Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Kirk Ferentz's 2004 Triumph REVISITED | Can Iowa OVERCOME Adversity Again?

Episode Date: June 5, 2025

Iowa's 6-4 victory over Penn State in 2004 wasn't just a quirky score—it was a defining moment for Hawkeye football. How did this unusual game shape Iowa's identity and set the stage for future success?Trent Condon breaks down the historic win, highlighting Kirk Ferentz's defensive strategy and the team's resilience. The episode also features Tavian Banks discussing the upcoming TNT Football Camp, offering young athletes a chance to develop skills and have fun. Plus, get the inside scoop on Iowa's College Football Playoff odds and what it'll take for the Hawkeyes to make a deep run this season.Tune in for expert analysis on Iowa's path to gridiron glory and exclusive insights from Hawkeye legends.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Happy 6-4 Day to all who celebrate. We look back at one of Iowa's most memorable victories. The 6-4 went against Penn State in 2004. What a win this year will mean for Iowa football. All today, Locked On Hawkeyes. You are Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, welcome in. I'm Trent Condon and this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast.

I've been covering the Hawkeyes for over 20 years on the radio here in the state of Iowa, including currently you can hear me on the Iowa Sports Radio Network. We have stations in Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities, Iowa City, Sioux City, along with our flagship 106.3 KXNO in Des Moines. You can hear me each weekday from noon to two talking the world of sports with Ken Miller. Today's episode of Lockdown Hawkeyes is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. We have a busy program, football, to talk about. I'll look back at some Hawkeye history. And yes, we are going to take a look at the odds for the Iowa football team to make the college football playoff. Plus a conversation with Tavian Banks, a former Hawkeye great great running back about the

squad and what he has coming up this summer. A great opportunity for your youngster to get involved and learn from two of the best, Tavian Banks, Tim Dwight and their football camps coming up this summer. But we begin today with a little history lesson and we'll come full circle here and bring it back to present day. But on June 4th, it is once again time to look back at the 6-4 game. Now for you youngsters out there, you might not have memories of this one. I take you back to 21 years ago, 2004, which seems impossible. 2004, Iowa's last Big Ten championship team as the Hawkeyes upended Penn State on their run through eight consecutive victories to end the season. Six to four over Penn State. And yes, on June 4th, us Hawkeye fans, a lot of us celebrate that day.

Now, I know on the surface you hear a 6-4 game, and if you are young, you don't remember the game or it doesn't jump to your mind. We'll fill you in on a few of the details. But it's so interesting how things can look so different through different prisons, prisms of fan bases. I enjoy the solid verbal podcast and Dan and Ty, a couple of guys about my age, a little bit younger than me. One of the guys is a Penn State fan, Ty Hildebrand. And he went to Penn State and I believe he was in the stands that day. And he talks negatively about that game.

But for me and for many Hawkeye fans, it was a thing of beauty. Not what Iowa offensively cratered to these last couple of seasons. Not that. But because there are so many more circumstances than just 6-4. It was the weird score, sure. Iowa giving them the four points on two different safeties. The first one is snap over the head of David Bradley, the punter. The second then taking a safety, though we see that happen from time to time, taking a safety with over eight minutes left in the game where a field goal then would beat you. And yet Iowa was

so confident, Kirk Ferentz was so confident in his kicker, excuse me, in his defense that he was fine kicking the ball back after the safety back to Penn State and they're woefully inept offense of that day. But obviously another reason for that are some more circumstances that surrounded that game. And that was the passing of Kirk Farrantz's father that week. He passed away on Sunday, was away from the team for a couple of days. Remember at that time also Brian was a starting guard on that football team. So you had one of your starting offensive linemen missing a couple of days of practice because of his grandpa's funeral. You have your head coach miss a couple of days including the walkthrough on

