2010 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2010 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 2010 college football season. The Hawkeyes, led by 12th year head coach Kirk Ferentz, were members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Iowa came off of a 11–2 season in 2009, in which they finished with a number 7 ranking and a victory over Georgia Tech in the 2010 Orange Bowl. Many players from the previous season returned, including Ricky Stanzi, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Marvin McNutt, Adrian Clayborn and Tyler Sash, which led to high expectations among Hawkeye fans. The Hawkeyes finished the regular season 7–5 (4–4 Big Ten) and earned a trip to the Insight Bowl, where they faced the Missouri Tigers. The Hawkeyes won the game 27–24 and finished the season 8–5.

Eastern Illinois
at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
 * Game time: 11:01 a.m. CDT
 * Game weather: 61°F (Sunny)
 * Game attendance: 70,585
 * Referee: Todd Ransom
 * TV announcers (Big Ten Network): Tom Hart, Anthony Herron, and Lisa Byington

Running back Adam Robinson carried the ball 24 times for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Stanzi, the quarterback, threw for 229 yards and one touchdown as the Hawkeyes won with relative ease. Also scoring for Iowa was Paki O'Meara, who blocked an Eastern Illinois punt and returned it 16 yards. Trailing 21-0, Eastern Illinois' only points came on a second-quarter drive that included a fake punt and an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Large to Von Wise. On the next possession, Stanzi took a tumble onto the turf and limped off to the sidelines, creating concern among the sellout crowd, but Robinson and backup James Vandenberg would lead them down the field for another score. Stanzi would later return.

Iowa State
at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
 * Game time: 2:36 p.m. CDT
 * Game weather: 74°F (Partly Cloudy)
 * Game attendance: 70,585
 * Referee: Greg Burks
 * TV announcers (ABC Regional, with reverse mirror on ESPN2): Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham

From the get-go, the Hawkeyes were in control of the game, receiving the opening kickoff and scoring seven minutes later on a 9-yard Marvin McNutt pass from Ricky Stanzi. Iowa State would see the ball for just 1:26 in the first quarter, going three and out on their only drive, giving it back to Iowa, who would increase its lead to 14-0 on the next possession, which lasted into the early second quarter. In all, Iowa possessed the ball for over 35 minutes, passing for 275 yards and rushing for another 204 along the way.

The Cyclones, meanwhile, endured a replica of the poor performance they put forward against Iowa in 2009, being limited to 179 yards in three quarters. Quarterback Austen Arnaud, who threw for four interceptions in that game, was picked off three more times this year. However, after going 17 quarters without scoring an offensive touchdown against Iowa, ISU finally found the end zone with 1:46 remaining in the game, on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Arnaud to Darrius Darks.

Ohio State
In July 2011 Ohio State vacated all of their 2010 victories in response to the NCAA infractions committed by five players, which Coach Jim Tressel had covered up at the time. This included their victory against the Hawkeyes.

Missouri (Insight Bowl)
@ Tempe, AZ

Despite the disappointing season, Iowa mopped up Missouri, the third place Big 12 Conference team, 27-24 to end the season on a high note.