November 23, 1940

Illinois at Iowa

Senior Day in 1940 found the Hawkeyes taking on the Illinois Fighting Illini. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the Hawks had suffered through an up and down season.

Many Iowa scribes were predicting a follow up of the magnificent 1939 Ironmen season when Iowa finished 6-1-1. Iowa fans were buying into the lofty pre-season prognosticators' view and hopes were high in Iowa City.

The season started off well enough with Iowa blasting hapless South Dakota, 46-0. Then the Hawks then got their conference season off to a great start with a 30-12 win over Wisconsin at Iowa Stadium

Unfortunately, reality set in. The Ironmen had captured lightning in a bottle and the main man, Nile Kinnick, had graduated, as had sterling wide outs, Erwin Prasse and Dick Evans. Iowa traveled to Bloomington and lost a nail biter to Indiana, 10-6. Perennial power Minnesota blasted the Hawks the following week, 34-6.

Suddenly, the Hawkeyes were reeling and the bandwagon was losing fans right and left. The Iowa offense continued to falter scoring only one touchdown in a 21-6 Homecoming loss to Purdue and then another anemic performance in a 14-6 loss to Nebraska.

Iowa's offense didn't improve any the next week, but it didn't matter as the defense put a stop to the four game losing streak with a 7-0 win at South Bend.

On that steely gray November day the fans filed in to salute the ten seniors playing their last game for the Hawkeyes. Over twenty thousand fans were there to see Illinois and its high powered short passing game. The Hawks needed the win to finish the year at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten conference.

Illinois' passing game lived up to expectations as they scored early on a short pass. The Illini appeared to add a second touchdown as time wound down in the first half, but a penalty negated the play and Iowa went into the locker room trailing 7-0.

The Hawks received the kick to start the second half and quickly drove past midfield. Then disaster struck as Illinois picked off a Tom Farmer pass. Two plays later, Farmer earned redemption with an osky of his own.

But before Iowa could get a drive mounted, Al Coupee fumbled and Illinois recovered at their own 40. Luckily, Illinois was still feeling charitable and on the next play Iowa stripped the ball and Mike Enich fell on it.

Now the Hawks started to roll. Bernie "Bus" Mertes, Bill Green, and Farmer carried the ball down to the Illini 24. Farmer lugged the pigskin three straight times from there and Iowa found itself with fourth and two at the Illinois' 16. A field goal attempt was out of the questions as Iowa had missed 13 PAT attempts on the season.

Left halfback Tom Farmer took the direct snap from center and rolled to his right. Farmer then used some deception and handed the ball to right halfback Bus Mertes going the other way. The reverse worked to perfection as the deception, coupled with a pair of broken tackles by Mertes, resulted in a 16 yard touchdown. The extra point was missed and Illinois held on to a 7-6 lead.

Later Iowa would add a second score as Mertes would again score on a reverse, this time from the four. The extra point was missed again and Iowa held a slim 12-7 lead.

The Iowa crowd was now fired up, as was the Iowa defense. Illinois took the kickoff in their own territory and on third and short Mertes picked the ball off and was brought down at the Illinois 33.

Al Coupee lateraled to Bill Green who rambled for down to the Illinois 16 and suddenly the Illini were on their heels. Coupee again pitched to Green who this time was held to two yards. A pass attempt fell incomplete and facing third and eight, Coach Eddie Anderson called on his sophomore halfback from Cedar Rapids, and Tom Farmer responded with a sprint around right end. Charging toward paydirt, Farmer broke the cornerback's tackle attempt at the five and rammed into the waiting arms of the safety at the one. The Illinois defender went flat on his back and Farmer somersaulted into the end zone for the 18-6 lead. Farmer was given the opportunity to correct the kicking woes, but his dropkick was blocked.

The game stood at 18-7 and there is where it would end. Iowa fans roared in appreciation as Anderson pulled Green and Enich out early.

No Hawks made the AP All Big Ten team, though Enich and Green earned second team honors.

Michigan won the Big Ten (minus one as the University of Chicago dropped football the before the season). One of its All Big Ten players was Forest Evashevski.

No two deeps, just "one deeps" from the game for Iowa.

LE - Ken Pettit 6-1, 193

LT - Jim Walker 6-1, 202

LG - Francis Curran 5-10, 190

C - George Frye 6-0 190

RG - Ross Anderson 5-10, 175

RT - Mike Enich 6-0, 202

RE - Bill Burkett 6-3, 190

QB - Bill Stauss 6-2, 184

LHB - Jim Youel 6-0, 173

RHB - Bill Gallagher, Jr. 5-10, 185

FB - Bill Green 6-1, 180