Friday at Penn State and to go out there and get that win and to gut out a victory to persevere in the face of adversity to persevere at a time where we wondered about Iowa. 2002, of course, the incredible season culminating with the run to the Orange Bowl and the win against Minnesota and tearing down the goalposts at the Metrodome in 2002. Then following up with another 10-win season in 2003, and doing it with an outback bull victory against Florida at the first January, first victory for Iowa football since the 1950s. And then 2004 got off to a bad start, including just getting absolutely panced against Arizona State and looking terrible

against Andrew Walter and company. They went out the following week to Ann Arbor, played well, and proved to be the Big Ten champion Wolverines that day, but just didn't have enough. But then this was the start of something. This was the start of a team that didn't have the high-flying offensive 2002, that didn't have kind of the spectacular nature of the wide receiver position as it was in 2003, at least when Mo Brown was healthy. No, this 2004 team was, for the first time, kind of built in the image of really how we think of Iowa football over these last two decades. And when we think of Iowa football,

this is the kind of team that more times than not that they are. 2004 was when AirBank was invented, the angry Iowa running back hating God. 2004 is when we saw Wakan Siembrownlee running the football for the team. We saw guys that just couldn't sustain at the level that you were hoping for because of injury at the running back position. And you couple that with Drew Tate and what a gunslinger

he was and how much fun it was to watch Drew Tate out there seemingly drawing plays up in dirt. It was an incredible season and it was an incredible game. So yes, 6-4 I know is a punch line. I know that 6-4 for a lot of college football writers, commentators, it is a joke. But for Hawkeye fans, it shouldn't be. It was a great season, it was a special season, and it was a win that I will always remember. I don't know, Hawkeye fans are right there with me. Take a look at a couple of the numbers from that game. I mentioned Drew Tate, I was not great that day. On pretty bad conditions, 14 of 31, 126 yards, had an interception in the game.

Drew Tate that day ran 10 times for 8 yards, had a long of 9. The longest rush of the day came from Aaron Mickens, a converted fullback. That's what they got out of the running game. Sam Brownlee was out there, about 16 carries for 30 yards. Damian Sims also got a carry and I can't remember if that was the day that Damien Sims got injured. But early in the game, Iowa on their first field goal drive actually had a fake field goal. David Bradley, the holder, who infamously later would take that safety, he ran for a first down like rain for four yards and got a first down on that play. Here's some names for you. Your receivers, Clinton Solomon led the way five Five catches, 46 yards.

Three for 26 for Ed Henkel. Aaron Mickens, aforementioned, two for 20. How about some tight ends? Scott Chandler with a catch. Big play Tony Jackson with a catch. Ryan Majeris with a catch. There's a name out of old wine. I don't think many people have remembered in a long time, but more than anything, it was the defense. Matt Roth with two sacks that day, including a force fumble. He had three tackles for loss in the football game. Abdul Hodge, double figures and tackles for him. George Lewis on the other side of that defense. He had six tackles in the game. Chad Greenway in double figures with 11 tackles on the day. With the defense and the defensive backfield with Antoine Allen and Marcus Pascal and Jovan Johnson and Sean

Constantine. All of them with interceptions in the 6-4 thing of beauty. Iowa gets it done. What will a win against Penn State mean this year? It'd mean a lot. A little bit later on we're going to take a look at the odds that are out there for Iowa to make the college football playoff. I know it's a conversation we had a ton last year and we're not going to have it as much but the odds paint a picture that this could be a reality. That Iowa very well could be a team in contention for the college football playoff and with their schedule it certainly sets up. Before that though, we're gonna talk a little bit about an opportunity for you. Your youngster that is out there to get involved with Tabian Banks and Tim DeWyte. Their football camp is coming up this summer.

They've been doing it for a number of years and now an opportunity, not just in Central Iowa, in Des Moines, now football camp in Newton. That's been happening the last couple of years. And also for the first time over in Iowa City. We'll talk about that a little bit with the former Hawkeye great Tavian Banks. He joins us next on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. The NBA playoffs are in full swing. The finals are here every night delivering highlight worthy performances, major momentum shifts, and can't miss moments.

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We check as we make our way back to football season is Tavian Banks, Tim Dwight. They get together, put on these camps, various locations throughout the state of Iowa. It is drawing closer yet again. We're into June and it's coming up Tavian Banks. Good to see you Tavian. How are you? I'm awesome. How are you?

Doing well. So I guess let's go back before we go forward. This is year what for this? And I know that last year when we had you in you were continues to grow and I'm guessing last year was no different. Right? Gosh, when we do our first camp Friday, like 2017 or 2016. I was going to say we're down there or up the dial rather on the FM band when we met you doing that for the first time. So it's been a while. So when we met you doing that for the first time. So, it's been a while. So how many, how many kids will you get at your

Des Moines camp, which takes place in Lincoln, right? Lincoln this year. So, I mean, we get anywhere from 350 to 400 kids that come and participate in it. So it's really, really great numbers. Again, it's free camp. We have we have kids that you know, never played football before and there's first time coming out and we also have veteran you know, kids that also come out that they've been playing for a little while and stuff too.

