I was pretty happy I was wrong last week picking against Iowa. The game proved Michigan's offense can put up big numbers on Iowa. It also proved Iowa can take full advantage of takeaways. I don't think there is a need to talk much about the game last week. That is history and the Badger game is the current. I won't lie this game is going to be ugly. Both have a solid defense and the offenses are run heavy. If you're looking for a shootout, flip over to a Pac-10 game. The Hawks come back home and should be ready for a dog fight.
I haven't seen a whole lot of the Badgers this season. From what I have seen, they are a great running team and rely heavily on John Clay and James White. They combine for over 1,300 yards and we are only halfway through the season. The good thing is this run heavy offense plays into the hands of Iowa. Wisconsin isn't the high powered spread offense like Michigan was. Iowa can stack the box with 8 and play physical on the d-line. Last week, you had to worry about Robinson, until he got hurt, taking off for the big run. This week, it's all about the backs so you can come right at the huge Badger offensive line. The stats would show Iowa has been dominating Wisconsin the last few times they took the trip to Iowa City. Wisconsin is averaging 12.5 points per game in Iowa City. The only nervous thing I can say about the Badgers is if they start gaining 4 or 5 yards a carry, the play action comes into play. QB Scott Tolzien is completing 70.9% of his passes, but with only 7 touchdowns and 3 ints. Iowa's defense has 9 ints, thanks Michigan, and 4 fumbles for the season. The need for a turnover is huge. They can stack the box, keep the average carry to 2 or 3 and force Tolzien to beat them. I love the Hawks chances.
The exact same could be said for the Wisconsin defense. Stanzi has shown he has been much smarter with the ball than previous years. I don't know if I will call him the Manzi as our Michigan blogger Chris said when he broke down the Michigan side of things. I do need to give Stanzi more props and give him some love. The kid worked hard in the off season and its paid off. 145 attempts, 13 touchdowns and only 2 ints is a stat line every head coach would take by mid-season. Even so, the Badgers don't want Robinson going off on them. Adam is going to get the bulk of the carries (Who is left?). If Wisconsin can wear Robinson down and make Stanzi beat them, they have a chance. Albeit a slight one. I went back and looked at the stats from Wisconsin's last loss, which was Michigan State a few weeks ago. A few things stuck out to me.
One, Sparti was 50% on 3rd down conversions, 9 out of 18. Iowa needs to duplicate that and even improve. Michigan State was down early, withstood the early deficit and came back to take the lead by ten, 20-10, at halftime. Again, Iowa needs to do the same. A halftime lead by 2 scores will make Wisconsin get out of their rhythm. They will be forced to pass the ball. Against Mich. St. Tolzien was 11-25, way below his average percentage, and he had to play catch up. Iowa reminds me a lot of Michigan State and that's why I chose to compare the two for how to beat Wisconsin. The Spartans showed the recipe to beat the Badgers. Can Iowa find away to stir the pot the same way?
I'm really looking forward to this game and see how Wisconsin responds to such a huge win over the Buckeyes. They are in for a let down and traveling to Kinnick, a top 10 tough place to play, is just the way Iowa will like it. I called this in my Iowa preview. However, I thought the Badgers would be reeling from a Ohio St. hurting. I was wrong on that. Iowa played a tough game last week and found the way to victory. The Badgers fall into the trap and Iowa gets another conference victory. 24-10.
J Call
Showing posts with label Iowa Hawkeyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iowa Hawkeyes. Show all posts
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Hawkeyes and Wolverines
Iowa has rebounded nicely since losing in the desert with wins over Ball State and Penn State. The latter was against a young inexperienced QB and the team almost shut him down. The same young quarterback managed to reach over 300 total yards of offense against this strong defense. Iowa takes a trip to the big house and against the most explosive player in college. You can talk and talk about players and break down this game anyway you want. I believe it comes down to 2 things.
Since I haven't watched much of Michigan football and don't care to see all that much. I reached out to a Wolverine buddy of mine. Lets see what he had to say the most important thing is for Michigan:
"Well the most important thing for the Michigan Iowa game is obviously how well Denard Robinson will play against the tough Iowa defense. After last weeks slump against Michigan state, he needs to rebound and get back to the top of the Heisman picture."
