His teammates already believed in him. They already believed in themselves. But not until Brad Banks orchestrated one of the most memorable drives in Iowa football history did it truly sink in.

Banks was a legitimate Heisman candidate. And the Hawkeyes had a genuine chance to win the Big Ten.

Banks' Heisman ballot

ESPN.com asked each of the Heisman finalists for their vote (excluding themselves). Here's Brad Banks' take. 1. Willis McGahee RB, Miami "An outstanding running back. He's a guy that helps out Miami a lot and was a leader for that football team." 2. Larry Johnson, RB, Penn State "A Big Ten player that gets it done. He always finds a way. People criticize his game against us, but let me tell you, I saw some things that I couldn't believe - including an incredible touchdown reception." 3. Carson Palmer, QB, USC "He's a guy who stepped up a lot and helped his team, too. He had a great end to a great career."

"That put Iowa on the map. It put me on the map," Banks said. "Championship teams find ways to win the close games. And that's exactly what we did."

Before the Purdue game, there were doubts. A week earlier, Iowa choked a three-touchdown lead at Penn State, but won in overtime. Two weeks before that, instate rival Iowa State overcame a 24-7 deficit to beat the Hawkeyes. Few were sure just what to make of this team.

But then, an eight-play, 87-yard drive in a span of 1:09 changed everything. It started with a 44-yard quarterback sneak by Banks and ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass on fourth and goal.

During all points in between, Banks had that look in his eye. The look of a leader.

"As Purdue lined up to punt, you could see it in Brad's eyes," lineman Eric Steinbach said. "And you just knew we were going to go out and do it. Brad was the epitome of the three C's -- cool, calm and collected. That was exactly what we needed."

The drive started on the Iowa 13-yard line with the Hawkeyes trailing Purdue 28-24. On the first play from scrimmage, from the shotgun, Banks took the snap from his center and scampered for a career-high 44 yards.

"I came out of the line of scrimmage, checked the defense and things looked perfect," Banks said of the play. "There was only one linebacker to the right side where I was headed and I knew our fullback would pick him up. And once I got through the line, all I saw was green grass."

Said tight end Dallas Clark of Banks' moves: "I think he broke about seven tackles on that run. It was hard not to watch."

That run set the tone for the drive. On the next play, first and 10 from the Purdue 43, Banks hit receiver Maurice Brown for 20 yards. Then he hit Clark for 14. With first and goal from the nine, Banks was contained on a three-yard run. Tailback Fred Russell lost a yard on the next play.

An incomplete pass left the Hawkeyes with fourth and goal from the seven, needing a touchdown to win. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz put the ball in Banks' hands, confident that good things were going to happen. The play? A delayed cross by Clark.

"It's pretty much a beautiful play if it works and an ugly play if it doesn't because I'm really the only option," Clark said. "But we had worked on it so many times in practice and had set them up for it all game long, so it was time to call it."

While Banks rolled to his left, drawing the Boilermaker defense with him, Clark snuck away from the line of scrimmage on the right side and headed for the right corner of the endzone. Clark beat his man and Banks lofted a soft spiral as he was getting hit that fell into the tight end's arms for the game-winning score and an imminent Iowa victory.

For the drive, Banks was 3-of-5 for 41 yards in the air, with two carries for 48 yards on the ground. He accounted for all 87 of Iowa's yards on the drive.

"A lot of people only remember the touchdown pass, but every ball he threw on that drive was absolutely perfect," Clark said. "It was right on the money."

Said Steinbach: "Even though we believed in Brad to that point, I remember thinking, 'Man, have we got a player on our side or what?"

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn3.com.