It's not quite time to bust out the Tostitos yet, but this weekend was very good for Iowa's chance to get selected to a BCS bowl. Two teams ahead of the Hawkeyes in the BCS standings and the biggest road block fell, paving the way for a top 10 finish and a probable Fiesta Bowl birth.
The most important game was Oklahoma State's loss to rival Oklahoma. The Cowboys were a likely pick for the Fiesta Bowl which has an allegiance with the Big 12 conference. However, with the 0-27 loss, OSU falls to 9-3 and will likely be out of the top 14 come Sunday.
Also helping was Pittsburgh's loss to West Virgina Friday night and Georgia Tech's loss to Georgia. That all but eliminates the chance that either team would get an at large birth if they lose next week (Pitt against Cincinnati and Tech against Clemson). Of course if they win, they get automatic bids...but won't be taking a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
Lastly, Texas won again staying in the national title game picture. That means the Fiesta Bowl will still have a replacement pick barring an absolutely terrible collapse by Texas against Nebraska next week.
There's still one more week of games (really 2 if you want to count Army vs. Navy), so there's still a slight chance something crazy could happen, but Iowa's chances are looking pretty good. It looks like the Fiesta Bowl will be picking a team from the Big Ten...and it better be Iowa.
Archive page 94
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving Hawkeye fans. I'm spending some time with the family so probably won't have many posts the next couple of days. But I did want to say, look for more information on the latest Iowa commit, #1 ranked tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz who decommitted from Illinois and picked the Hawks after seeing Moeaki play almost every down against Minnesota.
More news:
More news:
- Earlier in the week Ferentz was award the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
- Three Hawkeye commits won Iowa state titles in their respective classes, so look for a recruit roundup one of these days.
- Iowa is #11 in the BCS so is in good position to get an at large bid especially if Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State.
- Maybe it's best that this blog focuses on football (basketball may not be worth even mentioning this year).
Injuries - The Silver Lining
Now that the regular season is over, it's time to start reflecting. Really I started reflecting on Sunday, but I took a few days off (it's a holiday week!) and now I finally got this post written. It's hard not to think what could have been if Stanzi hadn't gotten injured...or Hampton, or Robinson, or Richardson, and so on. It is actually quite remarkable that this team got to 10 wins despite all the injuries to key players. The silver lining to all these injuries is that young players and backups gained a considerable amount of valuable experience.
Rilo Kiley knows a thing or two about silver lining.
Out: Rick Stanzi, In: James Vandenberg
Nobody was thrown into a more difficult situation this year than Vandenberg. Every game he played in (besides garbage time against ISU) had a BCS game on the line and the weight on his shoulders. I can't think of a tougher environment to make your first career start than on the road in Ohio Stadium with the Rose Bowl on the line. Vandenberg did very well considering the circumstances. He finished the season going 42 of 87 for 470 yards with 2 TDs and 5 interception. Not great numbers, but the experience will certainly help when Vandenberg has a shot at being the full time starter after Stanzi graduates (of course a lot could happen before that).
Out: Jewel Hampton, In: Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher
Hampton's injury before the season even started opened the door for 2 freshmen. Robinson and Wegher split time most of the year, but both got their shot at being the "premier" back when the other was injured. Before the season started neither was really on the radar, besides some internet fans that were over-hyping Wegher. But now, with all the carries they've had, it's conceivable that they both will see a lot of time the next 3 years. Robinson finished the season with 775 yards on 167 carries and Wegher had 528 yards on 142 carries.
Out: Bryan Bulaga and Dace Richardson, In: Riley Reiff
Perhaps no player stepped up and performed better than Reiff. He played left tackle in Bulaga's absence early in the season. He played so well that he worked his way into a 3-man rotation at guard. Then, when Richardson went down, Reiff earned a permanent spot. He played like a freshman at times, but for the most part exceeded expectation. He will have a spot on the line for 3 more years.
Out: Jordan Bernstine, In: Mycah Hide, Willie Lowe, Greg Castillo
Bernstine's injury coupled with Prater's early 2 game suspension meant the 3 underclassmen saw significant time early in the season. They also were thrown into nickle and dime (yes, they were rare) packages and on special teams. The experience is especially important if Spievey decides to leave for the NFL early.
Out: Jeremiha Hunter, In: Troy Johnson
Troy Johnson had a huge performance in Iowa's shutout of Minnesota. He was second on the team with 11 tackles, had a sack, and recovered a fumble. His effort earned him a Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week Award. Johnson is a likely replacement for Angerer or Edds next season.
Out: Colin Sandeman and Paul Chaney Jr., In: Keenan Davis
It was in the plan to get Davis some reps this year, but he probably saw the field more than Ferentz would have liked. Davis started the year as the 6th or 7th option at receiver, but with the injuries found himself playing in key situation all year. He didn't have many receptions (just 4), but definitely had a chance to get a feel for the offense. He also got a shot at punt returns (until he fumbled) and kickoff returns. With Stross graduating, Davis could easily by the 3rd option next year.
Rilo Kiley knows a thing or two about silver lining.
Out: Rick Stanzi, In: James Vandenberg
Nobody was thrown into a more difficult situation this year than Vandenberg. Every game he played in (besides garbage time against ISU) had a BCS game on the line and the weight on his shoulders. I can't think of a tougher environment to make your first career start than on the road in Ohio Stadium with the Rose Bowl on the line. Vandenberg did very well considering the circumstances. He finished the season going 42 of 87 for 470 yards with 2 TDs and 5 interception. Not great numbers, but the experience will certainly help when Vandenberg has a shot at being the full time starter after Stanzi graduates (of course a lot could happen before that).
