SB Nation - Andy Brodell

Cy-Hawk Week: Prediction Time!

Mark Kieffer — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:34:21 -0000

Here we are about 24 hours from kickoff, which to me means is the perfect time to predict the outcome of the Iowa-Iowa State game.

Unlike the other opponents, I'm not going to break down both sides in depth. Chances are you watched both the ISU and Iowa game, or at least have already heard or read the breakdowns of both sides. No reason to regurgitate what has been already said.

As I browse around on the Internet, I see all of the same questions being asked and answered: "Is Iowa State going to be able to stop the run?", "How will ISU attack the Iowa defense?", "How will Stanzi play?", "Will Moeaki have another big game?", etc.

What I do not hear anyone talk about is the most important phase of the game: Special Teams.

Honestly, that's the key to this game. All of the other key stats do not matter as much (yards, first downs, turnovers, time of possession, etc)

Don't believe me? Let's look at the past few years:

2006 (Iowa 27, ISU 17)

Total Offense: Iowa (410 vs. 323)
Rushing Yards: ISU (171 vs. 136)
Passing Yards: Iowa (274 vs. 152)
First Downs: Iowa (22 vs. 18)
Turnover Margin: ISU + 1
Penalties: Tied, although Iowa had more penalty yards (5-57 vs. 5-35)
Time of Possession:ISU (31:37 vs. 28:23)
3rd Down Conversions: Tied (6 of 13 each)
Red Zone %: Tied at 100%
Sacks: Iowa (2 vs. 1)

For the most part, you see that Iowa has a better offense and they won, and they had the advantage of some key stats, but there were a couple of other key statistics:

FGs: ISU was 1/2 while Iowa was 2/2... In a 10 point game that obviously matters
Punt Returns: Iowa averaged 20.3 yards/punt return. There were two times that Brodell took punts to the 50 yard line. That's huge for field position and set up a short field which Iowa took advantage of and scored, you guess it, 10 points! Obviously you can't tell what would've happened if things were different, but you can't just give the short field to the other team either.

Let's continue on and look at the 2007 game, with the same key statistics:

2007 (ISU 15, Iowa 13)

Total Offense: ISU (300 vs. 233)
Rushing Yards: ISU (143 vs. 115)
Passing Yards: ISU (157 vs. 118)
First Downs: ISU (17 vs. 16)
Turnover Margin: Iowa +1
Penalties: Iowa (2-20 vs. 3-30)
Time of Possession: ISU (31:00 vs. 29:00)
3rd Down Conversions: ISU (7 of 18 vs. 3 of 13)
Red Zone %: ISU (100% vs. 66%)
Sacks: ISU (4 vs. 0)

You look at all of those stats and you may think it's pretty obvious that ISU won the game, but even with all of the battles ISU won, they still had to drive down the field and set up for a last second field goal.

If you take a look at the special teams this time, punt returns were even (2 for 22 ISU vs. 2 for 23 Iowa), but what changed the game was ISU blocking an Iowa FG in the 4th quarter, and obviously ISU making the last second FG in the end. Had ISU not blocked that field goal, they would've had to score a TD to win it, and that probably would not have happened.

Now let's look at 2008, same stats:

2008 (Iowa 17, ISU 5)

Total Offense: ISU (325 vs. 244)
Rushing Yards: Iowa (122 vs. 73)
Passing Yards: ISU (252 vs. 122)
First Downs: ISU (18 vs. 11)
Turnover Margin: Iowa +1
Penalties: Iowa (7-53 vs. 6-60)
Time of Possession: ISU (32:19 vs. 27:41)
3rd Down Conversions: Iowa (4 of 12 vs. 4 of 15)
Red Zone %: Iowa (66% vs. 0%)
Sacks: Tied (1 each)

From the first two games, you saw a correlation between offense and wins. Well, last year was not the case at all. You can see that ISU moved the ball well, picked up more 1st downs, controlled the clock, but lost. The obvious answer is again, Special Teams:

ISU was 1 of 4 with Field Goals, missing from 38 yards, 21 yards, and 46 yards. Say he makes the 38 and 21 yarder, and take away the gimme safety ISU got at the end, and you have a 17-9 game.
Then look at the punt returns: Brodell takes a punt 81 yards for a TD. Had ISU held him, perhaps a 3 and out would've occured; it's not like Iowa was moving the ball at will. Take away the TD, it's a 10-9 game.

Sitting there with a 10-9 game in the fourth quarter may have changed the outcome of the game. After that Punt for a TD, remember ISU got to 3rd and Goal on the Iowa 1. They rushed up the middle, and losses3 yards. Had it been 10-9, ISU kicks the field goal, pick up the 3 points, and it's a 12-10 game with 3:00 left. Instead, ISU was down 17-3, had to go for it, and didn't get the TD.

It's impossible to say what would've happened if things had gone differently, but it was the special teams play that caused ISU to lose a game that was winnable. Conversely it was in 2007 in which better special teams play from ISU caused them to win a game that they probably should have lost.

At the end of the day, in a series with games as close as they've been over the last decade, it's the little things that determine the winner. Special Teams is such a huge part in determining the outcome of the game, and frankly I am suprised by how little it's talked about when previewing this game.

Prediction: Staying with the theme, I think this game comes down to Special Teams: whoever makes the most plays on Special Teams (or limits the big plays on Special Teams) will win the game. I'll go ISU 24, Iowa 23, with Mahoney kicking a field goal to win the game.

