Fourth Quarter Stanzi

Wow. What a game. Thank goodness for the defense there in the 3rd quarter with their backs up against the wall the whole time. I can't believe how terrible Stanzi (and really the whole offense) played up until the 4th quarter. But that 4th quarter...wow. When was the last time Iowa scored 28 in a quarter? I'll have to look that up. That was crazy.

Well, the Hawks are 9-0 and the dream is still alive. It's been a crazy up and down day, and season for that matter. Once I collect my thoughts, I'll write up a better analysis. One last thing...I can't believe Iowa covered the spread (I think it was 17.5). Hopefully nobody watched that game and will just look at the final score when voting.

Terrible First Half

What is going on? The Hawkeyes must be cursed. Fumbled punt? Check. Another fumble on a punt return? Check. Missed field goal? HUGE CHECK. Missed open receivers? Check. Shanked punt? Check. And that's not all that's gone wrong.

It's not time to panic yet. Iowa deferred for some reason (wind I guess) and get the ball to start the second half. A scoring drive would put the game close again. Stanzi is going to half to play better. The O-line definitely needs to play better. The defense cannot afford to give up another TD. Time for more great half time adjustments.

Game Day: Indiana

It's Halloween and the Indiana Hoosiers are in town. The last time Iowa hosted a Halloween home game was way back in 1987 against (that's right) Indiana. The Hawkeyes won that game 29-21 and went on to finish with a 10-3 record and a #16 ranking. A Halloween win this time would likely mean an even better record and ranking.

The need to know:

What: #4 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
When: 11:00 AM October 31, 2009
TV: ESPN

Thoughts on the game:

Injuries
Both teams this week have a lot of injuries to deal with. Iowa is obviously hurt by the injuries to Richardson and Robinson. Indiana has its own injuries to deal with mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Both backup DEs are likely out. They are also short in the secondary with 2 safeties and 2 cornerbacks with injuries. However, one corner, Donnell Jones is expected to start despite an elbow injury.

The Red Zone
Indiana has one of the best red zone defenses in the country. Opponents have only scored 71% of the time when inside the 20. By comparison, Iowa's opponents have scored 94% of the time. Of the 31 time the Hoosier have been backed up protecting their endzone, opponents have scored just 15 touchdowns and converted 7 field goals. That comes out to an average on just 4 points for each red zone trip. Again by comparison, Iowa's opponents average 4.7 points per red zone appearance.

The good news though, on the other side of the ball, Indiana has not been very good at punching it in for touchdowns. In their 27 red zone trips, they have come away with only 13 TDs (and 4 of those came against Akron).

The other good news is that, with Indiana's good red zone defense and poor red zone offense, there will likely be more field goals and Iowa has a decided advantage there. Murray is 14/18 and has made 6 straight. Indiana's kicker is 8/18 and has made only 2 of his last 6.

Hoosiers to keep an eye on

• DE Jammie Kirlew - Doesn't it seem like every week Iowa is facing some elite defensive end? Well today is no different and Kirlew is one of the best. He has 13.5 tackles for loss, is 4th on the team with 45 tackles, and has forced 5 fumbles.
• RB Darius Willis - He's been a little inconsistent and missed some time with injuries, but he's a threat to break a long run at any time (just ask Michigan or Northwestern). He averages 5.3 yards per carries and has run in 5 TDs.
• KR/CB Ray Fisher - Speaking of the ability to break one, watch out for Fisher. He already has 2 kickoffs returned for touchdowns. He averages 40 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return.
  

Watch I'm Watching on Halloween

There are some big games this weekend that will help shape the BCS picture and Iowa's chances to sneak in it. Iowa needs to move up in the human polls (obviously) and losses above them will certainly help. But the other thing (and the one thing the Hawks really have going for them) is the strength of schedule, and there are plenty of games this weekend that could help swing it further in Iowa's direction.

Big Ten Race:

There isn't much to watch here this week. It is really down to a 3 team race at this point, Iowa, Ohio State, and Penn State. Ohio State is playing out of conference against New Mexico State and should win big. Penn State is at Northwestern and shouldn't have any problems. The Big Ten picture probably won't change at all this week (next week is a big one).

National Championship Race:

#1 Florida vs. Georgia - 2:30 PM CBS
Florida has not exactly been dominant the past 3 weeks and has struggled in the redzone. Georgia hasn't been great either, though played LSU very tough. I've heard some people say that even if Florida loses this week but wins out, they would jump Iowa for the title game. I'm not sold on that Iowa and still think a loss here would help Iowa's chances greatly.

#3 Texas at #14 Oklahoma State - 7:00 PM ABC/ESPN2
This is the most important game of the weekend (and possibly the season) for Iowa's championship hopes (besides the games Iowa is involved in of course). Texas is the big obstacle assuming the SEC champion will be #1. Oklahoma State is the last tough game on the schedule for Texas, so I'm rooting for the Cowboys.

#5 USC at #10 Oregon - 7:00 PM ABC/ESPN2
Though Iowa is ahead of USC in the BCS, that is not the case in the human polls. A USC loss could help Iowa there, though Oregon would definitely get a big boost and may pass the Hawks. I think Oregon has the advantage in this game...they are at home, USC's defense hasn't been great the last couple of weeks, and Oregon is getting better every week since losing to Boise State week 1. This game also has big implications in who will play in the Rose Bowl and the winner could very well be Iowa future opponent.

#6 TCU vs UNLV - 3:00 PM VS.
TCU will win...but it could be a little bit of a let down game after a big win over BYU. A sloppy performance may hurt them in the rankings, so that's what I'm looking for.

