Well, we should all know the script by now...slow start and mistakes on offense, defense giving up a couple of long drives, getting down early, then making incredible adjustments at halftime, get the run game going, and buckling down on D. In the end, it's the recipe for another Hawkeye victory.
Stars of the Game:
Offense - Tony Moeaki
I could easily make an argument for Stanzi or DJK who both had great games. (Stanzi was 17/23 for 218 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT...that's right no interceptions. DJK had a his best game of the year with game high 8 reception for 113 yards.) Moeaki though came up with a couple of huge plays that really impacted the outcome of the game. On two third downs in the second half, Moeaki made big catches...the first was a 24 yard touchdown on a 3rd and 7 that allowed Iowa to tie the score at 10 a piece. The second was a 27 yard pickup on a 3rd and 13 that kept a drive going that ultimately ended with a field goal that put the Hawks up by 10 sealing the deal.
Defense - Amari Spievey
It's nothing new for Spievey to have an excellent game...he has been doing so all year. But today he came up with his first and second interception of the season (the second was particualrly spectacular and ended any hopes for Wisconsin late in the 4th quarter). He was also excellent in run support racking up 6 tackles.
Keys of the Game:
Third Down Conversions
In the second half, Iowa was excellent converting on 3rd downs getting 5 of 9 in the half after converting just 1 of 6 in the first half. Moeaki's touchdown catch was on a 3rd down, and Iowa converted 3 other 3rd and longs including the other long Moeaki catch.
Iowa's defense was also very good on 3rd down holding Wisconsin to just 3 of 12. Whether it was a sack (Iowa has 4 in the game), an interception, or just an incomplete pass...Iowa found a way to stop the Badgers on 3rd down.
Half Time Adjustments
I don't know what the coaches say at halftime, but it seems every week Iowa makes great adjustments at the break. After giving up 89 rushing yards and 172 total yards in the first half, the defense stepped up and held the Badgers to -2 rushing yards in the second half (yes negative rushing yards for the Big Ten's best running team) and just 58 total yards. Wisconsin only had 3 first downs the entire second half and didn't score a point.
The offense also played much better in the second half. The offensive line got it going a little bit after a terrible first half and Adam Robinson had a couple of nice runs, including the 10 yard go ahead touchdown. Stanzi also had an amazing second half, maybe his best half of the season. He was 11 of 13 for 162 yards with 1 touchdown. That's a QB rating of 214.7. Second-half Stanzi struck again and it amazes me that the trend just keeps on going. One of these days he's going to put together a complete game...and watch out, it could be a blow out.
Archive page 103
Pregame Wisconsin
Kickoff is in just a half hour for the biggest matchup of the week in the Big Ten. Iowa (6-0!) takes on Wisconsin (5-1) in a battle that could help decide the conference champion. Wisconsin has a very easy road ahead with the toughest game against Michigan, where Iowa still plays at Michigan State and at Ohio State. But a 1 or 2 loss team could definitely win the Big Ten this year.
The need to know:
What: #11 Iowa at Wisconsin
Where: Camp Randall, Madison, WI
When: 11:00 AM, October 17, 2009
TV: ESPN
Scouting Wisconsin:
IOWA DEFENSE vs WISCONSIN OFFENSE
Looking at the stats, Wisconsin looks like it would have the edge when running the ball. They average just over 200 yards a game, best in the B10, average 4.6 yards per carry. Iowa, on the other hand is giving up 134 yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry. However, Iowa thus far has been content putting only 5 or 6 guys in the box against all the spread looks they've seen. Against Wisconsin though, they will see a more traditional look with TEs and HBs. This will allow Iowa to use their 4-3 under/over type looks on D and cram the box (as much as Iowa ever does). I don't expect Wisconsin to have a huge day on the ground.
Wisconsin has had good success throwing the ball this year as well. Scott Tolzien has completed 64.1% of his passes and has a 9:5 TD:INT ratio. It's no secret though how good Iowa has been defending the pass though and the one game (OSU last week) that Tolzien faced a good defense he struggled. He threw 2 interceptions returned for TDs and never really got the offense going.
IOWA OFFENSE vs WISCONSIN DEFENSE
Interesting stat alert: Wisconsin gives up 25.7 points per game and Iowa scores 25.7 points per game. Actually if you look down all the Iowa O vs Wisconsin D stats, they look pretty even. It should be a good challenge for both teams. Hopefully Iowa's offense comes together this week. It was this time last year, that everything started clicking. The offensive line continues to shuffle, but I think Ferentz may have found a winning combination in Bulaga, Rieff, Eubanks, Richardson, and Calloway. Wisconsin has been okay against the run (giving up 122 yards per game), but this could be the week that Iowa breaks out.