So I would love to know the kids that have never come never played football before have some of them, you know, caught on to the sport and the sport taken ahold of them. Yeah, continue to play. Yeah. When I say that, I mean, like it's, you know, athletic kids that, you know, they played flag football maybe or those types of things. So they've had some form probably of playing and stuff, but it's just a good time, you know, like to be honest with you. And we teach a lot of skill development too at the same time. So, you know, if anybody just wants to come out and join,

it's just a great atmosphere and it's just a great time for the kids to have. TNT football camp, you can find it also part of the Iowa Foundation. A website is where people can get registered. So, Iowa City, Des Moines, and Newton, the three locations, the Des Moines one is the free one, but the other two are not real expensive. I mean, to get coaching from Tavia Banks, from Tim Dwight, and all the other guys that you have, that's pretty incredible deal there for the people over in Newton and Iowa City. That's what, 25 bucks? Yes, for Newton and Iowa City.

Right. Which is really reasonable, no doubt about that. Absolutely. So what, give us a day. What will the day be like? What time does it start and kind of take us through a day of camp? So this year, though, the one in Lincoln in Des Moines here, we have 12 to 12. I mean, sorry, 12. It's eight to 12 o'clock. Before in the past, we used to have an all day camp, but we condensed it down a little bit this year just for Des Moines camp. So eight to 12. You got registrations that start, I think, I believe they start at 730 a.m. You know, we put kids are usually already put in teams and stuff. And I think we have armbands that they'll be wearing and stuff. So you'll go and sit with your team in the stands.

And then we have, you know, just introductory to all the coaching staff and all the volunteers that are there and just a run of the day of, you know, like what's going to go on during the camp. And then we'll break out into different, you know, areas that we're going to be teaching in. We'll have offense and defense, fundamental stuff that's going to be taught. And then, you know, like we'll have games that we'll play at the end of, you know, like all the all the stations and stuff that we have. And then we'll have lunch, you know, snack ready for them at the end of the day, too. So again, it's just a great day. A lot of information be, you know, given out also just on, you know, football and nutrition and all the type of things that people want to know nowadays. Our fundamentals taught. Did you find maybe that's lacking in some respects? I mean,

I'm guessing you guys get into it. But are you kind of surprised at some point that, you know, I can't believe these kids don't know this? Yeah, sometimes it is, you know, because I think a lot of people just miss out on the just basics. You know, they're trying to overteach a lot of other things and concepts and all these other things and forget that Oh, you know this kid really can't catch the ball or you know How do you really carry a football or are you know? Like how do you switch from right to left and things like that, you know, like when you run the ball So a lot of that stuff is a little missed I would say because a lot of these coaches nowadays are are really

is a little missed, I would say, because a lot of these coaches nowadays are really concentrating on their, you know, like alignments and, you know, all the other things that they try to do to try and win, I would say. What are the, what are the ages of these kids? Oh, this is third grade to eighth grade, third to eighth grade. So when you, when you get these kids, they show up, they all want to be the quarterback. No, a lot of them, I would say like nowadays it's like wide receiver, DBs. The money's made. Yeah. Not so much running backs I see anymore. You know, you guys, you know, I think we're making a comeback with say Quans, you know, like Yuri, you know, like, uh, who else is there? Uh, uh, Henry, you know, some of these guys are doing well out there. It seems like we're making a comeback. See when you went back in your day,

when you would have been going to the NFL, the running back position was still, you know, yeah. So it was great, you know, uh, back then, I know right back then, but I mean, it was great. You know, I still think it's a high valued position. You know, like if you can get the right running back and things like that, too, that that can help carry a team over. I think it's an awesome, awesome position. You know, they're running back and do a lot of different things that a lot of other players on the team can't do.

So it's very versatile position. So I've always enjoyed it and played it. And, you know, I recommend anybody that's a good athlete or anything like that, definitely try it for sure. Tavian, one thing that I've seen here lately as my kids are starting to get into sports a little bit deeper is how quickly people specialize. For people that don't know or just remember you as a Hawkeye Great

and then the NFL, you're an elite level soccer player too, that multi-sport part of it. And somebody that does what you do on your day job, certainly something that you know incredibly well. Don't wanna have these kids specialize too early. No, not at all. You know, I tell parents and stuff all the time to make sure they play like multiple sports.

