Hawkeye House

Welcome to the End

2010-03-01T00:53:00.000-06:00

It's finally over.

They all come to this point at some time, it is inevitable. I knew that when I couldn't get excited to write about the simply outrageous Miami trip (quick highlights: seeing a 350+ pound woman and 50+ pound asian man hitting on Vanilla Ice in the airport, having my buddy Lundt go Jack Nicholson in The Departed on our foreign waitress for being bad at her job, my friend Austin being Dr. Miami all trip, swimming in the ocean when it was 50 degrees out, our terrible hotel room in our amazing hotel, Dr. Miami during the Orange Bowl, getting picked up from the Clevelander in a limo, having a homeless guy in Miami tell me I was Stanzi, Fred going half-terrorist and thus receiving first class seats and meal vouchers, semi-conciously driving home from Chicago and going into a sleep coma), it was time to mercy kill the blog.

I'll probably end up blogging again about something, whether it's my own adventures or the Hawkeyes. I'm at an interesting point in my life where I'll have a lot of options/choices soon, so I'm really excited about that. Quick thanks to everyone that visited, even if they didn't care what they're reading about and only visited cause it was me that was writing. Thanks to my professor Dave for helping with the site, Bubba for being a trial, Marc Morehouse for recording my final project and essentially saving my grade, and BHGP for linking one of my stories and instantly making everything worth it. Until then, this site is left here to rot.

Stuff, things, and Jermire Roberts,

Josh

Coming Soon: The Miami Diaries

2009-12-28T23:26:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited, I'm soooo exciiiiited, I'm so......scared...

2009: Iowa Football Top 10

2009-12-21T18:09:00.002-06:00

Back in May, I compiled a list of who I thought would be the top 10 players of 2009. Here's that post for evidence.

This is my pre-2009 list. Not too shabby for putting it together in May. Of course, Jewel tore his ACL and Bulaga had a "condition."

1. Bryan Bulaga

2. Amari Spievey
3. Adrian Clayborn
4. A.J. Edds
5. Pat Angerer
6. Tyler Sash
7. Ricky Stanzi
8. Ryan Donahue
9. DJK
10. Jewel Hampton

So here's the post-2009 list.

1. Adrian Clayborn
2. Pat Angerer
3. Amari Spievey
4. Tyler Sash
5. Dace Richardson
6. A.J. Edds
7. Bryan Bulaga
8. Marvin McNutt
9. DJK
10. Ricky Stanzi

Some clarifying points on the list:

Adrian was a bit of reach on the pre-2009 list at #3 as he had a good, but not great 2008 season. However, I had a feeling that he could turn into an impact player and he did just that. Clearly the best player on the team this season. Also, Adrian announced today he was returning for his senior season. Merry Christmas, Hawkeye fans. Adrian is here to deliver ~~presents~~ BCS titles and eat your ~~cookies~~ opposing teams' quarterbacks.
Pat Angerer is probably the least talked about, under-appreaciated first-team All-American in Hawkeye history. Yes, everyone loves his quotes and his general demeanor. People forget he had the 5th most tackles in the nation. 5th!
I put Dace at 5 because he was easily the best offensive player for the first half of the season. We probably drop a game if he wasn't in there. He wasn't on the pre-2009 list cause no one, including me, thought he would ever play again. Will he be a Hawkeye in 2010?
Marvin McNutt and DJK could be in each other's spot. DJK had more catches. McNutt had more touchdowns. That's the reason he gets the edge.
Bulaga is at seven because he got abused by Brandon Graham and O'Brien Schofield in the games after coming back from the thyroid. He still dominated at times and certainly will eventually return to form, it's just a matter if it's as a senior with the Hawkeyes or in the NFL.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

You Just Know Norm Has This on Repeat

2009-12-16T22:56:00.002-06:00

You may remember (but probably not) that there was only one thing to do after Iowa's Orange Bowl announcement: rage all day to this...

...press the restart button on the raging.