Obviously Ricky Stanzi is going to need a good game and needs to avoid interceptions. Wisconsin's defense has giving up a lot of passing yards, but like Iowa, has been taking advantage of poor throws with 9 interceptions on the year. Iowa also needs to worry about the Badger pass rush with two excellent defensive ends.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS
Wisconsin has been pretty solid on ST this year. Their kicker, Welch, has been about like Murray and is 7-12 on the year. Most of his misses have come from beyond 40 yards. Their punter has also been good averaging over 44 yards a punt.
OUTLOOK
Let's hope this doesn't turn into a battle of the pick six as both Stanzi and Tolzien are prone to throw. I think this is the game that Iowa's offense starts clicking and is able to ground out some yards with Robinson and Wegher. Field position will also play a big roll and I think Iowa has the edge there. Lastly, I think Tolzien will get rattled by Iowa's excellent secondary. Hopefully an early interception will shake his confidence.
PREDICTION
Iowa 27 - Wisconsin 20
The need to know:
What: #11 Iowa at Wisconsin
Where: Camp Randall, Madison, WI
When: 11:00 AM, October 17, 2009
TV: ESPN
Scouting Wisconsin:
IOWA DEFENSE vs WISCONSIN OFFENSE
Looking at the stats, Wisconsin looks like it would have the edge when running the ball. They average just over 200 yards a game, best in the B10, average 4.6 yards per carry. Iowa, on the other hand is giving up 134 yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry. However, Iowa thus far has been content putting only 5 or 6 guys in the box against all the spread looks they've seen. Against Wisconsin though, they will see a more traditional look with TEs and HBs. This will allow Iowa to use their 4-3 under/over type looks on D and cram the box (as much as Iowa ever does). I don't expect Wisconsin to have a huge day on the ground.
Wisconsin has had good success throwing the ball this year as well. Scott Tolzien has completed 64.1% of his passes and has a 9:5 TD:INT ratio. It's no secret though how good Iowa has been defending the pass though and the one game (OSU last week) that Tolzien faced a good defense he struggled. He threw 2 interceptions returned for TDs and never really got the offense going.
IOWA OFFENSE vs WISCONSIN DEFENSE
Interesting stat alert: Wisconsin gives up 25.7 points per game and Iowa scores 25.7 points per game. Actually if you look down all the Iowa O vs Wisconsin D stats, they look pretty even. It should be a good challenge for both teams. Hopefully Iowa's offense comes together this week. It was this time last year, that everything started clicking. The offensive line continues to shuffle, but I think Ferentz may have found a winning combination in Bulaga, Rieff, Eubanks, Richardson, and Calloway. Wisconsin has been okay against the run (giving up 122 yards per game), but this could be the week that Iowa breaks out.
Obviously Ricky Stanzi is going to need a good game and needs to avoid interceptions. Wisconsin's defense has giving up a lot of passing yards, but like Iowa, has been taking advantage of poor throws with 9 interceptions on the year. Iowa also needs to worry about the Badger pass rush with two excellent defensive ends.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS
Wisconsin has been pretty solid on ST this year. Their kicker, Welch, has been about like Murray and is 7-12 on the year. Most of his misses have come from beyond 40 yards. Their punter has also been good averaging over 44 yards a punt.
OUTLOOK
Let's hope this doesn't turn into a battle of the pick six as both Stanzi and Tolzien are prone to throw. I think this is the game that Iowa's offense starts clicking and is able to ground out some yards with Robinson and Wegher. Field position will also play a big roll and I think Iowa has the edge there. Lastly, I think Tolzien will get rattled by Iowa's excellent secondary. Hopefully an early interception will shake his confidence.
PREDICTION
Iowa 27 - Wisconsin 20
Friday Night Recruit Roundup: 7
The Hawkeyes picked up a couple more defensive linemen commits this week (and I hope to get their bios up later), but the story of this week is the continued dominance by the Hawkeye's couple of star commits...Coker, Morris, and Derby. The 3 combined for 10 touchdowns and around 600 yards of offense.
