Thoughts on the past 2 Weeks

I've taken a little longer break than what I intended to, but there haven't been a whole lot of topics I've wanted to write about. Basically, here's a summary of the past few weeks.

1. Iowa's football team was selected to play GA Tech in the Orange Bowl. It's a clash of strategies with GA Tech's wide-open offense and Iowa's stingy defense. Fortunately it sounds like just about everyone should be back from injuries for the game.
   
   
2. Iowa toppled Iowa state in their wrestling meet last weekend. It was a matchup of the number 1 and 2 teams in the nation. I've still trying to figure out the rules, but it seems like it was a pretty competitive meet. It's good to see Iowa come out on top.
   
   
3. Same teams, different sport, different result last night. Iowa was without head basketball coach, Todd Lickliter, who had an emergency surgery to deal with a health issue. He should be fine, but it sounded like a real scare. I don't think the result would have been any different if Coach Lickliter had been at the game though. To no one's surprise, Ia State and Craig Brackens dominated the game last night.
   

Iowa's basketball team is going through a real low point right now. Two real weak spots in my mind are at center and point guard. I get the sense that Cougill and Payne are doing all they can just to keep up with everyone else. They are freshman, so there's room for growth and hope, but they're both being asked to contribute too much right away. There's really no other choice though.

All that being said, the only difference between where IA and ISU right now is one Craig Brackens. Like it or not ISU fans, when he leaves next year you could be in the same boat that IA fans are in. He was in charge in last night's game.

Syracuse continues dominating it's preconference schedule. They beat # 10 Florida at Florida despite only shooting 23% from 3 point range. ISU transfer Wesley Johnson is the talk of the state of NY. Florida's head coach, Billy Donovan, said after the game that Syracuse looks like a team that can win the national championship. Coming from him, that's some pretty high praise!

Things I'm Thankful for this Thanksgiving Season

• Stuffing. Some chef came up with an idea to stuff a turkey with bread and delicious seasonings, Genius!
  
  
• Chips and Salsa. OK St lost to OK so Iowa has a great shot at the Tostito's Fiesta bowl.
  
  
• Polish people. TE prospect CJ Fiedorowicz decommitted from Illinois and verbally committed to Iowa this week, adding to what is shaping up to be a great class next year
  
  
• Stanford. Beat both USC and Notre Dame. Maybe all the analysts will finally realize that teams don't win just because of the name on their jerseys.
  
  
• Cheap basketball tickets. Hawkeye basketball is 2-4 with their two wins over Bowling Green and North Carolina Central. Only 25 games left including a stacked Big Ten conference this year! Poor Matt Gatens...
  
  
• Syracuse basketball. Current Syracuse forward and former IA State player Wesley Johnson is going supernova for his new team. The guy is making every dunk, 3-point shot, steal, or block look effortless. I'm inviting all dissatisfied hawkeye basketball fans to pull for Syracuse this year, just until things get straightened out. You don't have to tell anyone, it's just between us.
  
  
• Everything else I've been given from a loving God. Especially my wife and daughter.

Pics from the IA vs MN game

View from our seats in the NW corner of the stadium

Gopher hunting…

Pass play to Mcnutt but, shocker of shockers, it was incomplete

That’s the ballgame! After the game, they let the fans on the field so my wife and I went down there. This is about the only way I’d ever get on the field at a D1 program.

Final pic of the day, All-Galaxy Wide receiver Eric Decker was waiting around after the game for a bus. And wouldn’t you know it, I just happen to get a picture of an Iowa fan in some overalls!

Iowa over Minnesohtah, 12-0

This game was my first college football game in a long time. The last college football game I went to was Syracuse vs Boston College, all the way back on Nov 24, 2001. Back then Syracuse had a team worth watching which included current NFL veteran Dwight Freeney. Needless to say, it felt good to get in a college stadium again.

There were differences between the atmosphere in Kinnick and the Carrier Dome, but there were many similarities as well. I'll start with those.

Similarities:

• Home Field Advantage - There's nothing worse than watching a game with people who could care less about the outcome. When you're in the stands surrounding by thousands of people mostly pulling for the home team, it makes it more enjoyable.
  
  
• Marching band - The same type of people are found in marching bands in every college out there - nerds. But it was fun to watch them have a good time and they add excitement tp the whole scene. The crowd seemed to especially like the "Thriller" tribute at halftime.
  
  
• Stadium food - Why did I pay 4.50 for a few nachos with cheese? I don't know, but it sure tasted better than regular nachos and cheese.

Differences

• Outdoor stadium - The weather was pleasant for late November. However, there is a different feel to the game outside. More variables (wind, sun in the eyes, cold hands) mean more possible fumbles and interceptions.
  
  
• Rowdiness - Maybe my memory is off, but the Hawkeye fans were much more rowdy than any Syracuse crowd I remember. And I was in the corner where most people just sat for the whole game! My daughter will probably not be ready for a game until Daddy can explain away "bad words."
  
  
• Halftime - At Syracuse everyone gets up and gets something to eat or uses the restroom at halftime. Nobody watches the "halftime show". At Kinnick though, it seemed like most people stayed in their seat and was into the marching bands act - especially the fat guy behind me who loudly commented"you make a better door than a window". Dude, it's halftime! I'm stretching my legs. Are you really that into it?
  
  
• Hi-fiving random strangers - I'm from the Northeast, not the midwest. People are a little more reserved and well, sometimes grumpy, so I thought this was cool. Random people all over just slapping hands with whoever had a Hawkeye shirt on and yelling "Go Hawks!"
  
  
• Overalls - I saw more overalls than on an episode of Heehaw. I think it's suppose to be kinda farmer/chique to wear these things. Probably one step I'm not quite willing to take yet.
  

The actual game was so-so. The hawks won on 2 field goals and a TD with a missed extra point. 3rd down conversions were virtually non-existant in the second half and once Robinson left the game, the running game really suffered. But Iowa's D held firm til the end.

When you think about, that about sums up the whole season. Just enough offense to get the job done and more defense than most teams can handle. Next post, I'll have some pictures.

Hawkeye Gear Watch

I got a gift certificate to a sports store and thought I'd grab some hats for the game this weekend. It might be chilly.

My wife says that it would be weird to wear a baseball cap to a football game. I disagree. Who's with me?

Things I Learned This Weekend

1. James Vandenburg has a better arm than Ricky Stanzi. He can flat out makes throws that your average QB cannot make. I think this could push Stanzi to be better next year.
   
   
2. I really, really, really want Clayborn back next year. The day he announces he's coming back is the day that Pryor's nightmares start. How many times did Pryor narrowly escape Clayborn's grasp? It was like watching a kid running from a bully on the playground.
   
   
3. Iowa is football's version of Rodney Dangerfield. It doesn't matter what happens, hardly anyone wants to give them credit, which is why I liked this article.
   
   
4. For some reason, the talking heads think that a football season is a waste if Notre Dame and USC aren't dominating.
   
   
5. The future of Iowa's skill positions has reason for some optimism, i.e. QB - Stanzi, Vandenburg, WR-DJK, Mcnutt, Davis, RB - Hampton, Robinson, Wegher. All should be back next year, plus some solid freshman in next year's class.
   
