SB Nation - Julian Vandervelde

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?

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]

The Takeaway: Arkansas State

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:30:23 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

2 months ago: Arkansas State quarterback Corey Leonard (1) runs from Iowa defender Adrian Clayborn (94) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won 24-21. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Sure, Iowa just eked out a win against Arkansas State, 24-21. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating A-State? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

Things that were not a problem: Rush defense. There, that's the whole list.

Well, that went just great: We had said before the game that we wanted to see the following things:

We need to see that Bulaga and the rest of the line are up to speed. We need to see that Stanzi can start putting a team away from the first snap. We need to see that the defense can bring its A game when it doesn't need to. We need to see that Tony Moeaki can play four quarters without injuring himself. Okay, just the first three would be fine.

Okay, that would be a NO, KINDA BUT NO, NO, and ROR NO. Bryan Bulaga looked, frankly, like someone who had missed three weeks of gameplay. Stanzi had a good first half, but after his third touchdown of the game to open the second half, Bad Ricky finally showed up and brought A-State back from the brink. The defense was middling, though the rushing score streak remained intact (more on that in a bit). And at the very least, Moeaki is practicing again with the intent to play against Michigan. Fingers crossed.

What ended up happening isn't that it was a "trap game" or that ASU had any reasonable shot of winning. It's that a combination of lackluster focus, a four-year starter opposing quarterback, and poor playcalling helped get a clearly inferior team back into the game when they had no business being there as Iowa (successfully) played not to lose. In other words, it wasn't UNI 2009, but Purdue 2008. Remember that one? Shonn Greene goes bananas on Frank Duong, but a middling second half and random small mistakez aplenti means Purdue climbs back in late and the final's only 22-17.

The good news? You might remember what happened when Iowa had a more high-profile game the ensuing week. Kinnick North, bitches. In other words, you may not want to spend too much time extrapolating doom-and-gloom scenarios from this game. Maybe.

Hey, this play's working. Let's almost never run it: First, we have to talk about the playcalling. This was a 24-21 game that frankly ought to have been about 42-14. That Marvin McNutt only had four catches and 121 yards is a damned travesty, because he was bitchmaking like his name was Iowa Defense.

We would suggest calling McNutt "The bitchmaker," but come on; his name is Marvin McNutt. That'll do.

We're just astounded that the Iowa coaches didn't attack the ASU corners and safeties outside the hashes more often. It's clearly not that Stanzi doesn't have the arm for it; all three of his touchdown passes were pretty, and the couple failed attempted to go downfield didn't exactly seem to us like signs that the deep ball was closed for business. And yet time and time again, it was stretch zones, usually to the right (where Julian Vandervelde was channeling his 2007 self and getting utterly worked). Either that or play-action passes within 10 yards, which, whatever guys.

We're not saying that Iowa needed to pull a RUTS for the rankings' sake or any of that nonsense. That stuff does not matter unless it's time for the type of talk that everyone agrees is premature: BCS. No, the problem is that Iowa could have put A-State away by throwing wheel and fade routes all day long (see the second half of Northwestern, 2007) and they just wouldn't go downfield.

This should have happened like five times.

It didn't help, of course, when Stanzi gave the Red Wolves their second touchdown with one of the most horrendously lazy and ill-advised throws we've ever seen in Division I football. That is not an exaggeration. If Stanzi had turned around and tried to punt the ball through Iowa's uprights, it would have not have been a considerably worse decision than that throw. If Jake Christensen had done that, JC6 would have been murdered by a sniper in the press booth before he could get to the sideline, and the police wouldn't have bothered looking for the shooter. Hell, it would have been the largest cheer from the crowd on the day. Holy shit what a terrible fucking throw. That throw gave my eyes AIDSAWAC (Auto-Immune Deficiency Syndrome Also With Ass Cancer).

