Here are my top 10 2009 Iowa Hawkeye football moments:
#10 - The Wegher Bomb (@ Iowa State): Brandon Wegher saw his first action against the Iowa State Cyclones and made it a good one. 101 yards on 15 carries and 1 leaping-over-the-pile touchdown. This became known as "The Wegher Bomb".
#9 - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (vs Northwestern): Sadly this is one that really hurt the season, but might have helped the team long-term. With the ball deep in their own territory the Hawks called a pass to get some field position. Instead they lost a QB and 7 points went on the Northwestern board. I had a perfect view of Ricky Stanzi as he laid on the ground in pain. At first I thought it was a shoulder as I didn't see the foot/ankle get bent around. Stanzi's injury definitely changed the game.
#8 - The Pig (vs Minnesota): Floyd of Rosedale must love living in Iowa City. Two years in a row the Hawks shut out Minnesota in the battle for the bronzed pig. This year's game wasn't as high scoring as 2008's (55-0 Iowa) but the outcome was the same. It had to be a huge confidence boost for a team that had lost 2 games in a row and was in danger of dropping from BCS bowl consideration. Luckily the defense carried the team and the team carried Floyd off the field yet again.
#7 - The Bull (@ Wisconsin): The battle for the Heartland Trophy is always a tough match up between Iowa and Wisconsin. As we were accustomed to Iowa got down 10-0 before playing their game. After a FG cut the score to 10-3 Ricky Stanzi bought some time in the pocket and made a perfect (on-the-run) 24 yard pass to Tony Moeaki in the corner of the endzone to tie the game. The Hawks put the game away in the 2nd Half and went to 2-0 in Big 10 road games this year.
#6 - Big Hits (vs Michigan): Night games at Kinnick are amazing as it is. Throw in Michigan as the opponent and Kinnick goes crazy. You could tell that both teams were amped up for this game. Iowa's defense and special teams were really hitting Michigan hard. In particular Jeff Tarpinian and Adrian Clayborn. Tarp had an amazing, um tackle I guess, on kick coverage where he flipped the return man in the air. It happened so fast that you couldn't tell what exactly happened. And then there's Clayborn. He was hitting everything that moved harder than I have ever seen. At one point he hit Michigan QB Tate Forcier so hard that Forcier got up a little wobbly, and it wasn't because his head hit the ground.
#5 - "It's blocked", Part 1 (vs Northern Iowa): This is what started it all. Iowa has been known for good special teams play during the Kirk Ferentz era. It has been a while since blocked kicks/punts and kick return TD have been seen but something felt right this day. UNI had a chance to win AT KINNICK but had 2 field goals blocked on consecutive plays (first attempt was on 3rd down and the ball did not cross the line of scrimmage and was recovered by UNI, by rule it is equal to an incomplete pass). This started the run of insanely good luck for the Hawks.
#4 - The comeback (vs Indiana): With Iowa down 21-7 at half things looked bleak for the Hawkeyes. Enter Tyler Sash. Indiana drove inside the Iowa 10 and was looking to put the game away when the Iowa defense sent a blitz and the game was changed. The pass was tipped around many times behind the line of scrimmage before falling into the waiting hands of Sash, who went 86 yards untouched for an INT TD. The Hawks then scored 28 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win 42-24.
#3 - Battle for Roses (@Ohio St): James Vandenburg was starting his first game at QB in a very hostile environment. No one expected Iowa to be in this game at all. Vandenburg played amazing and the defense rose to the challenge again. There were two huge offensive plays in this game. The first was a TD laser to Marvin McNutt to tie the game at 10. Then Derrell Johnson-Koulianous decided to bobble a kickoff before taking it 99 yards for an Iowa TD after all had seemed lost. Iowa battled back to tie the game at 24 after being down 24-10 (prior to the kick return) before losing the heart breaker in overtime.
#2 - The drives (@ Michigan St): Iowa went up 9-6 late in the game. It was a classic Big 10 defensive battle between two almost identical programs. The offenses for both teams decided to finally wake up. Michigan State knew they needed something big so they ran a perfectly executed hook-and-lateral to get into Iowa territory. The next play was a perfectly thrown TD pass putting MSU up 13-9 with 1:37 left in the game. Next it was Iowa's turn. No trickery here as Stanzi completed passes and moved the ball down to the Michigan State 7. On 4th down, with only 2 seconds left, Stanzi threw a bullet to a slanting McNutt for the winning score, and a 3-0 Big 10 road record.