Video by clarez1029

Finals Week: Rise of the Hawkeye, Decline of the Grades

2009-12-13T17:17:00.001-06:00

Watch this while I struggle through five tests this week...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVL_5hJ9FyE

Video by herkeyhawk3

There's Only One Thing To Do In Time's Like These...

2009-12-06T22:20:00.000-06:00

The Search for Sombreros: An Afternoon Delight

2009-11-30T23:39:00.002-06:00

This is a story of two roommates, one of their fathers, and a burning desire to wear sombreros to Iowa's home finale against Minnesota. Wearing sombreros not only visually states that we want and intend to go to the Party Bowl, but it piques female interest in Caucasian males disguised as Mexican rancheros. Utilizing a photograph and a literary device called foreshadowing, we found the sombreros.

That's my roommate with the cactus. To protect his identity, we'll call him Fred.

The man to his left (our right) is Fred's brother, we'll call him Ryan.

The photo-shopped man underneath him is Fred's father, we'll call him Craig.

*Scene: 2:30 pm, Friday afternoon, one day before Minnesota. I had just finished a meeting with a CBS Executive and my last class before Thanksgiving break. Fred and his father had just returned from the casino where Fred had won $400. Everything was alright.

2:44 PM: Fred and Craig pick me up to being our sombrero hunt adventure. Obvious first stop: the mall.

3:00 PM: We arrive at the mall parking lot. Instantly, we watch a Jeep tailgating the rear end of a Ford Taurus driven by high school girls. Because high school girls are the epitome of cool, they were screaming obscenities out the window. I'm certainly not reprimanding this, I have screamed a fair share of obscenities out car windows, just not at three in the afternoon in a mall parking lot.

3:05 PM: Fred and Craig began the sombrero search on their own because I had not yet eaten that day. I have no idea how I hadn't passed out from hunger yet, but that's irrelevant. Fred and Craig traveled to the stores in the mall we figured would most likely have sombreros: Target and Hot Topic. I chose to eat at Panda Express (Orange Chicken, yummy yummy). Quick sidenote: Can you even imagine if there was a Panda Express downtown? It would trump Taco Bell in every possible way. I would be 300 pounds and completely broke due only to late night dining.

3:20 PM: Fred and Craig returned, only to inform me that neither of the stores had sombreros. Label us disappointed.

3:30 PM: Next stop, the local Salvation Army. Although they did have a hat section, no sombreros in sight. Also, you couldn't pay me $1000 to put on one of their stocking hats from the collection. Yikes.

3:50 PM: Craig said that one of the workers at Hot Topic mentioned that we should try Hobby Lobby. Hot Topic and Hobby Lobby go together about as well as non-douchebags and Ed Hardy. However, I had high hopes.

4:05 PM: We arrive at Hobby Lobby. To be honest, I have never in my life set foot in a Hobby Lobby, but I figured they have tons of useless crap in there, why not sombreros?

4:15 PM: After searching and failing aimlessly, I approach a college aged guy regarding the whereabouts of the sombreros. Instantly I noticed two things about said guy. #1. He hated his job more than I hate mine. #2. Hobby Lobby may be his employer the rest of his life. I know this because when I approached him, he greeted me with a "What's up, dude?" When I asked about sombreros, his response was "Shit, dude. I don't know, man. I don't think we have any. But I'm not sure, dude."

Although he was a moron, he led us in the weirdest and most interesting direction of the entire trip.

He mentioned that he knew of a small, Mexican grocery store located behind Taco John's.

4:35 PM: After no less than 10 minutes of searching for the aforementioned store, we finally located a building with a "La Lupita" sign on. Figuring this was what the Hobby Lobby duder was talking about, we discussed both the possibilities of going in the store of coming out alive.

4:40 PM: After minutes of second guessing, we decided the need for sombreros was greater than the need for our own lives. Upon entering the building, I see some of the most disturbing things I've seen in my time in Iowa City. These weren't just normal, "That's sorta weird" type things. These are like signs that are in horror movies when you know that you're screwed. Like finding a relatives head located somewhere in your house. Or suddenly the phone lines and your cell phone don't work - AT THE SAME TIME. Those kind of disturbing things. (Signs you'll die in a horror movie: you're a young, attractive virgin, you're black, or you're stupid. All these things mean you're dead.).