#7 Boise State vs San Jose State - 2:00 PM ESPN360.com
San Jose State is really quite terrible, so if they keep it close at all it could hurt Boise State's image. Still, Boise State should win by 20+.

#8 Cincinnati at Syracuse - 11:00 AM ESPNU
Syracuse may put up a better fight than Louisville last week and Cincinnati is probably without Pike again. But, Cincinnati should win this one. I'd still like for Iowa to jump them in the human polls one of these weeks

Strength of Schedule:

For Iowa, Penn State beating Northwestern would be good and could push them into the top 10 since USC or Oregon will fall. The 2 B10 teams Iowa doesn't play, Illinois and Purdue, we want to lose, that will help Michigan's and Wisconsin's records respectively. Another Iowa State win would be big too as they play Texas A&M this week. Imagine if ISU won the Big 12 North...that 35-3 win on the road would look even better.

Around the country, the Virigina Tech loss last night hurts a variety of teams. Alabama's week 1 win looks a little less impressive. Georgia Tech's strength of schedule looks worse, and Miami looks like it was the most overrated team a few weeks ago. Actually the whole ACC is hurt by this loss, and I don't think we'll see any team ranked above the Hawkeyes now. (There will still a couple of AP voters that had a 2-loss VT above Iowa this last week, so probably some coaches/Harris voters too).

In the SEC, I think the Tennessee win over South Carolina would be good. Less top 25 teams on Alabama's and Florida's resumes would be good. In the Big 12 a big match up could be Kansas State (who is leading the B12 North) going to Oklahoma. Though, I expect Oklahoma to win big, a KSU win would seal Oklahoma's fate as a mediocre team this year and would make Texas' only big win look at lot less impressive. In the Pac 10, an Arizona State upset of Cal would be helpful. Cal's only losses so far were to Oregon and USC, so if Cal goes down again, it could hurt Oregon and USC.


This is all probably more thought than I need to put into it...things will work themselves out.

Recruit Roundup: Iowa Substate

Five future Hawkeyes were in action last night as the Iowa high school playoffs began with the sub-state round. Each of the commits move on with victories and will play again next Monday.

Austin Vier: Ballard 37 - Webster City 7
Ballard handled Webster City with relative ease and won its first ever playoff game. The Bombers really got the run game going compiling 296 yards. Austin Vier even made an impact running the ball with a 3 yard TD. He also threw for 74 yards going 5 of 9. The team goes on to face undefeated Clear Lake next Monday.

James Morris: Solon 48 – Mediapolis 12
Solon stays perfect with a win over Mediapolis. The team has now won 37 straight and is a game closer to winning the state title for the 3rd year in a row. James Morris scored 2 rushing touchdowns in route to a 212 yard night on 14 carries. Solon will play Mid-Prairie in the first round on Monday.

Brandon Scherff: Denison 14 – Glenwood 9
The Denison-Schleswig Monarchs were trailing 9-7 with just 40 second left and no timeouts remaining. But Denison found a way and scored on a 58 yard run to stay alive in the playoffs with a 14-9 victory over Glenwood. The Monarchs will play Bishop Heelan (Brandon Wegher's high school) next week.

A.J. Derby: City High 45 – Iowa City West 20
The Little Hawks had little problem defeating rivals Iowa City West last night. City High took an early 21-0 lead thanks to 2 A.J. Derby touchdown passes and a Derby touchdown run. Derby finished the night 6 of 15 for 123 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. City High will play Dubuque Hempstead next.

Matt Hoch: Harlan 49 - MOC-Floyd Valley 7
Harlan had a huge first half and led 42-0 after the second quarter. MOC-Floyd Valley eventually scored in the 4th quarter, but the game was long over. Hoch caught a touchdown pass of 18 yards at the end of the first half.

Iowa vs. Indiana: Numbers

I did this last week for the first time and I think it worked pretty well. My final predictions based off the numbers were that Stanzi would lead a couple second half TD drive (he only had the one TD drive, but led to other FG drives before that) and that the defense would hold Cousins to his worst game (it was his 3rd worst QB rating, tied for worst completion %, and 2nd worst yards per attempt). This week is a Halloween match up against Indiana.

KEY
Rank Differential: Advantage
0-9: Push
10-29: H
30-49: HH
50-79: HHH
80-99: HHHH
100+ : HHHHH

Teams
A: Away (Indiana Hoosiers)
H: Home (Iowa Hawkeyes)

Iowa Offense vs. Indiana Defense

Category	Iowa Offense		Indiana Defense		Advantage
	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Rushing Yards	123.00	91	145.88	68	A
Passing Yards	219.13	60	246.63	101	HH
Passing Efficiency	127.02	69	135.09	89	H
Sacks	2.13	69	2.25	47	A
Total Yards	342.13	87	392.50	88	-
Scoring	23.63	86	26.50	77	-
Turnovers	11	31	18	15	A
3rd Down Conversion	41.67	46	43.40	99	HHH
Red Zone %	84	53	71	11	AA

When Iowa has the ball, it will obviously both team's weaker side on the field. Iowa's offense has been just good enough this year and Indiana's defense has given up big chunks of yards, but has been saved a little by creating turnovers.

Iowa's run game may have some problems again this week against the Hoosiers. Not only is the ground game hurt with injuries to Robinson and Richardson, but Indiana's run defense has been decent. They have a couple of good defensive ends and Jammie Kirlew is particularly good. He has 13.5 tackles for loss (7th in the country), is 4th on the team with 45 tackles, and has force 5 fumbles(tied for 1st in the country). I think Iowa might want to stick with the inside zone plays and take advantage of the weaker tackles (they have a freshman in there due to an injury to Jarrod Smith).

