SB Nation - Broderick Binns

Is Amari Spievey the X-Factor in Orange Bowl?

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:30:19 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber, center, fumbles the ball as he is hit by Iowa's Amari Spievey, left, and Troy Johnson, rear. LOL, "rear." That can mean butt sometimes. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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We're still three full weeks away from Iowa's date in Miami, which kinda sucks for everybody not named Ricky Stanzi or Dace Richardson. Nonetheless, we're already thinking obsessively about the game and all the potentially new and different matchups it creates.

Obviously, everyone's going to want to watch the Georgia Tech offense against the Iowa defense. GT's modern interpretation of the option has confounded basically everyone who's had to face it, and Iowa's vaunted defense has looked a little suspect at times against power running attacks. Then again, they bitchmade Arizona, so who knows.

Overall, the matchup isn't too bad for Iowa. This is probably the fastest defense Iowa has ever fielded, especially among the front seven. All three linebackers can fly, and Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns may be athletic enough to cause problems at the point of attack if . If Georgia Tech's going to bust big runs, it'll have to be with superior blocking; they won't be able to simply outrun the Hawkeye defense to the corner with any regularity.

Further, on that corner (Iowa's right, Georgia Tech's left, specifically) is one Amari Spievey. And how he factors into this game may end up determining who wins the game.

Spievey will likely be tested in pass coverage often. We haven't seen Spievey get "beaten" very much; usually, if someone completes a throw on him, it's a pass to the flat, and it ends with Amari putting his helmet through the player's femur and ending the play. But of the last three times we've seen a deep bomb work on the Iowa secondary, two--specifically Illinois 2008 and Penn State 2009--involved Spievey chasing ineffectually after a wideout who was about 10 yards in front of him on a fly route. Otherwise, he's such a lockdown corner that it doesn't even make sense to throw toward him.

The message, then, seems to be "If you want to beat Spievey, you have to beat him deep." Slight problem for Iowa: THAT'S THE ONLY ROUTE GEORGIA TECH RUNS.

Seriously: this is their entire passing offense. And it works.

So it'll be up to Norm Parker to get Brett Greenwood over to help as a centerfielder on those plays--last year, that would have been a scary proposition, but he's been just fine in that role this season.

On run plays, however, is where Amari Spievey will have the most impact. Amari is, basically, the most physical cornerback in the country; anyone who claims otherwise has never watched him play. He doesn't miss tackles (well, he might miss one or two against Jonathan Dwyer, but c'mon, that's totally unfair). Thus, against a team that runs outside the tackles most of the time, his ability to affect the run of play will be paramount.

We don't expect Spievey to be flying into the backfield on every play or anything, but it sure would be nice to see him blitz and throw the timing off of the option with a little regularity. Granted, it's not like he can run free at will all the time or anything; Georgia Tech has large, menacing receivers and swift offensive linemen who don't much cotton to Spievey's ill intents. But if he can get past his receiver's block (or bypass it entirely with a blitz from inside position), that one blocker who's now urgently re-assigned to stop #19 isn't blocking someone else on the defense, and that's how 2nd and 9 happens.

On the other hand, if Spievey spends his entire afternoon handfighting with Bey Bey Thomas or in a nine-yard "is this enough space for you to get a blocker on me?" cushion--or worse yet, lets a go route run him out of the play by never watching the backfield--well, it'll probably be a long game for the Hawkeyes and their fans.

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

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

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

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

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

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

Such language, Kirk!

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

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

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

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

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

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

MEDIA

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

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

COACHES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*/Farnsworth'd

The Last Gopher Friday Preview Until Pizza Pizza? Minnesota at Iowa, November 21, 2009

JG2112 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:15:14 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

I knew life wouldn't be good once I got kicked out of the Institute of Technology.

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Give me or Tressel the Patriots. We would have punted on third down. 10:06 AM Nov 17th from TweetDeck
- from the "Not Kirk Ferentz" Twitter stream - http://twitter.com/NotKirkFerentz

Saturday is the end of the college football year, for all intents and purposes. outside of some rivalry games and conference title games. Then onto the bowls. Really, other than Florida/Alabama and Texas (or maybe TCU?) , the 66 or so bowl participants will be taking part in exhibition games in late December and early January in mostly warm climates, of which the most impressive part of the experience is usually the gifts given to the student-athletes that somehow are allowed under NCAA rules (example: last year each Gopher got a Vizio 26-inch LCD HDTV, a Bulova watch, and a Hat at the Insight Bowl.) Besides the gifts, ask Corey Wootton, Willis McGahee or Glen Mason: only bad things really happen in bowl games for the participants.

