"WTF are these refs thinking?": CFB fans call out Iowa vs Iowa State referees for "awful" punt-catch interference call in Week 2

The Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Iowa State Cyclones
The Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Iowa State Cyclones

The No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones hosted bitter rivals, the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes, at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday evening in a blockbuster Week 2 game. Last year's game was a close one, with the Cyclones edging out the Hawkeyes 20-19, which helped fuel the anticipation surrounding this year's game.

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Kirk Ferentz's Iowa State entered the game as slight favorites according to FanDuel (+3.5), but their in-state rivals jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the second quarter before a controversial moment caused fans of both teams to hotly debate the matter on X.

A kick-catch interference penalty was not called on the Hawkeyes when their players appeared to interfere with a Cyclones punt returner before he caught the ball, even after a review by the referees.

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College football fans on X had strong reactions to the referees' call:

"You gotta be high or blind! That was both interference and a Hawkeye touched it first. WTF are these refs thinking? That’s terrible awful officiating," one fan tweeted.
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Iowa State coach seeks Cy-Hawk revenge

Iowa State Cyclones coach Matt Campbell has never beaten the Iowa Hawkeyes at home during his 10-year tenure. Despite building a conference championship contender, Campbell, whose ranked team has a perfect 2-0 record this season, has not won at home in the series since 2011.

During an interview with Fox Sports' host Brady Quinn on Wednesday before the rivalry game, Campbell expressed his determination to change the Cyclones' woeful home record against the Hawkeyes.

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"It's an unbelievable opportunity," Campbell said. "[The Hawkeyes] kind of had a lay of the land in the state of Iowa. It's kinda been fun for us to build a program to be able to compete with them."

Should Iowa State beat Iowa on Saturday, it would mark the first time that the Cyclones defeat the Hawkeyes twice in a row since 2012 and would cement Campbell's team as an early-season contender.

Edited by Cabral Opiyo
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