But why are the coaches even calling for a clearly hobbled DJK to run an underneath route, especially on 3rd down and with the linebackers playing short zone all day long? It's hard to figure out who put Iowa in less position to succeed there. That's like running a reverse with "Mr. 4.8 40" Dominique Douglas in the fourth quarter of a bowl game where you're losing by one point and oh wait this is Iowa and never mind I should expect the horror by now.

So the streak's still going. Great?: Okay, on one hand, it's really cool that Iowa has now gone for eight games and another quarter without letting someone rush into the end zone, and it's even better that they've won each of the nine games that streak encompasses.

This, as you might have guessed, was not a touchdown.

But if Iowa's still giving up long drives and touchdowns, then it doesn't really matter how the other team gets into the end zone, does it? We're taking nothing away from the Iowa rush defense, of course; their efforts have been massive, and 25 rushes for 80 yards allowed is all sorts of studly, especially as ASU was gathering just 5.4 yards per pass play.

Still, for the second week in a row, the opposition put forward an interminable drive - this one for a touchdown, unlike PSU's 20-play field goal drive - where Iowa couldn't stop the 3rd down conversion (okay, they did once, but that was an easy 4th and 1 conversion after a 3rd and 27, which is unconscionable in its own right). Part of it is missing Shaun Prater, to be sure, and Prater's going to be back against Michigan. No more Willie Lowe is a good thing at this point, and lord only knows how bad Greg Castillo would have been out there.

Look, the streak's going ot end at some point, and odds are that it'll probably be during an Iowa victory--Iowa's favored by about a touchdown against Michigan, and we can't imagine that they'll be underdogs in any more than two of the final seven games of the season. Someone's going to take a pass to the one, then push one in for a score; either that, or they'll pull a Wisconsin 2008 and run wild on a defense comprised of Iowa's 3rd stringers, band members, and yippie dogs in Hawkeye sweaters. And that'll be that, really; after all, since the win streak started against Penn State, we can't remember when Iowa's red zone rush defense has even mattered to the endgame. Maybe Arizona, but eh. Cool stat, but ultimately trivial.

Not trivial: Karl Klug's desire to kill.

And finally, it comes. This is a big week. BHGP's doing the Iowa-Michigan tailgate, and it looks like we'll be setting up shop in the Myrtle Lot and getting started at around 9 a.m. on Saturday. We were angling for parking passes closer to Kinnick, but when they're running over $200 a pop... on the prior Sunday... yes, that's a bad sign. It probably isn't even worth asking if there's any BHGP readers who won't be using their passes for next week's game, right? Either way, let's do this, bitches. We've got the Kahlua and cream if you've got the Swedish Goose.

(Picture credits: Hunter picture and second McNutt picture: John Schulz, Quad City Times; all others below the fold, Matthew Holst, Press-Citizen)

The Takeaway: Arizona

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

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

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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.

Cy-Hawk Week: Links

Mark Kieffer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:33:38 -0000

Good afternoon/evening all! After coming back from a long weekend in the Rockies, Clone Chronicles is back on track! Even though Week 1 did not end until yesterday, today was still the day players and coaches talked to the media. Below are some takes on the game:

Iowa opens as a 6.5 point favorite, with an over/under at 45 points.
Paul Rhoads expects Iowa to bring it.
Sedrick Johnson is expected to play, Houston Jones is out, and the Cy-Hawk game is about chicken wings.
Ames Tribune's Bobby La Gesse has a Grandma that makes infamous mashed potatoes.
Iowa drops out of the AP and Coaches' Polls.
Adam Robinson apparently takes over for Paki O'Meara at running back. Let the controversy begin!
O-linemen Kyle Calloway and Julian Vandervelde are back. Good. This now gives Iowa fans only 1 excuse if they lose, and you know they love their excuses
Tim Griffin calls the Cy-Hawk game a 3 star matchup.
The Gazette apparently thinks that Paul Rhoads offered Stanzi a scholarship at Pittsburgh. Since when does a DC offer a QB? I'd love to hear Rhoads' side of the story to see a) if this is true or b) if Pitt offered Stanzi, Rhoads said "we offered Stanzi" (referring to the Pitt program) and The Gazette somehow interpreted it as Rhoads doing the recruiting.

