SB Nation - Kyle Calloway

Derrick Morgan vs. the Iowa OL

BirdGT — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:30:28 -0000

Booyah. Sacked. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Iowa's offensive line has 8 guys with solid experience. They've accounted for over 148 starts. Derrick Morgan has started in 26 games on the Flats and earned AP All America status this season. Three Iowa lineman have started in more games than Morgan: Junior Bryan Buluga (27) and seniors Kyle Calloway (36) and Rafael Eubanks (36).

Iowa is notorious for poor pass protection. They've allowed almost 30 sacks/season over the last three seasons. Reese Morgan is the offensive line coach and has been for the last 10 years.

Morgan has racked up 19.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss in his three seasons at Tech. He saw little action his freshman year as he was behind current NFLers Michael Johnson and Darrell Robertson. Last year, Morgan built up his stats and MJ was the focus of opposing OL coaches and their double teams. This season, despite constant double teams, Derrick has continued to improve. What makes him such a force is his strength, speed, and motor (see 2:59 mark). The reason his NFL Draft stock is so high is because he plays hard on every play.

I've already pointed out the fact that Iowa is prone to pass on 3rd down and this tendency has led to a majority of their sacks. Tech fans are generally excited when they look at this match up on paper. If Iowa wants to succeed at all in the passing game, it'll require a heckuvan effort from their freshmen running backs chipping the Beast from Coatesville.

I'm assuming Bulaga, Eubanks, and Calloway are starting alongside Julian Vandervelde and Riley Reiff, the relative weak links. Reiff is a redshirt freshmen with only 12 games of experience. Reiff moved over from defensive end to play guard for the Hawkeyes. Vandervelde is a seasoned junior who's seen a bit of action but never quite had the talent to break into the starting role until attrition slid him in. Look for Morgan to pick up weaknesses in the game film and exploit them.

Poll

What do you expect from Derrick Morgan against the Iowa OL?

All-Big Ten Awards Announced, Swept Once Again By Toto

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:00:45 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

about 1 month ago: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. Northwestern won 17-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Good news, everyone!* The Big Ten announced its picks for the all-conference teams. Naturally, the offensive and defensive player of the year are both Terrelle Pryor. Okay, not true; he's not even honorable mention.

But there's plenty of actual good news. First, the devil media named Kirk Ferentz coach of the year, and here he is reminding them that they can go suck it and he hasn't forgiven them for the slights of the regular season.

Such language, Kirk!

As for the players, here's the link to the voting results. The media named Bryan Bulaga to the first team on offense, while the second team featured four of his friends from the line: Rafael Eubanks, Dace Richardson, Kyle Calloway, and Tony Moeaki.

On defense, the first team had a little more Iowa representation; Adrian Clayborn, Pat Angerer, and Tyler Sash all received their no-brainer merits. On the second team, Brett Greenwood and Amari Spievey. Iowa put eight players on the media's honorable mention team: Ryan Donahue, Broderick Binns, A.J. Edds, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Karl Klug, Daniel Murray, Adam Robinson, and Ricky Stanzi.

Not surprisingly, the coaches had a slightly higher opinion of the Hawkeyes; here's the link to their voting results. Bryan Bulaga was named their offensive lineman of the year(!!!), an award the media doesn't give out. Bulaga is joined on the first team by Moeaki and Richardson, both of which are worthy selections. Calloway and Eubanks didn't make the second team--not sure why on Calloway--but Derrell Johnson-Koulianos snuck in on a three-player tie for second-team WR.

On defense, the coaches agreed with the media in putting Sash, Clayborn, and Angerer on the first team roster. They also added Amari Spievey; as coaches, they're more likely to know that the reason Spievey didn't have a ton of picks wasn't that he's not good at football, but that there's just no hope in throwing at him; Spievey was a machine this season, and we're starting to lose hope that he's got more than one game left in an Iowa uniform. A.J. Edds is the lone Hawkeye on the defensive second team.

For honorable mention, it's as follows:Christian Ballard, Kyle Calloway, Ryan Donahue, Brent Greenwood, Karl Klug, and Adam Robinson.

Full All-BXI teams and a few thoughts are after the break.

MEDIA

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	JOHN CLAY, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Tandon Doss, Indiana	Blair White, Michigan State
WR	Keith Smith, Purdue	Zeke Markshausen, Northwestern
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa
G	Justin Boren, Ohio State	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Dace Richardson, Iowa
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Kyle Calloway, Iowa
T	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin	Dennis Landolt, Penn State
TE	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin	Tony Moeaki, Iowa
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan State	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Jared Odrick, Penn State
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	GREG JONES, Michigan State	Josh Hull, Penn State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Brent Greenwood, Iowa
DB	Donovan Warren, Michigan	Amari Spievey, Iowa
DB	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern	Brad Phillips, Northwestern
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

COACHES

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	John Clay, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Eric Decker, Minnesota	Tandon Doss, Indiana*
WR	Blair White, Michigan State	Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa* Keith Smith, Purdue*
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa* Joel Nitchman, Michigan State*
G	Dace Richardson, Iowa	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Justin Boren, Ohio State
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Rodger Saffold, Indiana
T	Dennis Landolt, Penn State	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
TE	Tony Moeaki, Iowa	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Jared Odrick, Penn State	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa Linebacker	A.J. Edds, Iowa
LB	Greg Jones, Michigan State	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Donovan Warren, Michigan*
DB	Amari Spievey, Iowa	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern*
DB	Brad Phillips, Northwestern	Brandon King, Purdue*
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue* Jay Valai, Wisconsin*
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

Okay. While we're quite happy that Bulaga got such high accolades for the season, we can't be alone in thinking that he was hardly the best lineman in Iowa City, much less the Big Ten. He was either on the sidelines or out of sorts for the majority of the season, and we still haven't seen the elephant-tusk-covered road grader from last season on display. He totally would have deserved a preseason OL of the year, but his performance over 2009 didn't merit such superlatives.