When I've just, you know, like me being a trainer and performance trainer and, and things for decades now, right. I can say decades. I've just seen it way too often where kids burn out, you know, like they get to high school or even the first year of college and they're burnt out because they, they just specialized in one sport growing up and stuff. And, you know, I just hate seeing it.

And there's a lot of, a lot of great players out there that aren't playing their sport anymore because they, they burned out from other youth sport, just, just specializing in one sport, you know, growing up. So I, you know, like I was a three sport athlete, but also play, you know, baseball and, and, you know, track and all these other things too growing up. So it made me well, I think like versed in a lot of other sports, but also just made me better at my main sport, like which I chose to play in college. You chose well, by the way, you chose well.

I want to get- Wow. Yeah, Travis Gorsch from the Iowa Foundation is here. Get to him in one second, but I do want to run out of time from the Iowa Foundations here. Get to him in one second. But I do want to run out of time on that before I ask this. Kids need to bring what to this camp in Des Moines? I don't know. Well, I mean, like we'll have water stations and all those type of things.

So, I mean, just football shoes. Yeah. Make sure they have good, you know, a tire on, you know, it should be a good warm day. So shorts and t-shirt, we will have camp t-shirts also at same time. But again, you know, like just bring a great attitude, be willing to have fun and be coachable and just, you know, just come and have a great time. Good stuff. Travis, good to see you. Tell us about the Iowa Foundation. What's your role in all this? Yeah, thanks for having me. Yeah, the Iowa Foundation is just a nonprofit that I started a few years ago, basically aimed at giving kids an opportunity that may not have had opportunities

otherwise. The goal is to come alongside athletes like Tavian and Tim and really use their platform to give back to, you know, the communities that they came from. Two guys from Iowa that love to be from Iowa, love to come back and give back to Iowa. So the Iowa, I capitalize it in the Iowa foundation. And that just stands for impactful opportunities with athletes. So whether that's putting on free football camps, we've done some stuff with different collectives. Iowa sent folks from the swarm, we've had the We Will Basketball Collective the last three years, down on the south side of Des Moines with Des Moines Parks and Rec there. You know, we've done everything from girls wrestling camps for free. And we just started doing some officials training. So we're getting youth umpires into baseball and softball. And teaching them not only the mechanics, but teaching them also life skills, financial literacy, communication, professionalism, things like that. And then lastly, kind of really focusing on helping get coaches into coaching the high school, excuse literacy, communication, professionalism, things like that. And then lastly, kind of really focusing on helping get coaches into coaching the high school,

excuse me, the high school level. It's quite a bit of a commitment from a financial standpoint. The class is pretty long too, but then you got to think about, yeah, the seasons actually that they're coaching. So really how do we come alongside athletes, come alongside youth sports organizations and just, you know, enhance those and give people an opportunity. The Iowa Foundation, the iowafoundation.com's got all the

info. Tavon, anything else you want to say before? We've got like 30 seconds left. Just come and have a great time. Sounds like it. Third grade through eighth grade. Yes, third, June the 12th. It's a Thursday at Lincoln. You can find me Saturday, Saturday, Saturday. Bigger part at Lincoln. More information, the Iowa foundation.com. You've got it there. Right, Travis? Yep. Good to see you. Thanks gentlemen. Best of luck this year. Keep up the good work for what you do. The football camp is a Saturday, correct? The free one that Des Moines win is Saturday the 21st. Yes, that is correct. So the Newton one is the first one that'll be coming up Thursday, June 12th. That is the Newton event. Same thing grades three through eight. The Des Moines camp is free. That is June 21st. That is a Saturday over a thousand you served

back. That's awesome. A year ago in that one and then Iowa City that'll be happening on July 17th a little bit later on. I think Travis said that Iowa City stop is a new stop on the call to the tour but certainly it's a great event get kids involved in football get them a little activity as Davian said if you know play multiple sports yes right it clearly helps and if you just go to theiowafoundation. events, all three of the camps will pop out. There they will be and again, the one in Des Moines at Lincoln uh is a free camp. Thanks again to Tavian. Thanks for joining us along with Travis with the Iowa Foundation.