Is it Saturday yet???

An Early Look: Iowa

Sam @ WWAHT — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:00:16 -0000

Ah, the memories...

I did an interview not too long ago in which I said that I, unlike most college football fans my age, have teams that I root for outside of Ohio State. I just never grew out of that habit. Texas, despite the heartache they've given me, is one, and Iowa is the other. I like Iowa. Really, I do. Not in just a "they gon' be good this year hurrr" way, but in an I-genuinely-like-the-football-program way. Like us, they hail from a state many consider "flyover country", and since as a result they aren't one of the top destinations in college football for big-name recruits, they're a player-development-oriented team, as Hawkeye State from BHGP will later explain. Their entire program rests on the shoulders of their coaching staff; most of the guys they trot out each Saturday do not have the same level of innate ability as some of the guys on Penn State's, Ohio State's and Michigan's respective benches, but they still win, and heck, they've shown up in OOC games quite a bit more often that the conference's big dogs, and that's a plus in my book. Despite not having the best hand on the table, talent-wise, they win enough to keep the denizens happy. Even though I hate the team that inspired them, I love the uniforms too.

For a while there, I thought Kirk Ferentz had lost control of his program. The unbelievable string of arrests, the disturbing sex scandal, and a 19-18 overall record from 2005 to 2007 led me to believe the wheels had come off the wagon, or that at the very least, were threatening to. 2008 did not prove me entirely wrong; Iowa still lost 4 games - including mistifying losses to Pitt, Northwestern and Illinois - but managed to make a bowl game and beat an SEC team. Sure, that SEC team was about as threatening as a bag of dickless weasels, given that it was South Carolina, but they won their bowl game, which more than anyone else in the conference could say. 2009 is a pivotal year for the Hawkeyes, and it's pivotal for many of the same reasons the year will be pivotal for Penn State. The Hawkeyes also have to prove that an earlier malaise is officially behind them, and in doing so prove that they belong in the conference's top tier. They may even be competing with the Lions for the spot vacated - for now - by the Michigan Wolverines. Losing Shonn Greene doesn't help, but as you will see, there are reasons for optimism among the Hawkeye faithful.

Iowa players you should care about:

If you've been living under a rock since the bowl season, breathe a sigh of relief: Shonn Greene is gone. But the Iowa running back situation isn't quite as desperate as it seemed a year ago, when the prospect of Starter: Paki O'Meara horrified the Hawkeye masses prior to Shonn Greene's triumphant arrival. Looking to fill Greene's Shaq-sized 1800-yard back shoes will be Jewel Hampton, provided. Hampton played pretty well in spot duty last year, carrying the ball 91 times for 5.1 yards a pop. He has to stay healthy, and that's not going so well. The passing game revolves around Ricky Stanzi, who has given Iowa football something it has sorely lacked since Drew Tate's sophomore year with consistent play at the quarterback position, but Derrell Johnson-Koulianos needs to get himself back in the good graces of the coaching staff, who have placed him third (!) on the fall depth chart. Ferentz isn't a total idiot, so I imagine Koulianos will get back on the field, in a starting capacity, and he'll do it by September 5th.

Iowa's defense was solid last year, and the fact that seven of the top ten tacklers return may may you a bit queasier about the game, but remember: two of the best players on last year's defense, Mitch King and Matt Kroul, are goners. Iowa won't find anyone who'll even approximate their interior dominance, but if they can just get close enough to it, they're a lock to be a top-3 Big Ten defense. Pat Angerer - who continues a proud Iowa tradition of fantastically-named defenders like Klinkenborg and Humpal - is the leader of the defense.

Fun with statistics:

I do not doubt that Ricky Stanzi is good, but I must admit, I smirked a bit when I saw that 8 of his 14 touchdown passes came against FIU, Indiana and Minnesota.

With the departure of Andy Brodell and Brandon Myers, Iowa loses 37 percent of its receving production from last year. Might not seem like much, but Myers notched 34 grabs on the year last year, and the next-most productive receiver caught just 11. The passing attack will rely more on Johnson-Koulianos than ever.

As good as Iowa's defense was last year, the team as a whole notched just seventeen sacks on the season, five of which left with King and Kroul.

My prediction: Ohio State and Iowa have a quite a bit in common this year - quarterbacks looking to improve on breakout first-year seasons, a star runningback being replaced with a capable back-up and a spectacular defense that might end up being sub-par in one key area: the defensive interior. While I expect Ohio State to find a fairly good replacement to Nader Abdallah, it seems Iowa is just going to throw in a batch of random bodies alongside Karl Klug and hope someone does something other than breathe. Iowa's defense will still be very good, but it almost has to take a hit with the departure of "Kroul and Unusual Punishment", and I'm banking on that. At the very least, I'm hoping it does take a hit, because Iowa's '08 defense was statistically superior to Ohio State's, though it's doubtful they played an offense as good as USC's or Texas'. Expect this game to look a lot like the trip to Happy Valley the week prior, only this time, Ohio State will be able to pass its way out of an early deficit to secure a 24-16 win.

A Hawkeye's Thoughts: Hawkeye State from BHGP was kind enough to give us his thoughts on the game, and Iowa's season in general.

1. Give me one reason the Big Ten should fear Iowa in 2009.

Which team in the top half of the final Big Ten standings returns 18 of 23 starters from a year ago, including five all-Conference selections, a quarterback with a year of experience under his belt, the conference's best offensive lineman (and arguably the best line in general), and six of a defensive back seven that led the conference in interceptions. In fact, only Minnesota has more returning starts, and they're still coached by Tim Brewster. Inexperienced Iowa is scary for us. Experienced Iowa is scary for you.

