10 years ago at this time I was wondering if I made the right decision to not graduate from high school early so that I could run track. After cross country finished up I was really burned out from running and I was thinking strongly about graduating after the second trimester. My track coach caught wind of this (actually I think I told him) and he strongly encouraged me to stay in school and run track. This was supposed to be the year I dominated in my events and he was banking on that. When practice began in late February I felt a problem in my foot. Turns out I had developed tendinitis along the arch in my left foot. I was out of action for the first three weeks of March. Then, right before I was going to start practicing, I developed tendinitis in my right foot, also along the arch, and I hurt my hamstring; this kept me out for another week. I probably should have been out longer but our first meet was coming up and I wanted some practice time, even if it was 3 days, before I ran. It took me almost the entire season to get into "meet shape". My normal work load was two 800 meter races, usually the 4x800 and then the 800 in the medley relay or the open 800. I was fine running the 4x800 (time was around 2:12 which wasn't bad for being hurt) but the second 800 of the meet was way worse (one was 2:30, which was equally painful to watch and to run); it got to the point that I was only running one even per meet. The 4x800 qualified for state on the time of four runners that weren't normally on the relay. In the closing meets of the year we had a run-off to see who would be on the team to run at state. Luckily I was finally coming around and was able to run a 2:07 three times in the last two meets (my 4th time was 2:08). I then ran a 2:06 at state and began to wonder what would have happened if I was healthy at the start of the season.
After the state meet I said that was the last time I was going to run. I was done with it. My knees had been injured, my feet had tendinitis, my hips had issues, and there were various muscle strains and pulls through the years. My body was spent, and so too was my mind. I was content without running long distances as I never wanted to be a distance runner, it all happened by chance (I still blame my sister).
Now, 10 years later, I have caught the bug. Two years ago I started running at lunch time with a group of my co-workers. The first time I ran we went 4 miles, and I couldn't walk for a couple of days. The knee pains were back. I decided, after a couple of months of off-and-on running, that I should slide back into retirement. I didn't think my knees would take any more running. Then, after playing broom ball for a few hours in January pain free, I decided to give it another go. This time was going to be a lot different that two years ago. This time I have a plan, and a goal. I want to compete in at least two 5k road races this year: the first will be May 1 in Perry (Run Like A Fox, named for my late high school cross country coach) and the second is still to be determined. I have thought about doing the 5k Dam to Dam, but there is usually a 5k in Perry on July 4 that is an option; if things go well I may do all three, and run in Race for the Cure in Des Moines next October.
I know that sounds ambitious for someone who hasn't competed in 10 years but that is where my plan comes in. The first month and a half has been used for strength training. I work my arms 3 days a week and my legs the other 2 (weekends off). In my younger days I never thought of the strength training being very important. Now that I've been away from any sort of workout I know I need to get physically stronger. On top of that I need to get my mind back into the game. One of my best weapons during my races was my mind. I never let myself give up mentally. I knew I could catch the guy in front of me no matter how far ahead he was (especially in track). Part of my strength routine is getting my competition mindset back. That means I cannot give up on what I'm doing, I need to be focused, and I have to ignore the pain. My leg strength is where I want it to be, I don't have a gauge on my upper body strength, and my mind has a some work left.
The next step of the plan involves getting my cardiovascular endurance back. I already have the foundation in place but I need to put the main floor and walls up and then I can start working toward the ceiling. I want to do as much to get the endurance back without putting much stress on my knees and feet this early. My solution: roller blading. Getting the blades on will enable me to work my legs without the stress of running, and help build my endurance. Once I feel comfortable enough with my cardio endurance I will put the blades away and lace up the running shoes again.
I don't think I will ever live the days of a 17:15 5k or a 2:06 800 but I am hoping to be under 21:00 for my first 5k and, maybe, around 18:00 for the others. There is no doubt in my mind that those goals cannot be met. Maybe next year I will be talking about a 17:00 5k again.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Roses May Look Nice But Oranges Taste Better
The 2009 Iowa football season is officially in the books. The end of the season is always a little depressing due to the length of the off season. The nice thing is that the 2010 off season is a few days shorter with Iowa playing in the Orange Bowl. The main goal for the team is always the Rose Bowl since that also means a Big 10 championship but the Orange Bowl is nothing to be sad about. A BCS bowl, a national stage, and the chance to shut the 'experts' up is an ideal situation. Heading into 2009 the Big 10 was being called overrated, slow, behind the times, and anything else they could dig up to bash the conference. This bowl season may have changed that. In 2009 the Big 10 only won 1 bowl game (Iowa in the Outback). Going into the Orange Bowl the Big 10 had 3 wins (Wisconsin in the Champs Sports, Penn St in the Capital One, and Ohio St in the Rose) and 3 losses. The ACC also had a 3-3 bowl record going into the Orange Bowl. Iowa winning the Orange Bowl would have given the Big 10 a winning bowl record with 2 of the wins being BCS games (only one other conference has a chance at that feat, the SEC). Each of the Big 10 wins came against higher ranked teams: #25 Wisconsin beat #15 Miami, #13 Penn St beat #12 LSU, #8 Ohio St beat #7 Oregon. Iowa was ranked #10 and Georgia Tech was ranked #9 going into the Orange Bowl. Would the trend continue?
