IOWA CITY — Caden Buhr buried a 42-yard field goal with just 15 seconds remaining Saturday night, lifting the Iowa Hawkeye football team to a dramatic 16-13 victory over Iowa State in another bruising Cy-Hawk showdown at Kinnick Stadium.
The game delivered the close battle anticipated when the Hawkeyes and Cyclones prepared to collide under the Kinnick Stadium lights.
Both teams entered the rivalry game coming off convincing season-opening victories.
Iowa arrived after steamrolling Northern Illinois 40-0 behind Kamari Moulton and a suffocating Hawkeye defense.
Iowa State had opened the Jimmy Rogers era by rolling past Southeast Missouri 38-10 in Rogers’ Cyclone coaching debut.
Saturday night proved considerably tougher for both.
A crowd of 69,250 watched Iowa erase an early 10-point deficit, tie the game twice and finally take its first lead of the night on Buhr’s game-winning kick.
Iowa improved to 2-0 on the season, while Iowa State dropped to 1-1.
The Cyclones struck first early in the second quarter.
Kyle Konrardy connected on a 29-yard field goal with 14:17 remaining in the half to put Iowa State ahead 3-0.
The Cyclones then stretched the advantage to 10-0 when quarterback Jace Raynor connected with Vince Benetti for a four-yard touchdown pass with 7:51 left before halftime.
Iowa answered quickly.
Quarterback Hank Brown found Tony Diaz for a 56-yard completion that flipped the field and set up the Hawkeyes at the doorstep.
Brown finished the drive himself, plunging into the end zone from one yard out with 5:34 remaining in the second quarter.
The five-play drive covered 75 yards and cut Iowa State’s lead to 10-7.
Buhr then provided the first hint of what was coming later.
The Iowa kicker drilled a 45-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining before halftime, sending the teams to the locker room tied at 10-10.
Neither offense found much room in the third quarter.
Iowa State moved back in front when Konrardy hit from 51 yards with 10:06 remaining, giving the Cyclones a 13-10 advantage.
That lead held well into the fourth quarter.
The Hawkeyes finally pulled even again after putting together an 11-play, 43-yard drive that consumed more than six minutes.
Buhr finished it with a 32-yard field goal with 6:22 remaining, tying the score at 13-13.
Then came the decisive possession.
Iowa took over late and moved 31 yards on nine plays, eating more than four minutes off the clock and giving Buhr a chance to win it.
He delivered.
Buhr’s 42-yarder sailed through with 15 seconds remaining, producing his first career game-winning field goal and sending Kinnick Stadium into celebration.
It was Iowa’s first game-winning field goal since Drew Stevens connected from 44 yards in a 20-17 victory over Michigan State in November 2025.
Buhr finished the night 3-for-3 on field goals, connecting from 45, 32 and 42 yards.
Brown completed 21 of 30 passes for 191 yards without an interception. He also rushed eight times for 22 yards and scored Iowa’s only touchdown.
Diaz was Brown’s biggest target, catching eight passes for 95 yards. His 56-yard reception that helped ignite Iowa’s comeback was the Hawkeyes’ longest catch since 2024.
Moulton carried 15 times for 57 yards and added six catches for 31 yards. That came one week after his big performance in Iowa’s 40-0 destruction of Northern Illinois.
Iowa’s defense did much of the heavy lifting Saturday.
The Hawkeyes limited Iowa State to 255 total yards and only nine first downs. The Cyclones managed 117 yards through the air and 138 on the ground.
Cam Buffington led Iowa with a career-high 15 tackles, including 10 in the first half.
Boston Everitt also helped Iowa control field position, averaging 44 yards on six punts and dropping four of them inside the Iowa State 20-yard line.
Iowa finished with 284 yards of total offense and 13 first downs.
Neither team committed a turnover — the first meeting between Iowa and Iowa State since the rivalry resumed in 1977 in which neither side gave the ball away.
The win extended Iowa’s advantage in the all-time series to 48-25.
The rivalry has become increasingly tight. The last nine meetings have all been decided by 10 points or fewer, including five straight decided by a single possession.
Saturday also continued Iowa’s strong run under the Kinnick Stadium lights. The Hawkeyes have now won eight consecutive night games at home dating back to 2022.
Iowa State’s Aiden Flora led all rushers with 89 yards on 19 carries.
Raynor completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards and one touchdown without an interception.
Konrardy made both of his field-goal attempts, including the 51-yarder that temporarily put Iowa State ahead in the third quarter.
Iowa will remain at Kinnick Stadium for a third straight game Saturday, September 19, when the Hawkeyes host Northern Iowa in their nonconference finale.
The Panthers will come to Iowa City after crushing Drake 56-14 for their first victory of the season, while Iowa will attempt to improve to 3-0 following its dramatic Cy-Hawk win.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised on FS1.