Another side note, do you get fired up by mascots staring each other down? I certainly do not.

I'd rather see something like this:

(via www.isuisu.com)

INPIYL2I Presents Iowa Media Day: FLUFFAPALOOZA

Hawkeye State — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:30 -0000

Friends Forever...Always Will Be Friends...

Tom McEvoy once said the World Series of Poker was, "hours of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror." The same sentiment, slightly altered, could be applied to Iowa Media Day: Hours of boredom interspersed with moments of actual news. Media Day is a Don Doxie content wet dream, a neverending string of human interest angles on college kids who are ready to prove the critics wrong and achieve greatness, all of which go out the window the moment the ball is kicked.

There were moments, though, where the media cut through the glossy Nerf bullshit and got some information on this team, nearly all from the Ferentz press conference (which included such hard-hitting questions as, "How good is Amary Spievey?" I'm not kidding.):

The Walking Wounded: Jewel Hampton is 100%. Jayme Murphy is not: the fourth-year junior "will be limited" this season due to a number of concussions. Given how the staff handled Alex Kanellis two years ago, that's essentially the end. Chad Geary's situation (torn ACL) does not look promising, nor does that of Joe Gaglione (the always-dangerous Italian shoulder). Julian Vandervelde (bicep) will likely miss a couple of weeks as he recovers from surgery.

Fun With Depth Charts: The big questions are no surprise: Running back, interior offensive line, defensive tackle, wide receiver, and backup quarterback. Running back is Hampton's to lose, though nobody seems too sure he can sustain 25+ carries per game. The rest of the depth chart is up for grabs.

Ferentz mentioned Adam Gettis and Markus Zusevics when talking about potential interior offensive linemen, though Zusevics is being groomed as a tackle and buried behind Kyle Calloway on the two-deep. Gettis also gets some fluff from the SID. Vanderverde acquitted himself well, disarming the press with wit and charm; there's clearly a graduate assistant job on this staff waiting at the end of his rainbow. As for center, it's Raf Eubanks' spot to lose. James Ferentz gets the obligatory "I'm working past my stupid mistakes of years gone by" column.

The defensive line rotation could be the most interesting part of the week one Hayden Fry lovefest/Northern Iowa game. Ferentz mentioned, in order, Klug, Hundertmark, Daniels (who "can lift a house"), and Meade at defensive tackle. There was no mention of Clayborn or Ballard moving inside (in fact, Rick Kaczenski said they aren't even discussing it), though there was plenty of discussion of the unblockability of Broderick Binns. I still can't believe he won't start.

Wide receiver, as you can imagine, is all about DJK. He's smiling, he's motivated, he's working hard, he's playing well, he's answering the questions the way he's supposed to answer the questions. We've believed his demotion was a motivational ploy all along, at least right up to the point where Stanzi praised Marvin McNutt's pass-catching ability. Given DJK's recurring fight with dropped passes, it could be that McNutt is actually that good. In other wideout news, Stephane N'Goumou did not qualify and will attend prep school, and there's still no sign of whether Keenan Davis will redshirt.

The backup quarterback spot is still up for grabs between redshirt freshmen James Vandenberg and John Wienke. With that said, Vandenberg got a lot of press. As little as that might matter, when it is combined with persistent rumors of his slight lead in the race, it's difficult to envision a scenario where Wienke is first off the bench. Barring THE HORROR in week one, we should have a far better picture by about 1:30 on September 5.

The Fluff. Oh God, the Fluff: The special teams are...special, according to UI sports information. Nobody cares about that #21 ranking in the coaches' poll. Nobody cares at all. Everyone is focused and avoiding the distractions (this is classic Doxie). The field turf looks great (that Hlas post also includes the quote of the day from KF: "It's really conceivable that we have a better team than last year, and a record that doesn't indicate that.") KOK likes the way Morehouse asks a question. Norm loses a toe "but wins big" (no, wait, THIS is classic Doxie). The coaching staff talks about how long they've been a coaching staff.