But back to tomorrow, when Tim Brewster will try for a significant milestone - his first rivalry game win. Last week Brew got his first win in November as a college coach. This week, a Big Ten win in November will increase his record in rivalry games to a robust 1-7. This comes on the heels of Maturi's weird comments to Sid in Thursday's Star Tribune, which indicated an endorsement of the program's direction but a peculiar non-endorsement of the coach. And while we can be literal and say that the only way that Brewster's job comes under fire is if they lose the next two games by 100 in the aggregate, the fact it's even being suggested is foolish in my opinion, but could be suggestive of things going on at Fort Bierman.

Iowa enters this game having endured a rough November thus far. First off, Northwestern put paid to Iowa's national championship hopes in Kinnick, and then Kirk Ferentz's lack of backbone gave away the outright Big Ten Title to Ohio State (pending their beatdown of Michigan). Oh yeah, Minnesota won't be the beneficiary of any Stanzi-balls on Saturday, either.

That really is unfortunate, because the backup QB, freshman James Vandenberg, played rather well in the Horseshoe, completing 20/33 for 233 yards, 2 TDs and 3 INTs (one at the end of the 1st half, one in OT). Playing in front of friendly fans may make him more relaxed. Then again, the pressure of Senior Day and the Pig may make him channel his inner Stanzi and get acquainted with BIG PLAYE TRAYE.

Looking at the rest of the offense, you know what you're getting with Iowa. The big hogs up front are interchangeable and generally awesome. LT Brian Bulaga is the standout. The Hawkeyes like running stretch plays where a TE (normally Tony Moeaki) will go in motion to Bulaga's side, and whichever RB is in the game (Adam Robinson, Brandon Wegher, Paki O'Meara) will plow behind those two for big chunks of yardage. As has been the case this year, Minnesota's DTs need to keep Iowa's line occupied so Campbell, Triplett, Lawrence and/or Cooper can flow to the ball, attack the lead blocker, and cut the play back for the help to arrive. If the D-line is pushed around and Iowa's line can get to the second level, this game will get ugly.

That's without mentioning Iowa's passing game, which as mentioned above, went for over 230 yards on Ohio State last week. Marvin McNutt is a former QB with significant height (please grow six inches Carter kthx) and superb speed, and I think every Minnesota fan knows about Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. Simmons (who returned to practice Wednesday after recovering from a leg ailment) and Marcus Sherels are carrying injuries which may make them vulnerable in pass coverage.

As for Iowa's defense, yikes. On the line, meet 2007 Cretin Derham Hall grad Broderick Binns (7 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks), along with Adrian Clayborn (8.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss and THAT punt block against Penn State) and Karl Klug. The linebackers include A.J. Edds (65 tackles), Pat Angerer (119 tackles) and Jeremiah Hunter (83 tackles), and if you look to the secondary, meet Tyler Sash (6 INTs, 76 tackles), Amari Spievey, and Brett Greenwood.

This is the kind of defense that will give the Gopher offense fits (namely, competent and well-drilled). Iowa rarely sends its linebackers on blitzes because the front four can get pressure by itself. In almost every Gopher game this year we've watched this happen, so I'm even more concerned about tomorrow's game. Other than against Sparty, the Gophers, since the Penn State game, have had horrific pass protection which has led to Adam Weber looking like a true freshman in the pocket.

And sorry everyone, but this isn't the game to fully let MarQueis Gray loose on the football world. Brewster had his chance last week and decided not to, which suggests either coaching stubbornness or player incapabilities at this point. Gray, at this point in his development, would have been most effective against a team with slower defensive players who were frequently blitzing him and leaving him wide open running lanes, such as on November 14th at TCF. The last place you want Gray deciphering coverages is against a Norm Parker-drilled defense of veteran players, whose LBs don't even need to blitz you to get pressure.

So tomorrow you can expect Weber to be in the pocket, with lots of max protect (TEs and RBs) to provide support for Alford, Wills and Carufel in the hopes that Weber is given more than 3 seconds to wait for his WRs to break free from what are excellent Herkeye defensive backs. Once again, Hoese and Tow-Arnett will likely be utilized extensively in the passing game, trying to break the tackles of those excellent LBs. Blergh.

Oh, and have I mentioned that Brandon Green missed practice Wednesday with a knee injury and is questionable for Saturday? Calling Messrs. McKnight, Stoudermire, and yes, Carpenter, please be ready for action.

Anything else? Yeah. The forecast Saturday: around 55 and sunny.

Also, an aside: yeah, I recognize this is a conspiracy theory, BUT. The slate of games on Saturday is one of the least attractive collection of games I can ever remember this late in the season (thanks Florida and Alabama, among others, for scheduling soup cans this weekend). One of ESPN/ABC's featured games is Kansas at Texas.

Anyone else find it uniquely coincidental that ESPN is releasing an amazing slow drip of information from multiple sources (where have these former players been since August?) about Kansas HC Mark Mangino's bad temper and abuse at practice the same week it needs to drum up interest in a rather lackluster prime time game? At all?