The big thing heading into the Orange Bowl was Georgia Tech's 'explosive' offense, which averaged over 300 rushing yards and 35 points per game. How could Iowa's defense stop it? Anyone outside of the Big 10, and University of Arizona, didn't think Iowa could stop it. This game was a classic match up of strength (GT rushing offense) vs strength (Iowa defense). Most football purists know that a gimmick offense, such as the triple option, doesn't usually match up with a strong disciplined defense, such as Iowa's.
During the regular season Georgia Tech was very effective running the football since the opposing defense only had a few days to prepare for it. Unfortunately for Georgia Tech Iowa had a month to prepare, and Iowa's defensive coordinator (Norm Parker) has been around the game long enough to remember when the triple option was en vogue. The man knows how to stop it; give him a month and his players will be ready to stop it as well. It quickly became evident that the strong defense was going to have its way with the gimmick offense.
The Iowa defense showed early that they were going to be a force and Georgia Tech looked as if they knew it early on. GT was flagged for a false start on their first offensive snap. 4 plays later they launched their first punt in 22 possessions. GT could only manage 32 yards of total offense in the first half, and finished with 155 yards on the game (143 of those were on the ground). That was mainly due to the way Iowa's defensive line was playing. The tackles, Christian Ballard and Karl Klug, were very active with clogging the middle and the ends, Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns, did a good job of jumping to the dive play and then being able to get back outside if the play went there. The line also gave the linebackers a lot of opportunities to make plays, which they did. A good way to tell that the front seven did their job in stopping the run is to look at the tackle count for the defensive backs. Brett Greenwood and Shaun Prater led the way with 2 tackles each, Tyler Sash had 1 tackle, and Amari Spievey had none. That shows that the offense wasn't able to get to the next level as they hope to. As a former safety I know that it's usually a bad thing if a safety has to make a tackle. More often than not it means the play has gained some decent yardage, however that's not always the case. The big player was definitely Clayborn, who finished with 9 tackles and 2 sacks. It seemed that GT was running at him all game. The only reason I can think of to do that is to wear him down, but they must not realize how good of a conditioning program Iowa has in place. There is a reason that Clayborn was named the game MVP. I'm very happy he has already decided to come back to Iowa for his senior season.
The match up that wasn't being talked about as much was the Iowa rushing offense against the GT rushing defense. GT had given up over 300 rushing yards in their last two games. It looks like the month of preparation helped GT in this area as they held Iowa to 172 yards on 40 carries (4.3 yards per carry). The big impact was in the Iowa passing game. Ricky Stanzi returned from a sprained ankle and went 17-29 for 231 yards, 2 TDs, and the normal pick-6. Stanzi ended up throwing a pick-6 in 4 games this year but Iowa went 4-0 in those games. Before the game I predicted that Brandon Wegher would break a big TD run and win MVP honors. I got half of that one right; Wegher finished with 113 yards on 16 carries (7.1 ypc) and a 32 yard TD run that sealed the deal. The offensive stars were the offensive linemen. Through bowl practice it was reported that Reilly Reiff had been moved to right tackle and Kyle Calloway was being moved to right guard. The move did happen and worked perfectly. Stanzi got sacked twice but those were on overload blitzes (2 or 3 extra defenders were sent). Bryan Bulaga and Reiff had their way with GT's All-American defensive end Derrick Morgan all night long. Morgan (who came in with 12.5 sacks) ended with 3 tackles (including .5 for loss) and 0 sacks. He was taken out of the play multiple times by both Bulaga and Reiff. This was a classic Iowa offensive showing: bully the defense with the line, control the ball and clock, and score just enough to win. Stanzi did take some deep shots but he didn't look as sharp on the deep balls as earlier in the season. Trey Stross deserves some special recognition for playing with a torn MCL in his right knee. He had 1 catch for 9 yards but that came on a 3rd and 8 late in the game. I've been a fan of Stross and was glad to see he got some game time in his final college game.