Previewin': Iowa

Beauford — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:09:08 -0000

Maize n' Brew mercilessly drifts through yet another preview; this one long overdue. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Previously: Illinois, Northwestern, Penn State

Explanation and indemnifications found: here

The Hawkeyes finished last season with a bang, beating Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks in the Outback Bowl 31-10 (of the SEC, no less!). As damn near the only Big Ten team to have anything approaching a resounding bowl victory, Hawkeye fans come into this season with super-high expectations, especially given the effusive praise the defense has received this off season. Of the teams that SCM, MnB Dave, and I have had "roundtable-like-substance" discussions about, Iowa was among the most divergent in opinion, with SCM checking in as "not too concerned" about the Iowa game, and MnB Dave stating it would be the toughest road test of the season. I landed in the middle. On the administrative side, Kirk Ferentz recently signed a 7-year 21-million dollar contract extension. This figures to keep him in Iowa for a long time; he is already the second longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten.

More Previewin' Dead Ahead.

2009 Schedule:

9/05	Northern Iowa	12:05 PM
9/12	@ Iowa State	12:05 PM
9/19	Arizona	3:35 PM
9/26	@ Penn State	8:00 PM
10/03	Arkansas State	TBA
10/10	Michigan	8:05 PM
10/17	@ Wisconsin	12:00 PM
10/24	@ Michigan State	7:00 PM
10/31	Indiana	TBA
11/07	Northwestern	TBA
11/14	@ Ohio State	TBA
11/21	Minnesota	TBA

A "meh-ish" OOC slate, followed by the typical Big Ten fare. I will point out that Iowa has a brutal road schedule this year, traveling to Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State - all of which figure to be angling for a New Years Day bowl.

One thing the media will harp on that is off base:

With the early departure of Shonn Greene, destroyer of defenses; worlds, to the NFL, people have been focusing on Jewel Hampton and Jeff Brinson as the flag carriers for the Hawkeye running game that was so effective last year (26th in the nation). What might matter more is the development of the interior offensive line who must find replacements at Center and Guard respectively. New starters-ish (see below) Rafael Eubanks and Dace Richardson look to step into the starting roles. Eubanks is certainly no slouch, a 4-star to Scout who competed for the starting position last year with departed senior Rob Bruggeman. Eubanks had started at Center as a Freshman and a Sophomore before Bruggeman ultimately won the job last year. However, Eubanks should do just fine in the middle. Dace Richardson looks to get the start at Right Guard. Dan Doering was named a starter last year until injury side-tracked much of the season. A 5-star all-world recruit in 2005 with offers from Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and anywhere else he mentioned as possibly having a shot, Iowa is downright USC-esque with their offensive line replacements. Lose a starter? Plug in another top-100 recruit. Richardson is another 5-star recruit. All have seen significant time in back-up rolls or, in Eubanks case, as a former starter, so it's not as if they're true freshman or anything.

The line looks like this, where ** denotes returning starter:

LT: Bryan Bulaga**	Jr.
LG: Julian Vandervelde**	Jr.
C: Rafael Eubanks	Sr.
RG: Dace Richardson	Sr.
RT: Kyle Calloway**	Sr

This offensive line has the potential to shove Iowa towards yet another stellar rushing year, regardless of Shonn Greene's departure.

One thing the media will completely ignore that is integral to this team's success:

While focusing, and deservedly so, on Iowa's stellar trio of linebackers, people are forgetting that they must replace the 95 combined starts of the ferocious defensive tackle duo of Mitch King and Matt Kroul. That Mitch King guy? Yeah, he was an All American. Kroul was a second-team All-Big-Ten selection last year as well. Replacing those bodies isn't going to be easy, and may put an additional strain on the linebacking corp that is expected to carry this defense. Another thing worth mentioning, courtesy of a discussion with OPS, is the fact that new Cornerback Shaun Prater is suspended for two games, and his backup Jordan Bernstine seems not to be able to stay healthy. A situation worth watching.