Okay.

So what about Saturday? Minnesota has a chance here. It needs to attack Iowa's defense straight-on, because it can be run on. Weber cannot expect to spend much time, if any, looking in the pocket, and Fisch should not abandon the running game and put Weber into obvious passing situations.

As for Minnesota on defense, they need to roll support over to whoever is guarding the tall McNutt. Of course, this leaves the Gophers susceptible to either Johnson-Koulianos or Moeaki, but, you've got to try something.

Bottom line: games this year in Iowa City have been close. Northern Iowa, Arkansas State, Michigan, Indiana and NW were really all very tense, close games. Saturday SHOULD be no different. If the Gophers are not competitive, however, I guess Maturi will be having a discussion with Mr. Brewster about what is expected when the Gophers get their new TVs in Arizona. I don't see it happening.

Iowa 27 - Minnesota 20.

There's A Game On Saturday?: Bitchconsin

Oops Pow Surprise — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:35:47 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Please let us not lose to this man. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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The title of this one is about all the woofing we'll do at the Badgers, because we are completely unenthusiastic about this game and the task in front of Iowa. In fact, we'll eschew the typical matchup approach we usually do and just focus on a few problems, one at a time.

Iowa's rush defense has quite a challenge in front of them. We're mighty big fans of both Karl Klug and Broderick Binns, who are pass rushers nonpareil and some of the most tenacious d-fenders on the team. The problem is that part of the reason that Iowa's rush defense has been so underwhelming this year is because Klug and Binns can't move a line of scrimmage on run plays. It's not really a matter of poor technique, necessarily, but being that they barely combine to break five bills, they can be moved by a talented lineman. Sure, they might shed a block, but unless it directly results in a tackle, all they're doing is letting the lineman get to the next level and harass a linebacker.

Some pundits think the fact that Wisconsin doesn't run a spread or design runs for the quarterback works in Iowa's favor. Maybe, but probably not as much as they think. If Iowa has any success against the run, it'll be because Zach Brown isn't there to keep John Clay's legs fresh for four quarters and their third string tailback is Jamelle Notonthedepthchartforareason.

Iowa has won all six of their games, yes, but in five of them, the defense was tasked with stopping a big drive late in the game. In four of those five games, the defense failed. Against UNI, the special teams bailed Iowa out twice. Against Arizona, backup quarterback Nick Foles shredded Iowa with disturbing ease en route to pushing the game within 10. Against Penn State, okay, watching Clark's confidence self-immolate was cool. Against A-State, the Red Wolves cut a lead to three by converting third down after third down. Against Michigan, Denard Robinson put together a not-that-difficult 4th quarter drive to cut the lead to two after standing on the sideline the entire game. This is not a good fourth-quarter pattern. Do you really trust Iowa to slam the door on Wisconsin with the game on the line? We kind of don't.

At the very least, we can point to the fact that Iowa's linebackers and safeties are experienced, returning starters; it's going to take more than a simple playfake to get someone wide open, in other words. So the good news is that Tolzien probably won't shred Iowa's pass defense. The bad news is that he probably won't need to.

A magnificent bastard is still a bastard all the same. Oh, Ricky Stanzi. Heismanzi has now rang up over 280 yards of passing in each of his last two games, each with some sweet long balls (LOL). He has also given away a touchdown in those games. That's fine to do against a creampuff pushover like A-State or just Michigan, but it's going to be horror if Iowa finds itself down 7-3... then it turns into 14-3 because Ricky tried to out-STANZIBALL himself (though it'll be hard to ever top his last two achievements, each stunning in their ineptitude).

At the same time, it's easily possible that DJK gets a little bit more with the program and the vaunted Iowa wideout corps actually puts together a good game and Iowa gets a few touchdowns. But considering nobody on the team averages at least 50 yards of receiving a game, this would be, ahem, unexpected.

Clogging rushing lanes like so many local fans' arteries. As Hlas pointed out in yesterday's chat, Wisconsin hasn't allowed 100 rushing yards to a Big Ten opponent yet this season. Okay, granted, OSU spent the entire day scoring without letting Pryor even take a snap, and Minnesota and Michigan State are pretty miserable. Buuut then you look at Iowa's backfield and it's two guys splitting carries--neither of whom are named Jewel or Jeff or Shonn or LaDainian (hey, we can dream). They've been somewhat productive and they don't suck, but Brandon Wegher has been largely bottled up by good defenses, and Adam Robinson is just begging for a disastrous strip from behind with the way he runs the ball. They'll probably get to that 100-yard mark, just based on the way Iowa approaches a game, but 150 seems more than a little iffy. Also, their three combined first downs in the entire Michigan game are another disconcerting omen).