   
6. Lastly, there's not much to be excited about with Iowa's basketball team. I caught part of the loss against Texas-San Antonio. At least it will be easy to get tickets!

NW over IA 17-10, Stanzi is out

So this is what it's really like to pull for Iowa...one minute I'm thinking Rose Bowl and the 1st ever undefeated season. The next minute, I'm thinking who is going to play QB? and Will we win another game all year?

Seeing Stanzi hobble off the field was like getting punched in the gut, to add insult to injury, Wegher's TD was called back on a bogus holding call.

It would be easy to think, "oh well, we had a good run. We'll get 'em next year once everyone is back and we have a better road schedule." But there are still 2 more games and a Big Ten title up for grabs. And hey, Iowa is 9-1!

Incidently, I heard a rumor that Jake Christiansen was at the game Saturday cause Eastern Illinois had an off week.

Think he is second guessing his decision to tranfer now? He would have had a chance to finish the season and make it to a bowl game his sr year. So you ask, what's he doing instead? Preparing for the mighty Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks.

A Look Back, 2003 Orange Bowl

In an effort to look at all of Iowa's history, I dug around into some of the more embarassing losses Iowa has experienced. It didn't take too long to come to find this game.

USC (#4) and Iowa (#5) in the 2003 Orange Bowl. Two marquee QBs and Hiesman vote-getters, Carson Palmer and Brad Banks, from two marquee conferences met head to head. Iowa ran the opening kickoff all the way back for a TD, but Trojans owned most of the game and won 38-17. Ouch...



Interesting side note, Jim Rome and Kirk Ferentz apparently have a bit of a simmering feud. Apparently Rome said something against one of Ferentz's friends on the radio and Ferentz cancelled a scheduled interview on Rome's show right before the Orange Bowl in '03. Of course Rome (a SoCal native), didn't mind too much when USC put a hurt on Iowa in that game.

Ever since then, Ferentz has turned down multiple offers from Rome to come on the show. This week Ferentz even joked that "his radio doesn't get Jim Rome's show". Rome in response has made jobs at the Iowa program, including some ex-student athlete's legal problems and that "Ferentz is the one interview he can't get".

Saturday at 11 is the kickoff for Northwestern. What will the SHawkeyes do this week?

Just the Facts

A coworker sent me this email and I thought it was very interesting. Not that Ferentz and co. seem to care, but it's become a favorite talking point of the national sports media to disrespect Iowa's 9-0 record.

To: College Football Media

From: Phil Haddy (Iowa's Sports Information Director)

GET THE CORRECT FACTS ON IOWA FOOTBALL

It seems popular for national pundits to criticize the University of Iowa football team these days. Many have said that Uiwa doesn't belong on the same board with Florida, Texas, Alabama, Cincinnati, TCU, Oregon, or Boise St. Iowa's schedule has been rate the seventh toughest in the nation. Only one team in Big Ten History has beaten Penn State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin on the road in the same season (Michigan did it in 1997). The two schools taht Iowa does not play in the Big Ten this year have the worst overall records (Purdue and Illinois) in the league. To say Iowa hasn't play a strong enough schedule is to be totally misinformed. Please look at the facts below.

Number of opponents defeated that currently have winning records:
1. Iowa - 6
2. Cincinnati - 4
TCU - 4
4. Oregon - 3
5. Boise State - 2

Total won-lost records (and winning %) of defeated opponents:
1. Iowa - 44-21 .586
2. Oregon - 29-38 .508
3. TCU - 34-33 .507
4. Cincinnati - 30-36 .454
5. Boise State - 27-37 .421

Total won-lost records of opponents defeated in their home stadiums (i.e. road wins):
1. Iowa - 23-12 .657
2. TCU - 19-14 .575
3. Cincinnati - 21-20 .512
4. Boise State - 14-18 .437
5. Oregon - 6-10 .375

Number of defeated opponents ranked in current BCS Top 25:

1. Iowa - 3(Penn State, Arizona, Wisconsin)
Oregon - (USC, Utah, California)
3. Boise State - 1 (Oregon)
4. Cincinnati - 1 (South Florida)
5 TCU - 0

Won-lost records of remaining teams left on the schedule:

1. Iowa - 17-10 .629
2. Oregon - 19-12 .612
3. Cincinnati - 19-13 .593
4. Boise State - 20-22 .476
5. TCU - 15-17 .468

Interesting to say the least. I'd say Iowa's accomplishments stack up well. 3 more regular season games go. The Northwestern game will probably be the last game the Iowa will have to try to get up for. I can't see Northwestern sneaking up on the Shockeyes, but if the current trend continues they'll probably win on a recovered fumble and last second TD pass off a flea-flicker statue of liberty combo.

"Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Iowa"

Wow, where to start...I've been out of commissioin again due to a broken computer. Thanks to Best Buy's warranty and lemon rule, I will have a new one soon.

But that means I've missed quite a bit of material to blog about. The past two weeks have seen some crazy games with some crazy finishes.

• The Michigan State game blew my mind. With under 2 minutes left, Stanzi drove down the field and threw the winning touchdown to Marvin Mcnutt. Check out the video.
  
  
• Unfortunately, the win was costly in terms of manpower. Iowa's starting RB, Adam Robinson, and starting guard, Dace Richardson, both sustained major injuries that could keep them out the rest of the season. Starters Brent Greenwood and Collin Sandeman got knocked around as well and are still not 100%.
  
  
• So Iowa comes into a classic trap game - right off a huge win and against a team that their "supposed" to beat with ease. It looked like the run was over. I could not believe the way the Hawks were playing for 3 quarters. Stanzi may have had more completions to Hoosiers than Hawkeyes. It felt like the end to me. I was already thinking about how to blog about the loss and how much blame should go to the windy conditions.
  
  
• However, down by 10 going into the 4th quarter, Stanzi and the offense exploded (once they were going with the wind). TD throw to Mcnutt, TD throw to DJK, rushing TD by Wegher, and finally, while Iowa was trying to run the clock down, Wegher scores another TD.
  
  
• Stanzi deserves a lot of respect in my mind. Despite 5 interceptions on the day, he stayed focused and won the game. Some QBs would be crying in a corner of the locker room by the time the 4th quarter started. Stanzi's mental toughness has been his strongest attribute so far this year.

All these come-from-behind victories this year are gonna give me an ulcer. Another thing that's gonna give me an ulcer is all the hate for the Big Ten spewing out of the national sports media.

Before I followed Iowa, I had moderate respect for the Big Ten. I never realized the unholy jihad that some people delcare against it. And this year a lot of the scorn is directed at Iowa. Is the Big Ten the best conference in football right now? No! That belongs to the SEC.

But, there is really not that much separating the Pac 10, Big East, Big Ten and Big 12. And guess who is on top of the Big Ten? The Iowa Hawkeyes, regardless of anybody's opinion. I'm getting spoiled this year. But you know what, I'm still enjoying every minute of this run.

A Little Texty Text

Kirk Ferentz was on the Dan Patrick show yesterday and mentioned that he and Bill Belichick exchange text messages once in a while. Kirk said he can't figure out how to send one back, but I don't believe him.

Through some connections, I was able to obtain some text messaging records from the past few days.

10/8

BB: Wy 2go KF, def made the rite call w/ Stanzi over Christiansen. I watched E IL vs PSU. not impressed...

