In Iowa City, 2019 kicks off with a nerve-wracking game — and a Hawkeyes victory

IOWA CITY, Ia. — Downtown Iowa City bars were far from full Tuesday — but more crowded than one would expect at 11 a.m. on Tuesday during winter break.

Hundreds of miles away from Tampa, Florida, football fans shuffled into local bars to cheer on the Hawkeyes as they took on the No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl. 

The Hawkeyes' 27-22 win brought Iowa's season record to 9-4, and for fans, it doubled as a welcome way to ring in the new year.

"It's definitely more exciting when we have years where we go to the Rose Bowl, but just going to a bowl game regardless is fun," said Laura Lainson, an Airliner employee who spent her day off at a bar, watching the Hawkeyes. "It's especially fun to watch when it's the first football game of the year."

The win over the Bulldogs came after a nail-biting four quarters. The game was an anxiety-ridden affair, beginning with a scoreless first quarter for the Hawkeyes.

It looked like the tide may have turned in the second quarter. Nick Easley scored a career-long 75-yard touchdown, and soon, the Hawkeyes put 17 points on the board. But the Mississippi Bulldogs came out of halftime strong.

Fans, some more distraught than others, nursed beers at the downtown bar Joe's Place as the Bulldogs led the Hawkeyes 19-17 in the third quarter.

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A decades-long fan brought two Hawkeye-clad dogs to the bar's showing. She lamented the team's leadership under Kirk Ferentz. Another longtime fan bitterly noted the team's 8-4 season.

"This a very regular Iowa game," said Thomas Hutchinson, reflecting on the score. "This is, um, not surprising."

Sitting next to him, Hutchinson's friend Austin Young agreed.

"This is right where we deserve to be right now," he said. "Having a fourth-quarter game is kinda fun though — it's good theater."

The fourth quarter started with the Hawkeyes leading the Bulldogs 24-19. Sitting at the bar at The Airliner, Jacey Jones, a junior at UI, said she preferred the constant back-and-forth, with an important caveat:

"I don't like blowout games," she said. "This is way more fun ... as long as we win."

Also at The Airliner, Steven Kelfish said he wished more of the close games this season had tipped in the Hawkeyes' favor. He viewed Tuesday's bowl game more as preparation for next season.

"I think we need to pull out a W," he said. "We're playing an SEC team, which is hard, but we're holding up."

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The Hawkeyes held their five-point lead through the end of the fourth quarter. When the game finished, George's Buffet filled with thunderous applause and a jeering comment about cowbells.

As the cheers died down, Matt Steele, a self-professed fan of just about every sports team out of Iowa, rattled off his favorite plays from the game, but seemed ready to put 2018 behind him.

"I don't know," he said. "I just think it was a good cap to a real up-and-down season."

Sitting at the bar, Mike Dennis said he's been a Hawkeye fan since 1952. He hopes the win Tuesday was just the first of many to come in 2019.

"Everybody was thinking we were going to get beat by this team, but we went down there and this was a huge win for us," he said. "It's a huge win for our city."

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