All the information, the Iowa Foundation.com is where you can find more information about that football camp for your youngster, son, grandson, nephew, just the neighbor kid, whatever it is. The Iowa Foundation dot com and thanks again to Tabian Banks. Well we've talked a lot about the past of Iowa football. Let's talk about this year. The odds for the Hawkeyes to make the college football playoff not as crazy as you think. What are they? That's next. Locked on Hawkeyes. Try kind of back with you one final time here on the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for being with us and making Locked on Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Shout out to you every dayers with us each and every day. Appreciate each and every one of you for helping

us out and being with us every day. Your team every day, that's what we do on the Lockdown Network. So got some odds for you from our friends over at FanDuel. Let's start first with the chances of winning the Big Ten. We were talking about 2004, last time that Iowa won a Big 10 championship. That was a co-championship and Michigan also had the head-to-head, so we're kind of splitting hairs here. But Iowa currently has the seventh best odds to win the Big 10 championship. Now getting there is going to be incredibly difficult. Yes, in a year that they don't play Michigan or Ohio State, they still have to play Oregon. By way undefeated a year ago in the regular season the number one seed in the college football play on Penn State a team that Was in the Final Four a year ago

Oregon Penn State Indiana a playoff team Nebraska Minnesota this schedule is gonna be tough Got Wisconsin in there, Michigan State. This is an incredibly difficult schedule. Iowa State, laugh about them all you want, is a team that was a game away from being in the college football playoff

themselves a year ago, though they got bludgeoned by Arizona State. It's a tough schedule. Just to get to a championship game would be a huge accomplishment for this team. But Iowa has the seventh best odds to win the Big Ten. Ohio State the betting favorite at FanDuel at plus 185 plus 260 next for Oregon. Penn State plus 270. Michigan 11 to 1, 25 to 1 for USC. Illinois, that's right, Beelahma's bunch at 36 to 1, back tied with the Iowa Hawkeyes, both of them currently at that 36 to one number but taking a step further because winning a big

ten championship is going to be incredibly difficult however making the college football playoff just making it we're not talking about winning a national championship I mean what let's come live in reality right let's not go that direction Iowa just to make the college football playoff. And if Iowa goes 10 and 2 this year, they're going to be in the college football playoff. 9 and 3 might be enough too.

Iowa currently is plus 730 to make the college football playoff, telling you with implied probability that it's not a wild conversation. Now, what's going to have to happen for this to come together? They're going to have to be better defensively than they were a year ago. The deep passes that they gave up, the deep plays, something that was just so uncharacteristic,

that needs to be cleaned up. Mark Gronowski has to hit the ground running, and he needs to be an absolute stud. This offense, year number two of Tim Lester needs to pop because I think they're going to have to outscore some opponents in order to do it. And when you go on the road trips that I was going to have this season, going out to USC, a USC team that themselves has some pretty decent expectations. The road trip to Ames in week two, that's going to be out for blood. The short week against Rutgers, a Rutgers team that at minimum is confident. You got Wisconsin on the road, mentioned Indiana, Penn State, that three pack of games in Kinnick Stadium back to back to back against Penn State, Minnesota and

Oregon before going out to USC. There are bland minds all over the place, but in order for it to happen, that plus 730 tells you it very well could happen, a lot has to go right though for the Iowa Hawkeyes. This is not a year like it was a year ago where I believe that that's the expectation level where it should be for this program. I want to see you step forward. I want to see if this offense is real and what we're seeing and what Tim Lester, what he's been talking about, right? Just the rhetoric that he has used.

If this is something that's going to come to fruition or if he's a guy that's a great talker, but that's it. We need to see some substance. We need to see Mark Gronowski is the NFL stud that people expect that he's going to be. I'm excited for it. I'm going to be here for it. We're going to be here with you breaking it down. Your team every day on the Locked On Network. I got you covered on the Hawkeye front, but also your favorite NFL team. OTAs happening all over the place. They got you covered with their favorite NFL team. Locked On NBA, your favorite NBA team. The finals are here along with the NHL finals all over there. Maybe it's Locked On Big Ten, Craig doing great work over there. Or the Portal

Show. Brian Smith also got you covered each and every day talking recruiting and the Portal all here on the Locked On Network. Thanks for being with us and making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Thanks to you every dayers with us once again here today. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. Until then, go Hawks.