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.
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!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The 130
Wow. Two more weeks, two more wins. Iowa has now set a school record with 9 consecutive victories to start the season. Say what you want about the margin of victory but the bottom line is Iowa is 9-0 (5-0 in the Big Ten) and has a one game lead in the Big Ten race.
The Michigan State game was one of the hardest hitting games I have ever seen. Michigan State's program was built to model Iowa's and that always makes for a close game. In 2007 Iowa won in OT; in 2008 Michigan State won by 3, and in 2009 Iowa needed a last second 7 yard TD to win, 15-13. It was one of those magical moments that you will remember for a very long time. Even my wife, who is not a huge football fan, was jumping around the living room screaming. Surprisingly we didn't wake the kids. Even in defeat Iowa suffered some major losses. On offense Dace Richardson broke a bone in his lower leg and is done until the bowl game, Adam Robinson sprained an ankle and is out for a while, Brandon Wegher took a shot to the ribs, and Colin Sandeman got laid out by a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit that drew the ire of the Michigan State "faithful" (I really hope they were booing the penalty and not the injured player, although multiple sources, say they were booing the loudest when Sandeman walked off the field). On defense Brett Greenwood was laid out by a friendly fire helmet-to-helmet hit that was delivered by Tyler Sash. Luckily Sandeman and Greenwood were not seriously hurt; Greenwood was carted off while Sandeman walked off on his own. I, personally, feel the worst for Dace. Luckily he didn't hurt his knees as he has spent a lot of time trying to come back from knee injuries that were thought to be career-ending. He will be missed over the next few weeks but Iowa has linemen that are more than capable of filling the void. Dace's injury makes Bryan Bulaga's illness earlier in the season look like a blessing in disguise as it gave Reily Reiff some playing time. When all was said and done, the offense finally showed up with 97 seconds left in the game and was able to score the winning touch down with no time left, on a 4th down no less. This was also Iowa's first victory in East Lansing, MI since 1995.
Out of the players injured against Michigan State only Wegher and Greenwood started against Indiana. Unfortunately Greenwood only lasted a few plays before taking himself out. Wegher was able to play the entire game and had a career day as the primary back. He gained 118 yards and had 3 touch downs in the big victory over Indiana. The Hawks started slowly again, falling behind 21-7 at the half. After halftime Ricky Stanzi went off, in a bad way. Stanzi threw 4 interceptions in the 3rd quarter, but Indiana could only muster 3 points in the quarter. Tyler Sash grabbed a batted Ben Chappell pass and returned it 86 yards for an Iowa touchdown. At the end of the 3rd it was 24-14 Indiana. Prior to Sash's return Kinnick Stadium was dead quiet. The pick got the crowd, and the team, back in the game. Iowa took over in the 4th quarter, scoring 28 unanswered points to pull away. Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt on a intermediate crossing route that McNutt turned into a 92 yard touch down. At this point I noticed Indiana's defense was tired. On the next Iowa possession a similar play was called and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos caught the pass and went 66 yards for a touch down. Brandon Wegher then added his second and third touch down runs to put the game away. Iowa committed 6 turnovers on the day and only forced 3. The big difference is that Iowa capitalized on those opportunities while Indiana did not. The Iowa defense stepped up big time in the second half allowing only 3 points. One of these days Iowa will put a whole game together and we will all see what they can do.
I got to thinking about how the last few games have gone. I don't know if it's more about adjustments made during the game or halftime as much as it is conditioning of the players. It seems that Iowa is always fresh later in the game than the other teams. Today's game was a great example of that as Indiana couldn't do anything and looked fatigued. The first part of the body to be affected is the mind (blown coverage, penalties) and then the body. Indiana couldn't do anything in the 4th quarter this week, or last, and I really think it came down to conditioning. Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Doyle has done a marvelous job with this team and should be given a lifetime contract, along with Coach Kirk Ferentz and Coach Erik Campbell.
Up next are the Northwestern Wildcats. Last year NW came into Iowa City and left with a victory after forcing 5 Iowa turnovers and holding Iowa out of the end-zone (after a 1st and 8) to win the game.