#1 - "It's blocked", Part 2 (@ Penn State): After giving up a big play right away the Iowa defense buckled down and went into the 4th quarter down 10-5. Then the everything seemed to change. Clayborn was left on the field for a punt return (punt safe formation) and ended up blocking the punt and returning it 53 yards for the TD. That was all that was needed as the defense was simply dominating all night long. This game put Iowa back on the national radar.
Those are from the regular season. Hopefully 2010 will start with another magical moment!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Buckeyes, Roses, Gophers, Fiesta, Credit Cards, and Oranges with Yellow Jackets!
The 2009 college football regular season is in the books and the bowl games have been announced. The season seemed to fly by; I couldn't believe that I was walking out of Kinnick Stadium for the last time in 2009 on November 21. The season was filled with a lot of memorable moments for the Hawkeyes, most of which were good but there were some bad. The Northwestern game was the low point of the season. But it was short-lived.
Iowa went into Columbus, Ohio with their backs to the wall. Winner gets the Big 10's automatic BCS bid (Rose Bowl). Iowa played with a red-shirt freshman quarterback who was making his very first collegiate start. James Vandenburg came into the Northwestern game after Ricky Stanzi was lost for the rest of the regular season and showed some promise. A lot of people were worried about Iowa's chances against Ohio State but I wasn't one of them. I saw a young QB being thrown into the file against Northwestern. I knew having a week to prepare would do wonders for the youngster. It sure paid off! Iowa pushed Ohio State to overtime only to lose by 3 points. Vandenburg played a great games and made some passes that Stanzi can't (including a laser to Marvin McNutt for a touchdown). The defense played very well but gave up a few big runs that really hurt the Hawks. The better team did not win that day (Iowa shot itself in the foot with dropped passes, missed field goal, and sloppy defensive play), but the Hawks showed that they are for real.
Next up was the final game of the year against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Last year Iowa beat Minnesota 55-0 in the final college football game played in the Metrodome. Minnesota tried to erase that game by not including a reference to it in their spring media guide. This year the outcome was the same, but the score was a little different as Iowa won 12-0. Minnesota hasn't scored on Iowa's defense in 2 years! It was a fairly sloppy game but it was an old school defensive battle. Minnesota was much more aggressive on defense than Ohio St was the week before. Minnesota sent defensive backs on blitzes and that really confused Iowa's pass protection. Minnesota had chances to get on the board late in the game but they went for some 4th down plays and Iowa held, including one from the 2 yard line. This victory got Iowa to the 10 win mark on the season.
Then the waiting game. Which bowl would Iowa be going to? If the Ohio State game ended differently Iowa would be on their was to the Rose Bowl. Since it ended the way it did the debate and guessing was on. Would it be the Capital One bowl (which gets the first pick of non-BCS Big 10 teams available)? Would it be the Fiesta Bowl (a BCS game)? Would it be the Orange or Sugar Bowls (other BCS games)? A lot of "experts" were thinking it would be the Fiesta Bowl due to the number of Iowans living in Arizona this time of year. After the conference championship games were played the picture still wasn't clear for Iowa. Penn State also had a shot at the BCS, which would have knocked Iowa to the Capital One bowl. Instead the Orange Bowl (Tuesday Jan 5, 2010) jumped all over Iowa, mainly due to Iowa beating Penn State head-to-head. The Fiesta Bowl decided to take Boise St and Texas Christian as they were undefeated. Iowa was a no-brainer for the Orange Bowl. Iowa's opponent will be Georgia Tech, the ACC champion. This will be an intriguing match up as Georgia Tech runs the very rarely seen triple-option. The key to defending the triple-option is disciplined assignment defense, which is what Iowa has done all season. Georgia Tech doesn't have a great defense and Iowa's offense has been less than stellar most of the year (lone exception: 4th quarter against Indiana). I will preview the game in more detail as it approaches.
I will also be compiling a list of my 10 most memorable moments of the season. I don't like specific plays because there are usually "hidden" plays that make the big play possible. Look for the preview and the memorable moments soon!