Iowa should have the advantage in the passing game. Though all 4 of the Indiana defensive backs are upper classmen, they have not been very good giving up almost 250 yards per game and letting QBs complete 61% of their passes. They are further hampered with and injury to CB Donnell Jones (who may still play). I thought Stanzi would have a good game last week against MSU's porous secondary, but that was mostly wrong. I'm going to predict a big week again for Stanzi, though. With the potential issues with the run game I think KOK will come out firing and let Stanzi control the game.

Overall Advantage: Iowa (probably just a small advantage though)

Iowa Defense vs. Indiana Offense

Category	Iowa Defense		Indiana Offense		Advantage
	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Rushing Yards	122.25	44	123.57	89	HH
Passing Yards	174.25	17	232.63	43	H
Passing Efficiency	92.68	5	123.70	74	HHH
Sacks	2.13	51	1.13	20	AA
Total Yards	296.50	18	360.00	72	HHH
Scoring	14.75	14	23.63	86	HHH
Turnovers	22	4	12	39	HH
3rd Down Conversion	35.96	43	38.94	66	H
Red Zone %	94	112	81	67	AA

Look at all those Hs! It's no surprise that the Hawkeye defense, one of the best in the country, has lots of advantages over Indiana.

Indiana switched to a Pistol offense to try to give their downhill running game a boost. For the most part it has been more of a bust than a boost. Darius Willis has had a couple of big games (against Michigan and Northwestern...both losses), but other than that they have been rather mediocre. Iowa run D struggled a little earlier in the year, but has been coming on strong as of late only giving up 85 yards to Michigan State and 87 to Wisconsin. I anticipate the defensive line to hold Indiana's backs in check as well.

Indiana wins and loses with quarterback Ben Chappell. When his QB rating is over 119, Indiana is 4-0...below 119 Indiana is 0-4. He has been doing well for the most part completing 63% of his passes and throwing for about 230 yards per game. Iowa's passing defense has been superb for the most part, so I'm guessing Chappell has one of those sub-119 games.

Overall Advantage: Iowa (BIG time)

Iowa Special Teams vs. Indiana Special Teams

Category	Iowa Special Teams		Indiana Special Teams		Advantage
	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Kick Returns	20.69	81	25.91	14	AAA
Punt Returns	9.89	48	9.83	50	-
Net Punting	38.97	12	31.95	113	HHHHH
Field Goal %	77.8	41	61.1	94	HHH

Indiana has a very dangerous returner in Ray Fisher. He has already taken two kickoff back for touchdowns and averages almost 40 yards a return. He also good on punt returns with a 9.8 yard average. Iowa needs to try to kick away from this guy.

Indiana's kicking game, however, has been very poor. They are near the very bottom of the country in net punting. Their punter, Chris Hangerup only has one punt over 49 yards (a 50-yarder) in 38 attempts, just 8 downed inside the 20, and is averaging just 41.5 yards a kick. Donahue might not be averaging much further per punt (42.4 yards) but has 19 downed inside the 20 and 10 that went over 50 yards in the same number of punt (38).

The Hoosier place kicker has also struggled. He is just 11-18 for on field goals. Outside of 30 yards he is 7-13 and hasn't made a single one beyond 39 yards.

Overall Advantage: Iowa (as long as the Hawks contain Fisher)

Prediction: Ricky Stanzi gets the offense going a little bit, but its another game with a lot of field goals (Indiana has the 11th best red zone defense). Iowa will eventually put a couple of TDs on the board and pull away in the second half. The defense keeps Indiana in check all day.

Iowa 23 - Indiana 10

Friday Night Recruit Roundup: 9

Can you believe the regular season is done already for Iowa high school football? Next week I'll be talking about playoff games!

Marcus Coker: DeMatha 35 - O'Connell 7
After pulling a groin muscle last week, Coker sat out the past weekend. DeMatha had no problems without Coker scoring 35 first half points on the way to victory. DeMatha is 8-0 on the season with 2 week remaining.

Jim Poggi & Anthony Ferguson: Bye Week (next game October 30)

Christian Kirksey & Don Shumpert: Hazelwood East 34 – McCluer 0
Hazelwood East extends its win streak to 5 games in a shutout win against McCluer. Kirksey continues to dominate on defense with 19 tackles (that seems ridiculous, but it says 9 tackles with 10 assists) and a sack. Shumpert had 6 catches for 36 yards and added 5 tackles.

Andrew Donnal: Anthony Wayne 62 - Rossford 0
The rushing game was working again as Anthony Wayne racked up 378 on the ground. I'm going to attribute this to great blocking.

Austin Vier: Ballard 16 - Boone 7
Ballard finishes the regular season 8-1 and is ready for the playoffs. The play tomorrow night against Webster City in sub-state. Vier was just 3 of 10 for 19 yards.

Mike Hardy: Kimberly 20 – Oshkosh North 8
Kimberly won again and is now thinking playoffs. They kick off tonight against De Pere in round 1. The Papermakers will unfortunately be without their QB though.

James Morris: Solon 70 – West Liberty 6
Solon finished the regular season the same way they've been playing all season: dominating. Solon scored a ridiculous 42 points in the first quarter. Morris had just 4 carries, but ran for 128 yards. That's a 32 yards per carry average! He also had 2 touchdown runs of 20 yards and 80 yards. Solon plays Mediapolis tomorrow night in sub-state.