I couldn't agree more. The first important thing is Denard and the Iowa linebackers. You can't spy Denard, he will run right past them. But what alternatives do they have? This offense for Michigan is all about Denard. He's 9 yards away from having a 1,000 and their actual running back has only 286 yards. The Iowa d has to focus on limiting the giant Robinson run. Leading tackler, Jeff Tarpanian is the man to handle Denard. He can't over pursue on one play or get of position on those qb choice runs. Jeff should get some help though. Iowa is being praised as the best front four in the country. Time to show it off. They've certainly done their part so far giving up a measly 10.2 points per game. It won't be squarely on Jeff's shoulders either. The entire linebacking core, Jeremiha Hunter and Tyler Nelsen will need to do their part. You hear it constantly but it holds true for this game in particular, it will be an entire team effort to stop Denard. He's that good. I like their chances if they limit Robinson's explosiveness. I said in the Zona game, Stanzi couldn't throw a pick early and get the crowd involved. Well the defense can't lack and give up a huge run to Denard early. That would set off the large crowd.
The other thing to keep an eye on is Stanzi against the Michigan secondary. I can't say a lot of good things about a secondary giving up over 300 yards a game. Michigan's overall D isn't much better with opponents gaining 450 yards per game. Factor in they haven't played a ranked team, I'm not counting Notre Dame, except "little brother" and it doesn't look good. Soft is an understatement when you look at their stats. Since I don't want this to be a hate fest on the Wolverines, I'll go back to my buddy for something good to say about their defense.
"Our defense is very young and that's what i like the most about them, they are making freshman mistakes this year but they should learn over time."
He's spot on with that analysis. They are young and make mistakes. Next year, they will be much better. With that said, I still don't trust Stanzi. I should trust him, 10 touchdowns, 2 picks and one wasn't even his fault. Ricky is leading the Hawkeye passing attack to 32nd overall. He's the leader of the team. I still go back to the Arizona game. The loss was on the road in a tough environment. He lead them back and they should have had the lead. Shoulda and woulda doesn't count in football.
The situation Saturday seems to be particularly the same as the game in Arizona. Michigan's enormous crowd celebrating homecoming and hungry for revenge after a loss last week. The Big House practically rattling with the screams and stomps. Denard ready to show last week was a fluke, play like a Heisman candidate and prove his worth against a great defense. All this sounds like a formula for an upset. The Wolverine's defense won't have to work to hard if Stanzi gives them the ball a few times. I'm going against the Hawkeyes until they win a true road test. Wolverines win 30-24.
J Call
Since I haven't watched much of Michigan football and don't care to see all that much. I reached out to a Wolverine buddy of mine. Lets see what he had to say the most important thing is for Michigan:
"Well the most important thing for the Michigan Iowa game is obviously how well Denard Robinson will play against the tough Iowa defense. After last weeks slump against Michigan state, he needs to rebound and get back to the top of the Heisman picture."
I couldn't agree more. The first important thing is Denard and the Iowa linebackers. You can't spy Denard, he will run right past them. But what alternatives do they have? This offense for Michigan is all about Denard. He's 9 yards away from having a 1,000 and their actual running back has only 286 yards. The Iowa d has to focus on limiting the giant Robinson run. Leading tackler, Jeff Tarpanian is the man to handle Denard. He can't over pursue on one play or get of position on those qb choice runs. Jeff should get some help though. Iowa is being praised as the best front four in the country. Time to show it off. They've certainly done their part so far giving up a measly 10.2 points per game. It won't be squarely on Jeff's shoulders either. The entire linebacking core, Jeremiha Hunter and Tyler Nelsen will need to do their part. You hear it constantly but it holds true for this game in particular, it will be an entire team effort to stop Denard. He's that good. I like their chances if they limit Robinson's explosiveness. I said in the Zona game, Stanzi couldn't throw a pick early and get the crowd involved. Well the defense can't lack and give up a huge run to Denard early. That would set off the large crowd.
The other thing to keep an eye on is Stanzi against the Michigan secondary. I can't say a lot of good things about a secondary giving up over 300 yards a game. Michigan's overall D isn't much better with opponents gaining 450 yards per game. Factor in they haven't played a ranked team, I'm not counting Notre Dame, except "little brother" and it doesn't look good. Soft is an understatement when you look at their stats. Since I don't want this to be a hate fest on the Wolverines, I'll go back to my buddy for something good to say about their defense.
"Our defense is very young and that's what i like the most about them, they are making freshman mistakes this year but they should learn over time."