Out: Jewel Hampton, In: Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher
Hampton's injury before the season even started opened the door for 2 freshmen. Robinson and Wegher split time most of the year, but both got their shot at being the "premier" back when the other was injured. Before the season started neither was really on the radar, besides some internet fans that were over-hyping Wegher. But now, with all the carries they've had, it's conceivable that they both will see a lot of time the next 3 years. Robinson finished the season with 775 yards on 167 carries and Wegher had 528 yards on 142 carries.
Out: Bryan Bulaga and Dace Richardson, In: Riley Reiff
Perhaps no player stepped up and performed better than Reiff. He played left tackle in Bulaga's absence early in the season. He played so well that he worked his way into a 3-man rotation at guard. Then, when Richardson went down, Reiff earned a permanent spot. He played like a freshman at times, but for the most part exceeded expectation. He will have a spot on the line for 3 more years.
Out: Jordan Bernstine, In: Mycah Hide, Willie Lowe, Greg Castillo
Bernstine's injury coupled with Prater's early 2 game suspension meant the 3 underclassmen saw significant time early in the season. They also were thrown into nickle and dime (yes, they were rare) packages and on special teams. The experience is especially important if Spievey decides to leave for the NFL early.
Out: Jeremiha Hunter, In: Troy Johnson
Troy Johnson had a huge performance in Iowa's shutout of Minnesota. He was second on the team with 11 tackles, had a sack, and recovered a fumble. His effort earned him a Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week Award. Johnson is a likely replacement for Angerer or Edds next season.
Out: Colin Sandeman and Paul Chaney Jr., In: Keenan Davis
It was in the plan to get Davis some reps this year, but he probably saw the field more than Ferentz would have liked. Davis started the year as the 6th or 7th option at receiver, but with the injuries found himself playing in key situation all year. He didn't have many receptions (just 4), but definitely had a chance to get a feel for the offense. He also got a shot at punt returns (until he fumbled) and kickoff returns. With Stross graduating, Davis could easily by the 3rd option next year.
Iowa or Penn State - Campaigning for BCS
As the BCS picture sits now it looks more and more likely that the Big Ten will get an at large spot in addition to Ohio State's automatic Rose Bowl bid. There are 2 teams in the Big Ten that will almost certainly meet the top 14 BCS ranking and 9 win requirements for an at large bid: Iowa and Penn State. We will have a couple of weeks to go through all the arguments for both teams, but for now, let me just leave you with this:
Iowa wins! 10-2 feels pretty good
Hooray! 10-2! Fiesta? Orange? Who cares...it was a great season. The last couple of weeks were hard to get through, but it's hard to complain about a 10 win season. Kind of like today...it was pretty ugly, but it's hard to complain with a win in a rivalry game.
The defense played great as it has all year long and posted its first shutout of the year and second in a row against the Gophers. The defensive line put a lot of pressure on Weber and the secondary should have picked off at least 3 or 4 of his passes. The Iowa D held Minnesota to 14 of 42 passing for just 158 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT. That is a QB rating of 59.2 (that's pretty terrible). The defense also kept Minnesota's running game in check giving up only 48 yards on the ground. And the goal line stand was certainly impressive.
The offense...well there's not much to say. Vandenberg struggled for the most part but made a couple of key plays when needed. The run game not got going, though Robinson had a couple of nice carries, on the first drive especially, before he re-injured his ankle. The offense didn't even gain 200 yards. But was able to score a few points on good field position and that was enough. Murray did well on both field goals but that blocked PAT was not pretty.
Players of the Game:
Defense - A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer
The only two seniors starting on the defense had big performance for their Kinnick farewell. Edds had an interception on one of Minnesota's trick plays where they had Weber and Gray on the field at the same time. He also finished with 8 tackles. An gerer was all over the field and had a team high 16 tackles.
Offense - Derrell Johnson-Koulianos
Iowa only completed 11 passes today and 7 of them were to DJK. He did have a drop, but played very well otherwise. He was the only receiver consistently getting open and caught a slant for 15 yards that set up the games only touchdown.
Trophies:
Iowa against retains all 3 rivalry trophies with wins over Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Floyd of Rosedale is by far the coolest trophy of the 3, so it's definitely nice to keep in the trophy case.
The defense played great as it has all year long and posted its first shutout of the year and second in a row against the Gophers. The defensive line put a lot of pressure on Weber and the secondary should have picked off at least 3 or 4 of his passes. The Iowa D held Minnesota to 14 of 42 passing for just 158 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT. That is a QB rating of 59.2 (that's pretty terrible). The defense also kept Minnesota's running game in check giving up only 48 yards on the ground. And the goal line stand was certainly impressive.
The offense...well there's not much to say. Vandenberg struggled for the most part but made a couple of key plays when needed. The run game not got going, though Robinson had a couple of nice carries, on the first drive especially, before he re-injured his ankle. The offense didn't even gain 200 yards. But was able to score a few points on good field position and that was enough. Murray did well on both field goals but that blocked PAT was not pretty.
Players of the Game:
Defense - A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer
The only two seniors starting on the defense had big performance for their Kinnick farewell. Edds had an interception on one of Minnesota's trick plays where they had Weber and Gray on the field at the same time. He also finished with 8 tackles. An gerer was all over the field and had a team high 16 tackles.
Offense - Derrell Johnson-Koulianos
Iowa only completed 11 passes today and 7 of them were to DJK. He did have a drop, but played very well otherwise. He was the only receiver consistently getting open and caught a slant for 15 yards that set up the games only touchdown.
Trophies:
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