Matt Hoch: Harlan 28 - Lewis Central 0
Harlan has a big 4th quarter and finished 9-0 with a victory over Lewis Central. The only mention of Hoch is that he fumbled on the 1 yardline fighting for a TD. Harlan plays MOC-Floyd Valley tomorrow night in the first round of the playoffs.

Louis Trinca-Pasat: Lane Tech 0 – Hubbard 33
Lane Tech goes down in the first round of the playoffs getting blanked for the second straight week. So that is it for Trinca-Pasat as a high schooler, next time he sees the field he will be wearing black and gold.

Brandon Scherff: Denison 12 – Spencer 7
Denison wins its 4th game in a row and qualifies for the playoffs. (I just found the score for this one). The Monarchs will play in sub-state tomorrow against Glenwood.

A.J. Derby: City High 54 – CR Jefferson 6
City High returned 2 punts for TDs and racked up 327 yards of total offense while only giving up 152. City High finishes the regular season 9-0 for the third time in a row with the win over Jefferson. Derby was 4-7 for 63 yards and ran it twice for 8 yards and a touchdown. City will face off against cross-town rivals Iowa City West tomorrow night in the playoffs. The last time they paid against West earlier this season, City High won 49-10.

Stephane N’goumou Milford 30 - Robert Morris 18
Milford improved to 8-2 on the year behind a strong passing attack. No mention of N'goumou...I don't htink he's playing much.

B.J. Lowery Hughes Center 21 – Woodword 8
I was only able to find the final score.

Carl Davis Stevenson 49 - Warren Mott 21
Stevenson wrapped up a perfect regular season with a victory over Warren Mott. The Titans had a big first half scoring 42 points.

Donovan Johnson Martin 58 - Mansfield 7
Martin dominated in a big victory over Mansfield. The defense gave up 300 yards, but only 7 points.

Austin Gray Fitzgerald 36 - South Lake 20
Gray is out with a torn ACL, but Fitzgerald finds a way to win.

De’Andre Johnson Monsignor 46 – Somerset Academy 0
Johnson out again, also an ACL injury. Monsignor continues to dominate.

Previous Recruit Roundups:

• Week 8
  
• Week 7
  
• Week 6
  
• Week 5
• Week 4
• Week 3
• Week 2
• Week 1

Injuries Hurt the Run Game

Is Sam Brownlee available? Iowa is once again in a tough situation in the run game at both running back and on the offensive line. The latest depth chart provides a little bit of insight on the situation. Adam Robinson and Dace Richardson are both unlisted. Robinson is out with a sprained ankle and there is no word yet on how long he'll be out. Hopefully Ferentz's presser tomorrow will bring more news. Richardson, who's terrible luck with injuries is well known, broke a bone in his ankle/foot area (not exactly sure what bone is broken) and is at best back for the bowl game. (Side note: isn't it nice that 8 games into the season and we can say with 100% certainty Iowa is going to a bowl game?)

Running Back Injuries:

• Jewel Hampton - ACL - Out for season
• Adam Robinson - Ankle sprain - Out for at least a week
• Jeff Brinson -Foot injury of some kind - Has been in and out all season, out for now
• Jayme Murphy - Back injury/concussions - Career over

Possible Running Backs:

1. Brandon Wegher - Fr. - 87 carries for 321 yards and 3 TDs
2. Paki O'Meara - Jr. - 10 carries for 25 yards
3. Brad Rogers - Fr. - no game experience (would be burning a redshirt)
4. Josh Brown - Fr. -no game experience (would be burning a redshirt)
   

As you can see, the running back situation is not ideal. Wegher is the obvious next in line to start, but after that the picture gets murky. O'Meara started the first game of the year...had a fumble and has been relegated to special teams (where he has played well) since. I think Paki would be an okay option for 5-10 carries, just to give Wegher some rest.

Rogers was planning on redshirting, but did travel and dress for the game last weekend, and may need to burn his redshirt this weekend. He is a bigger back listed a 5'10" 225lb and is more of a power runner.

The final option would be Josh Brown. Brown came in as an "athlete" but found a spot at running back in fall camp. He's was actually projected as more of a slot guy or as a DB, so he is definitely quick.

The other thing I could see is Ken O'Keefe going to more of the "Drew Tate" offense of 2005 and using Morse as the back mostly as a blocker. We saw Morse in there at the end of the game last week in favor of a running back in the obvious passing situations. We also have seen Morse run the ball with some effectiveness very early in the season (3 carries for 26 yards). KOK has already shown some more spread out looks and in general been willing to call a lot of pass plays. I'm not talking about running the spread here. But more of a pass to set up the run type deal and letting Stanzi roll out of the pocket to make plays. It should be an interesting week.

The Offensive Line:

Week	Left Tackle	Left Guard	Center	Right Guard	Right Tackle
1	Bryan Bulaga	Adam Gettis	Rafael Eubanks	Dan Doering	Dace Richardson
2	Riley Reiff	Dace Richardson	Rafael Eubanks	Julian Vandervelde	Kyle Calloway
3	Riley Reiff	Dace Richardson	Rafael Eubanks	Julian Vandervelde	Kyle Calloway
4	Riley Reiff	Dace Richardson	Rafael Eubanks	Julian Vandervelde	Kyle Calloway
5	Bryan Bulaga	Dace Richardson	Rafael Eubanks	Julian Vandervelde	Kyle Calloway
6	Bryan Bulaga	Riley Reiff	Rafael Eubanks	Dace Richardson	Kyle Calloway
7	Bryan Bulaga	Riley Reiff	Rafael Eubanks	Dace Richardson	Kyle Calloway
8	Bryan Bulaga	Riley Reiff	Rafael Eubanks	Dace Richardson	Kyle Calloway
9	Bryan Bulaga	Riley Reiff	Rafael Eubanks	Julian Vandervelde	Kyle Calloway

The offensive line hasn't exactly been stable this year. Injuries, suspension, mysterious thyroid problems have all impacted the unit's cohesion. Just when it looked like the line was starting to get ironed out, Richardson suffers another injury and is out the rest of the regular season. Vandervelde should have no problems filling in at the familiar spot and Reiff has been playing well all year. Still, it would be nice to keep the same 5 for more than 3 weeks at a time.