2. Name a player whose name opposing fans should keep in mind when discussing Iowa. Preferably one we don't already know about..

The beauty of the current Iowa depth chart is there are so few unknown quantities: There are only 3 starters to replace on each side of the ball, and the openings on offense have ready-made, experienced replacements. If you need someone you haven't heard of, watch for Broderick Binns, a defensive end. It looks increasingly likely that one of Iowa's returning ends will move inside as a replacement at defensive tackle and open a spot for Binns, who stood out in rotation duty during the second half of last season and has been described as "unblockable" this fall by the staff. Iowa lost Mitch King and Matt Kroul, but it's not completely out of the question that the defensive line will be better against the pass and competent against the run. Binns will likely be the key.

3. Taking off the black and gold rec specs for a minute - what do you think Iowa's record will be in 2009?

I'm saying 8-4, followed by a bowl win. Ferentz made a good point last week: It's possible - maybe even likely - that Iowa is a better team this season but doesn't have the record to show for it. Road games against Iowa State, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State are all certainly losable, and the home contests against Northwestern and Michigan are far from gimmies. I can't see Iowa getting through the road schedule with less than three losses, and it's certainly possible they lose a fourth or drop a game at Kinnick. With that said, getting Ohio State late in the schedule gives the Hawks a shot to repeat the Penn State upset from last season; Ferentz-era Iowa teams show near-uniform improvement over the course of the year, and getting them late in the season is a curse generally reserved for Wisconsin and Minnesota.

4. Was Kirk Ferentz ever genuinely on the hot seat in Iowa city? If so, did last season cool it off quite a bit?

No, not really; if he was, he's not anymore. There is a small but vocal minority of the fanbase who call the postgame show and break into hysterics after every loss, but they're not any real threat to the throne. Iowa football, by the very nature of the recruiting base, is a player-development-heavy operation. It's inevitable that, if players don't develop as expected and/or scholarship limits and player attrition force Iowa to field a young lineup, there will be down cycles. That is precisely what happened in 1988-89, when a national championship contender with 29 wins in 3 years, went 11-10-3. It happened in 1992-94, when a 10-1-1 team was followed by three consecutive .500 seasons. And it happened 2006 and 2007, as off-the-field issues decimated the ranks and the most highly-touted (and now clearly most disappointing) recruiting class in school history flamed out. Those with a long view of Iowa football, who have some historical perspective, understand that and refrain from breaking out the torches and pitchforks.

5. Make an off-the-cuff prediction for the Ohio State game.

The Iowa defensive line, never great at getting to the quarterback but always disciplined in containment, stops Pryor from scrambling outside/running the pistol option, and forces him to throw. Given what I saw from your quarterback last year, your returning receivers, and the November date, I feel good about any game where Terrelle Pryor has to throw the ball more than 20 times. Hampton runs effectively behind that line, Stanzi throws as necessary, and Iowa squeaks out a 21-17 win.

That, or we lose by 40.

Pryor has his share of doubters, doesn't he? Nick Siciliano, your time is now.

Welcome To The NFL, Part 2: The Not Drafteds

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:39:26 -0000

As mentioned to the right, Iowa had a few guys go to schools as undrafted free agents. These are they, or whatever the right grammar is.

In what we can all agree was the most egregious oversight by GMs across the league... Andy Brodell went undrafted. Luckily, the Galloping Ankenyman was quickly scooped up by the Green Bay Packers, where he's already drawing obvious comparisons to Sterling Sharpe. At least that's what this gnome is telling me, because I am fucking tripping balls like crazy right now. Did you know my fingers are made of music?

Matt Kroul is totally going to be roomsies with Shonn Greene after he signed with the New York Jets. We're not really sure why he went there. It's possible that he puts on 30 pounds and becomes a 2-gap stuffer or something; that seems more plausible than playing end in a 3-4 system, since Kroul is as much a defensive end as, oh, KOK is. Hope he goes somewhere else.

Rob Bruggeman went to Tampa Bay, so... say hello to the Brugganeers! Yes, I'm still higher than a kite. He's smallish, but Bruggeman's technical skills and pure work ethic are probably going to be enough for him to stick around--remember that Casey Wiegmann was in the exact same boat when he was coming out of Iowa a few years back.

And then there's Mitch King, who signed with the Titans. We don't have much to say about the Titans, but listen. If 32 general managers can't figure out a way to use a 275-280 pound defensive lineman who was generally regarded as the single most unblockable person in the Big Ten last season, we're pretty sure that's not the lineman's fault. King is like a healthier Jared DeVries, who was a 3rd round pick and has only been in the NFL for 11 years now. Further, if you think King can't learn to play at a high level wherever you need him to play, I'm sorry, you're goddamn foolish.

We can say this with a good amount of confidence: King will stick around and make some coach very happy, probably for longer than most of the 21 defensive tackles that got drafted instead of him.

The Takeaway: Purdue

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:17:38 -0000

Sure, Iowa just downed the Boilermakers, 22-17. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating Purdue? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

"Tell Duong's mom I said hi."

Shonn is gonn. It's not confirmed, obviously, otherwise it'd be all over the papers. But after last week's 211-yard performance pushed Greene to within 106 yards of Iowa's single season record, it seems purely foolish to wonder whether the 23-year-old Greene will return to the Hawkeyes next year. Spake Hlas:

“One more year,” Iowa students chanted. But that’s only asked of the players who are surely gone.