Marcus Coker: DeMatha 24 - Good Counsel 21
DeMatha needed 3 Marcus Coker touchdowns in the 4th quarter to squeak by Good Counsel. Coker saved the day with a 64 yard TD at the end of the game. He also racked up 213 yards on 23 carries. In the 6 games thus far this year, Coker has run the ball 114 time for 1,279 yards and 17 touchdowns (3 TDs each in the last 3 games).
Jim Poggi & Anthony Ferguson: Gilman 12 - Calvert Hall 21
Gilman couldn't get its offense going as Calvert Hall held them 28 points below their season average.
Christian Kirksey & Don Shumpert: Hazelwood East 32 – Ritenour 14
After losing the first 4 games of the season, Hazelwood East has now won 3 in a row. Kirksey had a team high 12 tackles and recovered a fumble. Shumpert also had a good game catching 2 touchdown passes and recording 5 tackles.
Andrew Donnal: Anthony Wayne 0 - Perrysburg 17
Anthony Wayne was blanked by the Yellow Jackets and committed 4 turnovers in their 3rd loss of the year.
Austin Vier: Ballard 14 - Carroll 28
Ballard gave up 21 points in the 2nd quarter and was on the losing side for the first time this year falling to Carrol by 2 scores. Vier was just 14 of 29 for 157 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.
Mike Hardy: Kimberly 28 – Oshkosh West 21
Kimberly scored 21 first half points and held off a late rally from Oshkosh West to preserve the victory. The Papermaker offense ran for 274 yards and passed for another 105.
James Morris: Solon 61 – Camanche 8
Solon and James Morris continue their dominance in Iowa Class 2A. Solon moves to 7-0 on the year...also perfect was Morris at quarterback (for the second tim going 8 for 8 passing. He threw for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns and also rushed for another 92 yards and a TD on just 5 carries. Also this scoring was done in the first half as well! It was 61-0 at halftime before Solon let off the gas.
Matt Hoch: Harlan 49 - Clarke 0
Harlan shuts out its opponent for the second straight week rolling over Clarke by 7 TDs.
Louis Trinca-Pasat: Lane Tech 35 – Dunbar 20
Lane Tech jumped out to a 28 point first quarter lead and never looked back. Lane Tech used its power running game to dominate the game.
Brandon Scherff: Denison 28 – Lincoln Central 14
Denison won its second straight game moving to 3-4 on the year. They took advantage of a poor Lincoln Central team (1-6) to get the 2 score victory.
A.J. Derby: City High 34 – CR Prairie 0
A.J. Derby accounted for 4 touchdowns, 2 passing and 2 on the ground, and the Little Hawk defense blanked Prairie in a 34-0 beatdown. City High moves to 7-0 on the year and Derby continues to tear apart the Mississippi Valley.
Stephane N’goumou Milford 48 – Army Prep 40
Milford Academy won in a shootout against Army Prep. N'goumou's name is nowhere to be found again in the stats. Maybe he's hurt of just not playing. He has only 1 catch on the year at Milford.
B.J. Lowery Hughes Center 14 – Western Hills 7
Hughes Center won just its second game of the year against Western Hills.
De’Andre Johnson Monsignor 20 – North Miami Beach 8
Johnson out again. Monsignor, though, rode its defense to a victory over North Miami Beach.
Previous Recruit Roundup:
Marcus Coker: DeMatha 24 - Good Counsel 21
DeMatha needed 3 Marcus Coker touchdowns in the 4th quarter to squeak by Good Counsel. Coker saved the day with a 64 yard TD at the end of the game. He also racked up 213 yards on 23 carries. In the 6 games thus far this year, Coker has run the ball 114 time for 1,279 yards and 17 touchdowns (3 TDs each in the last 3 games).
Jim Poggi & Anthony Ferguson: Gilman 12 - Calvert Hall 21
Gilman couldn't get its offense going as Calvert Hall held them 28 points below their season average.
Christian Kirksey & Don Shumpert: Hazelwood East 32 – Ritenour 14
After losing the first 4 games of the season, Hazelwood East has now won 3 in a row. Kirksey had a team high 12 tackles and recovered a fumble. Shumpert also had a good game catching 2 touchdown passes and recording 5 tackles.
Andrew Donnal: Anthony Wayne 0 - Perrysburg 17
Anthony Wayne was blanked by the Yellow Jackets and committed 4 turnovers in their 3rd loss of the year.
Austin Vier: Ballard 14 - Carroll 28
Ballard gave up 21 points in the 2nd quarter and was on the losing side for the first time this year falling to Carrol by 2 scores. Vier was just 14 of 29 for 157 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.