Most important contributors on each side of the ball:

Offensively, and I hate to pound this into the ground, but this is going to be the offensive line unit as a whole. Ricky Stanzi was good and effective when he could turn and hand the ball to Shonn Greene only throwing when necessary. Granted, he engineered the drive that ended Penn State's national title run, but I just wonder how he will fare if the running game isn't as dominant as it was last year. If the offensive line is as good as it looks on paper, we may not have to find out, which is good for the Hawkeyes, and bad for everyone they play.

Defensively, it's got to be Pat Angerer, the senior outside linebacker and All-Big-Ten selection from 2008. He is undoubtedly the leader of this defense, and with the departure of King and Kroul, will be asked to step up even further this year. A good season this year virtually guarantees a first-round selection come the 2010 NFL draft.

Area that scares you as Michigan Wolverines:

How about that defense? The unit ranked 5th in scoring defense last year in the country and returns all but three starters. The loss of King and Kroul hurts, but jeeeeeezus thats a talented, experienced group.

Area that makes you salivate as the Michigan Wolverines:

The strategy here, having not seen any games, seems to me to be stop the running game and let Stanzi beat you with his arm. While the line and the running backs have potential to be very very good, it still remains only potential. If there is a trouble spot on this team, it's the fact that if the running game isn't working, Stanzi remains a wild Stanzi-ball throwing wildcard.

Random factor that you think will come into play this season:

As always, the BHGP tailgate scares the shit out of me in only the way a few guys standing around a 2006 Hyundai in a gravel parking lot drinking beer can. Oops Pow; this is my serious face.

Overall Record:

9-3

Final Big Ten Standing:

3rd (after a tie for first, so 2nd if you want)

Bowl Destination:

Another New Years Day bowl, movin' on up to the Capital One to beat the shit out of another unwitting SEC team.

And for those coming via twitter, here.

It's Not Plagiarism If You Link to It Doodles on a Tablecloth

Hawkeye State — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:55:11 -0000

Loose, non-Media Day ends from the past couple of days:

No surprises at defensive end.

Fun With Depth Charts. UI football released the final pre-camp depth chart. Just a few surprises:

The injured Julian Vandervelde has been moved from co-first team left guard to first team right guard, reflecting (1) the continuation of Ferentz's "best five players" principle on the line, (2) growing confidence in Dace Richardson's ability to contribute significant minutes at left guard, and (3) a lack of progression from Dan Doering (now listed as second team right guard) and Andy Kuempel (in his annual free fall out of the depth chart, now co-second team left guard). It looks like Doering will start until Vandervelde is healthy, which may represent his last chance to cash in on that never-realized five-star potential.
Marvin McNutt is still the first team wideout, with Colin Sandeman and DJK listed as co-second team. This is either confirmation that McNutt is a serious contender as a wide receiver, or the continuous motivation of Johnson-Koulianos. I'd still bet more on the latter than the former, but the scales tip more toward McNutt with each successive depth chart.
DAS PAKIBOMB is all alone on the second line at halfback. Previously, he had shared that spot with Jeff Brinson. Not entirely surprising, given O'Meara's experience and pass blocking ability. If there is a need for significant carries from a backup halfback, I still think that back will be Brinson.

Still no decision on backup quarterback or the full rotation at defensive tackle, though a decision on either at this point would be a shock. Rafael Eubanks has the top line at center and Jordan Bernstine at left cornerback, though it remains to be seen how concrete those two positions are.

ROOSEVELT RAN THE SPREAD ON THE DIRTY SPANISH. Hail to the Orange's Toki Wartooth scores the story of Big Ten Media days: JoePa diagramming the 1942 Brown offense on a tablecloth:

Then I noticed that in front of Paterno, right next to his cup of coffee there was something written on the table cloth So I took a picture with my camera phone.