In fact, his resume seems to have been punctuated perfectly by Greene's two touchdowns, which bring him to 15 on the year. On the first, one perfectly timed spin move away from Greene's bitch, Frank Duong, sprung the Heisman candidate for a 75-yard sprint down the sideline. Agility and speed.

The second score came in the fourth quarter, when Greene met Duong again. Duong filled the hole on a rush perfectly, but Greene put his shoulder very low and absolutely trucked the hapless, 178-pound former walk-on. Duong stayed on the ground, trying to figure out what day of the week it was, as Greene kept his balance and ran to the corner for a 14-year score. Brute strength.

Some days you're the truck, some days you're the raccoon. Oh, and Shonn is always the truck.

Greene might need one more monster game against Minnesta to punch his ticket to the Downtown Athletic Club this December; while he now leads the nation in rushing yards (and has done it on fifty fewer carries than Javon Ringer), it's hard to imagine a scenario without Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell, and Sam Bradford all headed to New York to vie for the Heisman. Thus, Greene will need to separate himself from the rest of a pack that includes Ringer, Michael Crabtree, and Juice Williams. Bringing the school record in tow and over 1800 yards would be a nice first step.

Uhhh... guys? For the sixth time in ten games this season, Iowa has underperformed to the point of allowing a team in the game that had absolutely no business winning. This is a continuation of a disturbing pattern that has formed since 2005, and this week, it almost cost Iowa a game they should have won easily.

This lack of discipline (and that's almost certainly what it is) manifested itself on Saturday in two ways: the kicking game and ball control. Trent Mossbrucker's two consecutive missed PATs not only kept Purdue within single digits throughout the first half, but almost certainly kept Purdue in a game that should have easily been salted away at the end of the game. All other things being equal, if Mossbrucker even makes one of those PATs, Iowa leads 23-17 and has a relatively easy 37-yard field goal to make it a two possession game with a hair over a minute to go.

Meanwhile, the turnover margin was equal on Saturday, but it probably should not have been. Late in the first half, Amari Spievey dropped a sure pick-six that would have pushed the score to 19-3 (or, knowing what Mossbrucker was up to, 18-3); Purdue would score on the drive later to get within two points at the break instead. Tyler Sash also dropped an interception that hit him in the hands, but it was nowhere near as easy a play as Spievey's. Then there was Jeremiha Hunter's interception in the first quarter, deep in Purdue territory, that was negated by a ludicrous pass interference penalty. Basically, Purdue was very lucky that this game did not spiral out of control for them early on.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, both Brodell and DJK coughed up fumbles on promising drives. Brodell's was the more egregious mistake, as he was fighting for yards in an absolutely impossible situation; there were three men on him and maybe one more yard at stake after the first down had already been gained.

The difference between this year and last is not discipline, but sheer talent; this is a game that Iowa would have lost last year, plain and simple. Nobody has truly outplayed or outmuscled Iowa yet this year, and there are only two games left in the season, but this team needs to get back to its 2002 form of not beating itself (the ISU game has been excised from my memory, so what I just said is accurate).

Nothing to do with this part of the article, but it's just been a while since we had a picture of Adrian Clayborn fucking some poor kid up.

Bring on Minnesota. The Goofers are in Classic Mason mode, racking up a nice record early against MACrifices and other cupcakes before folding like Ken O'Keefe at a poker tournament. Their latest setback came against the quasi-resurgent Badgers, going up 21-7 at the break before deciding that they really want nothing to do with a New Year's Bowl.

The Gophers' record is basically catching up to their talent at this point; they're 7-4 (3-4) and really unlikely to win another game, even in a bowl. Sure, going from 1-11 to 7-6 is still quite a feat, but it's a lot easier to go from shitty to mediocre than from mediocre to good.

So one more week of the regular season, and it's up at Kinnick North. We can't think of a better way to send off the Humpty Dump's college career than by waltzing up there with 30,000 Iowa fans, playing the Ike to Minnesota's Tina, then taking down their goalposts one last time? The Vikings aren't even playing up there the day afterwards. What do you say, Hawk fans. To whom do belong all their goalpost?

(Photo credits: Charlie Niebergall/AP Photo, Big Ten Network, John Schultz/Quad City-Times, John Schultz/Quad City-Times)

The Takeaway: Illinois

Oops Pow Surprise — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:55:25 -0000

Sure, Iowa just lost to the Illini, 27-24. But how much do we really know? What was really important about losing to Illinois? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

The Zooker proves his point with dance and impassioned lyricism.

This game was lost in the first half. Iowa had three red zone possessions in the first half. Their total scoring for those drives, and the half as a whole, was six points. You cannot win on the road like that. Sure, you can blame Ricky Stanzi's inexperience, and that's not altogether incorrect; the Manzi was 5-14 in the first half. But too often in the red zone, he wasn't put in position to succeed, especially on third down. His throws were both short of the first down marker and low-percentage; where did the roll-out game go? Why sit in the pocket and throw five-digs on 3rd and 8 when the receiver's in double coverage?

Worst. Statue of Liberty. Ever.

