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Iowa had a police-escorted sandwich delivery during weather delay vs. Iowa State

No. 19 Iowa edged rival Iowa State 18-17 in Ames on Saturday, and it took more than a goofy muffed punt in the final minutes by the Cyclones to propel the Hawkeyes to victory.

The game was twice delayed by lightning, first for 49 minutes in the first quarter and then another delay of two hours in the second. That time resulted in a lot of hungry football players in the Iowa locker room, so the team managers were sent out on a mission to acquire sandwiches.

According to ESPN, that mission required a police escort to complete:

Coach Kirk Ferentz said that during the second lightning delay, which spanned 2 hours, 6 minutes, Iowa's managers left Jack Trice Stadium and scoured the area for sandwiches. Helped by a police escort, they brought back about 60 sandwiches for the Hawkeyes players from three different local eateries.

Because of the two delays, the game spanned nearly six hours even after the teams agreed to a shortened halftime. At one point during the second delay, the Iowa State student section eased their boredom by running around on the field at Jack Trice Stadium. Meanwhile, both teams had plenty of time to kill in their locker rooms.

Iowa's Chauncey Golston, left, and A.J. Epenesa (94) carry the Cy-Hawk trophy off the field after the team's NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa won 18-17. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa's Chauncey Golston, left, and A.J. Epenesa (94) carry the Cy-Hawk trophy off the field after the team's game against Iowa State in Ames. Iowa won 18-17. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Once the weather cooperated, Iowa was able to stage a second-half comeback to stretch its winning streak over the Cyclones to five games. Iowa State took a 14-6 lead on a 73-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to Tarique Milton in the first minute of the third quarter.

But Iowa was able to chip away at the lead, first going ahead on a Nate Stanley touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Iowa State would respond with a short field goal to retake the lead, but the Hawkeyes would score the winning points on a 39-yard Keith Duncan field goal, his third of the game, with 4:51 remaining.

Part of me is surprised that Iowa was able to procure that many sandwiches outside of Iowa City, but there have to be some stealth Hawkeye fans somewhere in Ames. Maybe those calories made the difference down the stretch.

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