All the important polls are starting to come out and I'll post about it once the BCS Standings are released tonight. But for now, look at the crazy ESPNU Fan Rankings (the poll probably only has 1 vote so far from some disgruntled TCU fan, but it's still funny).
Texas, Florida, Alabama, and USC all at the bottom....that's what I like to see.
I'll admit that I had my doubts after Blair White caught that touchdown, but my wife assured me that the Hawkeyes would be able to drive down and score for the win. 70 yard with 1:32 left is not an easy task and to say Stanzi play was struggling at that point would have been an understatement. To be fair, though, the receivers were no giving him much help.
Up until the last drive, Stanzi was just 7 of 18 for 78 yard with no TDs. And, really he had one beautiful pass down the sideline to DJK for 32 yards that set up a field goal...take that away and he really did nothing. It seemed like the coaches had given up on the pass game, but obviously with just a minute and a half left, you are going to have to throw the ball. Then, Second Half Stanzi emerged. On the final drive Stanzi was 4 of 9 for 60 yards including the perfectly placed, game-winning, touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt on the final play of the game. Just to note as well, the offensive line did an outstanding job of blocking on that final drive especially at the end when MSU was blitzing like crazy.
On the other side of the ball, I thought the defense played really well all game. They had a big stop when MSU had 1st and Goal from the 1 in the 3rd quarter. They also were able to keep Cousins (the B10's leader in passing efficiency) in check pretty much all day (except that TD to White which I think was on Sash...can't really blame them for the hook and ladder play though). I was very confident that the defense would step up and stop the Spartans after the go-ahead field goal with just under 3 minutes left...and then especially so after those two sacks. I was wrong, but still think the defense did well.
Stars of the Game:
Offense - Marvin McNutt A week after jamming his thumb he comes up with 2 huge catches on the final drive including the game winner. I read that McNutt told the coaches that his defender was playing the outside and that he could get position on a slant. O'Keefe trusted McNutt and called his number. McNutt then ran the perfect route, used his body to shield Spartan's defensive back Chris Rucker, and then hauled in the pass from Stanzi.
Defense - Adrian Clayborn Clayborn only had 4 tackles on the day but they were all big plays. He had 2 sacks and another tackle for loss in which he forced a fumble. His first sack came in the second quarter when Michigan State had a 3rd and 2 from Iowa's 30. Clayborn's sack pushed the Spartans back 10 yards and out of field goal range. His other sack came on the first drive of the second half. MSU was once again driving and around midfield, but Clayborn got to Cousins once again on a 3rd and 11.
Special Teams - Daniel Murray I haven't done a "star of the game" for the special teams before, but Murray was very deserving this week. He hit 3 field goals of 37, 20, and 20 yards, that in such a low scoring defensive game were very key.
Keys of the Game:
Time Consuming Drives In the 4th quarter with the game on the line, Iowa held the ball for 11:33 on 3 drives that all led to scores. The Hawks had a 12 play 48 yard drive ending with a field goal (it really started in the 3rd quarter), an 11 play 72 yard drive with another field goal, then the goal winning 10 play 70 yard drive that ended with a touchdown. By contrast, Michigan State had only 11 plays in the quarter on 2 drives. A lot of credit goes to Adam Robinson and the offensive line as Iowa ran the ball 14 times for 60 yards.
Next Man In It's been Iowa's motto for some time now, but I can't think of a game where it applied more. The Hawkeyes were dropping like flies yesterday. First to go down was Dace Richardson. He broke a bone in his leg. It was a sad sight as Richardson has battled injuries his whole career and was finally getting back into form. Word is he could be back for the Ohio State game, but only time will tell. Julian Vandervelde, who has started a few games this year before being replaced by Reiff, did well in Richardson place.
Another big injury was to Greenwood, who got hit with some friendly fire from Sash when they both went in for a tackle. I would think it was a concussion, but could be a neck injury. Hopefully it is nothing too serious. In his place, Joe Conklin stepped up getting his first meaning playing time. I think he got beat in coverage once (that I noticed) but did well otherwise.
Colin Sandeman got rocked by a helmet-to-helmet hit in the 4th quarter that was called penalized. (MSU fans are not too happy about the call and claim it's the "worst officiated game" they've ever seen. It looked like the penalty was warranted to me, but what do I know.) Anyway, it looked like Sandeman was knocked out cold, but he was able to get up and walk off the field. From that point on, McNutt, Stross, and DJK were the receivers in the game, and we know what they did.
Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher were both shaken up Saturday. Robinson hurt his ankle at the very end of the game, and Wegher sat out much of the second and third quarters. I'm not really sure what is going on with either of them, but hopefully they will be healthy next week.
I think that's it for injuries...at least I hope so. That was just brutal.
Final Thought This Morning (almost afternoon now):
I love this Hawkeye football team. They just find ways to win. It will be special teams one week, defense the next, and then the offense the next. Today it was Stanzi and the offense saving the day. Now they are 8-0 for the first time ever and the dream is still alive.
Oh these night games...I have to sit around waiting anxiously all day. I am watching Iowa State beat Nebraska without their starting QB or running back (though Nebraska's offense has completely imploded at this point) and keeping tabs on Ohio State vs. Minnesota (the Gophers need to stop shooting themselves in the foot and start playing some offense!). Anyway, I am very ready for the game tonight and think it can be a breakout game for Iowa offensively (though I only predicted 27 points I think it could certainly be higher) and it will hopefully give the Hawks some love from the media and voters. I broke down the game by the numbers a couple of days ago and think Iowa should definitely have the advantage.