Granted, Stanzi didn't improve much in the second half. It wasn't until he coughed up the ball on the scoop-and-score (see above, vomit, rinse, repeat) that gave Illinois the 24-9 lead in the fourth quarter that Stanzi and the Iowa offense came to life. Also helpful: Illinois trotting out an obviously injured corner to abuse. Granted, it was great to see Iowa's offense come to life and finish off drives, but that cannot continue to wait until the 4th quarter--especially not against Penn State.

The difference between 2001 and 2008 is salary. Just like 2001, this is the first time in a few years that Iowa has enjoyed a distinct physical advantage with their opponents, but they're coming up just short. In 2001, 7-5 was awesome. It was positive. It was "we're not getting beating by Western Michigan this year!"

The problem, of course, is that Kirk Ferentz isn't paid for growing pains anymore. And when you get a situation like this where Iowa hasn't won their last 8 games decided by three points or fewer, that starts to become an indictment of the head coach.

32 Double Z Right Alpha Dig Cross Catastrophic Fumble, on two. Let's do it!

It's no exaggeration to say that Ferentz's job security depends on these last three games. Iowa is 5-4 right now, having lost those four games by a combined 12 points and winning those five by a metric fuckton. Iowa has no business winning the PSU game or losing to Purdue, so let's say we're 6-5 going into the last week at the Humpty Dump. One more 6-6 season with Christmas at home and we imagine Bloodpunch Barta's going to start wondering aloud to the press if it's not time for a change.

There's no point in missing the point. There are some notable details from last weekend's game; this time, it was a dinged-up ankle for Greene, a rare missed field goal for Mossbrucker (2nd all year), and an even rarer wide open long TD pass (1st all year, below). Whatever.

They're still details to a larger point: Going back as long as the seniors have been suiting up, the Iowa program has real, fatal trouble in close games. Coming into a game against a PSU team that's superior in both discipline and physical talent, that spells automatic loss this weekend. Don't let the 7.5-point line fool you--while Iowa's certainly capable of making the game competitive for all four quarters, there is very, very little to suggest they can come away from the game with an upset win.

For stars like Brodell, Greene, and King to suffer through this kind of a season is a travesty. Let's hope they can at least get to a bowl and win it to send the guys out on a high note. Step 1 is not giving up against Penn State.

(Photo credits: First three: Matthew Holst/Press-Citizen; Dwyer's TD, Herald & Review/Stephen Haas)

Two-Deep Audits: Offense

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:30:05 -0000

The two-deeps used in these mid-conference audits are taken directly from The Gazette's Marc Morehouse, whose fine On Iowa blog is a fixture on our RSS readers.

IOWA OFFENSE

WR — DJK, Stross

Well, this is a good place to start. DJK's 2008 has been pretty meh, actually, and while it seems pretty obvious that Stross' legendary speed is gone and never coming back, he's turned into one hell of a possession receiver; his hands are probably the best on the team. DJK is physically capable of making plays that nobody else in the WR corps can make, but he hasn't put it all together for a dominant game since, like, Northwestern 2007. If there was an unsafe starting job on the offense at this point (Kuempel aside), this is it.

LT — Bulaga, Kuempel

Good jesus, Bryan Bulaga. The word on him in summer camp even as a true freshman was that he was a mean, nasty blocker. But nobody could have anticipated the total domination he has put on opposing defensive lines. He regularly plants defenders 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, and it is simply no exaggeration to say he deserves All-American consideration.

LG — Vandervelde/Eubanks, Gettis

What should have been the weak link of this line (I mean, did you see Vandervelde last year??) has been rock solid. Think--if the left guard position was getting abused even half as regularly as with last season, then it wouldn't matter one bit how good Bulaga is, running to the left would be an exercise in futility. But Vandervelde has improved substantially in his second season on the line, and the rotation with Eubanks is perfect for both players, as there's always a fresh pair of arms to throw at opposing DTs. I would not have guessed before the season that this setup would work--at all--but damned if it's not solid.

C — Bruggeman, Koeppel

I often wonder if losing Bruggeman with that ACL last season didn't hurt Iowa worse than anyone could have predicted. Remember, he was right in the mix for a starting spot before he blew that knee out, and by the time NIU rolled around in 2007, Travis Meade was starting. No disrespect to Travis, but, you know, he's not even on this two-deep even with a starting guard injured. Bruggeman has been solid, even if he's on that Beanie Baby tip and he fixes computers and stuff. Clearly no need to make a change here, especially since Josh Koeppel is the long snapper and Eubanks is audibly clearing his throat.

RG — Kuempel, Doering

Seth Olsen was ostensibly Iowa's best lineman coming into this season, even if nobody thinks so at this point. Still, he was hardly a weak link, ever, and you'd think his departure would hurt the line, but Andy Kuempel absolutely dominated in his absence against Wisconsin. Watch this video of Shonn Greene again, but this time, watch Kuempel's blocking at the RG spot.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but you'll notice all four touchdowns went Kuempel's way. He's very good at executing blocks at both the first and second levels, and if Olsen is unable to go, expect to see Kuempel making Brit Miller's life hell this Saturday. Olsen deserves this job when he's healthy, but the lack of dropoff is very encouraging.

RT — Calloway, Aeschliman

Speaking of improvements from Year 1 to Year 2, how about Kyle Calloway? Greene's last TD came on Calloway reach-blocking a corner all the way to the sideline before Greene even came into play. We get the notion that he's a lot happier not being the blindside blocker for the QB in this offense, unlike with the left-handed Christensen. Now he's usually got TE help (and Moeaki and Myers are both very capable blockers) and he's the point man on rollouts to the right, where Stanzi's most effective. Calloway's vast improvement has kept Aeschliman off the field, which is both A) very good (it means there's good blocking) and B) horrible (Aeschliman, at 6'8", 315, is comedically large and fun to watch).

