SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- When Iowa needs a spark, it usually turns to star quarterback Drew Tate. With Tate out with an injury against Syracuse, the Hawkeyes' defense keyed a stirring victory.

Albert Young scored on a 1-yard run in the second overtime and No. 14 Iowa kept the Orange out of the end zone on seven consecutive plays inside the 2 for a 20-13 victory Saturday.

"It might have been one of the greatest feelings ever, just knowing we gave them all the opportunities in the world to score," Iowa defensive tackle Mitch King said. "But we never gave up. It might have been one of the most exciting series I've ever been in."

The teams exchanged field goals in the first overtime. Young scored the clincher for Iowa (2-0) two plays after Syracuse cornerback Tanard Jackson was called for interference on Calvin Davis at the 5.

A pass interference call against the Hawkeyes gave the Orange a first down at the 2 and the teams seemed headed for a third overtime. Then the defensive line took over and ended the game in stunning fashion.

Fullback Tony Fiammetta gained nothing on two tries up the middle, another pass interference call gave Syracuse another first down, and Fiammetta gained 1 yard on two more tries. Then, 6-foot-4, 231-pound quarterback Perry Patterson gained nothing on an option left, and tailback Paul Chiara ran into defensive end Kenny Iwebema and a bunch of his close friends on a fourth-down run up the middle to end it.

"Our defense did a great job of gutting it up down there and showed a lot of heart," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We knew this was going to be a tough football game we were walking into a team that's very, very hungry."

And still disappointed. The loss for Syracuse (0-2) was its 11th in a row, a school record. Their last victory was exactly a year ago, over lowly Buffalo.

"It's tough, extremely tough," Syracuse coach Greg Robinson said. "You know what? You've got to come back. I wish we could have just blocked a little bit better. We didn't get it done.

"But all in all, they're improving. No question," Robinson said. "I'd like to believe the worm is turning. Last year, we had buzzards' luck. I think it's starting to turn."

Iowa took a 10-7 lead on a 24-yard field goal by Kyle Schlicher late in the third quarter, but the Orange sent the game to overtime on a 41-yard field goal by Patrick Shadle with six seconds left, despite a low snap on the kick.

In the first extra session, Syracuse settled for Shadle's 19-yard field goal after Tim Lane dropped a perfectly thrown pass from Patterson at the back of the end zone. The Hawkeyes tied it on a field goal by Schlicher.

Just before the game started, Tate was pulled from the lineup with a strained abdominal muscle. Tate has had the injury since preseason camp but played for most of Iowa's season-opening victory over Montana last week.

Tate watched from the sideline as his backup, Jason Manson, threw his first career touchdown pass and g four interceptions. Manson was told he would start only hours before the game.

"It was ugly, but a win is a win. Hopefully, we can keep it going," said Manson, who finished 16-of-32 for 202 yards. "This win was huge for us. Every time I came back to the sideline, he (Tate) would tell me what the defense was doing."

Manson set up Schlicher's go-ahead kick with a short pass over the middle that Herb Grigsby turned into a 44-yard gain. Only a saving tackle by safety Joe Fields at the 14 prevented a touchdown, but Schlicher converted with 22 seconds left in the quarter.

Manson led the Hawkeyes inside the Orange 20 in the fourth, but he was sacked for a 6-yard loss on third down and Schlicher missed wide left on a field goal attempt from 42 yards with 8:51 remaining.

Syracuse had a chance to tie it after Patterson hit Taj Smith for a 40-yard pass play, but Shadle missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt with 6:49 left.

Syracuse tried a huge gamble early in the third, and it backfired. Instead of punting from near midfield on a fourth-and-6, the Orange faked and punter Brendan Carney was tackled by linebacker Ross Petersen, giving the Hawkeyes a first down at the Syracuse 40.

But on the next play, Terrell Lemon intercepted Manson's long pass for Davis at the goal line and Syracuse escaped.

Iowa, ultimately, made the last escape.