Now Iowa will get into reload mode. Key players will be graduating: AJ Edds, Pat Angerer, Tony Moeaki, Stross, Rafael Eubanks, Calloway, and Dace Richardson. In addition Bulaga and Spievey may enter the NFL draft and play on Sundays next fall. The position breakdown for those losses are 2 LB, 4 OL, WR, TE, and CB. Luckily all of those positions are fairly deep and the replacements will be more than capable of taking over. Next year's schedule should be very favorable. The tough road games in 2009 are now at home (Iowa St, Wisconsin, Penn St, Michigan St, and Ohio St). The tough home game is at a home-away-from-home (Northwestern). Another double-digit win season is easily reachable and should be expected. If I were to give a prediction right now I would say that Iowa is easily a Big 10 championship contender, if not the favorite.
Another prediction I have been floating around is where Iowa will play their bowl game after next season: it will be either the Fiesta Bowl or the BCS Title Game. My prediction is based off of the returning players and some of the past few seasons. In 2009 Iowa played in Tampa, FL on the same field as the 2009 Super Bowl. In 2010 Iowa played in Miami, FL on the same field as the 2010 Super Bowl. The 2011 Super Bowl will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, site of the Fiesta Bowl and the 2011 BCS Title Game.
I'm proud to be part of the Hawkeye Nation! Now if Iowa could only figure out how to play men's basketball.....
The big thing heading into the Orange Bowl was Georgia Tech's 'explosive' offense, which averaged over 300 rushing yards and 35 points per game. How could Iowa's defense stop it? Anyone outside of the Big 10, and University of Arizona, didn't think Iowa could stop it. This game was a classic match up of strength (GT rushing offense) vs strength (Iowa defense). Most football purists know that a gimmick offense, such as the triple option, doesn't usually match up with a strong disciplined defense, such as Iowa's.
During the regular season Georgia Tech was very effective running the football since the opposing defense only had a few days to prepare for it. Unfortunately for Georgia Tech Iowa had a month to prepare, and Iowa's defensive coordinator (Norm Parker) has been around the game long enough to remember when the triple option was en vogue. The man knows how to stop it; give him a month and his players will be ready to stop it as well. It quickly became evident that the strong defense was going to have its way with the gimmick offense.
The Iowa defense showed early that they were going to be a force and Georgia Tech looked as if they knew it early on. GT was flagged for a false start on their first offensive snap. 4 plays later they launched their first punt in 22 possessions. GT could only manage 32 yards of total offense in the first half, and finished with 155 yards on the game (143 of those were on the ground). That was mainly due to the way Iowa's defensive line was playing. The tackles, Christian Ballard and Karl Klug, were very active with clogging the middle and the ends, Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns, did a good job of jumping to the dive play and then being able to get back outside if the play went there. The line also gave the linebackers a lot of opportunities to make plays, which they did. A good way to tell that the front seven did their job in stopping the run is to look at the tackle count for the defensive backs. Brett Greenwood and Shaun Prater led the way with 2 tackles each, Tyler Sash had 1 tackle, and Amari Spievey had none. That shows that the offense wasn't able to get to the next level as they hope to. As a former safety I know that it's usually a bad thing if a safety has to make a tackle. More often than not it means the play has gained some decent yardage, however that's not always the case. The big player was definitely Clayborn, who finished with 9 tackles and 2 sacks. It seemed that GT was running at him all game. The only reason I can think of to do that is to wear him down, but they must not realize how good of a conditioning program Iowa has in place. There is a reason that Clayborn was named the game MVP. I'm very happy he has already decided to come back to Iowa for his senior season.
The match up that wasn't being talked about as much was the Iowa rushing offense against the GT rushing defense. GT had given up over 300 rushing yards in their last two games. It looks like the month of preparation helped GT in this area as they held Iowa to 172 yards on 40 carries (4.3 yards per carry). The big impact was in the Iowa passing game. Ricky Stanzi returned from a sprained ankle and went 17-29 for 231 yards, 2 TDs, and the normal pick-6. Stanzi ended up throwing a pick-6 in 4 games this year but Iowa went 4-0 in those games. Before the game I predicted that Brandon Wegher would break a big TD run and win MVP honors. I got half of that one right; Wegher finished with 113 yards on 16 carries (7.1 ypc) and a 32 yard TD run that sealed the deal. The offensive stars were the offensive linemen. Through bowl practice it was reported that Reilly Reiff had been moved to right tackle and Kyle Calloway was being moved to right guard. The move did happen and worked perfectly. Stanzi got sacked twice but those were on overload blitzes (2 or 3 extra defenders were sent). Bryan Bulaga and Reiff had their way with GT's All-American defensive end Derrick Morgan all night long. Morgan (who came in with 12.5 sacks) ended with 3 tackles (including .5 for loss) and 0 sacks. He was taken out of the play multiple times by both Bulaga and Reiff. This was a classic Iowa offensive showing: bully the defense with the line, control the ball and clock, and score just enough to win. Stanzi did take some deep shots but he didn't look as sharp on the deep balls as earlier in the season. Trey Stross deserves some special recognition for playing with a torn MCL in his right knee. He had 1 catch for 9 yards but that came on a 3rd and 8 late in the game. I've been a fan of Stross and was glad to see he got some game time in his final college game.