Mike Hardy: Kimberly 28 – Oshkosh West 21
Kimberly scored 21 first half points and held off a late rally from Oshkosh West to preserve the victory. The Papermaker offense ran for 274 yards and passed for another 105.
James Morris: Solon 61 – Camanche 8
Solon and James Morris continue their dominance in Iowa Class 2A. Solon moves to 7-0 on the year...also perfect was Morris at quarterback (for the second tim going 8 for 8 passing. He threw for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns and also rushed for another 92 yards and a TD on just 5 carries. Also this scoring was done in the first half as well! It was 61-0 at halftime before Solon let off the gas.
Matt Hoch: Harlan 49 - Clarke 0
Harlan shuts out its opponent for the second straight week rolling over Clarke by 7 TDs.
Louis Trinca-Pasat: Lane Tech 35 – Dunbar 20
Lane Tech jumped out to a 28 point first quarter lead and never looked back. Lane Tech used its power running game to dominate the game.
Brandon Scherff: Denison 28 – Lincoln Central 14
Denison won its second straight game moving to 3-4 on the year. They took advantage of a poor Lincoln Central team (1-6) to get the 2 score victory.
A.J. Derby: City High 34 – CR Prairie 0
A.J. Derby accounted for 4 touchdowns, 2 passing and 2 on the ground, and the Little Hawk defense blanked Prairie in a 34-0 beatdown. City High moves to 7-0 on the year and Derby continues to tear apart the Mississippi Valley.
Stephane N’goumou Milford 48 – Army Prep 40
Milford Academy won in a shootout against Army Prep. N'goumou's name is nowhere to be found again in the stats. Maybe he's hurt of just not playing. He has only 1 catch on the year at Milford.
B.J. Lowery Hughes Center 14 – Western Hills 7
Hughes Center won just its second game of the year against Western Hills.
De’Andre Johnson Monsignor 20 – North Miami Beach 8
Johnson out again. Monsignor, though, rode its defense to a victory over North Miami Beach.
Previous Recruit Roundup:
Post-Presser Thoughts
There's another injury and more shuffling along the offensive line. These things are holding back the offensive, but it is amazing to think that the O hasn't clicked yet and the Hawks are still 6-0 (thank you defense and special teams).
Paul Chaney Jr. Out
Kirk Ferentz announced today in his presser that Chaney is out for the year with a torn ACL. He injured his knee during the Michigan game and I swear I saw him come back in the game, but it swelled up after the game and an MRI revealed that the ACL was damaged and surgery would be needed.
With Chaney out expect to see more Keenan Davis and Colin Sandeman. Sandeman will probably be the punt returner as he had a couple of nice returns including a 20-yarder at the beginning of the 4th quarter that set up the game-sealing touchdown.
Riley Rieff to Start
The latest depth chart shows a new look on the offensive line. Julian Vandervelde has been replaced by Rieff as the new starting left guard. You have to think that the injury and surgery in the off-season hurt Vandervelde's development. He did not look particularly good last week (and I didn't really get a chance to see how he played against UM). Reiff, however, was excellent when filling in for Bulaga and that experience has helped him earn a spot on the line. He played guard some before the season started and saw some time there this past week. Ferentz says it'll be more of a rotation this week for the guards (so nobody is really a lock at starter).
Paul Chaney Jr. Out
Kirk Ferentz announced today in his presser that Chaney is out for the year with a torn ACL. He injured his knee during the Michigan game and I swear I saw him come back in the game, but it swelled up after the game and an MRI revealed that the ACL was damaged and surgery would be needed.
With Chaney out expect to see more Keenan Davis and Colin Sandeman. Sandeman will probably be the punt returner as he had a couple of nice returns including a 20-yarder at the beginning of the 4th quarter that set up the game-sealing touchdown.
Riley Rieff to Start
The latest depth chart shows a new look on the offensive line. Julian Vandervelde has been replaced by Rieff as the new starting left guard. You have to think that the injury and surgery in the off-season hurt Vandervelde's development. He did not look particularly good last week (and I didn't really get a chance to see how he played against UM). Reiff, however, was excellent when filling in for Bulaga and that experience has helped him earn a spot on the line. He played guard some before the season started and saw some time there this past week. Ferentz says it'll be more of a rotation this week for the guards (so nobody is really a lock at starter).