White receivers celebrate like THIS...

TE — Myers, Reisner

Man, it sucks so much to not see "Moeaki" on this 2-deep. He's worked way too hard to be relegated to rehab for so much of his career at Iowa, and we hope he can make anything of his football career, either here or at some next level. Lord knows he's physically capable when he's healthy; hell, he's Iowa's most athletic tight end since Dallas Clark. Or Scott Slutzker. Or Fritz Fequiere. Luckily, Myers has been quite able, if unspectacular, in his replacement of Moeaki, both last year and this. Allen Reisner plays enough snaps to be a part of the offense, and you could legitimately make the case that Reisner is a better receiver than Myers. Both are among the top 5 TEs in the last 10 years for Iowa, though, and that bodes very well for the offense as a whole.

His hair's so... so soft!

QB — Stanzi, Christensen

This, I think, is safe. The Stanziballs are abating, but we'll need to see if for a sustained amount of time, especially with 4 games left, all of which (yes, even Purdue) can be won or lost by Iowa. Seriously, everything from 5-7 to 9-3 is in play. Anyway, you know how Iowa's offense runs, and it's the run setting up the pass. It was disastrous in 2006 and 2007, but it's happening now, and it's working. Stanzi's probably somewhere around the fourth best QB in the conference right now, depending on how you look at Juice Williams and Adam Weber, but he has certainly earned his starting spot. It's too bad for Christensen, because he suffered through an absolute sieve of an offensive line last year while his receiving corps collapsed in front of him. If Stanzi had to suffer through the 2007 offense while Christensen sat on the bench, then Christensen would be rocking this year while Stanzi sat on the bench with a nervous tic. Timing is everything.

WR — Brodell, Sandeman

Brodell has emerged as the real #1 of this offense, as he's been both a solid possession guy (especially on first down and off play action) and a good deep threat (most of Stanzi's shots downfield). Sandeman is much improved over last year, probably because of the 20 pounds of muscle he has put on, but he's not quite at a Big Ten level quite yet.

RB — Greene, Hampton

I think it's safe to say we're okay with this situation. VOTE GREENE PARTY 2008!

FB — Morse, Leppert

Look, it would be extremely stupid to blame the three straight losses on the fullback, but the fact of the matter is that the offense scored points with a lot more ease when Morse wasn't injured than when Leppert was filling in. Again, looking at Shonn Greene's rushing numbers, there's barely a difference in production--he kicks ass either way--but he seems to kick just a little more ass with Morse in there, who's even a more capable receiving target than Leppert. There's no sense in assigning bogeymen to Iowa's losses on the year, of course, but a healthy Brett Morse puts Iowa a whole lot closer to 8-4 or 9-3 on the season, and that's a realistic goal for a team like this.

The Takeaway: Iowa State

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:01:30 -0000

Sure, Iowa just outlasted an underwhelming Iowa State team, 17-5. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating ISU? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

In the most gruesome play of the afternoon, Matt Kroul rips Iowa State quarterback Austin Arnaud's head off. No penalty was called, as Kroul did not grip the face mask.

The Hawkeye defense is as deep as it is tough. For the third time in as many games this season, Iowa held its opponent out of the end zone, limiting the Cyclones to five lousy points; ISU's points came from a made field goal and two pity points after kicker Grant Mahoney clanged a kick from 21 yards away.

The third quarter looked disturbingly similar to the first half of last season's Iowa-ISU game, where the ball was on Iowa's side of the field the whole time. This time, the Cyclones couldn't even put points on the board with special teams. All credit goes to what might end up being the stoutest defense in the conference. While most of the top-end talent is on the defensive line, there are no real weak spots in terms of athleticism, performance, or depth.

Nowhere is that more ably demonstrated than the secondary. If you'd told us that Jordan Bernstine would barely be on the two-deeps at this point, we'd be horrified at the prospects for the pass defense. Sure enough, as he recovers from hamstring problems, Bernstine is essentially the fourth corner on the depth chart, and those in front of him are showing no signs of relenting any snaps. Bradley Fletcher has improved demonstrably from last year, Amari Spievey is the surest tackler at CB for Iowa since Benny Sapp, and true freshman Shaun Prater was in at crunch time, breaking up ISU's last gasp in the back of the end zone on fourth down.

All in all, though Austen Arnaud seemed to pick apart the Iowa pass defense at times, the Clones couldn't get in the end zone again (it's been more than 10 quarters since they've hit pay dirt vs. Iowa), and the Iowa defense is now ranked third nationally in pass efficiency. Credit should also go to the linebackers, especially AJ Edds, but great pass defense starts in the secondary, and Iowa is rock-solid there.

Another example? Why, sure. Harold Dalton started all last season at strong safety, and he was no liability. Then, during spring practices, coaches frequently mentioned Dalton's backup, Lance Tillison (who, by the way, is jacked as hell), as a strong contender to start. So with both Tillison and Dalton healthy, the coaches started Tyler Sash, a freshman from Oskaloosa. Sash responded with 12 tackles, a key third-down sack, and a goal-line interception that he ran out to the one-yard-line before walking out of bounds. That was one boneheaded play in an otherwise brilliant debut for Sash, who should be a strong contender for the BXI's defensive player of the week honors.

Broderick Binns is also good.