The need to know:
What: #12 Iowa at Michigan State Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI When: 6:00 PM October 24, 2009 TV: BTN
Other thoughts on Michigan State:
Injuries Both Spartan quarterbacks are battling injuries. The two, Cousins and Nichol have been splitting time this year but Nichol was out last week against Northwestern after hurting his arm. Cousins is also not 100% with an ankle injury that happened against Michigan. Still, both are expected to play after practicing this week.
Michigan State is also without running back Glenn Winston who was averaging about 10 carries and 35 yards per game before injuring his knee against Illinois.
Players to Watch
WR Blair White -White leads the Spartans in receptions and receiving yards this year and is coming off a huge game against Northwestern in which he had 12 catches for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. It will be up to Spievey to shut White down.
RB Larry Caper - Caper hasn't been a workhorse back like Ringer was last year, but with Winston's injury he has had a bigger roll. In the last 3 games he has 4 touchdowns. So expect his number to be called if Michigan State manages to get down in the red zone.
LB Greg Jones - Simply put Jones is a tackling machine. He has 85 tackles on the season including 8.5 for loss. He also has 5 sacks and 5 more QB hurries.
DE Trevor Anderson - Iowa's tackles have struggled the past couple weeks with the elite defensive ends in the B10 (Graham and Schofield). This week brings another challenge with Anderson. He has 5 tackles for loss on the year and 2.5 sacks.
One good thing about late kickoffs is that I get to spend the earlier part of the day checking in on other games around the Big Ten and the rest of the country. And, as the season wears on, it is looking more and more like Iowa has a legitimate shot at the Big Ten title and maybe more, which piques my interest in other games that will shape the championship picture. So here are the games that I'll be keeping my eye on through the day.
Big Ten Race:
Penn State at Michigan - 2:30 PM ABC The good news is, that if Iowa loses a game and PSU is the only other 1-loss team in the B10, Iowa wins the head-to-head tie breaker. However, it would be very nice to actually win the title outright, something Iowa hasn't done since 1985. Of course, Iowa winning out would be the ideal.
Anyway, this is a really interesting match up as Penn State has had its troubles against Michigan. And really, the only good team they have faced so far this year is Iowa and we know what happened there. So, we don't know a lot of the Nittany Lions yet, but it would at least seem that they have a good defense. Michigan however, has already been in tough games and shown what they can do. They have a very good offense and have been outstanding late in games. So, it's PSU's D versus Michigan's O...should be a good match up.
Minnesota at Ohio State - 11:00 AM ESPN If Ohio State wins out, then they will go to the Rose Bowl. So obviously a loss would give Iowa a little breathing room. Of course Iowa can taking care of business in Ohio Stadium in a couple weeks is the best case scenario.
I am curious to see how OSU and Pryor respond to the loss last week to Purdue. You would think that they would come out looking for blood. But, if things start going bad early, the team may collapse. Either way the game goes, expect it to be low scoring. Both offenses have been struggling and are at the bottom of the conference in total yards on offense (OSU 10, Minn 11). They also rank in the bottom half of the conference in 3rd down %, completion %, and QB rating.
National Championship Race:
Florida at Mississippi State - 6:30 PM ESPN Florida hasn't exactly looked great lately, but it would take a monster effort by Mississippi State to pull off this upset. The one glimmer of hope they have is that Florida could be without 3 defensive starters including the outstanding linebacker Brandon Spikes. The other injured players are along the line, so the front 7 could struggle a bit. If the Bulldogs can grind out some drive on the ground and keep Tebow off the field, they might, just maybe, have a shot.
Texas at Missouri - 7:00 PM ABC Texas has completely owned Missouri winning 14 of their last 15 match ups. However, Texas hasn't been playing outstanding lately struggling to beat a not very good Oklahoma team (why are they still ranked?) and trailing Colorado at halftime. Missouri cruising threw the non-conference schedule but has struggled against B12 goes Nebraska and OK State. Still Missouri has enough talent that it has a chance to challenge Texas if McCoy has a game like last week.
USC vs. Oregon State - 7:00 PM ABC I hate to think a USC team with a loss to Washington has a chance to play in the BCS title game (they had better not jump Iowa if the Hawkeyes win out), but it is certainly a possibility. Oregon State has had USC's number the past couple of years winning 2 of the last 3, and the team this year certainly looks capable. Their only losses are to a good Arizona team and undefeated Cincinnati. USC's defense got exposed a little bit at the end of the Notre Dame game last week, but is still on of the best in the country. Oregon State will have a tough time getting 3 of 4.
Alabama vs. Tennessee - 2:30 PM CBS Alabama has been the most dominant team this year with a decent (probably better than decent really) offense and an outstanding defense. Their closest game was the season opener against a good Virgina Tech team that Bama won by 10. Their average game has been 35-12. Tennessee has been very average this year and is 3-3. Though, in their last game against Georgia 2 weeks ago, senior QB Jon Crompton got in going and led the Vols to a huge victory. If he can play like that against a much tougher Alabama defense, then Tennessee may have a chance.
Cincinnati vs. Louisville - 2:30 PM ESPNU I think the odds are not very good for Cincinnati to get to the championship game but it is certainly possible. The real question this week though, is the status of QB Tony Pike who has been outstanding thus far this season. He's currently said to be "day-to-day" but did practice on Thursday a little. He has accounted for about 60% of the Bearcat's offense, so if he's a no-go, it will be interesting to see how they do. Louisville though has been really bad this year and is just 2-4. So Cincinnati may not have any trouble even if Pike sits.
