Inside The Hawkeyes

The Live Thread: Iowa vs. USC

Hawkeyes, Trojans face off in the Holiday Bowl.
John Bohnenkamp|
The Live Thread: Iowa vs. USC
The Live Thread: Iowa vs. USC

SAN DIEGO — Good afternoon from SDCCU Stadium. Iowa and USC will play in tonight's Holiday Bowl.

Game facts

Time and place — 7 p.m. (CST), SDCCU Stadium, San Diego.

TV — FS1 (Gus Johnson, play-by-play; Joel Klatt, analyst; Jenny Taft, reporter)

Radio — Hawkeye Radio Network. Also on Sirius Ch. 138 and XM Ch. 196.

Records — Iowa 9-3 (6-3 Big Ten), USC 8-4 (7-2 Pac-12)

Series — USC leads, 7-2.

The rankings

College Football Playoff — Iowa is No. 16, USC is No. 22

Associated Press — Iowa is No. 19, USC is No. 22.

Coaches — Iowa is No. 19, USC is No. 23

The lines

Spread — Iowa -2 1/2

Over/under — 52

Moneyline — Iowa -135, USC +115

Pre-game

3:07 p.m. — Some historic facts about SDCCU Stadium:

• Willie Mays hit his 600th home run here in 1969.

• Lou Brock stole his 892nd base here, tying Ty Cobb's record.

• Three Super Bowls were played here.

• Two MLB All-Star Games were played here.

4:25 p.m. — Iowa's Amani Jones is not in uniform tonight.

Jones has been a big part of the Hawkeyes' special teams this season.

4:30 p.m. — It's 60 degrees as we approach game time.

Temperatures will be in the 50s throughout the game. Not a cloud in the sky at the moment.

Hawkeyes have left the field to a loud ovation.

USC injury update:

4:35 p.m. — Additional Iowa injury news from the Hawkeye Radio Network — wide receiver Oliver Martin (shoulder) is out.

Iowa's band with the fight song.

5 p.m. — Iowa has won the toss, and has elected to receive.

The final Swarm of the season:

First quarter

8:25 — The Hawkeyes open the game with a touchdown drive. Nate Stanley goes 3-for-3 for 47 yards on the drive, capped by Tyrone Tracy's 23-yard touchdown run on a reverse. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:35. Iowa 7, USC 0.

4:37 — USC answers with its own touchdown drive. Iowa's Michael Ojemudia nearly had an interception of a Kedon Slovis pass, but it bounced off his hands. Slovis then threw a 30-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown to get into Iowa territory. Then, on third-and-goal from the Iowa 4-yard line, Slovis found Drake London in the back of the end zone. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards. Iowa 7, USC 7.

As the quarter ends, fans and the teams do The Wave.

Second quarter

11:22 — Iowa churns out another touchdown drive. Ihmir Smith-Marsette's 6-yard run puts the Hawkeyes back in the lead. Drive: 15 plays, 72 yards, 8:09. Iowa 14, USC 7.

6:03 — Back and forth we go. Trojans answer with a touchdown. Vavae Malepeai gets behind the Iowa defense for a 16-yard touchdown. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards. Iowa 14, USC 14.

5:48 — Remember that back-and-fourth. Well, Smith-Marsette just returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Iowa 21, USC 14.

1:18 — It's ISM's night. A 12-yard touchdown pass from Stanley, and the Hawkeyes expand the lead. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:07. Iowa 28, USC 14.

0:00 — The Trojans gets points before halftime. Chase McGrath with a 31-yard FG. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards. Iowa 28, USC 17

Halftime numbers

• Stanley is 11-of-12 passing for 130 yards.

• Smith-Marsette has 169 all-purpose yards.

• Iowa has 79 rushing yards, 38 from wide receivers.

Third quarter

13:29 — That was quick. USC takes four plays to get a touchdown. A 55-yard pass from Kedon Slovis to Amon-Ra St. Brown gets the Trojans to the Iowa 2. Stephen Carr follows with a touchdown run. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:31. Iowa 28, USC 24.

11:13 — USC recovers the onside kick, but the Trojans are stopped. Slovis was injured on a second-down play that was ruled a fumble that USC recovered. Backup QB Matt Fink was sacked by Nick Niemann on third down. Max Cooper muffed the ensuing punt, but recovered at the Iowa 10.

3:54 — A textbook Iowa drive. A big pass from Stanley to Smith-Marsette, three consecutive (yes, three) quarterback sneaks, and then a 1-yard TD run from Tyler Goodson. Drive: 15 plays, 90 yards. Iowa 35, USC 24.

2:20 — The Hawkeyes get the ball back on a turnover. Geno Stone forced a fumble from Michael Pittman, and Michael Ojemudia recovers.

1:20 — Iowa does nothing with the punt. A three-and-out for the Hawkeyes, and Michael Sleep-Dalton punts for the first time. 

0:15 — A three-and-out by the Trojans. Iowa will start at its own 32.

Fourth quarter

14:44 — Hawkeyes have to punt after two pass drops. USC starts at its own 11.

13:46 — Kristian Welch recovers the high snap that USC quarterback Matt Fink couldn't handle. Hawkeyes get the ball at the Trojans' 6-yard line.

12:52 — The Hawkeyes are now in control. Stanley with a nice scramble on third down, staying behind the line of scrimmage to throw a touchdown pass to Brandon Smith. Iowa 42, USC 24.

8:11 — Hawkeyes punt for the second time tonight.

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John Bohnenkamp
JOHN BOHNENKAMP

I was with The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) for 28 years, the last 19-plus as sports editor. I've covered Iowa basketball for the last 27 years, Iowa football for the last six seasons. I'm a 17-time APSE top-10 winner, with seven United States Basketball Writers Association writing awards and one Football Writers Association of America award (game story, 1st place, 2017).

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