At the same time, Ferentz is still juggling his line, which is historically a bad omen for success, and Bryan Bulaga doesn't look like even an approximation of his dominant 2008 self. Whether it's his thyroid still bugging him or just rust or some nagging injury--whatever--he's not blowing guys off the ball anymore. NFL scouts can't be impressed--and, we're guessing, neither are Ferentz or Reese Morgan.

All of which is to say there isn't a ton going right for Iowa in this game. Scott Tolzien struggled mightily against OSU and their tough front seven, which bodes well for Iowa, but the odds that Sco-Tolz (we just made that nickname up, believe it or not) is going to throw a pick-six in another game in a row are probably so remote that... well, we'll probably have to call up George Wine for this one.

And why does it have to be an 11:00 a.m. game? Seriously, damn it guys. And it's at the same time as the Red River Shootout. Such bullshit.

Prediction time: The Hawks are going to have to be as stout as ever on defense, because the offense isn't likely to give them a ton of help. That's not to say there's no chance Iowa gets to 27 or 28 points, but it's far more likely that they struggle to get to half that total. And really, any team would struggle to put 13.5 points on a scoreboard.

Nearly every independent pundit is giving Wisconsin the win in a close game. We--okay, I--think it'll be something closer to 27-16. It's tough to trust Iowa to get into the end zone and make the most of their red zone opportunities, and this smallish defensive line is the perfect target for the line-em-up and run-straight-ahead John Clay attack. It makes us sick to write all that and we hope we're wrong.

Tougher Than the Rest

Bama Hawkeye — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:50:29 -0000

In 2003, after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes for the second straight season, one of the defensive linemen for the Michigan Wolverines (and it kills me that I can't find the man's name) made a fantastic statement about the Hawks. "I hate playing them, " he said. "They're the bullies of the Big Ten."

All that I could think as I watched Iowa's front seven push around Penn St. for the last three quarters of Saturday Night's game, was that the Bullies were back. As Kirk Herbstreit correctly noted during the broadcast, when Coach Ferentz has had his best teams, it's been seasons when the line play has been dominant. It's beginning to look like this is one of those years.

What follows is a look at some of the pretty amazing things that these Bullies of the Big Ten have been doing.

Here are five fun stats for you:

Only one team in college football has defeated a Top 5 ranked opponent in each of the last two seasons. The Iowa Hawkeyes.
Only one team in college football has won three games (with two of them on the road) against BCS conference opponents this season. The Iowa Hawkeyes.
Penn State, Arizona, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa - the four teams that Iowa has defeated this season - have a combined record of 12-4. That's right; the only team that each has lost to has been the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Penn State scored the last rushing touchdown against Iowa - in the third quarter of their game last year. That equates to more than 7 games (435 minutes and 29 seconds to be precise) without allowing a rushing touchdown.
Penn State dominated the first quarter of the game, holding the ball for more than 11 minutes and scoring in the two most excruciating ways. Long bomb? Check. Long drive? Check. However, over the last three quarters of the game, Iowa had the ball for 27:45. Penn State had it for only 17:15.

The defense has been awesome. Amari Spievey has developed into the best corner of the Ferentz era. The safeties, especially Tyler Sash, can ballhawk with the best of them. The linebackers seem to be in on every play. And the defensive line...do you remember that coming into the season, this was the question mark on the Iowa defense? As OPS noted at Black Heart Gold Pants:

There isn't a single starter on the line that didn't affect the game in a big way. Broderick Binns? 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, and consecutive ownings of DeOn'tae Pannell that led to an Iowa safety (this sealed Pannell's fate; he was benched shortly thereafter).Christian Ballard? Probably the most consistent resident of the PSU backfield, and he tipped the last INT to A.J. Edds, effectively ending Penn State's hopes. Karl Klug? Multiple big plays, not the least of which was recovering a Penn State fumble in Iowa territory in the fourth quarter... a good 30-40 yards or so from his spot on the field at the snap. And Adrian Clayborn? Oh, only two tackles and O HAI GAME WINNING TOUCHDOWN K THANX. Among the four, they badgered their linemen, the PSU backs, and Daryll Clark into enough miscues that when it came time to reclaim the lead, the Penn State offense really had no chance down the stretch.

Further--not that removing data is a great way to bolster your point, but bear with us for one second--excepting the 79-yard bomb to Chaz Powell, and combining lost fumbles and INTs into a generic turnover stat, here's an average of what the last 3 starting QBs have accomplished against the Iowa defense: 8-22, 83 yards, 0 TD, 3 TO.