Thoughts on Michigan
I'm finally getting the chance to sit down a write about my experience at the homecoming game. (I've got some family stuff, not a death or anything but I am writing this from the hospital. Anyway I'm busy never-the-less with my fatherly duties this week and the upcoming couple of weeks). I had an amazing time on Saturday. I sat directly behind the uprights in the north endzone in row 0, so I was right behind the alumni marching band. The seats were awesome for the 2 Moeaki touchdowns, and not so great for all the plays on the south end of the field. I thought the crowd was very good too. It was very loud, at least from where I was, when Iowa was on defense, and I think the noise had something to do with the timeout that Michigan had to burn early in the 4th quarter (one that they really could have used at the end of the game). Anyway, I haven't had a chance to rewatch the game yet, so I don't have any great analysis.
First off, though, it is absolutely great to have Moeaki back and healthy. He won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award for his 6 catches for 105 yards and 2 big touchdowns. His 2 touchdowns were beautiful. I know on the first, Stanzi checked to the play when he saw an all-out blitz coming. Great decision by Stanzi. For the most part I thought he had a good game. Sure that first pass was terrible, but he led the team to its 10th straight victory. I was particularly happy with his long ball again, which he seemed to find last week for the first time this year. I think that 47 yard pass to DJK on 3rd and 24 was a real momentum changer and the Wegher touchdown that followed put Iowa up for good. Also, Stanzi did a lot without much support from the run game. Iowa only had 8 rushing yards in the first half, but still put up 20 points. In the second half the run game got going a little and that helped burn some time off the clock.
Defensively, I thought the team played really well again. They only gave up 21 points (7 were from the Stanzi pick six) and really made Michigan work for its points. The 5 turnovers were really the key though defensively. It seemed whenever the Wolverienes got a little momentum the defense (or special teams on that fumbled punt) would come up with a big play. I'll admit, if I were a UM fan I'd probably say that UM gave the game away with a couple of those turnovers. Forcier basically handed the ball to the Hawks on that fumble on what looked like a pump fake, and that interception to end the game was an atrocious pass. But, Iowa's defense deserves quite a bit of the credit. Even that long drive at the end of the game when Robinson ran all over, the defense at least bent and bent and bent before it broke, chewing up valuable time.
In all, it was just another Iowa victory...I may not be pretty but they are getting the job done. The team moves to 6-0 and has now won 10 straight (2nd in the country) for the first time since the early 1920s. The victory also moved Iowa up in the polls, going to 11 in the AP and 12 in the coaches (even moved ahead of Penn State!). Next up is Wisconsin and Michigan State on the road. If Iowa gets throse too tough away games, then they're sitting pretty with 3 of the final 4 games at home with Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota (and OSU on the road).
First off, though, it is absolutely great to have Moeaki back and healthy. He won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award for his 6 catches for 105 yards and 2 big touchdowns. His 2 touchdowns were beautiful. I know on the first, Stanzi checked to the play when he saw an all-out blitz coming. Great decision by Stanzi. For the most part I thought he had a good game. Sure that first pass was terrible, but he led the team to its 10th straight victory. I was particularly happy with his long ball again, which he seemed to find last week for the first time this year. I think that 47 yard pass to DJK on 3rd and 24 was a real momentum changer and the Wegher touchdown that followed put Iowa up for good. Also, Stanzi did a lot without much support from the run game. Iowa only had 8 rushing yards in the first half, but still put up 20 points. In the second half the run game got going a little and that helped burn some time off the clock.
Defensively, I thought the team played really well again. They only gave up 21 points (7 were from the Stanzi pick six) and really made Michigan work for its points. The 5 turnovers were really the key though defensively. It seemed whenever the Wolverienes got a little momentum the defense (or special teams on that fumbled punt) would come up with a big play. I'll admit, if I were a UM fan I'd probably say that UM gave the game away with a couple of those turnovers. Forcier basically handed the ball to the Hawks on that fumble on what looked like a pump fake, and that interception to end the game was an atrocious pass. But, Iowa's defense deserves quite a bit of the credit. Even that long drive at the end of the game when Robinson ran all over, the defense at least bent and bent and bent before it broke, chewing up valuable time.
In all, it was just another Iowa victory...I may not be pretty but they are getting the job done. The team moves to 6-0 and has now won 10 straight (2nd in the country) for the first time since the early 1920s. The victory also moved Iowa up in the polls, going to 11 in the AP and 12 in the coaches (even moved ahead of Penn State!). Next up is Wisconsin and Michigan State on the road. If Iowa gets throse too tough away games, then they're sitting pretty with 3 of the final 4 games at home with Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota (and OSU on the road).