He's spot on with that analysis. They are young and make mistakes. Next year, they will be much better. With that said, I still don't trust Stanzi. I should trust him, 10 touchdowns, 2 picks and one wasn't even his fault. Ricky is leading the Hawkeye passing attack to 32nd overall. He's the leader of the team. I still go back to the Arizona game. The loss was on the road in a tough environment. He lead them back and they should have had the lead. Shoulda and woulda doesn't count in football.
The situation Saturday seems to be particularly the same as the game in Arizona. Michigan's enormous crowd celebrating homecoming and hungry for revenge after a loss last week. The Big House practically rattling with the screams and stomps. Denard ready to show last week was a fluke, play like a Heisman candidate and prove his worth against a great defense. All this sounds like a formula for an upset. The Wolverine's defense won't have to work to hard if Stanzi gives them the ball a few times. I'm going against the Hawkeyes until they win a true road test. Wolverines win 30-24.
J Call
Friday, September 24, 2010
Karma Happens
After looking back in my archives, I noticed I haven't written about the NFL since my mega NFL preview. Two weeks into the season and I'm already hating and loving it at the same time. I have written about the Iowa Hawkeyes for a few weeks and since their game for lack of a better term is a cake walk, I figured I don't need to go into great detail. I do want to hit on what happened to them down in the desert last weekend.
Iowa went to the desert and found quicksand and just when it looked as if they escaped, Zona pulled them back down. I talked about it in my IA preview, no early turnovers. What the hell happened? A blocked punt, a pick 6, deja vu from last year's game, and the crowd went wild. The might mo shifted. Iowa made a great comeback, had a shot to take the lead and got their PAT blocked. Now the only National Championship talk about here is for Nebraska since they have played some stiff competition (sarcasm). At least, the Big 10 title is in reach but I'm not trusting Stanzi. The loss to Arizona hurt and the loss of Hampton may hurt worse long term. Jewel Hampton had just came back from missing last year with injuries. Now he's done for another season and I thought Iowa was relying to heavily on Robinson already. He's all they got now. Ball State and home cooking will solve some problems for now.
On to the NFL, where panic happens. My favorite early nomination for play of the year comes from Randy Moss. I can't stand him because of his lack of heart in Oakland, but I hate the Jets and Revis more. This play makes it all better as Revis holds his leg. I wonder what hurt more his leg or pride. Maybe in the rematch, Revis won't talk smack when all Moss has to say is go back and watch the first game. Revis holds out, gets what he wants and then gets hurt. Karma baby.
Speaking of beautiful karma, I'm not sure who will have it worse, the Chargers organization or Vincent Jackson. Who to back in the situation? I can relate to both. As an owner, you don't want pushed around. You also want to win. On the flip side, Vincent has performed and is an outstanding receiver. He probably deserves a new deal. His biggest mistake was coming out and complaining to the media. I don't want to hear you bitch about how many millions you deserve. Shut up be a good citizen and he might be on the field. Now he sounds like an ass-hat and on the verge of not playing a down in 2010. How much money are we talking anyway? You need paid but don't look for sympathy when my bank account says -($45.00). Hopefully Jackson didn't take any advice from former teammate Antonio Cromartie and kept it in his pants. That guy has more kids than that Kate who popped out 8.
I normally talk about the Cowboys since we are based out of Dallas so here goes: this is to easy. You missed your chance for Shanahan and he's the guy leading a surprisingly competitive team. In fact, my brother who saw them against the Texans thought Washington was good enough to win the East. Wade's going to be fired if he loses to Houston. Come on down Jason Garrett, the fans love you. Chin up Cowboy fans, you still got the Super Bowl. You won't play in it but it's coming to your city.
Finally let's dive into my Oakland Raiders. The Campbell era was about as good as the Russell era. I like Bruce Almighty since he reminds me of my favorite Oakland QB, Richie Gannon. Bruce is a vocal leader, fiery and a will to win. I can't see him a the man for Da Raiders future. I'm actually thankful Oakland doesn't have their 1st rounder in 2011. I'd be staring at the Jake Locker era. I saw enough of him against Nebraska to know he's overrated. I'm nervous though. Crazy Al hasn't had a spending spree for a few years and Vick the dog fighter is a free agent. That's what happens when you deal with the devil or a dead owner. The lockout will save me from the embarrassment of seeing Vick in black and silver. Then again, Philly fans don't mind. They love Vick as long as he produces. Maybe Philly will find comfort when McNabb is once again in the playoffs and they are sitting on the couch wondering what happened. Karma happened.