This is hardly a new development from these postseason lists, however; generally, the lists are crafted off of the preseason lists, and anybody whose knee blew out with more than four games left was excised and replaced by someone else. After all, Bulaga was only a second-team All-BXI player last season, even though he was by far the best lineman on the team in 2008. Seth Olsen, meanwhile, had the good fortune to be a first-teamer to start the year, so he was on the first team after 2008, despite a relatively blah senior campaign; we'd have put him about fourth on the list of Iowa linemen for 2009, behind the two bookends at tackle and Rob Bruggeman at center.

Essentially, Bulaga won the award in 2009 for his play in 2008.

At the end of the day, this comes down to stats; there aren't any for linemen, despite the ill-fated attempt to get the "pancake" introduced about a decade ago (for this, we blame Orlando Pace). It's assumed that linemen are sure things, and that as long as they stay healthy, the narrative has stayed true. After all, without stats, most scribes have no time (or no idea) how to watch linemen individually.

Frankly, though it's a subjective stat, we'd love to see how linemen grade out per play (remember that Blake Larsen famously graded at 100% during his senior season at Atlantic; lord, had those knees survived...) Without having the means to undertake such an activity ourselves, we'd imagine that if you graded each Iowa offensive lineman, Kyle Calloway or Dace Richardson would probably be at the top.

If they're not, which is possible, then it would probably be the guy who didn't even get an honorable mention: Riley Reiff. He was stout in relief of Bulaga--hell, we're pretty sure O'Brien Schofield would not have batted Reiff around like a catnip mouse, unlike some Iowa linemen--and he basically forced his way into the starting lineup even before Big Dace went down. But since he wasn't even a projected starter, to say nothing of a preseason honoree, Reiff didn't have much of a chance for postseason mention. Shame, really; dude is legit, and he hasn't even filled out his frame yet.

As for the skill players, it's a little disappointing that Stanzi only made one honorable mention team. But we get how that can happen. Spievey only making second team in the media is flatly ridiculous. If he'd put together that same season in an Ohio State uniform, he'd be getting All-American talk.

Other than that, we don't have a ton of beef; Stanzi killed himself by leading the conference in interceptions when he went down to injury, and the rest of the offensive skill players were far too inconsistent or hurt to merit much consideration. Jeremiha Hunter not getting any honorable mention love is a little disconcerting, but the BXI was lo-ho-hoaded at linebacker this season; we're not quite sure whom we'd place him above. He'll get some love in 2010 if he stays healthy. Also--given the play of Jeff Tarpinian in relief--if Hunter stays healthy between now and next September, there's no position battle at weakside backer next season, right?

So, all in all, a fair list, even if the voting on offensive linemen is basically a year behind schedule. It's a year behind for everyone else, after all. Anybody else that you folks think got shafted? Did Marvin McNutt deserve a nod, or is he still a year away from recognition?

*/Farnsworth'd

Not the 12-0 We Wanted Most, But a 12-0 We'll Gladly Take

Oops Pow Surprise — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:05:29 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

WHO WANTS STEEL RIBS OR STEEL HAM? (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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So. A month ago, if you'd been told that "12-0" was happening today, you'd probably be getting all giddy and buying a ticket for Pasadena. Of course, that 12-0 didn't come to fruition, on account of the Stanzageddon and all, but we do have the next best thing: Iowa 12, Minnesota 0.

Was it ugly? Christ yes, it was ugly; Iowa was 1-12 on 3rd down conversions, and theirs wasn't even the ugliest offense of the game.

Minnesota's offense, on the other hand, was one of the worst we've seen all season long. The two Minnesota quarterbacks - Adam Weber and MarQueis Gray - combined to go 14-42 through the air for 153 yards and one interception. That's an average of 3.6 yards per attempt, which is melt-your-retinas ugly. Oh, and Weber lost two of his three fumbles. Yes, Minnesota accounted for more yards than Iowa--201 to 171--but they needed 18 more plays to do so, meaning Iowa's own train wreck of an offense was at least more efficient. Sort of.

As for that Iowa offense, what's there to say? They clearly missed Adam Robinson's running ability when he went down with a re-injury of his ankle; he should be back in plenty of time for the bowl, so no real harm done here. But Brandon Wegher, from Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, one of the great town names in America (/Musberger'd), is really not an every-down back yet, and has no business trying to fill that role right now. That's not to say he's a bust or anything nearly as dour; it's just that there's a reason why, if all the tailbacks were healthy, he'd be about 4th or 5th string right now (Jewel Hampton, Robinson, Jeff Brinson, and maybe Paki Bomb). He's just a true freshman. Most true freshmen aren't ready to run the rock 25 times in a game--especially when they're evidently so green with the playbook that they're telegraphing every run play before the snap.

In fact, if this game proved anything, it's that injuries have wrecked any hope or semblance of consistency for the Iowa offense; James Vandenberg was the 20th different player to start on offense for Iowa this season. For the Iowa defense? 15--and two of those extra four starters were at the same position (Greg Castillo and Willie Lowe, for Shaun Prater at LCB). That's remarkably important; continuity is a big deal in a team sport like football, and as much as Kirk Ferentz and his staff preach the importance of the "next man in," with the notable exception of Riley Reiff, there's always been a marked dropoff in performance from starter to backup.