The Michigan State game was one of the hardest hitting games I have ever seen. Michigan State's program was built to model Iowa's and that always makes for a close game. In 2007 Iowa won in OT; in 2008 Michigan State won by 3, and in 2009 Iowa needed a last second 7 yard TD to win, 15-13. It was one of those magical moments that you will remember for a very long time. Even my wife, who is not a huge football fan, was jumping around the living room screaming. Surprisingly we didn't wake the kids. Even in defeat Iowa suffered some major losses. On offense Dace Richardson broke a bone in his lower leg and is done until the bowl game, Adam Robinson sprained an ankle and is out for a while, Brandon Wegher took a shot to the ribs, and Colin Sandeman got laid out by a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit that drew the ire of the Michigan State "faithful" (I really hope they were booing the penalty and not the injured player, although multiple sources, say they were booing the loudest when Sandeman walked off the field). On defense Brett Greenwood was laid out by a friendly fire helmet-to-helmet hit that was delivered by Tyler Sash. Luckily Sandeman and Greenwood were not seriously hurt; Greenwood was carted off while Sandeman walked off on his own. I, personally, feel the worst for Dace. Luckily he didn't hurt his knees as he has spent a lot of time trying to come back from knee injuries that were thought to be career-ending. He will be missed over the next few weeks but Iowa has linemen that are more than capable of filling the void. Dace's injury makes Bryan Bulaga's illness earlier in the season look like a blessing in disguise as it gave Reily Reiff some playing time. When all was said and done, the offense finally showed up with 97 seconds left in the game and was able to score the winning touch down with no time left, on a 4th down no less. This was also Iowa's first victory in East Lansing, MI since 1995.
Out of the players injured against Michigan State only Wegher and Greenwood started against Indiana. Unfortunately Greenwood only lasted a few plays before taking himself out. Wegher was able to play the entire game and had a career day as the primary back. He gained 118 yards and had 3 touch downs in the big victory over Indiana. The Hawks started slowly again, falling behind 21-7 at the half. After halftime Ricky Stanzi went off, in a bad way. Stanzi threw 4 interceptions in the 3rd quarter, but Indiana could only muster 3 points in the quarter. Tyler Sash grabbed a batted Ben Chappell pass and returned it 86 yards for an Iowa touchdown. At the end of the 3rd it was 24-14 Indiana. Prior to Sash's return Kinnick Stadium was dead quiet. The pick got the crowd, and the team, back in the game. Iowa took over in the 4th quarter, scoring 28 unanswered points to pull away. Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt on a intermediate crossing route that McNutt turned into a 92 yard touch down. At this point I noticed Indiana's defense was tired. On the next Iowa possession a similar play was called and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos caught the pass and went 66 yards for a touch down. Brandon Wegher then added his second and third touch down runs to put the game away. Iowa committed 6 turnovers on the day and only forced 3. The big difference is that Iowa capitalized on those opportunities while Indiana did not. The Iowa defense stepped up big time in the second half allowing only 3 points. One of these days Iowa will put a whole game together and we will all see what they can do.
I got to thinking about how the last few games have gone. I don't know if it's more about adjustments made during the game or halftime as much as it is conditioning of the players. It seems that Iowa is always fresh later in the game than the other teams. Today's game was a great example of that as Indiana couldn't do anything and looked fatigued. The first part of the body to be affected is the mind (blown coverage, penalties) and then the body. Indiana couldn't do anything in the 4th quarter this week, or last, and I really think it came down to conditioning. Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Doyle has done a marvelous job with this team and should be given a lifetime contract, along with Coach Kirk Ferentz and Coach Erik Campbell.
Up next are the Northwestern Wildcats. Last year NW came into Iowa City and left with a victory after forcing 5 Iowa turnovers and holding Iowa out of the end-zone (after a 1st and 8) to win the game.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The 130
Three weeks ago I ended with "This is shaping up to be a special season. I'm glad I'm along for the ride!" What a ride it has been. In the three games (read: victories) since that statement it has been a wild roller coaster during the games. The Hawkeyes are 7-0 (3-0 in Big Ten Play, 4-0 at home). For whatever reason the Hawks have played their best football away from Iowa City. I don't know if they are trying to get people to visit the University hospital for blood pressure and heart related ailments after the games or if Kinnick is losing some of it's luster as a tough place to play. What it all comes down to at the end of the day is Iowa is 7-0 for the first time since 1985 and is ranked in the top 10 in the major polls and #6 in the initial BCS ranking.