KF: Thx, nu it was the rite call when he cried. LMBO

BB: ROTFL

10/11

BB: J McDaniels is a WOMBAT.

KF: RUOK?

BB: No, worse, he's a UMWC

KF: ?

BB: Ungrateful midget wannabe coach.

KF: At least you didn't have to wear DNVR's unis

BB: Make me brf!

10/15

KF: U heard Prty in the USA yet? awsm!!!

BB: Miley rcks!

10/18

KF: 5 TDs in 1 qrtr! I think WI's D wld've dn better

BB: tru dat

KF: Brady mite hv a future in the NFL


Any needed translations can be found here.

Hawks beat WinconSIN to make it 7-0

One of the issues I have with watching sports is that we don't have cable or dish so most of the time I'm stuck with either

1. watching Florida play someone on CBS
   
2. watching Notre Dame play some one on NBC (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little)
   
3. or, if I get lucky, a Big Ten or Big 12 game on ABC

Well "say ello to my litt'l friend", ESPN 360 and a S-video cord. It's a marriage made in "cheap sports fan heaven".

ESPN 360 is about the best feature of ESPN's website ever. I can watch live games or replay recently played games right over my computer, including college football and basketball, NBA basketball, Euroleague soccer, and a bunch more. Plus, with an S-video cord (a measley 25 clams) I can send that signal right to my TV!

So I used my new found superpower to watch Iowa's 2 games yesterday. I say two games because it was like they were 2 different teams in the 2 different halfs. The first half was about as boring as can be. Iowa struggled in about every way, especially trying to run the ball.

In the 2nd half, Iowa came out smoking. They were great at converting on 3rd downs and came up with some great defensive stops. I really like how Stanzi played in the 2nd half. The throw on the run to Moeaki for a TD was fantastic.

Spievey comes down with his 2nd INT

Spievey was a beast on defense. He was playing well all over the field, but his last interception was especially nice. He baited WI's QB then dove fully extended and seemed to hang in the air for an extra second or two before coming down with the pick.

Iowa is 7-0 for the first time since 1985. If they beat MI St next week, it will be the first time in school history that they will have started 8-0. MI St started slowly but has been playing well recently, and Ferentz historically has not done well on the road in Lansing. Win or lose thought, I'm along for the ride!

*photo from DM Register*

Another Hawk Breaks a Wing

Get Well Soon!

Already without expected starting RB, Jewell Hampton, and defensive standout, Jordan Bernstine, now Iowa will have to do without top punt returner and Big 10 track star, Paul Chaney Jr.

Apparently he tore his ACL against Michigan. I didn't even notice during the game, so it must have been a subtle injury. I hope he's able to make it back next year. Word is that freshman Keenan Davis will be asked to shoulder more of the load.

On a more positive note, the Flyin' Hawaiian, aka Mr. Brittlebones, aka Tony Moeaki won Big Ten offensive player of the week for his role in the win over Michigan. This just in though...he stubbed his big toe and will sit out the game vs WI.

Gameday Diary 2nd half, Iowa vs Michigan

3rd Quarter

• MI goes 3 and out on first possession
• 14 - Robinson gives a good effort on a run, but it's called back for holding.
• 13 - Kirk and Brent start discussing IA's pink visitor's locker room. I meant to do a short post on this, but haven't yet. It's coming soon.
• 12 1/2 - Stanzi rushes for a 1st down
• 12 - Robinson rushes for another first down. All runs so far this half have been to the right side. I think O'keefe figured something out here.
• 11 - 3rd and 4 in MI territory. Stanzi ways underthrows the pass. IA settles for FG again. 23-14
• 10 - Michigan is trying to put together a drive. 3rd and 5, IA almost intercepts the pass. Another solid 3rd down stop for IA.
• 8 - 3 and out for IA, almost another interception at IA's own 20, but Moeaki has the presence of mind to hit the defender causing him to drop the ball. AHHH! Thank you Tony!
• 6 1/2 - Minor is rolling down the field. It looks like he's running downhill...IA needs to do something to slow him down.
• 4 1/2 - Another TD for Minor, he looks winded. He should. He just ran for about every gain that last possession. 23-21
• 4 - IA is forced to punt after little success, but by a stroke of luck the MI punt returner fumbles and IA recovers on the MI 21 yard line. Another MI turnover! Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good!
• :30 - Moeaki receives pass from Stanzi for 1st and goal.
• At this point I start nervously talking to myself, saying things like "IA really needs a TD right now" and "Come on, come on" My wife looks up from the computer and says "Are they winning?" I'm glad she's keeping up with her new team so well.

4th Quarter

• 15 - on 3rd down Wegher is stopped short. IA decides to go for it.
• 14 1/2 - IA runs a beautiful fake RB jump play(similar to what they ran in the 1st half), Stanzi rolls out and tries to throw it to Moeaki, but pass is broken up. Musberger thinks Stanzi could have run it in.
• 13 1/2 - MI 4th and 10 on the 2 yard line. Great defensive sequence for IA.
• 13 - IA 1st and 10, MI totally anticipating standard run on 1st down, Stanzi fakes the run, rolls out to find Moeaki again for another TD!!!! 30-21
  
  


• 12 1/2 - Forcier almost throws another inteception, proceeded by RR mouthing "COME ON, TATE!" Dude looks mad. Seems like IA's D is starting to wear them down. MI hasn't been able to do much on their last few possessions.
• 10 - IA starts another offensive possession, Robinson has a nice run called back due to holding
• 9 - Robinson gets it again for 14 yards, 2nd and 6
• 8 - IA can't do much with it and punts again. William Lowe gets called for personal foul on punt return. Dude got suckered into it by the MI player, but the refs only saw Lowe react. William, William, William...
• 7 1/2 - The best coaching decision by RR all night. Benches Forcier for Denard Robinson. DENARD, what kind of name is that? Could his mom not pronounce her Bs? Was it supposed to be Bernard? Ranks up there with Anfernee Hardaway.
• Shot of Denard Robinson's shoes. Apparently he doesn't tie them??? but he does use velcrow to keep them on...Moving on...
• 7-3 - Robinson and Minor rush down the field and score another TD. That looked way too easy. I'm not liking the change in the tone of this game. 30-28
• 2 1/2 - IA needs to keep the ball and run out the clock, but can't get the 1st. It's up to the D now. Oh man, it shouldn't have to come down to this.
• 1 1/2 - MI pushed back inside the 20. Robinson stays in the game. It's crunchtime!
• 1 - All MI needs is a FG. Robinson tries to go long to get into FG range, but the pass is picked off by Greenwood.
• Game! Final Score 30-28
• My wife turns to me , "Is it over? So, they won?" Yes, they won.

A couple things:

1) IA is 6-0. One of their best starts in years. I guess I picked a good year to start cheering for them. As a matter of fact, maybe this is why they're winning. Your welcome Hawkeye fans

2) Moeaki is the player of the game to me. He was blocking all over the field and had 2 TD receptions. Nice to have the big fragile guy back. When he's healthy, the offense looks much better.

3) I don't like having fun at someone's expense, but part of me cheered when Forcier was benched. Everytime I tried to feel sorry for him, I remembered his website and then it disappeared.