Thus, getting healthy for the bowl game and getting the best possible lineup (Bulaga, Dace Richardson, Rafael Eubanks, Reiff, and Kyle Calloway on the line; A-Rob and Brett Morse in the backfield; Trey Stross, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, and Tony Moeaki as receivers) would be a welcome development for the offense. How many times has that ideal lineup been healthy and starting all at once? Twice: at Wisconsin and about the first 10 minutes of at Michigan State.

And let's not even get started on losing Hampton and Brinson before the season.

Yes, the above lineup is pretty unimpeachably Iowa's best; while Marvin McNutt is obviously talented, he's done his best as the third receiver instead of starting at wideout--think back to Mo Brown in 2002, for example. Unless something bad happens in practice between now and the bowl game, the Iowa offense is going to look a lot better, and it'll be independent of the playcalling (which always looks a lot better when the players can reliably execute it).

As for the defense, they were utterly lights-out; Weber was harassed throughout the day, and it's to his credit that he was "only" sacked five times. The Iowa defensive line combined for 7.0 TFL and 4 of the 5 sacks, and they abused the offensive line so thoroughly that Bob Griese was left questioning everything about the Gopher unit and their commitment to the sport. That was nice.

Really, this was as vintage a 2009 Iowa game as any this season. The offense struggled through injuries to key contributors but put up enough points to take a double-digit lead, and the defense choked the opposing offense to death long before the final whistle sounded. It's never been pretty, but at the end of the day, you cannot argue with this: it's another 10-win season for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Well done, men. Well done indeed.

Now let's go cook up some steel bacon for dinner.

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

Mocking Dan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:10:12 -0000

More photos » by TONY DING - AP

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• After starting the season off slowly, Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham has become a big factor. On the season he has 17 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. Wisconsin's physical offensive line will be a big challenge for Graham. Against Wisconsin last season Graham burst onto the national scene with three sacks. If he does that again, some might start to consider him a first-round prospect.

Graham might not even be the best pass rusher at Camp Randall Stadium. That just may be Badgers junior O'Brien Schofield. On the year, he has 18.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Schofield has been consistent all season.

• Against Virginia Tech, the athleticism of Maryland left tackle Bruce Campbell will be tested. he could line up against Jason Worilds, who is as quick off the snap as any defensive end you'll find. Campbell has had some injury issues, but when he's healthy he's very good.

One Hokie to watch is senior linebacker Cody Grimm. It would be a shock if he was drafted, but don't be surprised if he makes an NFL roster as a special teams player. He's all effort and leads the Hokies in tackles with 79. He might be only 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, but he's tenacious.

• If you only watch one game of TCU's Jerry Hughes this season, make it today against Utah. Hughes may get a few snaps against Utah's best offensive lineman Zane Beadles. Most of Hughe's plays will come against Tony Bergstrom, a developing sophomore right tackle. Hughes is having another standout season but he hasn't been very active in his last two games.

• Washington quarterback Jake Locker could have a big day against Oregon State's 113th ranked pass defense. Locker has been pretty ordinary the last three weeks and needs a good showing to really cement himself as a top prospect.

• Alabama might have the second-best rush defense in the nation, but the Crimson Tide haven't seen a running back like Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon. The bruising senior bounced back last week rushing for 252 yards against Vanderbilt after struggling versus Florida. When Dixon collides with Alabama defensive tackle Terrence Cody it will be a sight to see.

• Pittsburgh defensive end Greg Romeus has been somewhat overshadowed this season by the likes of Hughes, Graham and Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan. But make no mistake about it, Romeus is a playmaker. He has nine sacks on the year and can hold up well against the run. Playing against Notre Dame will be a good challenge for Romeus to show he deserves to be mentioned with the best ends in college football.

• The single best matchup to watch today will be the Ohio State defensive ends against the Iowa offensive tackles. Last week, the Buckeyes' Cameron Heyward had a breakout game with three sacks against Penn State. Fellow end Thaddeus Gibson is quick and can get to the ball fast. Iowa's tackles -- Bryan Bulaga and Kyle Calloway -- might be the best bookends in the nation.

D'entre les Morts - Is Iowa Ohio State 2002, Reincarnate?

Law Buckeye — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:17:02 -0000

About the time Ricky Stanzi sealed Iowa's daring victory Saturday by taking a knee on a lame-duck P.A.T., I got a text message from my cousin Steve. It read: "Iowa is a reincarnation of the 2002 bucks."

It's a flattering comparison for the Hawkeyes. After all, the 2002 Buckeyes are the first and only team to go 14-0 in the history of our sport. They were the epitome of everything that's right -- and wrong -- with the Big Ten; a plodding, plain, and immediately likable rough and tumble crop of underdogs that refused to lose. After a season of nailbiters, and overtime triumphs, the Bucks faced a a defending national champion Hurricane squad with a Heisman finalist quarterback, a Heisman finalist running back and a 34 game winning streak.

Four bone-crushing quarters, and two mesmerizing overtimes later, the scarlet came out on top: 31-24. The win brought the Big Ten its 34th -- and most recent -- National Championship.

That was seven years ago.

Since then the Big Ten is 3-8 in BCS bowls (0-2 in the BCS National Championship). A crown gem in the early part of the decade, the conference has slipped into a funk, as the great giants of the sport fell asleep at the wheel. Strange shifts in parity have substituted crisp autumn leaves and cool November snaps for sweat, julips, and electric September nights in the swamp. Bruising brutes and bloody-noses have been replaced with soft-zones and slow pokes. Or so they would have us believe.

