‘Dream come true,’ Caden Buhr bounces back and delivers iconic Cy-Hawk moment

Caden Buhr is no stranger to the Cy-Hawk rivalry. He grew up in Bettendorf, a mere hour away from Kinnick Stadium. It's a trip he's done many times. Buhr has seen many iconic performances from the black and gold, but on Saturday night, it was his turn to deliver.

"My dad had season tickets, so I watched a lot of Iowa - Iowa State games," said Buhr. "To be here in this moment, it's truly a dream come true."

As a preferred walk-on and in front of 70,000 fans, most decked out in black and gold, Buhr stepped into the spotlight. 42 yards. That's all that was between Buhr and etching himself into Cy-Hawk history. With 19 seconds left, the ball was snapped, it was wide right for holder Tanner Philpott. The backup punter snatched it and set the ball down cleanly as Buhr approached, a key to the final kick.

When Buhr's foot connected with the ball, any sense of dread from the week before was forgotten, any lack of confidence vanished. Buhr launched it through the night sky in Iowa City and the Hawkeye faithful erupted as the ball sliced through the uprights, putting the Hawkeyes on top of the Cyclones for good, winning 16-13.

"That was a surreal moment," said Iowa quarterback Hank Brown. "One I won't forget."

For Buhr this was a moment in the making. He started kicking his freshman year at Bettendorf high school. Former Hawkeye legend, with his fair share of game winning kicks, Keith Duncan helped coach Buhr during the beginning of his football kicking career. The soccer player turned football kicker quickly showed his talent. Buhr earned a preferred walk-on spot at the University of Iowa.

"He's made a lot of big kicks, he's done a lot of great things for the University of Iowa," said Buhr. "So to be able to work with him starting young and all the way up, I've learned a lot of things from him."

Duncan had loads of ups and downs to start his career as a Hawkeye, but ultimately, he emerged from the adversity as one of the defining players of the late 2010s for Iowa. His freshman year, Duncan walked off the playoff hopeful Michigan Wolverines under the lights at Kinnick Stadium. Buhr was in a very similar situation on Saturday night. A loss to the Cyclones would drastically reduce the Hawkeyes hopes of a playoff appearance.

"Players at every position, we have our dark moments and it's just about if you let those control what you do, it's going to be tough." said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. "Fortunately, he hasn't and I'm sure Keith is a part of that equation too."

Those dark moments for Buhr came during the first half of this year's season opener. Buhr missed his first extra point attempt and his first field goal attempt. That was after winning a highly contested battle with Eli Ozick for the starting kicker spot during camp.

"It's a real credit to him finishing out the game last week and doing a great job and he had an excellent week of practice," said Ferentz. "That certainly I think helped give him confidence there in that closing minute."

During the final drive for the Hawkeyes, Buhr itched for the opportunity to put the Hawkeyes up. The game was tied at 13 with 4:17 left in the fourth quarter. A methodical drive down the field by offensive coordinator Tim Lester and Hank Brown put the Hawkeyes on the 24-yard line. A 42-yard kick on fourth and one with 19 seconds left would be the moment Buhr needed to take over. He already expected the opportunity to arrive.

"As a kicker you always want to go out there and kick and you have the mindset, I've kind of said this before to some of my close people, I tell myself, you're kicking on every drive," said Buhr. "So when we got the ball, I said we're kicking this let's go."

When the lights were the brightest, the game was on the line, it was not too much for the second-year kicker - who isn't on a football scholarship - to deliver. As the ball sailed through the uprights, a magic moment was made.

"I had all the belief in the world Buhr was going to make that," said Iowa linebacker Cam Buffington. "All the critics out there saying our special teams is this or that, I knew that kid was going to go out there and make that kick, he deserves it."

After the kick, Buhr was tossed into the sky by Hawkeye offensive tackle Trevor Lauck, with the number one pointed up to the sky, just as Duncan did back in 2016. That kick is now immortal in the Cy-Hawk rivalry.

"You can't really put words to it," said Buhr. "Words can't describe that feeling when you're out on the field, you're with your teammates, you've dreamed of this your whole life, it was pretty cool."

For more Hawkeyes coverage, follow @HawkeyeHQ on Twitter and Facebook. You can find Hawkeye Headquarters at HawkeyeHQ.com all season.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.