The Final Drive: Breakdown

Iowa's offense had been playing rather poor. The run game was just starting to produce some yards (Robinson had 109 yards on 27 carries), but Stanzi was just 7 of 18 and had been off all night. So how did the Hawkeyes drive 70 yards in 10 plays to win the game?...well here's the breakdown.

PLAY 1

Down: 1st and 10
Yard line: Iowa 30
Time left: 1:32
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 3-3/nickle

The play:
Michigan State sits back in a deep zone coverage only rushing 3 linemen. As a result Stanzi has time and find McNutt on a deep crossing pattern between the linebacker and the safety. The play goes for 16 yards and a first down.

---

PLAY 2

Down: 1st and 10
Yard line: Iowa 46
Time left: 1:18
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 3-3/nickle

The play:
MSU again sits back, but this time does a good job in coverage. Stanzi can't find anyone open so he dances around a little and takes off down the middle. He gets 2 yards before being taken down by Trever Anderson.

---

PLAY 3

Down: 2nd and 8
Yard line: Iowa 48
Time left: 1:02
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 3-3/nickle

The play:
MSU is playing with 8 men in coverage again. Stanzi tries to hit McNutt on a fade down the sideline but it is well defended and falls incomplete.

---

PLAY 4

Down: 3rd and 8
Yard line: Iowa 48
Time left: 0:54
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 3-3/nickle

The play:
For the fourth straight play Michigan State plays a deep zone rushing only 3. Iowa runs a very similar play (maybe even the same play) to the first play of the drive with a couple of deep routes then Stross running a crossing pattern underneath. Stanzi finds Stross in front of the linebackers and Stross is able to make a good run after the catch and goes 21 yards for the first down.

---

PLAY 5

Down: 1st and 10
Yard line: Michigan State 31
Time left: 0:41
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 3-3/nickle

The play:
Michigan State mixes it up a little and brings Jones on a blitz. It is picked up nicely and Stanzi heaves a pass up to DJK in the endzone. The pass is there, but very well defended and DJK is unable to bring the ball down.

---

PLAY 6

Down: 2nd and 10
Yard line: Michigan State 31
Time left: 0:34
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 3-3/nickle

The play:
Michigan State brings even more pressure this time bringing 2 linebackers and a cornerback all on the left side. The offensive linemen do a great job picking up the blitz and a key block is made by FB Brett Morse. With the blitz, DJK is open on the left side and Stanzi finds him for a 16 yard first down.

---

PLAY 7

Down: 1st and 10
Yard line: Michigan State 15
Time left: 0:22
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 3-3/nickle

The play:
Michigan State brings a couple linebackers off the left side and get some pressure on Stanzi which causes Stanzi to throw a less than perfect pass. The blitz leaves DJK 1-on-1 with Rucker, and Rucker holds DJK, then pushes off and intercepts the pass. Rucker gets called for a very obvious defensive holding and Iowa gets a first down and half the distance to the goal.

---

PLAY 8

Down: 1st and Goal
Yard line: Michigan State 7
Time left: 0:15
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, shotgun; Michigan State - 4-3, Blitz All

The play:
Michigan State brings the house and leaving man coverage all around. In classic Ken O'Keefe fashion (this is the same play Iowa ran with Banks to Clark to beat Purdue and the same play Iowa tried on 1st and goal against Northwestern last at the end of the game) Stanzi and the receivers roll to the right, then Moeaki releases back to the left. The Spartan defense must have read their scouting report and saw this play coming. Two Spartans were there to breakup the pass and it was actually close to being intercepted.

---

PLAY 9

Down: 2rd and Goal
Yard line: Michigan State 7
Time left: 0:09
Formation: Iowa - 4-wide, Ace; Michigan State - 4-3 Blitz All

The play:
The Spartans once again are in man coverage with everyone else bringing pressure. To me it looks like Stanzi thought Stross would be running a slant inside, but Stross broke outside. There is nobody near the pass and it falls incomplete.

---

PLAY 10

Down: 3rd and Goal
Yard line: Michigan State 7
Time left: 0:05
Formation: Iowa - 4-wide, Ace; Michigan State - 4-3 Blitz All

The play:
Michigan State does the same thing for the 3rd play in a row and Iowa tries the same play with Stross breaking the right direction this time. The defensive back is all over Stross and Stanzi is unable to thread the needle. Very good defense on this play.

---

FINAL PLAY

Down: 4th and Goal
Yard line: Michigan State 7
Time left: 0:02
Formation: Iowa - 3-wide, Ace; Michigan State - 4-3 Blitz All

The play:
Iowa takes a timeout to up the final play. Michigan State decides to bring the heat again and leaves the receivers in man coverage. Moeaki goes in motion and leaves McNutt isolated on the left. McNutt and Stross both run slants (I think DJK is running a slant, Moeaki is running a short out, and Morse stays back to block). The offensive line picks up the blitz, McNutt runs a great route, and Stanzi throws the perfect pass. And the celebration begins. It looked like the Stross slant was also wide open but took a little longer to develop. So, I really like the throw to McNutt in this situation. The guy has great hands. It was just a great play (and drive) all around.