I knew that the Michigan and Wisconsin games would be tough, especially with going to Madison, but I didn't think the Arkansas St game would be as close as it was. I'm not blaming it on Iowa turnovers because there was only one mistake and, while it lead to 7 Ark St points, doesn't mean that they wouldn't have scored 7 points on that drive had it not been returned. All it did was get their 100 fans cheering for a minute. Too bad Iowa gave them more to cheer and hope for later on in the game. Luckily a win is a win no matter if it's by 1 point or 100 points; style points don't matter. One thing that really struck me as odd was how out of the game the crowd was. My area of the stands is always loud but when Iowa crosses the 50 we usually quiet down and let the south end do some of the work. When that happened it got quiet, almost eerily quiet. Iowa just came off a big win AT Penn St and everyone forgets how to make noise? Made no sense to me, however.....
For only the 4th time in the history of Kinnick Stadium a true night game was played (true as in i started in the evening rather than ended in the dark but started in the afternoon). This game was billed as the biggest home game of the season and the opponent was the Wolverines of Michigan. The last time Michigan was in Iowa City the game went to overtime and Michigan won. I will go on record as saying the officials had a rough game and helped with the outcome. That game also ended a 30+ game home winning streak for Iowa. After a 2 year break from each other the series started back up to an electrified crowd dressed in black and waving gold poms in the air. It wasn't the most electric crowd I've been part of, but it was fun (my vocal cords and throat beg to differ). This game also put Iowa at 6-0 and bowl elidgible for the 9th consecutive season (8 bowl apperances during that span). The defense made Tate Forcier look like an 18 year old and the Iowa offense made the Michigan defense look good. Michigan has some good athletes (Forcier is the next Tebow, and I don't mean that in a good way) and is a decent team, but I don't think the game should have been that close. The Hawks left with a close victory and started the most grueling two week stretch of the season with trips to Madison and East Lansing.
Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin is a rough place to play for most college football teams. However, Iowa usually goes in and plays well. Even in 2007 (the season that shall not be discussed more) Iowa lost 17-14 with Andy Brodell destroying his quadricep muscle and Tony Moeaki losing his arm. Wisconsin was ranked at the time and was rolling along. That game was the coming out party for Derrell Johnson-Koulianos who stepped up big time. This year it didn't seem anyone in particular had a coming out party. The real Ricky Stanzi finally showed up. He was throwing perfect passes both from the pocket and on the run and he didn't have any interceptions (although he did lose a fumble, Wisconsin missed a field goal after the recovery). I still think he throws one of the best deep balls in the nation. Tony Moeaki makes the offense 1,000,000 times better when he's in the game, DJK is Stanzi's go-to guy, and the two-headed running back approach seems to be working for one of the two every game. The biggest weakness is the offensive line. The perrenial strength of a Kirk Ferentz team is the o-line but this year they have been terribly inconsistant. Thankfully it looked as destructive as ever in the second half against Wisconsin. On the other side of the ball the defense has been getting run on a lot this year. I'm surprisingly ok with that as most college teams pass a lot more than run this year, and Iowa has done a great job in the pass defense department. Like the offensive line, the defense appeared to take the first half off but really came to life in the second half. The line was getting better penetration and the back 7 were doing their jobs nicely. 3 more interceptions (lead the nation) helped tremendously. I was sweating in the first half but I have now come to realize that Iowa is 7-0 this year when having to come from behind. If the team can start showing consistency from the offense and defense for 60 minutes it will be a scarry thing.
The outlook is starting to look Rosy for the Iowa Hawkeyes. All alone at the top of the Big Ten standings sure feels good but there are still 5 tough contests coming up. Iowa has not won at Michigan State (Oct 24) since 1995 and have not won at Ohio State (Nov 7) since 1991. Those are the last two road games of the season and could be stumbling blocksl; I don't see Iowa losing to Indiana, Northwestern, or Minnesota. If Iowa makes it through those two road games the road to Pasadena will be paved with Black and Gold. The only thing that will need to be determined is the day Iowa will play their bowl game; it will either be January 1, 2010 (Rose Bowl) or January 7, 2010 (BCS title game).