So where can this Iowa team go from here? As every prognosticator and broadcaster has been contractually required to mention, Iowa faces the hardest road schedule in the Big Ten. They have to travel to Madison, where they'll meet a rejuvenated Badger squad. They have to travel to Michigan State, in a series where the home team has won every game since 1995. They have to travel to The Ohio State University, to face a team that they have beaten four times since LBJ became President. To put that in perspective, Iowa has more Big Ten titles than victories over Ohio State since 1963. The home schedule looks more manageable, which is more of a statement about the road trio awaiting than the home games against Michigan, Northwestern, Indiana, and Minnesota. So yes, the two-thirds of the road that remains looks difficult.

But if you think that Ricky Stanzi and his receivers can play better than they have, you could do worse than to think that Iowa may just win this thing. But if you see the running game starting to take shape, you could see the Hawks becoming more dangerous. But if you believe that defense wins championships, you could do worse than to believe in Iowa.

The Takeaway: Penn State

Oops Pow Surprise — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

2 months ago: In this photo taken Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, Penn State running back Evan Royster, left, is taken down by Iowa defenders Pat Angerer, center, and Karl Klug, right, during the first half of their NCAA football game in State College, Pa. Iowa's defense handed the Nittany Lions their first loss for the second-straight season. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Sure, Iowa just choked out Penn State, 21-10. But how much do we really know? What was really important about beating Penn State? What does it all mean, Basil? The Takeaway has the answer.

Goodbye, Kroul and Unusual Punishment; hello, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Good merciful heavens, the defensive line: There isn't a single starter on the line that didn't affect the game in a big way. Broderick Binns? 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, and consecutive ownings of DeOn'tae Pannell that led to an Iowa safety (this sealed Pannell's fate; he was benched shortly thereafter). Christian Ballard? Probably the most consistent resident of the PSU backfield, and he tipped the last INT to A.J. Edds, effectively ending Penn State's hopes. Karl Klug? Multiple big plays, not the least of which was recovering a Penn State fumble in Iowa territory in the fourth quarter... a good 30-40 yards or so from his spot on the field at the snap. And Adrian Clayborn? Oh, only two tackles and O HAI GAME WINNING TOUCHDOWN K THANX. Between the four, they badgered their linemen, the PSU backs, and Daryll Clark into enough miscues that when it came time to reclaim the lead, the Penn State offense really had no chance down the stretch.

This is, of course, to take nothing from the back 7. Where do you want to start? Amari Spievey atoning for his first-play scorching with more lights-out tackling and coverage? Shaun Prater for baiting Clark into a bad interception with the Nittany Lions in field goal range? Defensive player of the week Pat Angerer for his 14 tackles, pick--and its 38-yard return that set up Iowa's only offensive TD--and forced fumble? And didn't it seem like Jeremiha Hunter (12 tackles) was in on just about every play--especially those near the line of scrimmage? In fact...

Good merciful heavens, the entire defense: It's hard to think so after watching the UNI near-disaster, but might this defensive unit be even better than the epic 2002 and 2003 units? Not to overstate the obvious, but think of this: there's no good way to attack them.

Experts don't even recommend punting as a safe deterrent.

You want to pass? Great; here's the last three starting quarterbacks to challenge the Iowa secondary: 26-68, 1 TD, 327 yards, 8 INT. Further--not that removing data is a great way to bolster your point, but bear with us for one second--excepting the 79-yard bomb to Powell, and combining lost fumbles and INTs into a generic turnover stat, here's an average of what the last 3 starting QBs have accomplished against the Iowa defense: 8-22, 83 yards, 0 TD, 3 TO. You can add decimals if you need to, but whatever.

Then there's the run game. As Bellanca has noted multiple times, the game that started this win streak--last year's win over PSU--is also the last game in which Iowa has given up a rushing touchdown. Often, as with Minnesota and ISU, teams never come close. This game was no exception.

The reason? Defensive tenacity, and that absolutely must be a product of good, hard practicing. It's why even as Royster had gotten to the corner on a stretch play for a first down, the Iowa defenders didn't panic, instead poking the ball away and fielding it cleanly (not to put too fine a point on it, but the distance between Klug's spot at the snap and where he recovered the ball is about a 40-yard run away; that he was right there to be the first man to make the play is no accident). Yes, they gave up a 20-play drive in the first quarter, but look at it another way; PSU had to run 20 plays just to get 68 yards, and they only got three points for that effort. It was their last drive of over 40 yards for the game. In fact, one would think this Iowa team is unstoppable, except...

Good grief, the offense: Look, Ricky Stanzi did go 11-26 with two picks, but that included only about 1 1/5 Stanziballs and about 8 instances of receivers going Full Herb Grigsby. You never go Full Herb Grigsby. We can bitch about Paul Chaney Jr. dropping a 3rd down slant route or balls sailing off other receivers' hands, but what good does it do? Hell, Colin Sandeman literally kicked a dropped pass over to a Penn State player. How does that even happen?! In fact, you'd rarely think this when looking at a 11-26, 2 INT stat line in a crucial road game, but Ricky Stanzi actually took a big step forward in maintaining his discipline and composure. We wouldn't believe it if we didn't see it, either.