J Call
Iowa went to the desert and found quicksand and just when it looked as if they escaped, Zona pulled them back down. I talked about it in my IA preview, no early turnovers. What the hell happened? A blocked punt, a pick 6, deja vu from last year's game, and the crowd went wild. The might mo shifted. Iowa made a great comeback, had a shot to take the lead and got their PAT blocked. Now the only National Championship talk about here is for Nebraska since they have played some stiff competition (sarcasm). At least, the Big 10 title is in reach but I'm not trusting Stanzi. The loss to Arizona hurt and the loss of Hampton may hurt worse long term. Jewel Hampton had just came back from missing last year with injuries. Now he's done for another season and I thought Iowa was relying to heavily on Robinson already. He's all they got now. Ball State and home cooking will solve some problems for now.
On to the NFL, where panic happens. My favorite early nomination for play of the year comes from Randy Moss. I can't stand him because of his lack of heart in Oakland, but I hate the Jets and Revis more. This play makes it all better as Revis holds his leg. I wonder what hurt more his leg or pride. Maybe in the rematch, Revis won't talk smack when all Moss has to say is go back and watch the first game. Revis holds out, gets what he wants and then gets hurt. Karma baby.
Speaking of beautiful karma, I'm not sure who will have it worse, the Chargers organization or Vincent Jackson. Who to back in the situation? I can relate to both. As an owner, you don't want pushed around. You also want to win. On the flip side, Vincent has performed and is an outstanding receiver. He probably deserves a new deal. His biggest mistake was coming out and complaining to the media. I don't want to hear you bitch about how many millions you deserve. Shut up be a good citizen and he might be on the field. Now he sounds like an ass-hat and on the verge of not playing a down in 2010. How much money are we talking anyway? You need paid but don't look for sympathy when my bank account says -($45.00). Hopefully Jackson didn't take any advice from former teammate Antonio Cromartie and kept it in his pants. That guy has more kids than that Kate who popped out 8.
I normally talk about the Cowboys since we are based out of Dallas so here goes: this is to easy. You missed your chance for Shanahan and he's the guy leading a surprisingly competitive team. In fact, my brother who saw them against the Texans thought Washington was good enough to win the East. Wade's going to be fired if he loses to Houston. Come on down Jason Garrett, the fans love you. Chin up Cowboy fans, you still got the Super Bowl. You won't play in it but it's coming to your city.
Finally let's dive into my Oakland Raiders. The Campbell era was about as good as the Russell era. I like Bruce Almighty since he reminds me of my favorite Oakland QB, Richie Gannon. Bruce is a vocal leader, fiery and a will to win. I can't see him a the man for Da Raiders future. I'm actually thankful Oakland doesn't have their 1st rounder in 2011. I'd be staring at the Jake Locker era. I saw enough of him against Nebraska to know he's overrated. I'm nervous though. Crazy Al hasn't had a spending spree for a few years and Vick the dog fighter is a free agent. That's what happens when you deal with the devil or a dead owner. The lockout will save me from the embarrassment of seeing Vick in black and silver. Then again, Philly fans don't mind. They love Vick as long as he produces. Maybe Philly will find comfort when McNabb is once again in the playoffs and they are sitting on the couch wondering what happened. Karma happened.
J Call
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Iowa Hawkeyes Road Test
I admit I was wrong. I thought Iowa State would travel to Iowa City and put up a fight against their in state rival. They didn't bother and should have stayed home. No need to go into much detail. A 35-7 butt kickin' where Ricky Stanzi and Adam Robinson were near perfect and Jewel Hampton was back helping out. The defense was solid holding ISU to 3 yards in the 1st quarter and ISU only got their touchdown because the scrubs were in. No need to say anymore. Let's move on to Arizona.
It's hard for me to break down the Wildcats. I live in the Midwest and frankly I don't see much Pac-10 unless they are playing a Big 10 or Big 12 team. The matter isn't helped when Arizona has played Toledo and Citadel. What television station covered those games? Fox Sports Tucson or was I suppose to fork over 30 bucks to watch those crappy games on pay-per-view. Seriously, I started looking up Arizona's stats from those two games and I have no idea how to judge them. They've given up only 8 points total in two games. One score was literally given to Toledo with a safety. So yeah, the numbers feel a bit magnified.
The Wildcats traveled to Kinnick last year with close to the same squad on offense this year. Neither QB was good in their contest. Nick Foles ended up with 55 yards passing and a td while sharing time with the ineffective Scott. This year it's all on Foles and so far he's been impressive. Stanzi wasn't much better with 202 yards and a pick 6. The key last year is the same as this year, running backs.