On to Wisconsin next week! IA has got this far, the hardest part is still to come.

Gameday Diary 1st half, Iowa vs Michigan

Pregame - Kinnick looked packed and the fans were ready for the game. Especially that guy in the yellow spandex body suit. He looked pumped.

1st quarter

• 14 - on 2nd play of the game, Stanzi throws a "pick 6", Michigan up 7-0 just like that. My first thought was "Crap, crap, crap, get it out of your system now Stanzi"
• 13 1/2 - Shot of G-rob in a turtle neck and Michigan sweatshirt. How is this guy still finding good coaching gigs? Haven't you done enough harm to young men's football careers?
• 12 - Stanzi throw to Mcnutt for his 1st completion. He needed that to shake off the interception
• 10 - DJK almost gets away with a 1st down catch that bounced off the ground into his hands. It's challenge and reversed. Good challenge and the right call.
• 9 - Michigan brings a blitz on 3rd and 12. Stanzi rolls away finds Moeki wide open. No one touches him into the end zone. 7-7
• 7 1/2 - With Michigan driving, Forcier throws interception. 1st of many Michigan turnovers.
• 6 - Iowa has driven down and Mcnutt barely misses catch for 2nd TD. The hawks have to settle for FG, which prompts Brent Musbergere to proclaim "And the Hawkeyes takes the lead for the first time tonight!" Someone tell him it's only the 1st quarter.
• 3 1/2 - Forcier has Michigan driving down the field and throws a frozen rope for a 1st down in Iowa territory.
• 1 - Michigan scores 1st Rushing TD against the Hawkeyes for the last 33 consecutive quarters! 10-14

2nd Quarter

• 13 - Iowa drives down again and Mcnutt looks to have a catch for 1st down, but it's call incomplete. Iowa has to settle for another FG. 13-14
• I've seen enough Bdubs commercials that I'm starting to crave me some boneless wings in Asian Zing sauce. MMMM..wings.
• 12 - Michigan has done a great job so far in running the ball. Brandon Minor has not missed a beat.
• While scrambling, Forcier stumbles and falls on a 3rd and 14. Good pressure by the D
• Another commerical break, maybe I should finally look into AFLAC.
• 8 1/2 - Strauss makes diving reception for 1st down. We needed that!
• 8 - OH SNAP!, bad snap goes flying over Stanzi's head
• 7 - DJK grabs a 47 yard pass for 1st and goal. 2nd nice completion on this drive.
• 6 - Stanzi tries to run it in, but is stopped just short.
• 5 1/2 - Wegher does his best Jordan impression and just skies while the Oline has pushed into the endzone. 20-14
• 4 - Guy named Graham has been all over Stanzi tonight. Sacks him for a loss of 9 yards.
• 3 - Iowa punts. Now would be a bad time to give up a TD. Michigan will start out will ball after halftime.
• 2 1/2 - RichRod is all over some guy named Floyd who had a flag thrown on him during the return for a 10 yard penalty. RR's reputation for profanity is legendary, looks like he's living up to the legend.
• 1 1/2 - Michigan is within FG range.
• 1 - Angerer forces fumble and Iowa recovers. 2nd big Turnover. Think Iowa will just run out the clock? Think again!
• 3 seconds. Iowa has very efficiently driven down with very little time left to get just within field goal range. Then promptly get delay of game penalty to make the kick even harder.
• Musberger takes this time to promote the upcoming season of Desperate Housewives. No one cares Brent.
• FG no good, impressive try though.
• Halftime - 20-14, Iowa

1st half definitely could have gone better, but at least we're up. Surprise of the game so far - Michigan's Oline has played well and opened up some nice holes for Minor to work with. Still got 2 quarters to go!

Fight, Fight, Fight for Iowa!

This is kinda random, but I found the tune and words for the Iowa fight song. I guess this is good to know, even though only dorks know the words to their school's fight song.

I like the line "until the final gun". You could never get away with putting the word gun in a fight song today.

Iowa 24, Arkansas St 21

With the narrow win over Arkansas St, the Hawkeyes are off to one of their best starts in 3 decades. Nice to get a win here, but I was hoping for a little more out of this game.

On the upside, Stanzi threw for almost 300 yards and had 3 touchdowns. Marvin Mcnutt had 2 TD receptions and 121 receiving yards. So there were some signs of life from the passing game.

On the downside, the defense allowed them to score 14 points and Stanzi had 2 interceptions, one of them leading to a touchdown. Also, neither Wegher or Robinson were very productive.

Regardless, sometimes in order to start a season the way Iowa has, teams need to get a little lucky. With this game out of the way, Iowa can now look forward to next weekend against Michigan.

Michigan just lost to archrival Michigan St, but has been getting plenty of production out of QB Tate Forcier. I'm not worried about Iowa scoring against Michigan's D, but I am worried about Iowa stopping the passing game of the Wolverines.

Big Ten game + Iowa's best start in years x Night game at Kinnick x coverage on ABC = great atmosphere and excitement. Should be interesting!

2010 Recruits

Believe it or not, the football season is about 1/3rd of the way done already! Of course, there is still a long way to go, but I wanted to take a look at some of the incoming freshman in Iowa's recruiting class next year. Looks like the recruiters are keeping busy...

Andrew Donnal, OL, 6-7, 265

• another talented and huge Offensive lineman to add to the mix
• had his pick of Big Ten schools
• made solid verbal committment
  
  

Marcus Coker, RB, 6-1, 225

• rushed for almost 400 yrs in one game (!) for Dematha Catholic High School
• attributed the success of Shonn Greene and their similar running styles to his desire to play for Iowa
• made solid verbal committment

AJ Derby, QB, 6-4, 210

• versatile athlete and highest rated football recruit in Iowa this year, plays for Iowa City High
• recruited by schools from across the nation including Florida, Michigan, LSU, Alabama, and Nebraska
• expected to make verbal committment Friday, Oct 2 to the Hawkeyes

These 3 players seem to be the cream of the crop, but if there's one thing I've noticed in looking at Iowa's recruiting classes, it's that Ferentz knows how to find a diamond in the rough. I could be overlooking someone, but that's what makes it interesting!

Here are a few other names to keep an ear out for...

• Seantrel Henderson, one of the top ten high school players in the nation
• Andre Dawson, Cedar Rapids native
• James Kohler, Ames native

Pseudoandreia

I've been dwelling on the Penn St game for the past few days. One of the things that impressed me is how Iowa responded to the adrenaline-fueled way that Penn St started the game. Iowa's strategy was a Thanksgiving dinner to Penn St's Halloween candy - it took longer to fully enjoy, but there was more substance and in the end, it was more satisfying.

It reminds me a passage from "Gates of Fire". It's a fictional story of the historical account of 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. Here's a short quote from it:

“Before a battle they would sacrifice to Phobos, the god of fear, from whom we get our English word, “phobia.” In their minds, it was the mark of an ill-prepared and amateur army to rely in the moments before battle on what the Spartans called pseudoandreia, “false courage.” This was artificially inflated martial frenzy produced by a general 11th hour harangue or some peak of bronze-banging bravado built to by shouting and shield pounding. In contrast, the Spartans wore crimson cloaks and they burnished their bronze until it was gleaming in the sun. They were trained to wait silently and let the enemy come running and screaming. They performed as one unit this simple maneuver called “palming the pine,” in which the Spartans snapped their spears from vertical into forward position for their mode of murder. It caused many foes to lose heart, pee in their pants, and run at the mere sight of it. Then they marched into battle in tight ranks singing!"