Anyway, Craig, Fred, and I enter La Lupita. The first thing we see is a lady with a helmet on leaving the "store." Check. Next, an extremely elderly gentleman who can barely walk exits. It's like they knew we were coming in. Check. We notice that there is one cashier and he is standing behind a tinted, probably bulletproof glass barrier. Check. Finally, this wasn't actually a grocery store, but a collection of miscellaneous goods. How the Hobby Lobby guy knew about this place is the real question. It had everything from cowboy hats to cornflakes to marshmallows to jacks. It was a crazy place. Seeing no sombreros anywhere and fearing for our lives, we bolted to continue searching.

5:00 PM: We drive across town. We are discouraged, but not defeated. We must have the sombreros.

5:10 PM: Our group searches both Stuff and Goodwill only to come up short again. Craig contemplates buying some shoes at Stuff for his wife for Christmas. That would have ended up being the worst decision of the trip. Please note we should have been murdered in a Mexican grocery store. And buying your wife discounted shoes at the Stuff boutique is a worse decision. She'll notice and you'll be in an endless hell. Trust me, Craig.

5:30 PM: Fully demoralized at this point, we begin discussing alternate options. Some of them being: calling Carlos O'Kelly's to see if they rent their birthday sombreros, going into restaurants to see if they have sombreros on the walls (we did this), or trying to find a young child's birthday fiesta siesta.

With none of these options being at all plausible, we decide that all hope is lost and it wasn't meant to be. My mood at that point was somewhere between Ryan from the O.C. and Brock Lesnar. I was an emotional explosion waiting to happen.

5:35 PM: Fred is driving to our apartment. Talk of watching the miserable Hawkeye basketball team begins. This is the worst.

5:40 PM: On our way home, we drive past the Aero Party and Rental Shoppe. Craig things we should stop. I'm pouting. Fred agrees with Craig only because of their father-son connection. Fred pulls the car into the lot and we hop out. Through the window I see items I haven't seen in any of the other stores: huge palm trees, streamers, etc. I begin to get excited. The excitement turns to anxiety, so I run into the store. The lady at the counter looks at me funny, mainly because I'm 21 and running into/through the store like a child.

It was at this point that I knew this was the place. I began laughing, slowly at first, while furiously pacing in between shelves.

Finally. I had found them. Sombreros stacked gloriously into the air. My laughter turned hysterical, Fred had joined by that point too. And I couldn't stop. Just laughing. We purchased six sombreros, a package of fake mustaches, and an inflatable cactus.

Mission Accomplished.

7:00 AM, the next day: After a hard night of.....studying, our apartment begins the ritual of the trek to Kinnick. Quick showers, Lupe Fiasco blaring, and we're off with our tickets, sombreros, and mustaches.

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Check out -2:50 of this video. Clearly, I was appalled at this guy. Who wears a beret and brings a dog to a football game? Per Mar isn't going to stand for that type nonsense. Especially the beret.

10:00 PM, Saturday Night: The Brother's (The bar, not the movie where everyone thinks Spiderman is dead, so Donnie Darko begins to romp with Padmé, but Spiderman isn't dead and goes apeshit.) bouncer asked if the sombrero was going to be a problem. Obviously it was. Obviously I answered, "Of course not." Little did he know, my sombrero and I were about to ruin some girl's birthday. Live and learn, bouncer.

The real lesson from this story is this: don't be afraid to spend 3+ hours on a Friday afternoon in search of a necessity.

Dear God, please let us go to the Fiesta Bowl so we can bust out the sombreros with good and righteous reason. I'm wearing mine to the airport.

*Photo Credits, Top to Bottom: Quad City Times, Matthew Holst of the Iowa City Press-Citizen, The (Cedar Rapids Gazette, Des Moines Register

*Video Credits: KCRG

*Adventure Credit: Fred and Craig

100 Hours

2009-11-23T20:22:00.001-06:00

As mentioned before, I have been working on this project called 100 Hours. Though it does have it's flaws, I think it turned out really, really cool. There's a bunch of really sweet football pictures, a football video that I did, and tons of other pictures from Halloween weekend.

