Hawkeyes edge Mizzou
DE Ballard closes career with win
Tempe, Ariz. ? Micah Hyde ran around, even behind the Missouri Tigers. Fill-in freshman Marcus Coker ran right over them.
Coker ran for 219 yards and two scores, and Hyde scored on a meandering, 72-yard interception return in the fourth quarter to help Iowa beat Missouri, 27-24, in the Insight Bowl on Tuesday night.
Undermanned due to injuries and suspensions, Iowa (8-5) turned to Coker, who had 403 yards and touchdown as Adam Robinson’s backup during the regular season.
The bruising freshman had no trouble taking over with Robinson gone to a suspension, setting school records for yards and carries 33 in front of an Insight Bowl-record 53,453 fans.
Missouri (10-3) had its way with Iowa’s once-stout defense most of the night, rolling up 512 yards, including a school bowl record 434 passing by Blaine Gabbert.
Gabbert finished 41-for-57 to set two more school records, but inexplicably threw the ball right to Hyde, who dodged several tackles while running backward and sideways before racing up the sideline for the second-longest interception return in Insight Bowl history.
Missouri had one final chance, but a fourth-down reception by T.J. Moe with 2:15 left was overruled on review and Coker helped grind out the clock. Moe finished with an Insight Bowl record 15 receptions for 152 yards.