I love this concept! In contrast to some macho speech before a battle, the Spartans calmly and confidently went about their job. No chest thumping, no contrived chanting, just mental toughness and focus on the task at hand.

I'm sure Kirk has given his share of gameday speeches, but he seems like the kind of coach who puts all his thought and preparation into practice, not the pregame speech. I mean, how many "win one for the gipper" speeches can you listen to before they all sound the same?

Bottom line is Iowa won the game because of mental toughness and preparation. Credit goes to real coaching for that.

Don't call it an upset!

"WE...JUST...GOT BEAT!"

Iowa 21, Penn St 10. Iowa came into Beaver Stadium (aka Kinnick East) and showed that they're a legit threat for the Big Ten title. Despite giving up a touchdown on the first PSU offensive play of the game, the Iowa Defense held tough and kept them in the game. I think Daryl Clark will be having nightmares about Iowa's D-line all week.

My favorite play of the game was Clayborn's blocked punt. He shoved some joker out of the way, batted the ball down, picked it up in stride and ran another 40 or so yards into the end zone. Then he jogged back to the sideline as if he expected to do that the whole time. Pure fun!

I was disappointed with the offense though. The O-line and the Wegher/Robinson duo were solid, but Stanzi and the WRs seemed out of sync. Their timing seemed off for most of the game.

Regardless, the team has improved in every game so far. They have great momentum and it feels like there is still room until they peak. Up next, the Arkansas St...give me a minute for a quick google search...Red Wolves.

Whiteout Shmiteout

Due to something called a "faulty motherboard", I haven't been able to update my blog recently. So here's a quick catch up over the past week.

• The Hawkeyes had a solid win over AZ last weekend. Respect is slow to come by though. They still did return to the Top 25.
  
  
• They managed to overcome Arizona without some main contributors: DJK, Moeki, and Bulaga.
  
  
• Next up is Penn State. The game is getting a lot of attention. ABC will be showing the game at 7 CST on national TV.
  
  
• This will be a huge test. Penn St has not forgot the last second FG that beat them last year and will be out for revenge.
  
  
• Penn State fans (all 110k of them) will be in "whiteout" mode at Beaver Stadium.
  

I am really looking forward to watching this game. If Iowa can win it, all of a sudden they will be center stage of the Big Ten battle. Every game so far, I've seen them get a little better. If they can keep the momentum going and take the next step tomorrow, it should be fun to watch.

The key is gonna be the defense. So far, Iowa's D has been it's strength. Guys like Tyler Sash and Adrian Clayborn are taking over the spotlight. Way to go fellas, keep it up!

All day long...

Up next... the Arizona Wildcats

Well I haven't found the time to really preview Arizona this week. It's a little unfortunate due to the fact that Arizona is considered a good team and they're defense is considered one of the quickest in the Pac-10.

Word is that they are excited to get a crack at a Big Ten team as well. Listening to Miller and Dace this morning, I found out the spread earlier this week was 6 in favor of Iowa (I'm not sure of the source). Apparently today, it was 3.5...hmmm, what do the stat and gambling geeks know that I don't?

In other Big Ten news, Oh St has been a disappointing so far at 1-1, almost 0-2 if not for an interception at the goal line against Navy. Michigan has spanked Western Michigan and Notre Dame in convincing fashion. Penn St is also 2-0, but the wins were Akron and Syracuse.

It should be a good test for the team this week. I'll be interested if Brandon Wegher sees more quality minutes. It's also supposed to be a hawkeye "blackout" game. All hawkeye fans are suppose to wear black. Hope it helps. Good luck Hawkeyes!

Cyhawk Trophy stays in Iowa City!

35-3, Iowa. This one wasn't even close. Turnovers were the story of the game and the Hawkeyes were able to capitalize. The intensity and focus was much improved from the first game of the year. I think they got the message from the UNI game. Here's couple notes that I picked up.

• Tyler Sash was all over the place. With 3 interceptions, he was tied for the 2nd leading receiver...for ISU!
• Brandon Wegher, the true freshman from Sioux City, rushed for over 100 yards and one touchdown. He showed off some great juke moves.
• Keenan Davis, another freshman, also had a touchdown. It's nice to see that some freshman talent is coming down the pipe.
• ISU's QB, Arnaud, is not as bad as he looked on Saturday. I genuinely hope he can turn it around. I think he's a classy guy.

On to Arizona next weekend. I'll be looking to see if the Hawkeyes can keep the momentum going and if Bulaga (who was out with an undisclosed illness) will make a come back. Rumor is that he got the swine flu. Apparently he went out with an ISU girl last weekend, and well, enough said...ha! j/k

Prediction for the ISU game

Cue creepy music..."In the year 2000, in the year 2000...."


It's Thursday night and we're less than 48 hours away from the kickoff of the Cyhawk football game. There are still so many unanswered questions that it's tough to know what to think about this game. I've been listening, talking, and reading about this game for the past few days and here's what I think could happen.

ISU's gameplan will work like clockwork in the 1st quarter. They will have more momentum due to coming off a win over NoDak St and having home field advantage. They're energy will carry them to score 2 touchdowns in the first half. Iowa's defense will ever-so-slightly shift the momentum towards the Hawkeyes late in the 2nd quarter. Despite showing some energy of the defensive side, the offense will be limited to a field goal. After the 1st half. 14-3, ISU.

In the 2nd half, I think Iowa will set the tone by energetically scoring early. Stanzi will connect with Moeki for their first touchdown of the game. The defense will start getting to Arnaud as the Cyclone Oline starts to crumble under some pressure. Angerer and Edds will have some strong showings and show everyone why the linebacking core is so feared. I also see DJK making some spectacular plays in the 2nd half. (Don't ask why, that's just what my crystal ball is saying)

IA will score a TD again to take the lead in the fourth quarter and Jack Trice will go quiet real quick. The cyclones will try to march down the field again using their athletic WRs, but they will only be able to muster an attempt at a field goal...that will be blocked. The hawkeyes will then proceed to run out the clock, march down the field themselves, and score a field goal towards the end of regulation.

Final score.....20-14 Iowa. Go Hawkeyes! Take it to the bank!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

In my 7 years of living in Iowa, I've found 3 things that makes an Iowan's eyes light up like a Christmas Tree...1) any celeb with ties to Iowa (i.e. Ashton Kutcher or Shawn Johnson), 2) the State Fair, and most relevant to this blog 3) the Iowa vs Iowa State football game.

In truth, this game feels like a bit like a state holiday most places. Employees take 2 or 3 days off to start tailgaiting early. Office trash talk gets taken up a notch. You see Iowa or Iowa state memorabilia everywhere. Butchers finally break into the black from all the burgers and brats they sell. It's a great time of year.

No one cares about this outside of Iowa's borders. In fact, if you asked someone from back home in NY to name off the top 20 college football rivalries, I'm not sure this one would ever come up. But that's ok, it's an Iowan thing and it should be that way. These two programs have a storied rivalry and some great tradition.