Adam Robinson must duplicate the 100 yard performance to keep the ball away from the 2 Nicks, Grisby and Foles. Grisby averaged over 6 and a half yards a carry on this defense with Pat Angerer and if he gets double the load, only 11 against Iowa last year, he could control the entire game by himself. Even Ferentz said it was tough to control him last year. Now at home, Iowa will have to double the efforts. Meanwhile, Iowa will have to keep feeding it's two-headed monster of Robinson and Hampton. Iowa had 2 running backs last year with Robinson and Wegher gaining almost 150 yards on 35 carries. Now Hampton is seeing action that Wegher did before. The 3 running backs are important because these defenses are going to get tired.
If your looking for a shootout, forget it. Don't expect either team to come close to 40 points unless your talking total of both teams. Mike Stoops has helped put together a tough defense much like his days as Defensive Coordinator at Oklahoma. Arizona was the 21st defense overall until Nebraska put a beat down on them in their bowl game. With their weak schedule and 4 point average, the Wildcats are easily a top ten defense, actually 2nd in points against. Iowa hasn't had much competition either, opponents are averaging one touchdown against them in their first two games and 8th overall in the country. I expect a low scoring game because both defenses should feel very confident in their play so far.
After what I thought would be a real test with ISU, Iowa may finally have a good game on their hands. In that same breath, so will Arizona. The Wildcat fans are planning a "red out" by wearing all red to the game. Tucson stadium will look like a blood bath than a football arena. Stanzi threw that pick 6 in the 1st quarter in the game against Arizona last year. If he does that again and that ruckus crowd gets into it, an upset could brew. Stanzi has relied on that pivotal ground game and I think we see more the same here. Iowa won't make an early mistake, take the crowd out of it early and momentum will carry them to a close victory. Last year 27-17, this year 24-20.
J Call
It's hard for me to break down the Wildcats. I live in the Midwest and frankly I don't see much Pac-10 unless they are playing a Big 10 or Big 12 team. The matter isn't helped when Arizona has played Toledo and Citadel. What television station covered those games? Fox Sports Tucson or was I suppose to fork over 30 bucks to watch those crappy games on pay-per-view. Seriously, I started looking up Arizona's stats from those two games and I have no idea how to judge them. They've given up only 8 points total in two games. One score was literally given to Toledo with a safety. So yeah, the numbers feel a bit magnified.
The Wildcats traveled to Kinnick last year with close to the same squad on offense this year. Neither QB was good in their contest. Nick Foles ended up with 55 yards passing and a td while sharing time with the ineffective Scott. This year it's all on Foles and so far he's been impressive. Stanzi wasn't much better with 202 yards and a pick 6. The key last year is the same as this year, running backs.
Adam Robinson must duplicate the 100 yard performance to keep the ball away from the 2 Nicks, Grisby and Foles. Grisby averaged over 6 and a half yards a carry on this defense with Pat Angerer and if he gets double the load, only 11 against Iowa last year, he could control the entire game by himself. Even Ferentz said it was tough to control him last year. Now at home, Iowa will have to double the efforts. Meanwhile, Iowa will have to keep feeding it's two-headed monster of Robinson and Hampton. Iowa had 2 running backs last year with Robinson and Wegher gaining almost 150 yards on 35 carries. Now Hampton is seeing action that Wegher did before. The 3 running backs are important because these defenses are going to get tired.
If your looking for a shootout, forget it. Don't expect either team to come close to 40 points unless your talking total of both teams. Mike Stoops has helped put together a tough defense much like his days as Defensive Coordinator at Oklahoma. Arizona was the 21st defense overall until Nebraska put a beat down on them in their bowl game. With their weak schedule and 4 point average, the Wildcats are easily a top ten defense, actually 2nd in points against. Iowa hasn't had much competition either, opponents are averaging one touchdown against them in their first two games and 8th overall in the country. I expect a low scoring game because both defenses should feel very confident in their play so far.
After what I thought would be a real test with ISU, Iowa may finally have a good game on their hands. In that same breath, so will Arizona. The Wildcat fans are planning a "red out" by wearing all red to the game. Tucson stadium will look like a blood bath than a football arena. Stanzi threw that pick 6 in the 1st quarter in the game against Arizona last year. If he does that again and that ruckus crowd gets into it, an upset could brew. Stanzi has relied on that pivotal ground game and I think we see more the same here. Iowa won't make an early mistake, take the crowd out of it early and momentum will carry them to a close victory. Last year 27-17, this year 24-20.