Still, there are signs everywhere that college football's most esteemed conference is on its way back, not the least of which are these Hawkeyes. A powerful Iowa joins perennial patriarchs Ohio State and Penn State at the top of a league that with Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Michigan in the wings just might be the deepest in the country. Sure, our ceiling might be just a bit lower than the spires atop the Pac 10, Big 12, and SEC. But none of those leagues are as hotly contested six floors down.

Is Iowa predestined to earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game? Consider these striking similarities between the Hawkeyes and the 2002 Buckeyes.

Ohio State faced two out of conference BCS opponents in 2002. One from the Big 12 (Texas Tech) and one from the Pac 10 (Washington State). Iowa faced two out of conference BCS opponents this year. One from the Big 12 (Iowa State) and one from the Pac 10 (Arizona).
Ohio State rebounded from a 5-3 Big Ten Season in 2001. Iowa is rebounding from a 5-3 Big Ten Season in 2008.
Ohio State played South Carolina in the Outback Bowl in 2001. Iowa played South Carolina in the Outback Bowl in 2008.
Ohio State had two more returning starters on defense (7) than offense (5) in 2002. Iowa has two more returning starters on defense (8) than offense (6) in 2009.
Ohio State returned three veteran offensive linemen (Shane Olivea, Adrien Clark, and Bryce Bishop) in 2002. Iowa returned three veteran offensive linemen (Julian Vandervelde, Kyle Calloway, and Bryan Bulaga) in 2009.
Ohio State ultimately started a Freshman running back (Maurice Clarett) in 2002. Iowa ultimately started a Freshman running back (Adam Robinson) in 2009.
The strength of both teams was/is defense.
Both quarterbacks (Ohio State's Craig Krenzel and Iowa's Ricky Stanzi) had/have comparably modest completion percentages (59.4/57.1).
Ohio State was ranked Fourth in the BCS Standings heading into Week 9 in 2002. Iowa is ranked Fourth in the BCS Standings heading into Week 9 this season.
Ohio State won six games by 7 points or less in 2002. Iowa has already won four games by 7 points or less.
Ohio State came into the BCS National Championship as an underdog in 2002, facing the defending National Champions. If Iowa makes the 2009 BCS National Championship, it would be as an underdog, likely against the defending National Champions.

Now, don't get me wrong. There are plenty of significant diferences between the teams. While both were/are defensive stalwarts, Ohio State's strength in 2002 was the defensive line, and weakness was at cornerback, while Iowa came into the season with holes at defensive tackle, but loaded in the midfield and the secondary.

Furthermore, Iowa's Ricky Stanzi has thrown more interceptions (8) eight games into the season, than Craig Krenzel did in all of 2002 (7). These turnovers could ultimately be the difference between an undefeated and a two loss Iowa.

Ohio State faced its biggest challenge in 2002 in late-November with a visit from No. 12 Michigan. Iowa will have to go on the road in mid-November to face a (presumably) top 15 Ohio State team.

If they can do the impossible, they just might have the credibility in the computers to jump Texas, and meet the winner of the SEC Championship in Pasadena.

But does a Big Ten team really deserve to play for the title against the best the speedy South has to offer? Ask Ohio State, circa 2002, what it has to say about that.

The Takeaway: Michigan State

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:53:15 -0000

Sure, Iowa just squeaked by the Spartans, 15-13. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating Michigan State? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

Did we have to jump over the sad Jerel Worthy? Doesn't that seem like rubbing it in? Oh well; at least Micah Hyde didn't sneak in a few rib kicks.

50/50. Going into the game, with the betting line oscillating somewhere between Iowa -2 and MSU -2 (recall that HFMR called it a pick'em and nobody complained), this game was essentially a 50/50 affair. Heads, the Hawks win; tails, we crawl into an oven and have a sympathetic friend turn it to 350 degrees (you'd think as high as it can go, but broiling humans doesn't really do the trick as elegantly; the skin chars too quickly and actually let's go ahead and drop this subject now).

Sure enough, for all the drama packed into the first 59 minutes and 45 seconds, it all culminated in Iowa down four points, ball on the MSU seven yard line, and one timeout. Not a gimme, certainly not impossible. 50/50.

After three unsuccessful throws, the Hawkeyes called time out and Ken O'Keefe called... a fade route. Yes, we know what happened on the play, but KOK called a fade. Let's let Marvin McNutt tell the story:

McNutt told offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe that cornerback Chris L. Rucker lined up on his outside shoulder, giving McNutt, with the steps and technique, an open release to the inside, the quick slant. McNutt told O’Keefe he could win with the fade, but that Rucker was on the outside.

"If you have a bad release, you’ve got to go to the other side," said McNutt, who played just two plays against Wisconsin the week before because of a jammed thumb . "I came off him. I think they put another DB on me. The last couple times I ran a fade. I told coach that he was playing off me and on the outside.

"I told him I could win on the slant. He trusted me enough to call the play where I was isolated on the slant. And we won."

Just like that, it turns into a play where it's just one man against another, and whoever makes the play wins the game. 50/50. And though it's already a constant staple of coachspeak, there's rarely so vivid an example of how one player can affect one play, one game, and one season.

Are we officially calling this play "Seven Gets Six"? Because if so, that's fine, but one more vote here for "McNutts in your motherfucking mouth." Although we guess that one's more of a mouthful. Doesn't roll off the tongue. Pause.

Lest we forget, both McNutt and Ken O'Keefe deserve credit for that play call. McNutt's credit needs no explanation, but KOK listening to McNutt's observation and adjusting the play call instead of pulling a "you're run the play I fucking told you to run"--which a lot of coaches would probably do with the game literally on the line--is commendable.