Iowa went into Columbus, Ohio with their backs to the wall. Winner gets the Big 10's automatic BCS bid (Rose Bowl). Iowa played with a red-shirt freshman quarterback who was making his very first collegiate start. James Vandenburg came into the Northwestern game after Ricky Stanzi was lost for the rest of the regular season and showed some promise. A lot of people were worried about Iowa's chances against Ohio State but I wasn't one of them. I saw a young QB being thrown into the file against Northwestern. I knew having a week to prepare would do wonders for the youngster. It sure paid off! Iowa pushed Ohio State to overtime only to lose by 3 points. Vandenburg played a great games and made some passes that Stanzi can't (including a laser to Marvin McNutt for a touchdown). The defense played very well but gave up a few big runs that really hurt the Hawks. The better team did not win that day (Iowa shot itself in the foot with dropped passes, missed field goal, and sloppy defensive play), but the Hawks showed that they are for real.
Next up was the final game of the year against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Last year Iowa beat Minnesota 55-0 in the final college football game played in the Metrodome. Minnesota tried to erase that game by not including a reference to it in their spring media guide. This year the outcome was the same, but the score was a little different as Iowa won 12-0. Minnesota hasn't scored on Iowa's defense in 2 years! It was a fairly sloppy game but it was an old school defensive battle. Minnesota was much more aggressive on defense than Ohio St was the week before. Minnesota sent defensive backs on blitzes and that really confused Iowa's pass protection. Minnesota had chances to get on the board late in the game but they went for some 4th down plays and Iowa held, including one from the 2 yard line. This victory got Iowa to the 10 win mark on the season.
Then the waiting game. Which bowl would Iowa be going to? If the Ohio State game ended differently Iowa would be on their was to the Rose Bowl. Since it ended the way it did the debate and guessing was on. Would it be the Capital One bowl (which gets the first pick of non-BCS Big 10 teams available)? Would it be the Fiesta Bowl (a BCS game)? Would it be the Orange or Sugar Bowls (other BCS games)? A lot of "experts" were thinking it would be the Fiesta Bowl due to the number of Iowans living in Arizona this time of year. After the conference championship games were played the picture still wasn't clear for Iowa. Penn State also had a shot at the BCS, which would have knocked Iowa to the Capital One bowl. Instead the Orange Bowl (Tuesday Jan 5, 2010) jumped all over Iowa, mainly due to Iowa beating Penn State head-to-head. The Fiesta Bowl decided to take Boise St and Texas Christian as they were undefeated. Iowa was a no-brainer for the Orange Bowl. Iowa's opponent will be Georgia Tech, the ACC champion. This will be an intriguing match up as Georgia Tech runs the very rarely seen triple-option. The key to defending the triple-option is disciplined assignment defense, which is what Iowa has done all season. Georgia Tech doesn't have a great defense and Iowa's offense has been less than stellar most of the year (lone exception: 4th quarter against Indiana). I will preview the game in more detail as it approaches.
I will also be compiling a list of my 10 most memorable moments of the season. I don't like specific plays because there are usually "hidden" plays that make the big play possible. Look for the preview and the memorable moments soon!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Tiger Effect
Tonight I am going to take a break from Iowa Hawkeye Football (don't worry it will come back soon with a recap of the final two games and a look at the Orange Bowl) and touch on a subject that has been all over the media. Tonight we look at what I believe is the beginning of the end of an icon.
In the mid 1990's Tiger Woods was blazing his way through amateur golf. He was being called "the next big thing" for the golfing world. He stormed the PGA tour and opened the game to the golfing minorities. Keep in mind that golf is played primarily by white folks, most of which are men. Tiger did great things for the people who normally wouldn't follow the sport but got into it and realized how enjoying it is. I am a golfer and have been playing since the mid 90's but I can honestly say I have never cared for Tiger. With that being said some of my dislike of him may come across. I will try to say subjective.
Every icon takes the same path: they are called "the next big thing", then they arrive and take icon status, and then they start to fade away (some more quickly than others). Tiger's once bright star is starting to fade. He constantly wins PGA tournaments and has some very lucrative endorsement deals. He is the wealthiest athlete on this planet. I'm sure he gives back in many ways and the public sees him as a nice guy. The latest allegations do come as a shock due to the way he presents himself in public. After his car wreck my dad wondered if he was on a sleep medication and that caused him to sleepwalk and then sleep drive. By some of the accounts this could be possible as it has been said that he was snoring and shoeless when authorities arrived. However, it's not the wreck that is going to hurt him, rather it's all of the talk of extramarital affairs is what will do him in.
