​After winning six straight Cy-Hawk showdowns from 2015 through 2021, Iowa football has hit a significant drought against its in-state rival. Iowa State snapped an eight-year drought with a victory in 2022 and has continued its momentum, collecting additional wins in 2024 and 2025. When the teams kick off on September 12 this season, it will mark 1,099 days since the Hawkeyes last beat the Cyclones (that 2023 win was later vacated, but it remains part of the timeline). Heading into 2026, Iowa is favored to reclaim the Cy-Hawk Trophy, yet another hurdle stands in the way if the Hawkeyes want to tilt the rivalry back in their favor: beating Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium.
The Hawkeyes hold a commanding 25-15 lead at home in the 72-year history of the rivalry, but winning at Kinnick has been a persistent challenge in recent years. Since 2010, Iowa is just 2-4 in Iowa City, including back-to-back losses. The most recent Iowa victory at Kinnick came in 2018, an ugly, hard-fought win that many fans would rather forget. To provide context, let’s go back eight years to revisit that matchup and the conditions surrounding it.
The lead-up to that game was unusual. Iowa State was slated to open its season against South Dakota State, but the Cedar Rapids-based contest in Ames was cancelled after a 2 1/2-hour lightning delay struck in the first quarter. As a result, the Cyclones opened their season in Iowa City. Iowa State managed a 13-play, 66-yard opening drive to grab an early 3-0 lead, but the rest of their offensive sequence resembled a roller coaster of punts, turnovers on downs, a fumble, and more punts—an almost uniformly inefficient performance.
One might have expected the favored home team to seize control given that Iowa already had a game under its belt, yet the Hawkeyes also struggled on offense for much of the afternoon. Kicker Miguel Recinos missed two field goals, but Iowa still clung to a slim 6-3 advantage in the fourth quarter. The breakthrough finally came when quarterback Nate Stanley connected with Brandon Smith for a 30-yard completion on third down to set up Mekhi Sargent’s sealing touchdown on the following play. A.J. Epenesa sealed the deal by forcing a fumble from Iowa State backup quarterback Zeb Noland, and Iowa walked away with a 13-3 victory. That win capped an undefeated stretch against the Cyclones for Iowa’s senior class and kept momentum with the Hawkeyes for a time.
Despite that win, both programs went on to have solid seasons in the aftermath. Iowa State began 1-3 before recovering, while Iowa’s offense, though efficient at times, remained inconsistent. The Cy-Hawk rivalry remains a magnet for regional pride, and with the 2026 forecast looking favorable for Iowa, the challenge is clear: deliver a victory at Kinnick to reverse the recent home-upset trend and reassert Iowa’s dominance in one of college football’s most storied in-state rivalries.