For my next post, I plan on taking a look at ISU's team and trying to make a prediction on the game. Until then, I'll leave you with an ISU joke.

What do you call a convoy of John Deere tractors going down the road? The Iowa State homecoming parade.

What's that? You want another one?

What's the difference between a porcupine and Jack Trice Stadium? A porcupine has 40,000 pricks on the OUTSIDE.

Huh, one more?

Where was O.J. headed in the white Bronco? Ames, Iowa. . . The police would never look there for a Heisman Trophy winner!

All in good fun, nobody get offended now...ok one more.

What's the hardest thing about being a IA State Cyclone fan? Telling your parents that you're gay.

Feel free to share your own!

Hawkeye Gear Watch

I finally put my money where my mouth was and bought some hawkeye shirts. Nothing special, but they were on sale at Hyvee. 2 for $15. My wife said I looked good in them, but I don't think she was looking at the shirts. hehe

A Win is a Win

In the season opener today, the Hawkeyes squeaked out a narrow victory over UNI. Some commentators were predicting a blow out, but it certainly didn't work out that way. UNI had 2 field goal attempts at the end to win it, but the defense held tough and made two sensational blocks back to back.

The end of the gane was confusing to say the least, but regardless, the black and gold came away with a win. I took a couple things away from this game.

1. UNI is a good team. Generally, you want an easy win for the first game of the season. I'm sure that this was the plan originally, but it's evident that the Panthers were better than expected. They simply outplayed Iowa for the majority of the game. After the game, I repeatedly heard them compared to middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams. (It's an interesting comparison. Not sure if that's good for the Panthers, or bad for the Big Ten)
   
   
2. Moeaki's play was a bright spot on the offensive side. The tight end led the team in receiving yards and didn't get injured!
   
   
3. Robinson did a commendable job filling in after Paki left the game. It's something to build one.
   
   
4. It will take some getting used to watching Iowa's defense. My friend Jesse gave me some good insight after the game. Watching the defense can make you really nervous unless you understand what they are trying to do. The D will pressure and contain the offense to short gains all the way down the field. They will do everything they can to prevent the big plays. Once inside the thirty yard line, they pack it in and try to limit the scoring, if any, to field goals. If all you give up are field goals, and you manage to score touchdowns, you should theoretically have a good shot at winning. It's an old school approach, but understanding the strategy makes it easier to watch.

Next week versus Iowa state, it's possible that the Cyclones and their spread-style offense will run up and down the field moving the ball on most plays and getting close to the endzone. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. If the D works, it should be a win. An ugly win, but a win nonetheless. Iowa will need to pick up their focus and energy for the Cyclones though.

On a side note, I must confess that my attention was divided for most of the game. See, over on ESPN 2, Syracuse was going toe-to-toe with an up-and-coming Minnesota team. What a game! The Gophers won in OT and I took a couple things away from that too.

1. Paulus is a legit D1 QB even after not playing football for 4 years. The former Duke point guard looks confident and is clearly the team leader right now. Albeit, I'm already sick of the "Greg Paulus Era" angle that every talking head has to use. This is how the media works though: set up huge expectations, heap unearned praise, then scorn them at any sign of adversity.
   
   
2. Eric Decker is a stud at WR for the Gophers. The guy was taller, stronger, and faster than anyone they tried to put on him. Iowa better have their eye on him come November.
   
   
3. This Syracuse team looked different than any other team they've put out over the past few years. Even before Greg Robinson, Pasqualloni's last few years seemed stagnant. Marrone has them motivated and creative. You could tell from the the way the D was stuffing the run and putting pressure on the QB to the way the Offense was mixing it up with the "Stallion" formation. I liked what I saw today.

All in all, it was a great first weekend for college football in 2009. Football is in the air! Can you smell it?

Get used to this Picture

Bad news sports fans. It's official, Jewell Hampton (left) will be joining Jordan Bernstine on the sidelines this year. They made the announcement today that he will redshirt this year and undergo surgery on his knee soon.

So what does this mean? Roster is down to 3 main running backs: Paki Omeara, Adam Robinson, and Jeff Brinson. For the season opener on Saturday, Paki has been named the starter.

Here's what I've gathered so far on the 3 canidates.

Paki Omeara - Junior

• former walk-on
• saw limited action last year due to emergence of Greene and Hampton
• all around athlete who has played more than one position

Adam Robinson - Sophomore

• redshirted last year as a freshman
• played high school football at Des Moines Lincoln (about 5 minutes from where I work)
• great speed, but not much else

Jeff Brinson - Sophomore

• spurned offers from Fl St, MI St,, and KS to come to Iowa
• put up gawdy numbers in high school
• struggling with ankle injury, will miss opener vs UNI

It would be great if one of these guys grabbed the bull by the horns, but the reality is that most likely the running back position will be handled "by committee". It should be interesting!

Capital One Bowl 2005

This game gives most hawk fans a big goofy grin whenever they talk about it. Some of you know what I'm talking about cause you're still grinning.

This was a big moment in modern hawkeye football. Iowa won the Capital One bowl and had a top ten recruiting class coming in that year as well. The recruiting class didn't pan out how most figured, but that's another post...

Season opener is coming up this weekend! The impression I get from Iowa fans is that playing UNI is a bit like when you were growing up and your parents got the idea to visit some cousins you never really knew. You are supposed to be kinda excited about it and make a good impression, but really, deep down, you're just waiting for it to end so you can head to Pizza Hut afterwards. Well in this case, Pizza Hut is another BCS conference team. I hope they have their game faces on. It's too early to look past anybody.

Nile Kinnick

Between the "soap opera careers" of guys like Brett Favre, the ever-present arrogance of athletes like AI or ManRam, and the drug abuse and sex rampant among all the professional leagues, you have to strain yourself to find positive role models in sports today. The message today is that young athletes just need to worry about getting their's and forget about the consequences.

This was not how Nile Kinnick rolled. He came from a strong family that was heavily involved in politics and the community. As a teenager, he excelled in his studies and multiple sports, but especially football.

When it came time to choose a college, instead of choosing the nearby powerhouse, the University of Minnesota, he chose to attend the University of Iowa because he knew the Hawkeyes were down and wanted to help the program out. His college career started slowly and the team struggled his first 3 years. Despite his impressive personal accomplishments, the team had limited success.

By Kinnick's senior year though, he was ready to change all that. The team finished the year ranked 9th in the country and had a 6-1-1 record. Kinnick was widely lauded as the reason for their success. He won multiple awards including the Big Ten MVP and the Heisman Trophy. His acceptance speech for the Heisman became famous for his humility and grace. In addition to his responsibilities on the football team, he was the student body president his senior year and graduated with honors. He had multiple offers after graduation to play professional football and baseball, but spurned them all to enter law school and to continue to help out the football team as an assistant.

After that year, he made the decision to enter the Naval reserves so he could do his part to help protect and defend the country. He reported for induction 3 days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. While training to be a fighter pilot off the coast of Venezuela, his plane started leaking oil. The leak was so bad that he was forced to eject. We can only assumed what happened next because his body was never found...

It's hard not to think about all the success that could have awaited Kinnick if he had come home safe. Who knows? Governor, Congressman, President? The sky seemed to be the limit for his future. In some ways though, his death may have made a larger impact. Generations of boys can look to his example of selfless sacrifice and see that there are bigger things out there than how many points they had or how much bling is around their neck.