You want more? We'll give you more. Pat Angerer's first two years at Iowa were disasters, last season marked by mononucleosis and a variety of injuries. He thought about quitting football, and few would have questioned him. He stayed, and on Saturday he usurped Jacody Coleman, who started multiple games as a true freshman last season in relief of Mike Klinkenborg. Angerer was flying around the field all day against ISU, but no play was bigger than him blowing up a screen pass on third and short with Iowa protecting a 10-3 lead. Iowa State was forced to punt, and this happened:

Ballgame.

Iowa's ground game is no longer a question mark. Shonn Greene's numbers look good on their own: 20 carries, 120 yards, one touchdown. That they came in the rain is seemingly no surprise, as rain is supposed to help a ground game (and let's be clear, in dry conditions, he doesn't sneak out of that tackle and gain 31 yards in the first quarter). But make no mistake, Greene would have easily topped 150 yards on a decent field yesterday.

Greene slipped several times on the slick surface, usually every time he tried to make a hard cut. Thanks to outstanding blocking from Bryan Bulaga and the rest of the offensive line, Greene rarely encountered any trouble near the line of scrimmage, and when he did, his strength was enough to carry him forward for respectable numbers. Perhaps ISU's just miserable in the front seven, but we're not so quick to discount the quality of what appears to be Iowa's most brutish ground game since the days of Nick Bell.

The Surgeon General recommends that you avoid trying to tackle Shonn Greene at all costs. Also, eat 4-6 servings of vegetables every day.

Iowa's passing game, on the other hand, is more of a concern than ever. Oh boy, where do we even start? How about Stanzi to Brodell in the first quarter? Having drawn ISU offsides on a hard count, Stanzi had a free play, and he rolled out to his right, looking long. There was Andy Brodell, who was laughably, insanely open. Rather than squaring his shoulders and planting his feet, Stanzi threw on the run, despite no evident pressure from the ISU rush. The pass sailed and missed Brodell by about three yards, and what should have been an easy touchdown to put the Cyclones down by 10 early instead fell to the ground harmlessly. A false start erased the five-yard bonus of the offsides call immediately afterwards, and the Iowa drive would end in an interception. Indeed, Iowa wouldn't see those points until the fourth quarter, well after the end of the Ricky Stanzi Experience.

Stanzi's overall numbers were as horrifying as his play seemed to indicate: 5-14, 75 yards, 0 touchdowns, two interceptions. The second pick was so ill-advised that Ferentz had no choice to bring in Christensen--it was a curl route into triple coverage that wouldn't have even garnered a first down on third and long. Stanzi sailed passes all game long, including one on third down in the end zone to an easily open Allen Reisner on the game's first drive. Between that and the Brodell debacle, Stanzi left 11 points off the board for Iowa on those two throws. It's tough to say whether Christensen would have erred so badly on the same two plays.

Christensen entered the game with one play remaining in the third quarter. He started the drive with a checkdown pass to Shonn Greene, who motored ahead for a first down, and later Christensen made arguably the most important move of the game without throwing the ball. Facing 3rd and a long 4 at the ISU 25, Christensen audibled to an off-tackle run for Greene, who took it inside the Clones' 5-yard-line. Greene scored on the next play, and Iowa had all the momentum from there on out.

Don't tackle him, it only makes him mad.

Christensen still looked shaky, though, despite converting four of his five passes. Only the pass to Greene resulted in over five yards or a first down, and Iowa went three and out while trying to protect that 10-3 lead late in the fourth.

Anyone who tells you right now who will start at Pittsburgh this Saturday is either guessing or lying. They don't know. Kirk Ferentz doesn't even know. So naturally we don't know. We do know that nobody was booing Jake when he came in this week, and nobody's going to be booing him for a while after Iowa hoisted that stupid-looking trophy that ought to be thrown into a volcano like some sort of reverse sucktastic Ring of Sauron. The QB race continues, and as long as Iowa keeps winning, that's just fine.

It may be a shitty trophy, but it's our shitty trophy.

Photo credits, top to bottom: John Schultz, Lee News Service/QC Times; John Schultz, Lee News Service/QC Times; Doug Dornath, HawkeyeSports.com; John Schultz, Lee News Service/QC Times; AP Photo/Charlie Niebergall; John Schultz, Lee News Service/QC Times

The Takeaway: FIU

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:28:14 -0000

Sure, Iowa just throttled a wildly overmatched FIU team, 42-0. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating FIU? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

Adrian Clayborn is about to get your face pregnant.

1. The defense is still awesome. Sure, Iowa won 42-0, but for the defense, the score remains 3-2; that's how many points opposing offenses have scored, and how many points the Iowa defense has scored. It was almost a 9-3* lead for the Hawkeyes, as AJ Edds was one shoestring away from taking a pick to the house in the second quarter. All told, Iowa harassed the, uh, "Golden Panthers" (how that isn't a sex act in UrbanDictionary.com is beyond me--oh wait, here we go) into three turnovers, including two embarrassingly easy interceptions. Iowa is now +2 in turnover margin on the season, and it's a lot easier to win games if you're on the right side of that metric (also helpful: playing wretched football teams every week).

Speaking of giving the ball up, while Stanzi absolutely punished the FIU defense to the tune of 162 yards and 3 TDs on only 8-10 passing, he once again threw an unconscionable pass. This one was dropped by a stationary FIU defender after hitting him square in the numbers. Stanzi showed flashes of brilliance Saturday, but--if uncorrected--his penchant for stupid throws will come back to haunt Iowa once the real season begins (and that would be this weekend).