J Call
Monday, September 6, 2010
Iowa Hawkeyes Week 1
I'm not going to make to much of a big deal with the Hawks defeating Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon. This was more of a preseason tune up before the regular season begins. No doubt they came out ready to play and make a statement in the first week of college football. The game was flawless however but it was a great way to tune up for the Cyclones next week.
The whole game may not have been perfect, the 1st quarter sure was damn close. Opening drive of the game and Quarterback Ricky Stanzi goes perfect 3 for 3 and capped off with a 1 yard score from Mr. Adam Robinson. The defense, which I think is one of the best in the country, started with a three and out. Second drive again Stanzi goes 3 for 3 and another touchdown from Robinson. They couldn't do no wrong in the first quarter and pretty much the first half. After the first quarter Hawks were up 21-0 after a blocked punt was ran in for the third score by Paki O'Meara who is Robinson's backup.
The second quarter was the only scare for Hawk fans. Stanzi went down on third drive with an apparent leg injury. When I saw the play, it didn't look to serious and it wasn't. However, if Stanzi goes down it's not dooms day for Iowa. Vandenberg isn't a terrible back up and played very well against Ohio State last year when Stanzi was hurt. Vandenberg finished the third drive with a hand-off to Robinson for his 3rd TD. Halftime it was 21-7. The rest of the game was ground and pound ball and take time off the clock. EIU made a mistake throwing a backwards pass that ended up going out of the end zone for a safety and Stanzi got a late TD throw. Final 37-7
Now Stanzi made a few errant passes and over threw McNutt for what would have been another TD. Other than that going 18 for 23 229 1 TD and most importantly no picks is a great way to kick off the new season. I worried with Moeaki gone who would be the go to guy for Stanzi when he needed say a 5 yard completion for a first down. The Hawks used 3 different tight ends and all of them played well and caught a few balls. The man of the day was Adam Robinson. Although he may not have had a big run play, longest was 16 yards, the constant was his feet and body moving forward. I thought on a few occasions he was going down and he snuck away for a few extra yards. He's a guy they need and so far he came through. The defense was solid but never got a turnover and Iowa turned it over twice on fumbles so they are -2 on turnover ratio to start the year. Sash made plays and Clayborn was exactly what I thought he was going to be, a beast.
The week was the best warm-up the Hawks could ask for in terms of getting out the kinks. They turned it over a few times and Stanzi was slightly off on a few patterns. I think that's perfect. You don't want perfection, you want a game to build off for the rest of the season. The Hawks got that and more. Again, I'm not making a big deal about the win because that's a game they should win easily and they did. Next week with Iowa State, whose defense impressed the hell out of me against Northern Illinois, coming to Kinnick. The Iowa-ISU rival is a fun one to watch. The two teams are usually pumped and excited to play each other. I said before if this game was in Ames ISU would have a chance. The game will still be close and the Cyclones won't lay down. Close but Hawks prevail 27-20.
J Call
The whole game may not have been perfect, the 1st quarter sure was damn close. Opening drive of the game and Quarterback Ricky Stanzi goes perfect 3 for 3 and capped off with a 1 yard score from Mr. Adam Robinson. The defense, which I think is one of the best in the country, started with a three and out. Second drive again Stanzi goes 3 for 3 and another touchdown from Robinson. They couldn't do no wrong in the first quarter and pretty much the first half. After the first quarter Hawks were up 21-0 after a blocked punt was ran in for the third score by Paki O'Meara who is Robinson's backup.
The second quarter was the only scare for Hawk fans. Stanzi went down on third drive with an apparent leg injury. When I saw the play, it didn't look to serious and it wasn't. However, if Stanzi goes down it's not dooms day for Iowa. Vandenberg isn't a terrible back up and played very well against Ohio State last year when Stanzi was hurt. Vandenberg finished the third drive with a hand-off to Robinson for his 3rd TD. Halftime it was 21-7. The rest of the game was ground and pound ball and take time off the clock. EIU made a mistake throwing a backwards pass that ended up going out of the end zone for a safety and Stanzi got a late TD throw. Final 37-7
Now Stanzi made a few errant passes and over threw McNutt for what would have been another TD. Other than that going 18 for 23 229 1 TD and most importantly no picks is a great way to kick off the new season. I worried with Moeaki gone who would be the go to guy for Stanzi when he needed say a 5 yard completion for a first down. The Hawks used 3 different tight ends and all of them played well and caught a few balls. The man of the day was Adam Robinson. Although he may not have had a big run play, longest was 16 yards, the constant was his feet and body moving forward. I thought on a few occasions he was going down and he snuck away for a few extra yards. He's a guy they need and so far he came through. The defense was solid but never got a turnover and Iowa turned it over twice on fumbles so they are -2 on turnover ratio to start the year. Sash made plays and Clayborn was exactly what I thought he was going to be, a beast.
