Caden Buhr kicked a 42-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to lift No. 21 Iowa over Iowa State 16-13 on September 12, 2026, at Kinnick Stadium. The dramatic finish averted an upset for the Hawkeyes in another notoriously tight Cy-Hawk rivalry game.
Kyle Konrardy waited on the opposing sideline, ready to repeat history. The Iowa State kicker had previously delivered victory in tight Cy-Hawk battles with long field goals in past seasons, but this time, the Hawkeyes managed to keep him off the field when it mattered most. Instead, it was an Iowa walk-on who stole the spotlight in front of 69,250 breathless fans in Iowa City.
Caden Buhr Delivers the Game-Winning Kick for Iowa
Caden Buhr, a walk-on from Bettendorf, handled all three of his field goal attempts perfectly. He connected from 45 yards out in the first half before adding kicks from 32 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter.
“Words can’t describe that feeling. You’re out on the field. You’re with your teammates. You’ve dreamed of this your whole life. It was pretty cool.”
Caden Buhr, Iowa kicker
The victory moved Iowa to 2-0 on the young season, though the win required surviving a defensive slugfest.
Hank Brown Navigates Wire-to-Wire Duty at Quarterback
Quarterback Hank Brown played every snap for the Hawkeyes under center.
Brown finished 21-for-30 passing for 191 yards while adding 22 rushing yards and the team’s only offensive touchdown. He avoided turnovers entirely, a crucial factor in a game where running lanes remained scarce. Wide receiver Tony Diaz provided a primary spark in the passing game, hauling in eight receptions for 95 yards.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz noted that while the coaching staff initially planned to rotate quarterbacks—utilizing Jeremy Hecklinski as they had a week prior in a 40-0 victory over Northern Illinois—the flow of the game dictated otherwise.
“The plan was to play both of them. We’re totally comfortable doing that. And then you get into a game and you just kind of play the situation, if you will. They made it rough on (Brown). But I thought he stayed in there and came up with some big plays.”
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa head coach
Reflecting on Past Lessons in Tight Finishes
For Brown, steering the offense through a tight finish marked a stark contrast from a year ago. This time around, when faced with an identical 16-13 score in the dying minutes, Iowa turned exclusively to the ground game. After taking over at their own 45-yard line with 4:28 remaining, the Hawkeyes called running plays on seven consecutive snaps, moving the chains twice to drain the clock before Buhr’s winning kick.
Reflecting on his growth since last season’s setback, Brown emphasized the trust he holds for his teammates.
“I learned that I can lean on my guys. I’ve got 10 guys around me that are studs that I know are going to fight for all 60 minutes, and they’re not going to give up until there’s zeroes on that clock.”
Hank Brown, Iowa quarterback
Iowa left tackle Trevor Lauck acknowledged the razor-thin margins that continually define the storied intrastate rivalry. This win was really good for us,
Lauck said, noting that the Cyclones always deliver their strongest effort.
Looking Ahead for the Hawkeyes
Ferentz described the contest as a hard-fought battle that will yield valuable lessons for his roster as tougher conference matchups loom on the horizon. The Hawkeyes return to action next week to host Northern Iowa, providing another opportunity for the team to evaluate its quarterback rotation and fine-tune an offense that largely relied on defense and special teams to escape September 12 with a win.
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