Iowa Loses in Heartbreaking Fashion to Oregon

The winningest quarterback in college football history, Mark Gronowski, put the team on his back. While he was rather quiet all day, he showed up when his team needed him the most. Gronowski pulled off a pair of crucial fourth-down conversions as he led the Hawkeyes 93 yards down the field.

In what was supposed to be the game winning drive, he was 4/6 for 66 yards. Gronowski proved that he can throw the ball when he needs to, but once again, it was his legs that got the job done. Gronowski kept his rushing touchdown streak alive, making it one in every game this season. He threw for a touchdown as well, but ultimately it wasn't enough.

Oregon's Atticus Sappington was perfect all day, and his 39-yarder proved to be the dagger. Iowa fans were left speechless as the Ducks ran past the Hawkeyes' defense, something they hadn't done at all in the second half. If it weren't for the missed two-point conversion, this game would've gone to overtime.

Now, Iowa's college football playoff hopes are over. They had a chance to run the gauntlet, which would've included a huge game at USC next week, but instead they'll fall out of the AP Top 25. There were numerous mistakes that cost Iowa in this game, but 16 points was simply not enough to beat the nation's No. 9 team.

Drew Stevens' history-making field goal meant nothing in the end as Hawkeyes fans will be replaying Kaden Wetjen's red-zone fumble. Missed tackles were once again costly for Iowa's defense, one that simply didn't have an answer to Oregon's run game.

Heartbreak doesn't even begin to explain the outcome of this game. Iowa had Oregon exactly where they wanted them, but the Ducks led a comeback similar to Indiana's earlier in the day against Penn State. Iowa falls to 6-3 (4-2) as they once again came up short when everything seemed to be in their favor.