No offense, Mr. Robinson, but you're only in these pictures by accident.

That said, though, it's really obvious this offense hasn't had much cohesion thus far. If we were to ask you at the beginning of June what Iowa's record would be coming out of Happy Valley if the rocks of consistency thus far on the offensive line were Dace Richardson and Rafael Eubanks, you'd probably say 2-2, 3-1 with some luck. Then you'd shoot us in the face for the crimes of witchcraft and aggravated pessimism. Then let's toss in injuries to DJK, Jewel Hampton, Jeff Brinson, and Tony Moeaki. Y'know, just for good measure. It's downright miraculous that Stanzi hasn't bought a sword for decorative purposes; at that point, you may as well have written James Vandenberg in with a ballpoint pen.

Our point is this: the offense was pretty bad against Penn State. The problem wasn't three-and-outs, mind you; there was only one of those, and it came on that dropped slant route we mentioned earlier. In fact, a full five drives ended in Penn State territory in the first half alone; Iowa had three offensive points to show for them. That is wasted opportunity, and a situation that an average defense usually cannot rectify.

The solution, then, is health and/or consistency. Either Iowa gets back the guys it expected to start during summer practice, or the second-stringers become part of the first unit just so the same 11 guys can start practicing together. Give credit to Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher for combining for over 200 yards from scrimmage, but without a more productive offense as a whole, Iowa could in major trouble against tough defenses.

That all said, this is one of the great post-Evashevski Iowa wins. While you only need to look back to that fateful night in Kinnick last season for the last time Iowa knocked off a top 5 team, you'll have to go back to 1990 to find a similar performance on the road; that was at #5 Illinois. There, Nick Bell demolished an entire team en route to a decidedly non-fluky victory. Here, it was the Iowa defense's front seven doing the trick. There, Iowa parlayed it into the team's last trip to Pasadena, touching off a nearly 20-year drought (yes, 2002 should have broken that, but... y'know). Here, can Iowa similarly parlay a big-time road win to big-time bowl glory? No pressure or anything.

The "I" stands for "Fuck You."

(All images credited to Matthew Holst of the Press-Citizen)

Grading The Offense: Nittany Lions Put The Turd In Saturday

Run Up The Score — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:06:50 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

2 months ago: Iowa's Broderick Binns (91) closes in on Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark (17) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Seemed like it would be a pretty easy night after that first offensive play from scrimmage and the 20-play, ten-plus minute field goal drive, didn't it?

First, the drive chart (from espn.com):

When you hear the old cliche about football games being won in the trenches, Exhibit A should be Saturday night's game. On the 20-play drive, Penn State wasn't necessarily dominating Iowa's defensive line, but was certainly getting a consistent push. That trend slowly eroded toward the end of the drive, as Iowa generated increased pressure on Clark when Penn State entered the red zone. You can see what happened throughout the rest of the game.

Quarterback Grade: D. The numbers are horrific. 12/32, 198 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT. The opening strike to Chaz Powell was a thing of beauty, and Clark was perfectly fine on the field goal drive. As Iowa began getting pressure on Clark, however, he clearly couldn't deal with it. By the second half, Clark was simply imagining pressure in the rare instances that Iowa's defensive linemen weren't in the backfield. This led to a number of plainly awful throws on what should've been relatively simple throws. Even on Clark's final interception, which was deflected at the line by the tenacious Karl Klug, Clark tried to impossibly fit the ball into an area between three Iowa defenders. It never would've had a chance even if Klug didn't get a piece of it. Clark remains an above-average college quarterback, but he just doesn't perform well when things start to break down around him. Too many physical and mental mistakes under pressure. He's not a superstar, and it's time to acknowledge it.

Running Backs Grade: C-. Royster ran for 69 yards on 17 carries, but his fourth quarter fumble squashed Penn State's last, best chance at tying the game. It seems that the lack of blocking has taken its toll on Royster's decision making, as well. He's known for making the right cut at the right time, but it's not happening for him so far this season. His mishandling of a short Clark pass led to a backbreaking interception. Stephfon Green got a few series as the feature back. Nothing really happened.

Spectacular 100mph Train Crash Test (via diagonaluk)

Offensive Line Grade: D-. Yes, Iowa deserves credit here, but it's hard to oversell how awful Penn State's offensive line was in the final three quarters of the game. DeOnt'ae Pannell was utterly owned by Broderick Binns on two plays, the second of which led to Iowa's safety. Nerraw McCormack came in for Pannell on the next series and promptly drew a holding penalty that wiped out a big gain to Derek Moye. Stefen Wisniewski often looked lost, and his shotgun snaps are still consistently low, making Clark work a little harder to scan the field. His move to center seems like a worse idea as the weeks go by. This section could go on forever, so here's the summary: too often, the offensive line doesn't know who to block, and when they do know their assignments, they aren't getting the job done with alarming frequency. Temple caused them problems, so it's no surprise that Iowa blew them up. Spells big trouble against a team like Ohio State.