Hawkeyes #4 in BCS Standings

The new BCS Standings are out and Iowa comes in at #4 behind Florida, Alabama, and Texas. Iowa jumped up 2 spots from last week (over Cincinnati and Boise State) with the victory over Michigan State yesterday.

Iowa comes in at #8 in the Coaches and Harris poll, but gets a perfect 1.000 in the computer polls. In fact, 5 of the 6 computers place Iowa in the top spot (only Billingsley does not). The computers understand the difficulty of Iowa's schedule so far. The Hawkeyes have wins over #12 Penn State on the road and at home against #20 Arizona. Road wins against Wisconsin (who was in the BCS last week) and Michigan State are also impressive. Iowa State's big win over Nebraska doesn't hurt the strength of schedule either.

It still looks like the winner of the SEC will face off against Texas, but Iowa has closed the gap on Texas considerably. With the computers, if Iowa is able to move up in the human polls, it looks possible to jump Texas. Right now Texas has a BCS Average of .8927 and Iowa has .8249. Iowa trails by about 0.2 in both human polls, so there is definitely some room that Iowa can make up, especially if USC, Boise State, TCU, or Cincinnati stumble.

BCS STANDINGS

1.	Florida	(7-0)	.9726
2.	Alabama	(8-0)	.9450
3.	Texas	(7-0)	.8927
4.	Iowa	(8-0)	.8249
5.	USC	(6-1)	.7944
6.	TCU	(7-0)	.7890
7.	Boise State	(7-0)	.7752
8.	Cincinnati	(7-0)	.7735
9.	LSU	(6-1)	.7030
10.	Oregon	(6-1)	.6456
11.	Georgia Tech	(7-1)	.5895
12.	Penn State	(7-1)	.5851
13.	Virginia Tech	(5-2)	.4921
14.	Oklahoma State	(6-1)	.4494
15.	Pittsburgh	(7-1)	.3415
16.	Utah	(6-1)	.3161
17.	OhioState	(6-2)	.3147
18.	Houston	(6-1)	.3085
19.	Miami,Fla.	(5-2)	.2491
20.	Arizona	(5-2)	.2241
21.	West Virginia	(6-1)	.1959
22.	South Carolina	(6-2)	.1891
23.	Notre Dame	(5-2)	.1197
24.	California	(5-2)	.0916
25.	Mississippi	(5-2)	.0907

ESPNU Fan Rankings have Iowa 4th

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.

The Morning After Michigan State

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.

YES!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

That is all.

Game Day: Michigan State

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.
  

Watch I'm Watching on Saturday

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.

Iowa at Michigan State: Numbers

I've seen similar things done on other blogs and I thought it was a good idea. Plus, I think we are getting far enough along in the season where you can look at statistics and they start to mean something. The idea here is pretty simple...I looked at items like Iowa's averaging rushing yards gained per game versus Michigan State's average rushing yards given up per game. Then looked at the national FBS rank to see who had the advantage.

KEY
Rank Differential: Advantage
0-9: Push
10-29: H
30-49: HH
50-79: HHH
80-99: HHHH

Teams
S: Spartans
H: Hawkeyes

Iowa Offense vs. Michigan State Defense

Category	Iowa Offense		Michigan State Defense		Advantage
	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Rushing Yards	120.86	93	99	19	SSSS
Passing Yards	230.71	47	235.86	85	HH
Passing Efficiency	130.87	58	134.74	90	HH
Sacks	2.14	71	3	11	SSS
Total Yards	351.57	79	334.86	44	SS
Scoring	24.86	81	21.57	42	SS
Turnovers	11	46	8	98	HHH
3rd Down Conversion	42.86	41	42.43	90	HH
Red Zone PPT*	4.9	55	5.53	106	HHH

This is a very intriguing match-up because Iowa has such a big advantage in the pass game, but Michigan State has a big advantage against the run. Michigan State has a very strong front 7 led by linebacker Greg Jones. The Spartans give up less than 100 yards a game and just 3.0 yards per carry. Obviously this is an area where Iowa has struggle a little, but I think the offensive line and Robinson are just starting to come together. Still, if Iowa gets more than about 25 yards on the ground I'd be very pleased.

If Ricky Stanzi plays like he did last weekend, he should have a huge game against the weak Spartan secondary. Michigan State has one of the worst pass defenses in the country. The key will really be the pass protection something Iowa has not been doing well. The Spartans really like to bring a lot of pressure out of their 4-3 base defense and average 3 sacks a game.

Some other good news is that Iowa has a decided advantage on 3rd downs and in the red zone. Michigan State also doesn't create many turnovers. Hopefully that will lead to long drive that end with touchdowns. MSU's red zone defense has been particularly poor. Of the 19 times a team has gotten inside the 20, they have 13 TDs and 5 field goals.

Overall Advantage: Push...Too close to call. Run game - MSU; Pass game - Iowa.


Iowa Defense vs. Michigan State Offense

Category	Iowa Defense		Michigan State Offense		Advantage
	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Rushing Yards	127.57	53	136.43	71	H
Passing Yards	167	16	280.43	17	-
Passing Efficiency	88.69	5	146.28	24	H
Sacks	1.86	63	0.86	13	SSS
Total Yards	294.57	22	416.86	32	H
Scoring	15	16	29.29	48	HH
Turnovers	22	2	12	63	HHH
3rd Down Conversion	36	48	41.94	46	-
Red Zone PPT*	4.93	55	4.5	85	HH

The Iowa defensive against the Michigan State offense is a little bit easier to figure out who has the advantage. Pretty much across the board, Iowa has been better statistically. Starting out with the run game, Iowa has been somewhat weak this year. However, MSU no longer has Ringer and is relying primarily on a couple of freshman to carry the load (sound familiar?). They have yet to have a 100-yard rusher in a game, but Larry Caper has been decent averaging 4.4 yards per carry and just under 50 yards per game. MSU's other top running back Glenn Winston injured his knee against Illinois and is out for the year.