Can you tell what it is? Thats right its a play diagram.

Apparently Paterno wanted to demonstrate some of the intricacies of the spread offense to the reporters. The story was related as follows by one the photographers who heard the whole thing. (Note: All of this is paraphrase, not direct quote)

Joe wanted to show the reporters that the spread offense was nothing new, in fact according to Joe, "we were running it back in the '40s!"

Joe then proceeded to draw up an example of how he would run the backfield at Brown, drawing it up on the table cloth next to his coffee with a pen.

"Sometimes I would hand it off to him, sometimes to this guy, some times I would take it myself and sometimes I would throw it. But I couldn't throw for beans."

Paterno went on to describe how the single wing went out of fashion when those damn flappers took over the country and, much like the buzz fade and the Lord our Savior, only came back with the ascention of Tim Tebow.

They go X-Ray When Hayo Carpenter is on Campus. "Big Ten Snark of the Week" is not a sanctioned conference award, but it should be, and it should be given to Storminspank this week and throughout the month of August for this little bit of brilliance: Brewster Goggles! Not only do they make Eric Decker look like Jerry Rice, but they make all chili look hot and all sportswriters look morbidly obese.

Footnotes:

A Gazoo fluff piece on the relationship between Todd and John Lickliter (a piece that, as a coach's kid, I thoroughly enjoyed) included this quote from Todd on how the father and son handled this spring's mass transfers: "He’s probably been the more mature one than me at times. He knows that I’m their coach and there’s frustration, it’s probably not always pleasant and easy and It think he accepts that. But it doesn’t influence the way that he approaches things." Not exactly what you want to hear from your coach, but at least it's the truth.
Phil Steele's Experience Rating, the calculation of which demands the full-time computing power of three NASA supercomputers, two MIT-trained mathematicians, and one fast-talking Georgia fan, ranks Iowa #28 nationally and #2 in the conference in returning experience. The top team in both categories is none other than Minnesota.
The Big Ten Bloggers' crazy uncle, SpartyMSU, previews Iowa. The results? Sparty 24, Hawkeyes 21, ellipses 13.
Iowa ranks #12 in this year's Princeton Review party school ratings. Penn State beats out Florida for #1. Now if they could only do the same on the football field...

INPIYL2I Presents the Big Ten Media Day News Rodeo

Hawkeye State — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:08:25 -0000

Football Theater, in a Marriott Conference Room. So much of the televised portion of Media Day is spent watching coaches dodge questions that they can't, or don't want to, answer, that you're genuinely surprised when you get actual news. Some are better than others; Jim Tressel is positively Clintonian in his ability to avoid making any news, while Tim Brewster accidentally confessed to the murder of Amelia Earhart.

The real news comes with beat writers in the hall (video of which can be watched here), where those involved actually know something about the team and aren't simply asking each coach the same "Isn't the SEC so awesome?" question. And yesterday was a veritable treasure trove of Hawkeye news:

* Suspended Reality: We finally got some answers on how long this summer's ne'er-do-wells will be missing. Kyle Calloway (Moped DUI) will miss one game. James Ferentz (Got hammered on a Sunday, acted a fool) will also miss one game. Shaun Prater (Non-moped DUI) will miss two. None of these are surprising in the least, though (and I hate to dwell on something so stupid) we're fortunate Galloway will be back when we go to Ames.

* Injury Loves Company: The good news? Jewel Hampton is apparently going to be at full speed when fall camp opens next week. Sure, there's questions of his long-term durability, but Ferentz made it clear that he wouldn't put a player on the practice field unless there was no significant risk of reinjury.

Not so good? Julian Vandervelde, who suffered an undisclosed bicep injury (I think we can assume it's a tear) is going to miss some time, likely 2-4 weeks of the season:

Monday, Ferentz said the 6-3, 305-pound junior won’t be ready for the start of camp and could miss Iowa’s first couple games...