Wide Receivers: B-. Hard to get a read on their performance because there were so many breakdowns by the offensive line and quarterback. Chaz Powell created nice separation on his long touchdown catch and run. Derek Moye still looks very, very good. Everyone else was missing in action.

Coaching Grade: D. Hey, it's easy to say that the players on the offensive line aren't getting the job done, but it's up to the coaching staff to get the proper personnel on the field and make adjustments in protection. That never happened. Passing plays often too slow to develop, given the pressure that was being put on Clark. A stunning lack of emotion on the field, even when things were still going well.

Next Week: Illinois' defense was bad before they lost Martez Wilson for the season. If Penn State can't move the ball and score points against them, start planning on a third-tier bowl game in Orlando or Tampa.

It's Not Plagiarism If You Link To It Counts the Hours

Hawkeye State — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:15 -0000

Fun With Depth Charts. EEE DEPTH CHART IS OUT FOR WEEK ONE EEE (link PDF). A couple of notes:

APAKILYPSE NOW - In case you've been wandering through the barren wastelands of the Mongolian steppe since Friday afternoon and haven't heard, there is no mention of Jewel Hampton. There's an equal lack of Jeff Brinson and Brandon Wegher. The week one starting halfback is a former walk-on, and his backup was playing safety 6 months ago. Those drills they taught you in school aren't going to help; unless you have a fortified bomb shelter, it's probably better to sit on your porch, put on some sunglasses, and enjoy your last few moments on Earth as the shockwave from the PAKIBOMB washes over you.
DJKO'd - If it's a motivational tactic. it's being taken to absurd lengths: Marvin McNutt is starting at split end, and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is the backup. Either McNutt truly is the velcro-handed speed demon promised this spring, or Kirk Ferentz is playing an absurd game of chicken with a player poised to break every significant career receiving record in Iowa history. Neither would surprise me. (Oh, and Colin Sandeman is conspicuous in his absence from the entirety of the depth chart, while The Veep is backing up Stross).
The Icky Shuffle - Lord only knows what's going on with the offensive line, as injuries (Vandevelde) and suspensions (Calloway) change a group ranked tops in the conference by Phil Steele into a Three's Company rerun. Your starters, from left to right on your FM dial: Bulaga, Gettis, Eubanks, Doering, Richardson. Over/under on number of starters still playing in those positions by Penn State week: 2.5, and the under is the proper play. Subthoughts: Gettis is getting rave reviews and looks significantly bigger; KF told Rivals Friday ($$) that Eubanks had his best three weeks of practice since joining the program; the Doering/Richardson combo on the right fills me with melancholy, as the bookend tackles we were promised instead line up side-by-side for exactly one game, then retreat to diminished roles; the fact that Dace is playing tackle on those knees shows The Mad Russian isn't ready; Andy Kuempel just can't catch a fucking break.
Returning Starters - How did we not see this coming? Your punt returner is not Colin Sandeman. It's not Brandon Wegher. It's not Paul Chaney. It's obviously not Jewel Hampton. No, the returner is Amari Spievey (he'll also be handling kick returns with DAS PAKIBOMB). This is both brilliant (is there anyone on the roster that is more likely to break a big play?) and monumentally stupid. I love it with all my heart, and yet it is clearly even dumber than the hairbrained Jewel Hampton idea from earlier this summer. Not only is Spievey arguably the best player on the team, but there's this...
Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cornerbacks - I've been reading these depth charts for years, and there is always one thing that strikes fear deep into my black heart: The dreaded "or" line. Typically reserved for backups or genuine position battles, the "or" signifies mass hysteria in the ranks. It is also almost always a precursor to getting three names on the two-deep; if two guys occupy the same line, then a third name is needed to fill in the blanks. Well, not only is left cornerback carrying the dreaded "or" line, but there is no third name. Greg Castillo and Willie Lowe are co-starters, and the loser is the listed backup AT BOTH CORNER POSITIONS. Micah Hyde is nowhere to be found, and is almost certainly redshirting. Shaun Prater will serve his two-game suspension. We are, in essence, one catastrophic injury from starting a true sophomore and redshirt freshman at corner with no backups. Tell me again why we're sending Spievey out with a target on his jersey to catch an oblong ball out of the air and attempt to make 225-pound human lawn darts miss him.
Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was the Show? - No decision yet on backup QB; Ballard is officially listed at DT; kicker is a toss-up; Cody Hundertmark, long thought to be a potential starter at DT, is now backing up Broderick Binns at defensive end.