Off to Never-Never-Land.

2. Colin Sandeman is ready to play in the Big Ten. Sandeman was pressed into action last season out of sheer necessity, returning punts and going over the middle despite weighing roughly a buck oh five. He's a different player altogether these days, and his two scores against FIU signaled to the Big Ten that the Iowa receiving corps is deep and dangerous. That felt really weird to type.

DJK is Iowa's top receiver these days, as he does things nobody else on the team can do. His tightrope act over the last five yards of his touchdown catch was probably the most masterful play of the entire game, and it set a clear tone for the entire game: Iowa will dominate. Even when Stross comes back in a week (and hopefully no later than that), it's unlikely that DJK will be unseated from the starting lineup.

As far as Brodell, he was once again lightly used as a receiver, gaining just 15 yards from scrimmage on two catches. That's fine for early season games against punching bags, but we're hoping to see more from him as the season goes on. He's most effective in space, so the dreaded bubble screen ought to return to Iowa's repertoire any day now. We don't know why O'Keefe hasn't busted it out yet; do the coaches think opposing teams don't know about it? Trust us, they do.

You happy now, assholes?

3. Anyone who booed Jake Christensen is a lowlife piece of shit. The boos were largely coming from the student section, which isn't a complete surprise; having been students at Iowa ourselves, we know good and goddamn well that Chicagoland's unbrightest 19-year-olds can barely be trusted ever, much less at 12 noon after four hours of sleep and 11 beers. That's no excuse. No real fan boos like that, especially not a kid who's been a class act the whole way and never once complained even as he was getting sacked four times a game and was throwing to receivers who had no business being on the field, much less starting. Not to go all Mike Gundy on you, but this certainly merits mention:

He's a good kid. Further, he's not even a bad quarterback--despite his first drive stalling, he did end up going 8-12 for 99 yards and a score. His touchdown to Sandeman was beautifully thrown. Hardly the work of someone who's bad at football or who, as Pat Harty idiotically claimed** (not making this up), "was set up to fail."

And so now we have a new quarterback who's almost certainly going to start against Iowa State next week, and a very good (maybe even better) backup that doesn't dare set foot on the field unless Iowa's down by two scores and Stanzi is visibly drunk. It's a shame.

We don't know yet what the Daily Iowan's coverage of the game will look like, but as the paper of record for the UI campus, it had goddamn better excoriate the students for an unbelievably classless gesture to Christensen, who has handled himself on and off the field with an almost unreasonable amount of maturity. That his fellow students can't be bothered to even try to return the favor suggests that Christensen deserves far, far better, and the Iowa students deserve far worse. Grow up, you insufferable little pricks.

Clayborn and Sandeman photos are via John Schulz of the QC Times; the Christensen picture is via Charlie Neibergall of the AP. All photos from HawkMania's picture thread, which is quite worth your time, especially when Clayborn is caving in McCall's spinal column.

*Yes, we're giving the defense the extra points on those, otherwise it's unfair when both sides score a TD.
**It would be entirely disingenuous for me to take that shot at Harty without mentioning the rest of his column, which was very respectful to Christensen and unequivocal in its disdain for the boobirds. Then again, Christensen's now the backup QB; how can the media not love him?

The Takeaway: Maine

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:30:05 -0000

Sure, Iowa just throttled a wildly overmatched Maine team, 46-3. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating Maine? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

There is no answer at quarterback yet. Both quarterbacks looked decent at times and brutal at others. Jake Christensen doesn't appear to have any touch on his throws, but when he's got time and an open primary receiver, he's lethal. The interception was a poorly thrown pass, and Iowa was lucky to come away with 15 yards off a pass interference penalty when he badly underthrew Brodell on a post.

But Stanzi, while appearing more "poised," threw some absolutely brainless passes yesterday. One ended up being a first down on an out to DJK, but a I-A defensive back would have taken it the other way for six. The other was a softly-thrown jump ball to a walk-on TE in the back of the end zone. In double coverage. Again, a real team picks that. Past that, while he was mostly steady in the pocket, the Iowa offense sputtered under Stanzi until the 4th, when even Maine had given up on using starters.

Neither player distinguished himself yesterday, and it's safe to assume Ferentz will be using both QBs in a similar rotation over the next few weeks until one proves to be substantially more effective.
Adrian Clayborn is every bit the nightmarebeast we expected, and then some. Clayborn was all over the field yesterday, stuffing runs, harassing the Maine backfield, and making effective reads all game long.

Clayborn ended the day with eight tackles, leading all Hawkeyes. He also broke up two passes and, in one particularly telling instance, discharged his babies on Maine QB Adam Farkes' face.

Get your own fucking towel.
Welcome back, Andy Brodell. Anyone who doubted Brodell's impact on Iowa's success no longer has an excuse for their ignorance. Brodell only caught one early pass for 16 yards, but he took an end-around 24 yards on the opening drive and registered 81 return yards, constantly placing Iowa in favorable field position. Again, this is just Maine, so he probably won't be averaging 15 yards per return. But he's very effective in space, a shifty runner who maintains momentum toward the goal line at all times. He'll have plenty of bigger days in the stat book than yesterday, but just seeing that he was the Andy Brodell of old was exciting enough for us.

Oh, and he's a vicious blocker.

That's nice too.

[Both photos credited to Matthew Holst, Iowa City Press-Citizen]