Hawkeye State: Takeaways as Iowa football wins thrilling Cy-Hawk game

· Yahoo Sports

After a two-year stint in Ames, the Cy-Hawk Trophy is finally back where it belongs.

Iowa and Iowa State battled in an old-fashioned, smashmouth game of football on Saturday night. In front of a sold-out crowd at Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes didn't play a perfect game. But they did just enough to leave with a 16-13 victory. The win moves Iowa to 2-0 on the season and ends a two-game losing streak to the Cyclones in this series.

Visit mchezo.co.za for more information.

There was a lot learned in this game for Iowa. From a new special teams hero to the next great linebacker emerging, here are the biggest takeaways from Iowa winning the 2026 edition of the Cy-Hawk game:

Caden Buhr rose to the occasion

Caden Buhr got off to an awful start this season. He missed his first extra point and field goal attempt last week. He responded by drilling his next two field goals and four extra points. On Saturday, Kirk Ferentz asked his young kicker to do even more.

And he rose to the occasion. Buhr nailed all three of his field goals in the Cy-Hawk game, including the game-winning 41-yarder with 15 seconds to play. This was a huge moment for Buhr, and he stepped up. Iowa may have its next great kicker on the roster.

Cam Buffington is the next great Iowa linebacker

There was a lot of hype around Cam Buffington entering the 2026 season. On Saturday, he lived up to the hype and much more. Buffington finished the game with 15 total tackles to lead the Iowa defense. The 6-foot-3, 238-pounder was the primary spy on ISU quarterback Jaylen Raynor all night, and the young linebacker held him in check. This was a statement performance from Buffington and the defense as a whole.

Iowa's running game showed up when it mattered

Iowa struggled to do anything on the ground most of the night. But when the chips were down and they needed to move the ball, the run game showed up. On the last two drives of the game, Iowa had runs of 6, 7, 5, 5, and 7 yards.

Those aren't significant numbers on the surface, but they were the best runs of the night for the Hawkeye offense. Iowa scored six points and won the game on those two drives. The offensive line and running backs deserve credit for making plays when it mattered most.

The offense is a work in progress

Iowa State's defense deserves a lot of praise for playing a strong game. They exploited some flaws that the Hawkeyes will need to address going forward. Hank Brown was decent, completing 21 of 30 passes for 191 yards in the win.

Tony Diaz was excellent in the first half and finished with eight grabs for 95 yards. The passing game as a whole still lacks consistency and needs to get the tight ends involved. They found a way to win, but improvement is needed before Big Ten play starts.

Iowa finally executed in crunch time

The last two Cy-Hawk games were all about missed opportunities for the Hawkeyes. They didn't make the key plays late in the game, and it led to Iowa State getting the win both times.

On Saturday, it was Iowa that executed down the stretch. The defense was stifling all night, especially in the fourth quarter. And the offense put together back-to-back scoring drives to get the win. In traditional Iowa fashion, they won the fourth quarter and won the game. What a gritty performance.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Hawkeye State: Takeaways as Iowa football wins thrilling Cy-Hawk game

Read full story at source