Now Iowa will get into reload mode. Key players will be graduating: AJ Edds, Pat Angerer, Tony Moeaki, Stross, Rafael Eubanks, Calloway, and Dace Richardson. In addition Bulaga and Spievey may enter the NFL draft and play on Sundays next fall. The position breakdown for those losses are 2 LB, 4 OL, WR, TE, and CB. Luckily all of those positions are fairly deep and the replacements will be more than capable of taking over. Next year's schedule should be very favorable. The tough road games in 2009 are now at home (Iowa St, Wisconsin, Penn St, Michigan St, and Ohio St). The tough home game is at a home-away-from-home (Northwestern). Another double-digit win season is easily reachable and should be expected. If I were to give a prediction right now I would say that Iowa is easily a Big 10 championship contender, if not the favorite.
Another prediction I have been floating around is where Iowa will play their bowl game after next season: it will be either the Fiesta Bowl or the BCS Title Game. My prediction is based off of the returning players and some of the past few seasons. In 2009 Iowa played in Tampa, FL on the same field as the 2009 Super Bowl. In 2010 Iowa played in Miami, FL on the same field as the 2010 Super Bowl. The 2011 Super Bowl will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, site of the Fiesta Bowl and the 2011 BCS Title Game.
I'm proud to be part of the Hawkeye Nation! Now if Iowa could only figure out how to play men's basketball.....
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Memories
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!
#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!
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.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Reader Q&A
Today I have decided to do something a little different. I have been receiving emails with questions from some of my readers. I am going to answer some of those questions to the best of my ability. Here goes.
Our first question comes from Kenneth inIowa City Iowa
Kenneth writes: I have one of the best jobs in the world! I really enjoy the people I work with. The problem I’m having is my boss doesn’t let me use my creativity to its fullest potential. I know I have a lot more potential and would like to put it to use. What should I do?
Well, Kenneth, I know that the job market is somewhat bleak right now but I’m sure that, with your creative talents, you should be able to find a job elsewhere. I strongly suggest you begin looking for a new job sometime after the beginning of the year. I am not able to promise that any jobs will be available as I do not know what field you are in but you should still take a look. Experience may help a lot too. If you’ve held your position for, let’s say, 10 or 11 years you should have very little problem moving on. Good luck in your search!
Jim fromKeokuk Iowa
Blaine from Des Moines
Eugene from Auburn , Alabama writes: I spent two years of my life living in Iowa Iowa Iowa
Our first question comes from Kenneth in
Kenneth writes: I have one of the best jobs in the world! I really enjoy the people I work with. The problem I’m having is my boss doesn’t let me use my creativity to its fullest potential. I know I have a lot more potential and would like to put it to use. What should I do?
Well, Kenneth, I know that the job market is somewhat bleak right now but I’m sure that, with your creative talents, you should be able to find a job elsewhere. I strongly suggest you begin looking for a new job sometime after the beginning of the year. I am not able to promise that any jobs will be available as I do not know what field you are in but you should still take a look. Experience may help a lot too. If you’ve held your position for, let’s say, 10 or 11 years you should have very little problem moving on. Good luck in your search!
Jim from
Congratulations on you’re new opportunity Jim! That’s great that your boss thinks you are ready to handle an assignment of this magnitude. I suggest looking over all of your data and notes leading up to the deadline for your assignment. I assume you will need to do some sort of presentation. Hopefully you aren’t the only person from your team to take part in the presentation. Sometimes it helps to have someone to “hand off the ball to” and let them run with it. That should help take the pressure off you so that you can perform to your best ability if things start falling on your shoulders. I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope that this week makes things easier for next week.