A lot of my dislike in Tiger comes from his actions on the golf course. I will not argue that he is a great player but I don't think he's the greatest of all time. I still think that title belongs to Ben Hogan. His on-course actions are not that of a role model. If you can read lips you can easily see him say things I could print here but chose not to. There are a lot of 4-letter words. If he mishits a ball he slams his club to the ground. These actions are not respectful of the game at all. I'm not a professional golfer (not even close right now) and I get frustrated when I make a bad shot but I don't slam my club or say something I shouldn't. I brush it off and go to the next shot (kind of like Ricky Stanzi after throwing an interception, or 4). He is making millions playing a game that most of us have to pay for, and it's not cheap when you figure in green fees/memberships, clubs, balls, and other equipment. I see no reason for him to carry on the way he does while on the course.
My biggest issue with the affairs allegations is that the public knows about them. I know the media exists to pass along important information to the general public. I really don't think the media needs to show pictures of the alleged mistresses or even tell us that he had affairs at all. This is a private matter and the media may be the cause of his downfall. He may have a sex addiction and he needs to deal with it on his own. He may have started doing that as it is. Now the public knows way too much about his issues and will form damaging opinions of him. Affairs are nothing new and, unfortunately, they are fairly common. The reason his are amplified is because he is Tiger Woods, world's richest athlete. He's human and has human tendencies just like everyone else. It would be nice if the media would let him be during this time of turmoil so that he can get his life together peacefully and, maybe, be able to show up on the PGA tour next year and play golf rather than answer questions.
In the mid 1990's Tiger Woods was blazing his way through amateur golf. He was being called "the next big thing" for the golfing world. He stormed the PGA tour and opened the game to the golfing minorities. Keep in mind that golf is played primarily by white folks, most of which are men. Tiger did great things for the people who normally wouldn't follow the sport but got into it and realized how enjoying it is. I am a golfer and have been playing since the mid 90's but I can honestly say I have never cared for Tiger. With that being said some of my dislike of him may come across. I will try to say subjective.
Every icon takes the same path: they are called "the next big thing", then they arrive and take icon status, and then they start to fade away (some more quickly than others). Tiger's once bright star is starting to fade. He constantly wins PGA tournaments and has some very lucrative endorsement deals. He is the wealthiest athlete on this planet. I'm sure he gives back in many ways and the public sees him as a nice guy. The latest allegations do come as a shock due to the way he presents himself in public. After his car wreck my dad wondered if he was on a sleep medication and that caused him to sleepwalk and then sleep drive. By some of the accounts this could be possible as it has been said that he was snoring and shoeless when authorities arrived. However, it's not the wreck that is going to hurt him, rather it's all of the talk of extramarital affairs is what will do him in.
A lot of my dislike in Tiger comes from his actions on the golf course. I will not argue that he is a great player but I don't think he's the greatest of all time. I still think that title belongs to Ben Hogan. His on-course actions are not that of a role model. If you can read lips you can easily see him say things I could print here but chose not to. There are a lot of 4-letter words. If he mishits a ball he slams his club to the ground. These actions are not respectful of the game at all. I'm not a professional golfer (not even close right now) and I get frustrated when I make a bad shot but I don't slam my club or say something I shouldn't. I brush it off and go to the next shot (kind of like Ricky Stanzi after throwing an interception, or 4). He is making millions playing a game that most of us have to pay for, and it's not cheap when you figure in green fees/memberships, clubs, balls, and other equipment. I see no reason for him to carry on the way he does while on the course.
My biggest issue with the affairs allegations is that the public knows about them. I know the media exists to pass along important information to the general public. I really don't think the media needs to show pictures of the alleged mistresses or even tell us that he had affairs at all. This is a private matter and the media may be the cause of his downfall. He may have a sex addiction and he needs to deal with it on his own. He may have started doing that as it is. Now the public knows way too much about his issues and will form damaging opinions of him. Affairs are nothing new and, unfortunately, they are fairly common. The reason his are amplified is because he is Tiger Woods, world's richest athlete. He's human and has human tendencies just like everyone else. It would be nice if the media would let him be during this time of turmoil so that he can get his life together peacefully and, maybe, be able to show up on the PGA tour next year and play golf rather than answer questions.
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