SANCTIONPORN. This weekend, I went to a party in North Liberty (clad in The Leman, of course, because I'm classy), drank a few beers, played some poker and table tennis, cleaned my kitchen, and caught up on my sleep. It was uneventful.

How was your weekend, Michigan?

The University of Michigan football team consistently has violated NCAA rules governing off-season workouts, in-season demands on players and mandatory summer activities under coach Rich Rodriguez, numerous players told the Free Press.

Players on the 2008 and 2009 teams described training and practice sessions that far exceeded limits set by the NCAA, which governs college athletics. The restrictions are designed to protect players’ well-being, ensure adequate study time and prevent schools from gaining an unfair competitive advantage.

The players, who did not want to be identified because they feared repercussions from coaches, said the violations occurred routinely at the direction of Rodriguez’s staff.

Of course, the upper peninsula of Blogfrica is losing its collective mind: MGoBlog got its spider monkey on, like Emilio Estevez at the end of Young Guns: They questioned the messenger, chronicled the allegations (in a completely reasonable and measured manner), took the word of two freshmen players' parents -- neither of which are directly involved with the team or college coaching in general, and one of which who admitted he hadn't yet read the article -- as gospel, then tortured and killed the messenger (Brian, you know I love you, but there's a Grand Fucking Canyon in the logic when the "nobody -- not the players, not the former players, not the reporter -- knows the rules" post is right next to the "these players' parents who are not affiliated with anything say we're totally cool and stuff" post.)

UPDATE: Reason and sanity, thy name is Cook.

No, it's Beuford (and Doc Saturday, and Rittenberg, and I think Brian in the initial post) who get this right: Sure, Rodriguez and Barwis probably bent the rules, but not significantly more than 90% of the programs in college football today; for instance, I will guarantee the Iowa guys are going through voluntary-but-not-really workouts with the training staff throughout the year and putting in ungodly hours during the season. The difference here is that Lloyd Carr didn't bend those rules (after all, his weight program was based on the muscle-building properties of mozzarella cheese), and so players at Michigan before Captain Snake Oil came to town are in the rare position of knowing the difference. Throw in a healthy dose of resistance to change and VOILA. It's not quite much ado about nothing, because there's probably going to be some sort of NCAA investigation in the middle of a football season, but it's as close as you can get when "NCAA investigation" is involved.

Sigh. Roy, Roy, Roy:

According to Iowa Courts Online records, [Roy Marble, Sr.] was arrested Monday in Cedar County and charged with driving while barred-habitual offender, driving with a denied or revoked license, distribution of ephedrine and possession of drug paraphernalia....

Marble, who played for the Iowa basketball team from 1985 to 1989 and remains the team's all-time leading career scorer, was stopped for speeding in Tipton, according to authorities. The drug-related charges were filed Tuesday, according to online court records.

Marble, 42, said a friend drove him and Marble's son, Roy Marble Jr., 16, from Cedar Rapids to Southfield, Mich., to take Roy Marble Jr. home. Marble's son is an incoming Iowa basketball recruit. Marble said his friend decided not to return to Iowa and that he had no choice but to drive his friend's car back Monday.

"I did not participate in any drug activity," he said. "I was not doing any drugs or drinking on the road."

Innocent until proven guily, it's all allegations, all that, sure. But we know what happened to Roy once he left Iowa, and given his recent problems -- he had a DUI in 2006 that led to the barred license, his business in Cedar Rapids was destroyed in the flood, and apparently he claims that he's borrowing cars from junkies to give his son a ride to Michigan -- this does not look good. Roy's post-Hawkeye career has always felt like a Shakespearian tragedy, and he's running out of time and opportunities for an ending that doesn't channel Hamlet.

Pat Harty, in his latest attempt to take Skip Bayless' job on ESPN, hops on his blog and writes 500 words about how Roy shouldn't put his son in situations like these, as if we needed to be told that a son might not be happy when his dad is arrested on drug charges. Thanks for that principled stand, Pat.

Footnotes:

Jayme Murphy is officially done at Iowa, after back surgery late last week. He was a terrormonster on special teams, but never found a position that stuck. Of course, it was probably that terrormonstering that caused the back injury in the first place.
Jayme might want to talk to Alex Kanellis, who had his career cut short by concussions. Kanellis chronicles his post-football life for the P-C ("I never looked past playing Iowa football. That's as far ahead as I ever thought.") Alex is now coaching the offensive line at Iowa City Regina under head coach Marv Cook.
On the eve of FRYFest, Hlas scores an interview with Bill Colbert, the guy who created the Tiger Hawk in 1979.
I'm not sure which is funnier: The sheer volume of errors in this post from Fargo, ND on the Iowa-ISU rivalry, or the fact that the Iowa State fan who posts a comment to chronicle the errors misspells his own head coach's name.

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.

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.