The week was the best warm-up the Hawks could ask for in terms of getting out the kinks. They turned it over a few times and Stanzi was slightly off on a few patterns. I think that's perfect. You don't want perfection, you want a game to build off for the rest of the season. The Hawks got that and more. Again, I'm not making a big deal about the win because that's a game they should win easily and they did. Next week with Iowa State, whose defense impressed the hell out of me against Northern Illinois, coming to Kinnick. The Iowa-ISU rival is a fun one to watch. The two teams are usually pumped and excited to play each other. I said before if this game was in Ames ISU would have a chance. The game will still be close and the Cyclones won't lay down. Close but Hawks prevail 27-20.
J Call
Friday, August 27, 2010
Iowa Hawkeye Preview
Last season, the Iowa Hawkeyes had a stellar year ending with an Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. However, the season wasn't a total success as the offense struggled mightily in several contests. The other big concern this year is the loss of a few key players to the NFL and it's leader on defense. With all the concerns, the Hawkeyes are still poised to finish in the top ten and have a chance to win the Big Ten title and contend for another BCS bowl game.
As I said, last year the offense struggled to score and put up big numbers. Ricky Stanzi was one major problem. At times he showed brilliance and others not so much. The passing game ranked 55th in the country with 222 yards per game. Ricky's TD to INT ratio wasn't exactly mind blowing either throwing 17 touchdowns to 15 picks. The bowl game was a better performance with 231 yards 2 scores and 1 pick. He needs to do this more for the Hawkeyes to have a shot. The offense wasn't all Stanzi's fault. The running tag team of Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher were 99th with 114 yards a game. Now that number sounds decent when you consider they were over a 100 yards per game. This isn't the pros and numbers are inflated in college ball. Wegher isn't off to a great start this season being talked about for all the wrong reasons. Reports are indicating Wegher won't be back with the team. Adam will have to step up and take the load off Stanzi. The guy that will be missed the most is Tony Moeaki. He missed a few games but when he did play, he was the blanket for Stanzi. He's with the Chiefs now so it's time for McNutt. I love the name Marvin McNutt. He sounds like a stand up comedian. The passing game will rely on his skills even more. I think the offense will be much better than last year and they will win some games instead of having to rely all on the defense.
The Hawkeye defense was hard nosed and kept you from scoring type defense last year. They were the rock when the offense stunk. They ranked 8th, 8th in the country in points allowed with 15.4 per game. That's amazing when you think had they been in the 50 to 60's, this team would not have reached a BCS game. They single handedly saved the UNI game by blocking 2 game winning field goals. Pat Angerer is gone which hurts. He was the anchor. Pat was the only Hawkeye with more than 100 total tackles. The thing is even without him, this defense is well intact. Adrain Clayborn will be the new leader. I expect him to build upon the 11.5 sacks he had last year. Tyler Sash is the corner the secondary will lean on. He picked off 6 balls and should improve his ball hawking skills. The defense will keep Iowa in every game and I think they can once again be a top 15 defense.
Iowa got lucky this year with their schedule. Their non-conference schedule stinks which will make it easy for Ferentz's squad to gain confidence. The only real test out of the 4 games is down in Arizona. Iowa State, which if this were a game in Ames I would say they had a shot, Ball State and Eastern Illinois are at home. Even traveling to Arizona shouldn't be that difficult. Mike Stoops is gaining steam but he's not a top ten program. The conference schedule is set up nicely to start. The first road test the Hawks have is at Ann Arbor, but they aren't the Michigan of old. The first true game they could lose is Wisconsin at home on October 23rd. Again the Hawkeyes found a little luck, the Badgers could be burnt out after hosting on the Buckeyes the previous week. Three out of the final four games are on the road. The Hawks first travel to Indiana, who they struggled with at home in the first half last year, then a rejuvenated Northwestern and end the season at Minnesota. In between Northwestern and Minnesota, the biggest game in terms of the Big Ten title should be Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium on November 20th. The Buckeyes are the rightful favorites. Terrelle Pryor returns and is a Heisman candidate. This could be a match-up with National Championship implications as well. The season will be determined on whether they can handle the defending Big Ten champs.