Further, recall that this would not be the first time an Iowa player has affected the call of a play that ended up deciding the ballgame. Back in Week 1, after these refs were out to get our boys, Jeremiha Hunter told the team that the UNI kicker was firing line drives over the middle. Iowa adjusted to overload the middle and swatted the potentially fatal kick away.

Think about that. Obviously, all teams have smart players and all coaches encourage their players to be observant and everything. But to have a coaching staff that trusts its players enough to change their last calls of the game--twice--is a special situation.

Ugh.

Fare thee well, Dace Richardson. Broken ankle, says the QC Times, and fuck that sucks. While Dace didn't have the spate of random injuries plaguing him like Tony Moeaki, what he did have was a knee that betrayed him with a drunk ex-wife's malevolence. With that knee healthy, Richardson was back in business this season, and had been Iowa's steadiest, best performer on the line through the first seven games. He was a mid-season All-American, and nobody flinched.

One freak play later, Richardson was on the ground, having been rolled up from behind. Just like that, his regular season's definitely over, and January's completely in doubt as well. In other words, Richardson's star-crossed career with the Hawkeyes may already be over. If so, what a damned shame.

Julian Vandervelde was fine, we suppose, but he's not Dace, and that's just one more area where Iowa's going to have less of an advantage than they would have preferred. Fortunately...

It looks like Bryan Bulaga is back. Maybe it's just because he wasn't facing guys like O'Brien Schofield or Brandon Graham. Maybe it's just because the coaches fixed something in his mechanics coming out of his stance. Maybe that thyroid still had a little bit of recovery to do. Whatever. Dude come to play last night, and thank God--it was agony to see him fall off so badly and struggle against the type of player he would normally eat for breakfast. We didn't get any "put Riley Reiff back in there already" texts this weekend, and it's not only because Reiff's holding it down at right guard.

It's doubly a shame that Richardson went out, because it looked as if Iowa had the front five it had wanted all season long, with this fourth version of the starting o-line (Bulaga, Dace, Rafael Eubanks, Reiff, and Kyle Calloway) starting its third straight week--and, it would appear, its first with Bulaga back to his usual self. Now, we prepare for the fifth iteration.

That hook-and-ladder was awesome. Boo Michigan State and all, but yeah. That's all. Nice call, Dantonio.

And finally, this time the breaks didn't go Iowa's way, and it was still okay. For as much of a dynamic playmaking unit the defense has been all season long, this week served as proof that there is a bit of luck to creating turnovers. Three times, the Hawkeye defense basically had a ball in hand and each time, they failed to turn it into Iowa ball.

Just before the half, Kirk Cousins threw an insanely ill-advised out route, one that bounced off Hunter's hands. If he catches it, it's either six points or Iowa in easy field goal range. Incomplete, and the half ended without incident.
In the third quarter, Adrian Clayborn chases down Larry Caper and strips the ball inside MSU's 20 yard line; though Clayborn falls onto the ball, he doesn't gain possession of it, and MSU eventually recovers. The Spartans would keep this drive alive and kick a field goal to gain a 6-3 lead.
Later in the third quarter, with MSU again inside their own 20 yard line, Cousins lofted a pass under duress; the ball floated on Cousins and hit a diving Shaun Prater in the hands before harmlessly falling incomplete. It would take seven snaps and three first downs for Iowa to get to the field position they'd have had if Prater had caught the ball.

Yes, it would have been the toughest of these three plays, but does this reaction look like Prater had no shot at it?

Now, this isn't to say that Iowa deserved to win by bigger or that MSU had no opportunities to force a turnover or whatever. It's just that there were three moments at which the Hawkeye defense had its hands on the ball and couldn't give Iowa (at least) a very short field by hanging on. That Iowa still won is a testament to the mental toughness of both sides of the ball.

Not every team comes away from those missed golden opportunities with a win. And for Iowa, until that clock hit 0:00 with the ball in McNutt's hands, that was a 50/50 proposition.

[Photo credits: Top: the AP; 2, 4, 6: The Gazette, 3,5: Iowa City Press-Citizen]

Fun With Statistics: TFL v. Iowa, Cupcakes in Happy Valley, B10 WR's Explode

grahamfiller10 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:32:39 -0000

A huge win over Wisconsin, coupled with the initial BCS poll, led to an avalanche of Iowa stories and publicity. But hopefully you all won't forget this statistic from Saturday's game: 8 runs for negative yardage, 3 sacks on Stanzi for 22 yards. Great line play by Wisky, plus some shaky blocking from Kyle Calloway and company showed that the Hawkeyes have a long way to go.

Adam Robinson rush over left end for a loss of 3 yards to the Wisc 45.

Brandon Wegher rush left for a loss of 4 yards to the Wisc 30.

Adam Robinson rush over left end for a loss of 1 yard to the Iowa 26.

Brandon Wegher rush over left tackle for a loss of 2 yards to the Iowa 17.

Brandon Wegher rush up the middle for a loss of 1 yard to the Iowa 34.

Adam Robinson rush up the middle for a loss of 2 yards to the Iowa 27.

Brandon Wegher rush over left guard for a loss of 1 yard to the Iowa 39.

Brandon Wegher rush right for a loss of 7 yards to the Wisc 37.

...

The combined record of Penn State's opponents: 24-21, surprisingly solid for a cupcake laden schedule. Of course this is skewed by 7-0 Iowa, 4-2 Temple, and FCS Eastern Illinois, which stands at 5-2.

...

Keith Smith of Purdue, who runs to space better than any wide receiver in the Big Ten, had another huge game against Ohio State Saturday. Here are the stats of arguably the most effective seven wide receivers in the Big Ten. And a quick nod to Ohio State's DeVier Posey, who is the next Chris Carter/Ted Ginn in Columbus.