This story almost seems larger than life to me. It's hard to believe that one guy could have accomplished so much by the age of 24! I hope my kids will look him as a inspiration, and I hope that his legacy will inspire more kids to be the right kind of person.

Here are some links to more information on Kinnick. Enjoy

http://iowa.scout.com/2/656367.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066387/6/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_Kinnick

You're Killin Me Smalls

Once again, I got Schlabached by my computer. We got a new power cord, but then the crazy thing wouldn't charge! So we took it to Best Buy to have their Geek Squad take a look at it. (Seriously, that's what they call themselves.) Anyway, while I was there I noticed something I've never seeen before -


I almost parked there anyway, but I didn't want the Eco-police to write me a ticket. My car is energy efficient, compared to say, a Hummer H2 or a limo.

Not a ton has happen since my last post. The Hawkeyes had an free open practice that I briefly considered trying to attend. It sounds like Stanzi and the D were looking great. Unfortunately, there were a few injuries that became apparent.

Jewell (the running back, not the singer) is still having some problems with the knee. Another starter, Jordan Bernstine, broke his leg and is out for the season. Sounds like he might redshirt though. Also, Bryan Bulaga, a core piece of the starting unit on offense, did not play in the open practice.

Aside from all this, probably the coolest Hawkeye related event over the past few weeks has been a story a friend told me. He grew up in a little town just west of the Des Moines Metro. Almost every day, him and his buddies from school would play football on this huge yard in town. The yard was part of the old governor's mansion from way back. Sounds like a scene right out of The Sandlot or a Norman Rockwell painting. Anyways, a sweet old lady lived there now, and every once in a while would bring them cookies or snacks. One day, she invited all the boys inside while they ate, and told them stories of her brother who was pretty good at football himself. Her brother's name... none other than Nile Kinnick - the only Heisman Trophy winner from Iowa ever! Needless to say, the boys loved hearing her stories.

On my next post, I plan on going over the story of Nile Kinnick's life. If you don't know already, you'll see why my friend and his buddies were so amazed.

Iowa Media Day

Iowa media day took place this week. Here are a few pictures courtesy of the Des Moines Register.

David Cato (31), Jordan Bernstine(4), and Shaun Prater(28) - look like they're planning on a bowl trip already!

Ricky Stanzi (12), James Vandenberg (16)


O-line from the left, Andy Kuempel, Dan Doering, Julian Vandervelde, Dace Richardson, Rafael Eubanks, Josh Koeppel and James Ferentz

Pat Angerer showin' off some ink

Jewell Hampton talking to reporters

Ferentz answering some questions

Here's a link to some video and pics on another blog about the new field turf at Kinnick this year. Looks pretty good. I hope they put a tigerhawk in the middle of the field. That would be sweet.

No More Excuses

Whether it's the sports radio, local tv, or fans just chatting, the subject of football recruiting is a little touchy. Due to Iowa's supposed powerhouse status, the question comes "Why aren't more 4 or 5 star recruits coming to Iowa City?" Hawkeye fans have a "go-to" line and it usually goes something like this, "Iowa does pretty well considering there is such a thin talent base in the state." I hate it when I hear this. It sounds dangerously close to an excuse, kinda like, "I guess we're just as good as can be expected from a bunch of Iowa farmers."

I found an interesting chart showing the population of a state compared to the number of BCS football players they have produced from 2004-2008. Here's a breakdown of the states around Iowa.

State, Pop, BCS players
IL, 13 mil, 194
MO, 5.9 mil, 118
WI, 5.6 mil, 55
MN, 5.2 mil, 66
IA, 3 mil, 61
KS, 2.8 mil, 77
NE, 1.7 mil, 43
SD, 800k, 4

Per population, it's all pretty even. Iowa is not the talent machine that TX, CA, and FL are, but so what? If an athlete comes in, dedicates himself, and buys into the coach's system, more often then not the team will succeed. Here's the key - I heard Collin Cowherd on the radio this week and he said it best. This is a rough quote though.

"In high school, the most talented team wins. In college, the most talented and disciplined team wins. In the pros, the most disciplined, then talented, team wins. You would think that the further up you go, the more important talent becomes. But it's not true because everyone at the top is talented."

I completely agree. It's important not to emphasize a journalist' or websites' rating of a player because you never know the motivation and discipline that player will have on a bigger stage. 5 stars behind his name means nothing if he doesn't listen and learn. The X-factor in all this is the motivation of that player to surpass expectations. If the player knows his role, helps the team, and contributes to winning the game, he has done his job. That's as good as a 5-star rating in my book.

"Schlabached"

Earlier this week, ESPN decided to get creative and create a new competition for all those people who get geeked for fantasy football. They took the 120 D1 BCS conference schools and whittled them down to the top 40 teams based on past, present, and projected future success. There were some interesting results and it certainly got my office talking.

I've know there have been ups and downs in the Iowa football program, but some of the draft spots really left me wondering. Teams like Oregon, Boise State, Cal, and Oklahoma State finished ahead of the Hawkeyes, and what irked me most was the comments left by the writer for ESPN, Mark Schlabach, after Iowa was finally selected. Here is the quote:

Mark Schlabach, ESPN.com: So our arguments are now being reduced to kicking a field goal to beat Penn State? Have the Hawkeyes done anything else this decade

Whoa, whoa, whoa...why all the disrespect? This is coming from the same guy who just picked Boise State at #20. I actually like Boise State, but it's easier to look good when you're in WAC. Has Mr Schlabach forgotten so quickly?

I expect more from a sports writer. Let's see, what has Iowa done in the past decade? 4 bowl wins, 3 seasons with at least 10 wins, 2 Big Ten conference titles. That's a pretty good past decade, let's see how that compares to OK state, whom Mr Schlabach picked just ahead of the hawkeyes...3 bowl wins, 0 seasons with at least 10 wins, and 0 Big 12 conference titles. (I know it's not exactly apples to apples)

Due to this "expert" spewing his garbage, I've decided to make his name a term of derision for anyone who is acting like a know-it-all jerk. For example, "this customer was a total Schlabach to me on the phone" or "that F150 acted like a real Schlabach by cutting me off". See, it fits pretty well

What surprised me most about this was that this is the first experience that I felt Iowa was slighted. From what I've seen over the past 7 years, I might want to get used to it.

One other thing I noticed was the opening line in the description of the team. "Kirk Ferentz has overcome a thin talent base..." That struck me wrong and I did a little research on it. More on that tomorrow...

Iowa vs Michigan, 1985

I apologize to all my readers for the lack of posts recently. I plan on making several posts in the next few days to make up for it, so please keep reading, and that goes for both of you. The reason for the hiatus was my power cord broke and it took some time for the replacement to come in the mail.

Today I want to crack open the history book and take a look back at a classic Iowa game from the past. In 1985, the Iowa Hawkeyes were ranked #1 in the nation and they just happen to meet up with the #2 team in the nation, the Michigan Wolverines, in the regular season. It was a tight game right down to the end. Watch the clip to see how it turned out.



