-and-short. The play was originally stuffed by tackle ace Corey Flagg Jr. jumping over the line, which stopped Sullivan just enough for Daylan Carnell to break through and stop him. The stop sealed the game and gave the Tigers a 10-win season, the first time they had won the title in back-to-back years since 2013-14.