Receiver	Size	REC	YDS	TD	Saturday's Statistics
Eric Decker	6'2'' 215 lbs	47	731	5	1 rec, 42 yds
Keith Smith	6'2'' 230 lbs	54	710	4	12 rec, 125 yds
Tandon Doss	6' 3'' 197 lbs	48	676	2	7 rec, 130 yds, TD
Blair White	6'2'' 200 lbs	45	635	6	12 rec, 186 yds, 2 TD
Derek Moye	6'5'' 195 lbs	27	472	4	6 rec, 120 yds, TD
Z. Markshausen	5'11'' 180 lbs	50	459	1	16 rec, 111 yds, TD
Aaron Valentin	6'1'' 205 lbs	39	453	7	10 rec, 97 yds, 2 TD

As I was watching Saturday's action, it became increasingly clear that a couple receivers were having huge huge days. Valentin made a circus catch for a TD and then ran in a bubble screen late against the Buckeyes, proving that he might be the most explosive player in the Big Ten. Markhausen, who looks like a walk on, pulled in 16 receptions against MSU - he is Kafka's #1 option now. And Blair White, who didn't have a scholarship until this year, torched the very torchable NW defense and gave support to my opinion that White has the best hands in the Big Ten.

The Takeaway: Arizona

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:01:34 -0000

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Spinning side kick!

Sure, Iowa just beat up on Arizona, 27-17. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating Arizona? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

Okay, time for the real Iowa to face a real quarterback: As we mentioned Saturday, Iowa's defense has absolutely obliterated the last two starting quarterbacks it faced; Austen Arnaud and Matt Scott, in their two appearances against Iowa, combined for 14-36, 129 yards, 0 TDs, 5 INT, and 2 benchings. That's goddamn brutal. Scott, especially, suffered Iowa's wrath; he was 4-8 for 50 yards. Then the second half started, and he completed precisely 1 pass: a perfectly thrown can of corn to Tyler Sash, who announcers said "almost called for a fair catch" on the play. Lucky for Iowa, he didn't; Sash ended up returning the pass 43 yards, and Iowa would soon thereafter kick a field goal that put the game out of reach for Arizona.

But the one nagging issue is that Matt Scott sucks, and Arnaud's credentials are little better. Pat Grace--the one good QB Iowa has faced--antagonized Greg Castillo for a whole game, but Castillo was never supposed to be starting; that's basically Shaun Prater's job, and Prater looked pretty damned good in his first game back. Darryl Clark, meanwhile, is generally accepted as one of the two best QBs in the conference, depending on your opinion of Terrelle Pryor and--if you're clinically insane--Juice Williams.

No holding was called on this play. Not that Karl Klug cares, of course; not here, not ever.

It'll be good. No, really, it will be. Nobody thinks Iowa's going to hold Clark to the median of the last two starters' performances (7-18, 64 yards, and a statistically curious 2.5 INT), but what he can accomplish with a meh receiving corps against a legitimate pass defense does remain to be seen. We're still looking quizzically at the linebackers and their pass coverage, but does anybody really think Clark's going to victimize anybody in the Iowa secondary? Prater, maybe. Greenwood, maybe (By the way, CLICK HERE for awesome footage of the Iowa secondary in action). The real hay's going to be made over the middle for PSU, though, not over the top or outside the hashes, and it's going to be interesting to see if the Nits have the patience to stick with that. Arnaud didn't, and hell followed.

Speaking of which, holy crap Tyler Sash: Obviously, this trend of Tyler Sash and his separations of offense and possession cannot keep its pace. Sash, who we might remind you is just a sophomore, picked off his fourth pass on Saturday, and it might have been his easiest takeaway of his Iowa career. That makes 7 interceptions in his last 5 games, and it says nothing of Sash's missile-like pursuit to the sidelines.

This dominance has its costs, though, and the primary unbeneficiary of them is David Cato. Cato made his presence known by knocking Grigsby for a big loss after the Cats got to Iowa's 1. Ah, but the third down that failed on that play? Effected by Sash pressuring Scott into an impossible pass after Scott rolled out. So you see the problem here.

Making things tougher is the fact that both players are sophomores; Cato burned his redshirt out of necessity last season. But Cato is necessarily a strong safety. It seems like Ferentz is trying to get him on the field more often, usually on special teams, but someone's going to have to switch positions to get both guys playing. That someone isn't going to be Sash, who's probably the best strong safety Iowa's had since Bob Sanders (yeah, I said it). Fortunately, Cato's frame looks like it might be big enough for a move to LB; we'll see what the team decides after the season. It's a shame, because Cato looks legit in his own right; that legitimacy may necessitate a transfer for his own sake, though, and that would suck.

But we digress. If Sash keeps up this kind of production, he's going to go down as one of the best safeties in Iowa history. We're three games into his sophomore season, so it's obviously not quite the time to start deciding his place in the list of the greats; that pace has to actually, y'know, keep up first. But man, he's good.

The Paul Chaney Jr. end around: We think the novelty's worn off, guys. Yes, the defenses need to respect Chaney or he'll bust one, but... they've tried it, what, four times now? Five? And he hasn't come close to taking one to the house. Unless this is some first step in a grand scheme to pull off an epic quadruple reverse, Iowa has probably shot its "end around" load.

Two tailbacks? And neither of them are Jeff Brinson or Jewel Hampton? Um, we did not expect this: First of all, everybody who thought three months ago that Adam Robinson would rush for a C-note on Arizona, please raise your hand. Okay, thank you, Robinson family and Lincoln alumni; the rest of you are fucking liars.