I knew that the Michigan and Wisconsin games would be tough, especially with going to Madison, but I didn't think the Arkansas St game would be as close as it was. I'm not blaming it on Iowa turnovers because there was only one mistake and, while it lead to 7 Ark St points, doesn't mean that they wouldn't have scored 7 points on that drive had it not been returned. All it did was get their 100 fans cheering for a minute. Too bad Iowa gave them more to cheer and hope for later on in the game. Luckily a win is a win no matter if it's by 1 point or 100 points; style points don't matter. One thing that really struck me as odd was how out of the game the crowd was. My area of the stands is always loud but when Iowa crosses the 50 we usually quiet down and let the south end do some of the work. When that happened it got quiet, almost eerily quiet. Iowa just came off a big win AT Penn St and everyone forgets how to make noise? Made no sense to me, however.....
For only the 4th time in the history of Kinnick Stadium a true night game was played (true as in i started in the evening rather than ended in the dark but started in the afternoon). This game was billed as the biggest home game of the season and the opponent was the Wolverines of Michigan. The last time Michigan was in Iowa City the game went to overtime and Michigan won. I will go on record as saying the officials had a rough game and helped with the outcome. That game also ended a 30+ game home winning streak for Iowa. After a 2 year break from each other the series started back up to an electrified crowd dressed in black and waving gold poms in the air. It wasn't the most electric crowd I've been part of, but it was fun (my vocal cords and throat beg to differ). This game also put Iowa at 6-0 and bowl elidgible for the 9th consecutive season (8 bowl apperances during that span). The defense made Tate Forcier look like an 18 year old and the Iowa offense made the Michigan defense look good. Michigan has some good athletes (Forcier is the next Tebow, and I don't mean that in a good way) and is a decent team, but I don't think the game should have been that close. The Hawks left with a close victory and started the most grueling two week stretch of the season with trips to Madison and East Lansing.
Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin is a rough place to play for most college football teams. However, Iowa usually goes in and plays well. Even in 2007 (the season that shall not be discussed more) Iowa lost 17-14 with Andy Brodell destroying his quadricep muscle and Tony Moeaki losing his arm. Wisconsin was ranked at the time and was rolling along. That game was the coming out party for Derrell Johnson-Koulianos who stepped up big time. This year it didn't seem anyone in particular had a coming out party. The real Ricky Stanzi finally showed up. He was throwing perfect passes both from the pocket and on the run and he didn't have any interceptions (although he did lose a fumble, Wisconsin missed a field goal after the recovery). I still think he throws one of the best deep balls in the nation. Tony Moeaki makes the offense 1,000,000 times better when he's in the game, DJK is Stanzi's go-to guy, and the two-headed running back approach seems to be working for one of the two every game. The biggest weakness is the offensive line. The perrenial strength of a Kirk Ferentz team is the o-line but this year they have been terribly inconsistant. Thankfully it looked as destructive as ever in the second half against Wisconsin. On the other side of the ball the defense has been getting run on a lot this year. I'm surprisingly ok with that as most college teams pass a lot more than run this year, and Iowa has done a great job in the pass defense department. Like the offensive line, the defense appeared to take the first half off but really came to life in the second half. The line was getting better penetration and the back 7 were doing their jobs nicely. 3 more interceptions (lead the nation) helped tremendously. I was sweating in the first half but I have now come to realize that Iowa is 7-0 this year when having to come from behind. If the team can start showing consistency from the offense and defense for 60 minutes it will be a scarry thing.
The outlook is starting to look Rosy for the Iowa Hawkeyes. All alone at the top of the Big Ten standings sure feels good but there are still 5 tough contests coming up. Iowa has not won at Michigan State (Oct 24) since 1995 and have not won at Ohio State (Nov 7) since 1991. Those are the last two road games of the season and could be stumbling blocksl; I don't see Iowa losing to Indiana, Northwestern, or Minnesota. If Iowa makes it through those two road games the road to Pasadena will be paved with Black and Gold. The only thing that will need to be determined is the day Iowa will play their bowl game; it will either be January 1, 2010 (Rose Bowl) or January 7, 2010 (BCS title game).
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