Well Blaine
I really don’t know how to respond to Eugene ’s rant against the great state of Iowa
Bobby from Tampa , Florida
Bobby, that was Reily Reiff, and yes he is still on the team. He had to fill in for Bryan Bulaga as Bryan Penn State
Hayden from Minnesota writes: What is the deal with Iowa Northern Iowa by 1 and then losing to Northwestern (for the 5th time in 6 years even)? That never happened when I coached against them. They were always an outstanding team and played well against us. I’ve been away from the game for a while and would like to know what has changed.
I saved the best question for last. I have no idea why the Hawkeyes struggle against teams that wear purple. My favorite NFL team (Green Bay Iowa doesn’t get to play Kansas State
Thanks to my readers for the great questions! I apologize to those of you who sent questions in and they went unanswered. Please keep sending them and you might see an answer soon!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The 130
For the first time this season (and in a calendar year) the Hawkeyes did not score more points than their opponents. Not surprisingly the loss came to the Northwestern Wildcats, who have beat Iowa 5 of the last 6 games and have not lost in Iowa City since 2002. This truely is the biggest game of the season for them, and Pat Fitzgerald always has the team ready to play. Unforturnetly the loss wasn't just a loss in record. QB Ricky Stanzi left the game with an ankle sprain early in the 2nd quarter. As he laid on the field I thought he hurt his shoulder as I wasn't able to see his foot get rolled. Some people are saying his facemask was grabbed and that the fumble that resulted in a NW touchdown shouldn't have happened. From the replays the ball was out before the facemask occurred. All the penalty would do is push NW back 15 yards on either the PAT or the kick off, and I doubt either one would have mattered much in the outcome. One positive thing is that we got to see how back-up QB (and red shirt freshman) James Vandenberg handles Big Ten play. Critics are saying that he wasn't prepared, that he made bad throws, he was indecisive. What I saw was an outstanding arm, excitment, nervousness, and good decisions. It has been pointed out that he threw the ball away, which Stanzi doesn't do very often, when nothing was there. Maybe he was being called indecisive because he was scanning the field and looking off his WRs, again something Stanzi doesn't do very well right now. I'm not saying that Vandenberg is better than Stanzi. Each one has strengths and weaknesses. Stanzi is much better at leading the team and bouncing back from adversity. Vandenberg will need to step into the leader role and take command of the offense. I do not envy him for being in the position he is in this week. Playing at Ohio State for a trip to the Rose Bowl would be tough for any college QB, yet Vandenberg gets to be in that situation for his first colligate start.
Luckily he still has the outstanding defense behind him. The Iowa defense has been phenominal this year. The system isn't flashy but it gets results and it has gotten results consistently for years. There are the critics of "bend but don't break" but so far it has worked and that makes an argument against it tough. The entire defense has been consistent all year long. Everyone is doing their jobs and even the reserves are stepping it up a notch. Joe Conklin has been filling in for Brett Greenwood at free safety very nicely since the Michigan State game. Conklin made a nice diving interception in the endzone to end a NW drive. There is a chance that Greenwood will play at Ohio State but that is not 100% yet.
Everything has fallen into place nicely for the Iowa vs Ohio State game this weekend. The winner of the game (and their fans) get to pack their bags for Pasadena on January 1 while the loser gets to (most likey) get ready for Florida. I can see the loser of this game having a let down on November 21 in their last game of the season. There is a lot at stake in this game and I know that the coaching staffs at each school will have their team ready to play. I don't think it's going to get out of hand and I think that Vandenberg will be prepared and ready to go. I'm hoping that I will be making my plans for Pasadena on Saturday night!
Luckily he still has the outstanding defense behind him. The Iowa defense has been phenominal this year. The system isn't flashy but it gets results and it has gotten results consistently for years. There are the critics of "bend but don't break" but so far it has worked and that makes an argument against it tough. The entire defense has been consistent all year long. Everyone is doing their jobs and even the reserves are stepping it up a notch. Joe Conklin has been filling in for Brett Greenwood at free safety very nicely since the Michigan State game. Conklin made a nice diving interception in the endzone to end a NW drive. There is a chance that Greenwood will play at Ohio State but that is not 100% yet.
Everything has fallen into place nicely for the Iowa vs Ohio State game this weekend. The winner of the game (and their fans) get to pack their bags for Pasadena on January 1 while the loser gets to (most likey) get ready for Florida. I can see the loser of this game having a let down on November 21 in their last game of the season. There is a lot at stake in this game and I know that the coaching staffs at each school will have their team ready to play. I don't think it's going to get out of hand and I think that Vandenberg will be prepared and ready to go. I'm hoping that I will be making my plans for Pasadena on Saturday night!
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