This was pre-BCS days, so this was as close to a national championship that the Hawkeyes could get. Unfortunately they ended up losing to Ohio State during the regular season. They did make it to the Rose Bowl that year, but lost to UCLA. The Michigan win that year may just be the pinnacle of Hawkeye football to date.

A couple thoughts went through my mind while watching this clip.

1st - Hayden Fry made me laugh. Good to know the godfather of modern Iowa Football is a God-fearing man!

2nd - Do you think that Rob Houghtlin ended up like Uncle Rico from Napolean Dynamite? Like never getting past his football days? Well I found this link, so I guess not.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow. You'll get to see what it means to get "Schlabached."

We Must Protect This House!

Home field advantage can never be underestimated. Since 1929, Kinnick Stadium has been ground zero for all things Hawkeye. It has gone under some major renovations since then, but it’s still the same location that it’s been. Until 1972, it was actually named Iowa stadium (that’s original...). After a campaign to honor Iowa’s only Heisman trophy winner though, it was changed to Kinnick Stadium.

It holds up to 70,000 people, and is one of the twenty largest university owned stadiums in the nation. Supposedly, it’s almost always sold out, but I’ve heard many people comment that there are empty seats to be seen once you get inside.

The fan atmosphere and energy reportedly ranks up there pretty well with some of the best atmospheres in the nation. Whether its college students making the short walk or fans from across the state making the drive to Iowa City, weekends in Iowa City are dominated by Hawkeye fans who are ready to rumble.

I’ve found Iowa fans take it seriously too. I think the lack of major professional sports within the state of Iowa contributes to this die-hard devotion. Not saying this is bad, not saying this is good, but it’s a different attitude than what I grew up with on the east coast. With all the New York City and New England teams within a day of driving, the importance of college football games was not as potent. Syracuse had its share of die-hards, but it was not as widespread as what I see here.

I’m excited to experience this all for myself. I plan on going to one or two homes games myself this year. We’ll see if Kinnick Stadium lives up to hype.

Player Reviews

Looking forward to the 2009 season, I thought I’d highlight some of the players expected to make an impact on the season. This is not exhaustive, but these are the ones that caught my eye.

QB, Ricky Stanzi, 6’4” 220, Junior
-Came on last year and surprised many by replacing Jake Christensen as the starting QB
-Did well moving the ball, but had a lot of help from Shonn Greene
-Played his biggest statement game against Penn St last year
- “Stanzi is the Manzi” t-shirts were all the rage last year, let’s hope it doesn’t turn into “Stanzi is a Pansy”

WR, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, 6’1” 200, Junior
-Nicknamed DJK
-Top receiver from last year with over 600 yards

RB, Jewel Hampton, 5’ 9” 210, Sophomore
-Played 2nd fiddle to 2008 Big Ten MVP Shonn Green last year, but showed signs of explosiveness
-Seems to be more of a quick, shifty running back, but still has the muscle to pound it through, should be good for some “Oh my!” moments this year
-If the past is any indication, injuries will be an issue. If that’s the case, expect to see some talented freshman splitting time
-Jewel? Are other teams supposed to be scared of a guy named Jewel?


TE, Anthony Moeki, 6’4” 250, Senior
-Had a huge game against Syracuse 2 years ago, went for over 100 receiving yards
-Has the size, athleticism, and receiving ability to make a huge impact on a game
-Struggled with many injuries the past two years

OLB, AJ Edds, 6’4” 245, Senior
-potential NFL prospect
-great at covering slot receivers and penetrating through blocks
-saw a slight drop in production last year, he’s sure to be hungry with a possible NFL paycheck looming

Captain Kirk

With the early part of football season only weeks away at this point, I thought I’d better familiarize myself with the main players in the football program. Might as well start at the top with the man himself.

That’s right, the highest paid state employee in Iowa…Kirk Ferentz. From what I’ve seen from a distance over the past 7 years, Ferentz seems like a classy guy. His composure and professionalism have impressed me. I didn’t really know much about the man though.

After digging into some of the details of his situation, it pretty obvious he’s a legit coach. He played his own football career at UConn. He was a captain and was on the All-Yankee Conference academic team.

He got the chance to study coaching from some of the best. He was the O-line coach under the legendary Hayden Fry (the guy they based the 90’s sitcom “Coach” off of – but that’s a whole ‘nother blog post in itself). He also spent some time working under Bill Belichick with the Cleveland Browns. He’s proven himself at every level. It definitely seems like Iowa’s Athletic Director, Gary Barta, is happy with the man he’s got.

So happy in fact, that he recently agreed to extend Ferentz’s contract until 2015. The new contract states that he will earn at least $3.02 MIL per year for the next 7 years. It also includes perks such as 35 hours of usage for a private jet (this does not include recruiting trips) and there are undoubtedly opportunities for endorsements and bonuses to supplement his income (he’s got to feed his family after all) This is all great for Kirk. He’s getting one of the best compensation packages in college football. In fact, last year he was on the top ten list for the highest paid coaches in the nation.

This leaves me asking one question… Really? As a new Hawkeye follower, I gotta ask “How does this stack up against other coaches across the nation?” Relatively speaking, Florida’s head coach, Urban Meyer, just barely made more money that Ferentz last year. Florida, you know, the team that has won two national championships in the last 3 years and is in contention to do it again in 2009. The team that attracts 5 star recruits like nerds to a Star Trek convention.

I don’t blame Kirk for taking it, but I do wonder why the athletic department feels the need to compensate so highly compared to the rest of the college football world. It seems to me that there is a real lack of perspective here. In most jobs, you have to have success first and then the money follows. Iowa’s had some success, but not the kind of dazzling seasons that you would expect for this much money.

Anyway, I look forward to closely watching how the Hawkeyes perform this year. I wanna see if Ferentz is earning every penny or pulling a fast one on “us” hawk fans.

Trading Orange for Black and Gold

Welcome to my Blog! I’ve decided that for the next 12 months I will closely follow Iowa Hawkeye athletics. I was not born in Iowa, and honestly, there isn’t much that makes me want to cheer for them, but here’s the issue…

I really enjoy college sports. Everything about them. It’s fun to be into a game on TV or to anticipate a good recruit suiting up for your school the next year, and I miss being close to that action.

As a kid, I grew up in Upstate New York about 45 minutes from Syracuse University. Some of my favorite memories are going to football and basketball games in the Carrier Dome to watch the Orangemen (for all you feminists out there, it will never really be just Orange). I got to see the likes of Donovan Mcnabb, Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney, John Wallace, Gerry Mcnamara, and of course, Carmelo Anthony in person. That is some great talent over the years. I’m 25 now, and I still have a strong emotional attachment to the ‘Cuse. But it’s just too hard to follow the teams and truly be a fan so far away.

Some “die-hard” sports fans would say I’m being a fair-weather fan and some sports writers look down on a transplant. But I disagree…I want to take my kids to games and cheer for the home team.

I don’t think the Hawkeyes are a perfect program. In fact, there are a lot of things that I don’t like. No one likes an arrogant winner, and that’s exactly how most Iowa fans come across to me. But there are some bright spots that make me think I could live as a Hawkeye. The legacy of Nile Kinnick is a great example. I want this to be brutally honest look at the past, present, and future of the Black and Gold.

We’ll see if this sticks at the end of 12 months...