"It’s probably not realistic to think he’ll be ready, but everybody heals differently," Ferentz said. "We’re going to go conservative on the comeback. We’re not going to risk two or three games for a season. It just isn’t smart and not fair to anybody."

The downside of this, of course, is that Vandervelde is unlikely to get any preseason practice time at center, where he was in contention for a starting spot. Should Dace Richardson (detailed in Morehouse's first video) be healthy and capable at left guard, Vandervelde should take the right guard spot upon his return. Which brings us to...

* Positional Royal Rumble: With Vandervelde on the shelf and James Ferentz missing week one, center is Rafael Eubanks' position to lose, right?

Center is also up for grabs with senior Rafael Eubanks and junior Josh Koeppel in contention.

"Raf has a huge experience advantage (over Koeppel), but they competed evenly in the spring," Ferentz said. "Raf Eubanks is a good football player and that tells me that Josh has really elevated his game very quietly. We might be on the verge of a good story there."

Freshman James Ferentz might also be in the mix at center, but he’ll serve a one-game suspension after two alcohol-related arrests last school year.

"We felt like we had a chance to have a good offensive line last year. Things were probably a little more clear at that point," Ferentz said. "I think the potential is certainly there this year for that group. We have eight, nine, 10 guys who have a legitimate chance to see playing time.

"We have good competition, we just have to see where it all settles."

I know everyone is asking about DJK (and let's face it, he'll be a starter by week 2), but what the hell did Rafael Eubanks do? He was an honorable mention all-conference center after his sophomore season and made the Remington Trophy watch list before last year. Now he's being pushed by Vandervelde (who has never played the position) and Koeppel (who is listed as a long snapper)?

Ferentz also said left cornerback is "wide open." Jordan Bernstine is the most logical choice for the spot: He's a junior, he was a heralded recruit, and he's got some experience in the position. Of course, that assumes he can stay healthy long enough to win the spot. Willie Lowe and the aforementioned Prater will be in close pursuit.

All Along the Water Tower. Painting the hospital water tower outside Kinnick with a tiger hawk or other Iowa logo has been a longtime pet project of people who care about things like "what is painted on a water tower." Good news for those people: The athletic director is one of you!

Iowa athletics director Gary Barta is on your side. He wants the giant, white water tower that looms over Kinnick Stadium all Hawkeye’d up.

He’d love to see a huge Tiger Hawk or something Hawkeye to add a little flair to the Kinnick area.

"If a petition gets signed, I’d join the fans," Barta said Monday at the Big Ten media days. "I’ve been a proponent of putting a logo on the water tower for some time. I’ve learned that it’s not that simple, that there are some groups in the community who don’t want a logo up there."

When Barta was hired at Iowa in 2006, a logo on the water tower was one of his first thoughts.

"If that ever gains momentum, I’ll jump on board," Barta said.

Gentlemen, start your petitions! Honestly, I've never understood this particular obsession. Sure, a tiger hawk on the water tower could be nice, but the amount of time and energy spent campaigning for this seems far in excess of the benefits of success. It's not as if people sitting in Kinnick Stadium or watching on television forget where the game is being played and need to look skyward to remind themselves.

You Can't Spell FAIL Without Matt Millen. Oh noes.

Matt Millen’s new man-crush? Kirk Ferentz.

"Iowa’s tough," the former Detroit Lions general manager and new ESPN analyst said Monday during Big Ten Media Days, where he was asked about the Hawkeyes’ prospects. "I think first of all, they have an excellent coach. Kirk is very good.

"Also, this program is one of the good ones out there … you know you’re going to get guys who know how to play, who are tough kids who practice hard, who understand fundamentals, who practice fundamentals. They play physically. All those things."

It's always a great sign when the man who was primarily responsible for the worst single season in the history of professional football loves your team. It's even worse when ESPN's new college analyst (he's doing both college and pro this season) measures college players based on their draftability.