In case you missed the mini press conference with Kirk Ferentz at the Big Ten Media Days, I've posted the video here. Coach Ferentz does have a lot of exciting information, but to his credit he answered the questions the best he could. Seriously, who do they have asking these question? "Did you guys beat an SEC team in the bowl game last year?" Yeah, it was South Carolina idiot. Why are you asking dumb questions about the SEC anyway? This is the Big Ten Media Days.

Anyway, it's still worth watching the video and if you want to read the transcript it can be found here. I'll have more on the first day of Media Days later tonight so check back.

I just watched the Shrine Bowl and I'm just thrilled I got to see some actual football. Even better though, I got to see some future Hawkeyes play for the first time. I already posted about Wyatt Suess, but now have some updates on 3 more players: Brett Van Sloten, Drew Clark, and Jordan Cotton.

Brett Van Sloten:
Van Sloten is an offensive tackle and was playing for the North team. What really stood out to me was his pass blocking ability. I don't recall him getting beat at all on a passing play though the defense wasn't allowed to stunt or blitz. He's got some good size at 6'7", 270 and it showed on the field. He had no problem over-powering the South's defensive ends. Van Sloten also handled the punting duties for the North. I don't think there's any chance he'll be punting for Iowa, but he did have a few nice kicks.

Drew Clark:
Clark played tackle opposite of Van Sloten on the North's offensive line. He looked really quick for a lineman. He consistently was getting to the second level on run plays and was effective when pulled on counter plays. I did notice him whiff on some of his blocks though and one time I'm pretty sure he ran right over his teammate. But, when he did get on his block he looked very good clearing the way for the North's running backs.

Jordan Cotton:
Cotton had a very good game for the South. He was a wingback in the game and will be a wide receiver at Iowa. Cotton showed his quickness today catching a few passes and running the ball effectively. He also showed some elusiveness, especially when he got the ball in space. I don't have the stats, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had the most yards for the South team. I'm not sure if it's because it is July, but he did make a few mistakes as well. He had an illegal shift penalty against him and also slipped and fumbled the ball once. I'm sure with some more practice he'll get those things fixed.

I don't think any of these guys will see the field this fall, though Cotton has an outside chance. But, it was still fun to get to see them play and I fully expect to see them contributing in the years to come.

Incoming freshman QB Wyatt Suess connected with Josh Lenz (who's headed to Iowa State in the fall) for a 54 yard touchdown with just 2:16 left in the 4th quarter. The score was the last of the game and put the North up 21-17 for the win. According to the Des Moines Register Suess went 6 of 21 for 120 yards with the game winning touchdown and no interceptions. Suess will be a preferred walk-on for Iowa this fall. He will start out at quarterback, but is very open to changing position.

I'm still trying to find more information on how the other incoming Hawkeyes did in the Shrine Bowl. Depending on what's going on I will try watch the game tonight at 4:00 on the Mediacom Connections Channel and report back with more info.

I've started the process of adapting the gadgets in the sidebar on this site for iGoogle. (In case you don't have an iGoogle page, read more about it here.) If you as big of a Hawkeye fanatic as I am, then you'll want to customize your iGoogle homepage with as much Iowa stuff as possible. But when I searched for gadgets with the word "Hawkeyes" only 4 gadgets came up. So, I'm beginning to make some more so we can all keep up with Iowa Football right from our homepages.

Anyway, the first gadget I've made is for the football schedule. You may have noticed the little "Add to iGoogle" link under the schedule on the right. It's nothing fancy, but it should automatically update when new game times and TV schedules are announced. I'll also update it with the game results.

Here's the link to add the Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule gadget to your iGoogle page: Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule

One more quick note, you can also add a RSS Feed Gadget for Fight For Iowa to keep up with any new posts directly from your iGoogle page. Here's the link to add the Fight For Iowa feed to you iGoogle page: Fight For Iowa Gadget

The CR Gazette is reporting that there are still 2 of the 46 luxury suites available in Kinnick for the 2009 season. So, if anyone out these has an extra $45,000 laying around, please feel free to purchase a suite for me. Of course I'll invite you along and you can even bring a friend…there are 12 seats in each suite so I would be willing to share.

There are also still mini-pack tickets available through Iowa State for $99. You would basically be paying the full amount for the Iowa-Iowa State game. You could try to sell the tickets for ISU-North Dakota State and ISU-Colorado, but I'm not sure that it would be very easy. You might get like $5 or so.