Passing, the Spartans have been very good, rotating QBs Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol. Cousins has been the primary guy, though, and he is leading the Big Ten in pass efficiency. The good news is, though, that the QB tandem will be facing an Iowa defense that has completely rattle opposing quarterbacks this year and is leading the country in interceptions.

The other good news, is the Michigan State hasn't been great a finishing off drives. The give the ball up almost 2 times a game and haven't been great on 3rd downs. They have also had some problems in the red zone, and have had to settle for field goals a lot of the time. This should play right into Norm Parker's hands.

Overall Advantage: Iowa, by a long shot

Iowa Special Teams vs. Michigan State Special Teams

Category	Iowa Special Teams		Michigan State Special Teams		Advantage
	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Kick Returns	20.64	83	24.48	28	SSS
Punting Returns	9.6	50	10.67	40	S
Net Punting	38.66	15	37.57	26	H
Field Goal %	73.3	61	90.9	13	SS

Iowa special teams have been very good thus far this year. Murray has been on the last couple of games (and hit a career long 48 yard FG last week), and Donahue has been solid all year. Michigan State, though, has actually been better. Their kicker is 10/11 on the for field goals, and their punting is comparable to Iowa's. The also average 4 more yards per kickoff return, which will help the field position battle.

Overall Advantage: Michigan State

Prediction: Ricky Stanzi has his second straight good game and leads Iowa's offense to a couple of big second-half touchdown drives. The defense limits Cousins to his worst performance of the year.

Iowa 27 - MSU 16

Friday Night Recruit Roundup: 8

The are 2 new recruits to follow this week (and 1 that have been forgetting...sorry Austin Gray fans), Carl Davis and Donovan Johnson. Big news this week is that Coker was injured, but should be okay. This will be something to watch though.

Marcus Coker: DeMatha 37 - St. John's 7
Marcus Coker played a limited role on Friday, but DeMatha still dominated in a win over St. John's. Coker got the ball just 11 times and ran for 61 yards, by far his lowest output of the season. Coker played just the first half after he pulled a groin muscle in the 2nd quarter. He is expected to play this upcoming Friday, so the injury must not be too bad.

Jim Poggi & Anthony Ferguson: Gilman 56 - Loyola 7
Every piece of the pie was sweet for Gilman as they rolled over Loyola. They returned the opening kickoff for a TD and didn't stop there adding another kick return TD in the 2nd quarter.

Christian Kirksey & Don Shumpert: Hazelwood East 32 – Ritenour 14
Hazelwood East's year has been split into what looks like 2 totally different teams. They lost their first 4 games and have now won 4 in a row with a 15 point victory over Pattonville. Kirksey had a team high 10 tackles and Shumpert caught an 11 yard TD in the 1st quarter that put East up for good.

Andrew Donnal: Anthony Wayne 56 - Northview 21
A week after Anthony Wayne was blanked, the team go its offense going rushing for 540 yards. Three Generals had over 100 yards running the ball in the victory.

Austin Vier: Ballard 20 -JSPC 13
Ballard rallied with 13 fourth quarter points to beat JSPC by a touchdown. Vier had a relatively poor game passing going just 6 of 15 for 65 yards. He did have his best rushing game though with 34 yards on 7 carries.

Mike Hardy: Kimberly 47 – Appleton East 6
Kimberly scored 47 points in the first half before letting up and cruising to a big win. Kimberly dominated this game stat with 20 first down compared to 3 and 363 yards compared to 78.

James Morris: Solon 42 – Regina 7
James Morris played quarterback again, and again Solon wins easily. The 35 point win game over the previously undefeated and 3rd ranked Regina. Morris ran for 3 touchdowns of 60, 46 and 33 yards and added another through the air. I actually caught part of this game on the Mediacom Connections Channel and Morris looked like a man among boys. He was bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, etc... than any other player on the field and just dominated with the ball in his hands.

Matt Hoch: Harlan 44 - Creston 0
Harlan gets another shutout and big victory moving to 8-0 on the year. Harlan limited Creston to just 78 total yards forcing the Panthers to punt 11 times.

Louis Trinca-Pasat: Lane Tech 0 – Simeon 14
Lane Tech didn't have a first down in the first half and never got the offense going getting shut out by Simeon.

Brandon Scherff: Denison 7 – MOC-Floyd Valley 3
In a sloppy game that saw no score through 3 quarters, Denison prevailed with a late touchdown. Scherff had 6 tackles on the night with 3 solo and 3 assists.

A.J. Derby: City High 47 – Waterloo West 0
City High put up a lot of points fast going up 40-0 at halftime against Waterloo West ultimately leading to a win. Derby ran 6 times for 72 yards and completed just 1 pass before sitting out the second half. Don't worry, he wasn't injured or anything...it was just a blow out.

Stephane N’goumou ?
The Milford Academy site says they should have played New Haven over the weekend, but the New Haven site says otherwise. So I'm not sure what happened. I'll check back later.

B.J. Lowery Hughes Center 6 – Shroder Paideia Academy 27
I was only able to find the final score.