The outcome for the Hawkeyes looks to be another successful season. If you look back at that schedule, I like their chances against everyone except Ohio State. Even at home, the Buckeyes have to much fire power and Pryor will make enough plays and Stanzi will make a mistake or two and cost them a bid for the Big Ten title. With that said, Iowa would have one loss and a BCS game is likely for them. I don't know which one since it's to damn confusing to choose one. Depending on their match up, the Hawkeyes should win the bowl game and get one more win then last year. The real problem with winning, how to keep Ferentz from leaving?
Prediction: Iowa Hawkeyes 12-1 and another BCS bowl win.
J Call
As I said, last year the offense struggled to score and put up big numbers. Ricky Stanzi was one major problem. At times he showed brilliance and others not so much. The passing game ranked 55th in the country with 222 yards per game. Ricky's TD to INT ratio wasn't exactly mind blowing either throwing 17 touchdowns to 15 picks. The bowl game was a better performance with 231 yards 2 scores and 1 pick. He needs to do this more for the Hawkeyes to have a shot. The offense wasn't all Stanzi's fault. The running tag team of Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher were 99th with 114 yards a game. Now that number sounds decent when you consider they were over a 100 yards per game. This isn't the pros and numbers are inflated in college ball. Wegher isn't off to a great start this season being talked about for all the wrong reasons. Reports are indicating Wegher won't be back with the team. Adam will have to step up and take the load off Stanzi. The guy that will be missed the most is Tony Moeaki. He missed a few games but when he did play, he was the blanket for Stanzi. He's with the Chiefs now so it's time for McNutt. I love the name Marvin McNutt. He sounds like a stand up comedian. The passing game will rely on his skills even more. I think the offense will be much better than last year and they will win some games instead of having to rely all on the defense.
The Hawkeye defense was hard nosed and kept you from scoring type defense last year. They were the rock when the offense stunk. They ranked 8th, 8th in the country in points allowed with 15.4 per game. That's amazing when you think had they been in the 50 to 60's, this team would not have reached a BCS game. They single handedly saved the UNI game by blocking 2 game winning field goals. Pat Angerer is gone which hurts. He was the anchor. Pat was the only Hawkeye with more than 100 total tackles. The thing is even without him, this defense is well intact. Adrain Clayborn will be the new leader. I expect him to build upon the 11.5 sacks he had last year. Tyler Sash is the corner the secondary will lean on. He picked off 6 balls and should improve his ball hawking skills. The defense will keep Iowa in every game and I think they can once again be a top 15 defense.
Iowa got lucky this year with their schedule. Their non-conference schedule stinks which will make it easy for Ferentz's squad to gain confidence. The only real test out of the 4 games is down in Arizona. Iowa State, which if this were a game in Ames I would say they had a shot, Ball State and Eastern Illinois are at home. Even traveling to Arizona shouldn't be that difficult. Mike Stoops is gaining steam but he's not a top ten program. The conference schedule is set up nicely to start. The first road test the Hawks have is at Ann Arbor, but they aren't the Michigan of old. The first true game they could lose is Wisconsin at home on October 23rd. Again the Hawkeyes found a little luck, the Badgers could be burnt out after hosting on the Buckeyes the previous week. Three out of the final four games are on the road. The Hawks first travel to Indiana, who they struggled with at home in the first half last year, then a rejuvenated Northwestern and end the season at Minnesota. In between Northwestern and Minnesota, the biggest game in terms of the Big Ten title should be Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium on November 20th. The Buckeyes are the rightful favorites. Terrelle Pryor returns and is a Heisman candidate. This could be a match-up with National Championship implications as well. The season will be determined on whether they can handle the defending Big Ten champs.
The outcome for the Hawkeyes looks to be another successful season. If you look back at that schedule, I like their chances against everyone except Ohio State. Even at home, the Buckeyes have to much fire power and Pryor will make enough plays and Stanzi will make a mistake or two and cost them a bid for the Big Ten title. With that said, Iowa would have one loss and a BCS game is likely for them. I don't know which one since it's to damn confusing to choose one. Depending on their match up, the Hawkeyes should win the bowl game and get one more win then last year. The real problem with winning, how to keep Ferentz from leaving?
Prediction: Iowa Hawkeyes 12-1 and another BCS bowl win.
J Call
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