On one hand, Robinson registered 101 yards on the ground and you cannot take that away from him. That said... 43 of those yards came on a busted draw on 3rd and 23, a play where the Arizona DBs would have faced sodomy from a Mag-Lite if they'd bit on any sort of play fake. That's important because the prevailing narrative about Iowa's uncaring treatment of Nic Grigsby included a caveat about 58 of Grigsby's 75 yards coming on one carry, and we cannot have it both ways. Yes, A-Rob was better per carry even with the big run taken away, but if we say Arizona's run game was taken away, we have to admit Iowa's fared little better on median; excepting the big run, between A-Rob and Brandon Wegher, Iowa rushed 34 times for 104 yards. That's about 3.1 yards a pop, and if Arizona can do that to Iowa, Penn State should expect something similar. That does not bode well.

All of this is to be expected, though. After all, we're talking about a backfield tandem of a redshirt freshman who was generally thought of as the 4th best returning tailback six months ago, and a true freshman from Sioux City. Yes, they've outproduced those bona fides thus far, but not by that much, and here comes a real Big Ten defense just wishing a motherfucker would try to go between the tackles on them.

So what to take away from the rushing game? Well, Robinson ran hard, Wegher did things nobody else on the team can do (A cannonball from the 4 on a goal line dive that scores with ease? Come. on.), and together, they're in for the fight of their young lives against a PSU defense that's going to be amped as fuck when Iowa comes to town.

EPIC ANGERER.

And finally, this team is pretty close to legit. We're not about to say Iowa was underrated when they were at #21/22 coming into the season. Based on the way the AP votes, that designation is just about all a random Team X could ask for after these first three games.

At the same time, Iowa's missed 6 of its top 7 players on offense for at least a full game this season. Don't believe us? Bryan Bulaga, DJK, Tony Moeaki, Kyle Calloway, Jewel Hampton, Julian Vandervelde. Of those six, only two are healthy now, and we're not sure how many more will be ready to rock by the time the Happy Valley date rolls around. Every one of those players Iowa gets back is one step closer to a win at Penn State. We don't think Iowa's got the victory in hand by any stretch, especially in its current form.

But Bulaga's better than Riley Reiff. Moeaki's better--especially for the run game--than Allen Reisner. DJK's better than Colin Sandeman. Even if improvements are incremental, they're still improvements, and Iowa could use all the help it can get towards getting closer to full strength for the PSU game.

And yet, Iowa's still already 3-0, and the defense is rounding into mid-season form already. Granted, this could still all end in a 40-point victory for the Nittany Lions, but we'll see how much good news Iowa gets in the lead-up to the game. Plus, if there's anything Ferentz has proven himself to be up for, it's BEATING PENN SCHTAAAATE.

Bryan Bulaga Officially Out For Iowa State

Oops Pow Surprise — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:58:21 -0000

Good night, sweet prince?

Okay, you brought the gallons of gasoline and the matches, right? Okay, great. Let's get everyone here in a pile, pour the gasoline on ourselves, then just light this sumbitch on fire, because Bryan Bulaga, despite suffering no injury, is out for Iowa State.

From Ferentz, via On Iowa:

"Bryan Bulaga was hospitalized with an illness this past week and will not be available to play tomorrow," said Ferentz. "Bryan is doing much better, has been released and will accompany the team this weekend. We expect Bryan to return to his normal activities soon."

Rumors were all over the place up until Ferentz's announcement, so while the specifics still aren't known, at least we've got some idea of the situation. Not dying, traveling with the team, improving: all positive. Out for ISU: very, very negative.

A gent on the Hawks Nest who's been reliable in the past said this about the situation:

Today I watched Kyle Calloway, Dace Richardson, and even Dan Doering work at LT, along with a freshman named McMillan*. If it's true that he won't play....so much for o-line developing any continuity or cohesiveness yet. They did not look good today, but Binns and Clayborn were making things tough for everyone.

There were other nuggets, but there are so many practice-to-practice fluctuations in play that it's hard to read too much into "Wegher looked good today."

Either way, though, this is horrific news for Iowa. ISU doesn't exactly have a dominant rush end, but that only means that what was once a comical mismatch in terms of talent in Iowa's favor is now more of a wash. Considering the fact that Iowa's rushing game could use all the advantages it can get, "a wash at LT" won't suffice. ISU +6.5 is looking pretty enticing, isn't it?

*We really hope he means Casey McMillan, but it's far more likely he means Nolan MacMillan, who came in far more game-ready and suited for LT than Casey Mac, who is a volcano of a man who is best suited to playing all three interior line positions at once since he has four arms like Goro. We edited in the first names of the other linemen, so that way our blog engine can make it so you can click on them and it's fun.

It's Not Plagiarism If You Link To It Likes Paul Rhoads, Too

Hawkeye State — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:00:26 -0000

Fun With Depth Charts. The two-deeps for ISU were released Monday. A couple of changes from last week, but nothing that's surprising:

Tailback - Adam Robinson replaces PAKIBOMB as starting halfback. Robinson took nearly every snap at tailback in the second half last week and ran effectively, picking up 63 yards on 15 carries. While Ferentz has said both backs will get carries this week, it looks like the APAKILYPSE lasted exactly 30 minutes.
Offensive Guard - The interior line remains a trainwreck. Dace Richardson cedes the right tackle spot back to the returning Kyle Calloway and enters a dangerous menage a trois with Dan Doering and Adam Gettis for the two guard spots. On top of that, Ferentz told the press yesterday that Julian Vandervelde is set to play, though he probably won't start. The assumption from the beginning has been that Vandervelde and Richardson would eventually take the two guard positions, and that assumption appears to be rounding into form.
Wide Receiver - Marvin McNutt, who (despite a couple of drops) was one of the few bright spots in the opener, retains the top line at wideout. DJK, recovering from a number of minor injuries, remains relegated to the bench despite a couple of key plays in the second half last week. Morehouse wonders aloud if McNutt has truly supplanted DJK; given the evidence, I'd say it's obvious he has.
Cornerback - Greg Castillo, who was picked on like a red-headed midget last week by UNI, is now your starting left cornerback. Commence running of gravel through hair and gnashing of teeth; this could be ugly. Micah Hyde enters the depth chart as his backup; his redshirt was burned last week.
Special Teams - Amari Spievey and Paki O'Meara are still listed as kick returners, and Spievey as the sole punt returner. Colin Sandeman has finally been cleared to play, however, and Ferentz has mentioned Paul Chaney as an option. A couple of time last week, Spievey was clearly exhausted by the time fourth down came around, and was forced to fair catch returnable kicks. I can't see that experiment going on much longer if he can't handle the workload (no knock on Amari there, either; if I was chasing receivers all over the field and making a half-dozen crucial tackles in every series, I would drop dead in 5 minutes).

The Pollish Cavalry. Iowa dropped out of the top 25 in both the AP and USA Today polls, getting enough votes for 35th in the AP poll and 28th in the USAT. The result is wholly unsurprising, given the lackluster performance on Saturday; I'm actually surprised we finished as high as we did with the coaches.

Which is not to say the polls aren't baffling. Florida, Texas, and USC dominate the top, and rightfully so, but the real questions come near the bottom. Georgia remains ranked in both polls despite reinforcing their fanbase's greatest fear - that there is no offense after Stafford and Moreno - in an embarassing loss to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys' rival, OU, remains in the mid-teens, even though their best two skill position players are out for the foreseeable future and their offensive line leaks like a beer bong. In fact, Boomer Sooner is only two spots behind BYU in the USA Today poll. The lesson, as always: Early season polling is like calling the psychic hotline.

HATE WEEK Fluff. Iowa-ISU week always generates a lot of fawning press and expectation-diminshing interviews. This year is especially bad. Paul Rhoads loves the Cy-Hawk game. Kirk Ferentz loves the Cy-Hawk game. Kirk Ferentz kinda likes Paul Rhoads. In fact, everyone kinda likes Paul Rhoads. Iowa State expects Iowa to be prepared to play, regardless of last week's result. Iowa State is gearing up, but "it's just another game" this season for the Clones. Tony Moeaki. Tony Moeaki. Adam Robinson. Adam Robinson.

I understand Hlas' point on the Iowa-ISU series: It boosts interest in football throughout the state, it's a friendly rivalry that should be played, etc. But the fact that we get the same two columns every season, in an attempt to counterbalance the true sentiment of both programs -- columns telling us that Iowa thinks this game is very important, and that Iowa State thinks it's just another game on the schedule -- only proves the point: Iowa State has taken this game more seriously than Iowa has in the past decade. I, for one, wish we would adopt their mentality. I'm really sick of losing over there.

Urban Meyer Tells You Where to Stick Your Pro-Style Offense. I'm not a big fan of Urban Meyer or Florida Gator football, but I have to give him credit for saying what we all know:

[I]t is little surprise that almost all N.F.L. teams occasionally use a four- or five-receiver offense, and that Florida Coach Urban Meyer, who has all but perfected the spread with the Gators after giving it prominence at Utah, has been asked for advice from at least four N.F.L. teams, including the New England Patriots.

"I think it would have worked years ago," Meyer said. "No one has had enough — I don’t want to say courage — no one has wanted to step across that line. Everyone runs the same offense in the N.F.L. A lot of those coaches are retreads. They get fired in Minnesota, they go to St. Louis. They get fired in St. Louis and go to San Diego. I guess what gets lost in the shuffle is your objective is to go win the game. If it’s going to help you win the game, then you should run the spread."

A friend asked me this weekend why I prefer college football, and I had one word: variety. Ohio State is running a hybrid pistol option/pro-style offense this year, and is coming off a game with triple-option-running Navy. In the Big Ten, you can face the run spread of Michigan, followed by four-wide Purdue, followed by the power running game of Wisconsin or Iowa, followed by the Wing T amalgam being run at Penn State. Contrast that with the NFL, where one team has the gaul to run the Wildcat (which has been run by Houston Nutt for years), prompting Warren Sapp to say that team is disrespecting the defense and every coach in the league to immediately call their nearest college coach for an explanation. It's comical, really.

The NFL is a copycat league full of retreads who know nothing but the same West Coast offense they learned from Bill Walsh (or whatever Walsh disciple they worked with), playing with the same antiseptic playbook that every other Walsh clone uses. It's boring football, but it has fireworks and Metallica and scantily-clad cheerleaders, and so we watch.

Anyway, testify, Mr. Meyer. Testify.

Footnotes:

Jeremiha Hunter won a share of the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week award for his blocked kick against Northern Iowa.
Northwestern drew a paltry 17,857 fans for its curbstomping of Towson. That is less than 40% of Ryan Field capacity, putting jNWU in the bottom six for attendance and next-to-last in percentage of capacity. LTP calls the attendance "pathetic," and I can't disagree. Still they wonder why nobody wants them for a bowl game.
There is another game this weekend of some importance: Doc Saturday runs the tale of the tape on Jim Tressel and Pete Carroll.
Illinois defensive tackle Josh Brent, who did 30 days in county jail for a DUI arrest, has not yet been suspended for any game time by Ron Zook. Just another reason for Urban Meyer to go crazy on his ass.