Carl Davis Stevenson 42 - Romeo 7
Stevenson stayed undefeated and wrapped up a conference title against Romeo. Stevenson had 400 yard passing in the romp.

Donovan Johnson Martin 46 - Sam Houston 27
Martin racked up 520 yards of offense and outscored Sam Houston 20-3 in the second half on route to a victory.

Austin Gray Fitzgerald 12 - Lake Shore 20
I completely missed the fact I was leaving off Gray until I was reminded on a message board. This week Fitzgerald lost its 5th game and is now 3-5. Not much else, right now...sorry that was a lame re-entry into the roundup.

De’Andre Johnson Monsignor 48 – Doral Academy 0
Johnson out again. Monsignor wins easily over Doral Academy.

Previous Recruit Roundup:

• Week 7
  
• Week 6
  
• Week 5
• Week 4
• Week 3
• Week 2
• Week 1

Commit #19 for Iowa: Donovan Johnson

The 2010 class is filling up fast, especially along the defensive line. Donovan Johnson is the 6th defensive lineman to verbally commit to the Hawkeyes (maybe we'll actually see a rotation some time in the future!). He is a 3-star by Rivals and 1-star by Scout, defensive tackle from Arlington, Texas and committed after visiting Iowa City for the homecoming victory over Michigan.

High School:
Johnson plays for the Martin Warrior who are 4-3 on the year. For the Warriors Johnson plays both on the offensive and defensive lines. The only video I saw of him was on ESPN and just showed him playing offense. He looked pretty quick and did a nice job blocking, so I hope that can translate to success on the other side of the ball.

One last note...how hard is it to spell his name? Scout consistently uses Donovan, but Rivals has Donavan and Donovan on the same page! ESPN has the O. Looking at the roster from his high school's site, it looks like the conventional spelling, Donovan is correct.

Quick Glance:

DT Donovan Johnson - Arlington, TX
Recruiting:
Rivals	3*
Scout	1*
Other Schools	Iowa State, Nebraska, Purdue
Stats:
Size	6'4", 245 lbs

Commit #18 for Iowa: Carl Davis

The Hawkeyes picked up two more verbal commitments this past week, both along the defensive line. The first is Carl Davis from Sterling Heights, MI. Davis is a 3-star defensive tackle by both Scout and Rivals.

High School:
Davis plays for the Adlai E. Stevenson Spartans. Kirk Ferentz likes his winners, and much like other Hawkeye recruits Derby, Morris, Coker, etc...Davis plays on a undefeated team as the Spartans have outscored its opponents 278-113 through 7 games. Davis has done his part on defense with 22 tackles and 4 sacks.

Thoughts:
Davis has really nice size for a tackle (something Iowa has been lacking) coming in a 300 pounds. He also had some nice offers from around the Big Ten, so he is a really good pick up. This class is starting to look very good in the front 7 on defense and it has been fun seeing how it has come together.

Quick Glance:

DT Carl Davis - Sterling Heights, MI
Recruiting:
Rivals	3*
Scout	3*
Other Schools	Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois
Stats:
Size	6'5", 300 lbs
40 Time	5.0 sec

Iowa #6 in First BCS Standings

The initial BCS standings were released today and Iowa comes in at #6 behind Florida, Alabama, Texas, Boise State, and Cincinnati. The computers love Iowa (as they have all season) and the Hawks come in at #3 in the computer average behind Florida and Alabama. The Coley Matrix poll has Iowa #1 and the Billingsly has Iowa #4...those are the 2 that are dropped for the average. The others have the Hawks in 2nd or 3rd place.

There are 3 other Big Ten schools in the standings: #13 Penn State, #19 Ohio State, and #21 Wisconsin. Another Iowa opponent, Arizona also comes in at #22 thanks to some love from the computers. So that means, Iowa has beaten 3 teams in the top #25 of the BCS. That's pretty impressive if you ask me.

If Iowa wants to move up in the standings, they are going to need a little bit of help. I believe Iowa can surpass Boise State just by continuing to win due to the much more difficult schedule. But the other 4 teams are going to have to lose. Here are their remaining schedules.

Florida: @Mississippi State, Georgia, Vanderbilt, @South Carolina, Florida International, Florida State, SEC Championship Game
Alabama: Tennessee, LSU, @Mississippi State, Chattanooga, @Auburn, SEC Championship Game
Texas: @Missouri, @Oklahoma State, UCF, @Baylor, Kansas, @Texas A&M, Big 12 Championship Game
Cincinnati: Louisville, @Syracuse, Connecticut, West Virginia, Illinois, @Pittsburgh

Alabama and Cincinnati seem to have the toughest stretch ahead. Tennessee throttle Georgia their last time out, LSU is obviously a good team, and Auburn has one of the best offenses in the country (plus it's a HUGE rivalry game). Then it's likely the Alabama will meet Florida in the SEC Championship Game, so one of those teams will have to lose.

Cincinnati's biggest tests will be against West Virginia and then at Pittsburgh to end the season. But don't count out Louisville either as Cincinnati will be without its senior leader at QB Tony Pike who injured his arm this weekend against South Florida.

So, if Iowa wins out and Alabama and Cincinnati lose, that'll be 3rd. So here is where we need help. Maybe OK State can knock off Texas, or Bama will lose to Auburn but still beat Florida for the SEC crown. And, there are a million other scenarios, but none out it will really matter if Iowa cannot win out. So here's to beating Michigan State and the next 4 after that.

Post-Game Wisconsin

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.

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

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:

• Week 6
  
• Week 5
• Week 4
• Week 3
• Week 2
• Week 1

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).