Check it out

Quick Editors Note: Life/school has been busy/hectic recently. Since this site employes a writer of one/me, that usually means nothing gets posted. Many apologies/sorries.

*Photo credit to Scott Miller. Touchdown credit to DJK.

The Turnover: Northwestern

2009-11-10T00:17:00.001-06:00

What really happened Hawkeyeland this weekend?

Before we get to breaking down the awfulness that was Saturday, I realized that something much more devasting had happened. While checking out the Google Diagnostics for this site for class, which by the way are super creepy and even more proof Google will soon take over the world, I found something very disturbing. The word "mustache" is only the 63rd most common word Google found while crawling my site. It was behind words like yards, plays, tackle, and school. Pathetic. This aggression will not stand, man. I'll try to make up for it in the future. Until then...

Mustache. Mustache. Mustache. Mustache. Mustache. Mustache. Mustache.

There. That should do the trick.

Welcome to Heartbreak

Godspeed Rick

Everyone who was paying attention to this team knew it was going to lose eventually. It had too many flaws. Too many injuries: Richardson, Robinson, Greenwood, Bulaga, Sandeman, and more. Too little continuity among the offensive line. Too few guys on offense that can take over game.

The loss was probably going to happen. That's a fact. Maybe at Ohio State. Maybe Minnesota. Maybe in the Rose Bowl. No one thought it would be at the hands of Northwestern. Or quite literally, at the hands of Northwestern DE Corey Wooten, who planted Stanzi and the Hawk's hopes of a national title firmly in the north end zone turf. Suddenly, Stanzi, his ankle and his gigantic-offense-leading cajones were no longer available to bail out the struggling offense. For all his throws into quadruple coverage, four interception quarters, and general craziness, he is the the face of the offense. His calm demeanor allows for the drive at Michigan State, the fourth quarter explosion versus Indiana.

This time Stanzi wasn't there to rescue the Hawkeyes. Instead, he was standing on the sideline with a boot and crutches. Standing where he'll remain for the rest of the regular season.

Dear James...

VANDYBALL?

With Stanzi out for good, your Iowa Hawkeyes QB is redshirt freshman James Vandenberg. He threw a pick on his first pass against Northwestern. He went 9-27. He couldn't lead the Hawkeyes to any points. He has to make his second collegiate start against the Big 10's best defense in the Horseshoe.

All signs point to the fact that the Hawkeyes are screwed this weekend. I don't necessarily think so.

I like Vandenburg. A lot. He's got a live arm, didn't get happy feet in the pocket, and threw it away when he needed to. Of course, he missed throws I believe he can make. The overthrows to McNutt in the endzone and to DJK on the fly can be attributed to adrenaline. Making your first start in front of 70,000 people with a perfect season on the line would do damage to anyone's nerves.

However, Ohio State won't care one bit. It certainly is going to be extremely difficult. I'm excited to see what the young gun can do though. This year, I've learned not too be surprised.

Quick Slants

The only good thing that happened all day.

The Hawkeyes lost the turnover margin 4-1. That can't happen against OSU.
DJK has looked good on kickoff returns. However, he's stopped on some his routes lately. Don't know what the deal is there.
The Rafael Eubanks holding call on Brandon Wegher's TD run was terrible. Terrible. Also, Wegher is ultra fast.
Here's to hoping Greenwood is back this week. Although Conklin hasn't looked too bad in his spot, experience is everything.
Iowa will need to use their tight ends to move the ball. They've been in helping the offensive line. Moeaki has to be out getting double teams or making plays.
Will Adam Robinson be back this week? It couldn't hurt.

*Photo credit to Matthew Holst and Dan Williamson

In Terms of Arbitrary Wishes I've Made While Blowing Out Candles On a Birthday Cake, Here's #1: Every Day SHOULD Be Saturday

2009-11-06T12:10:00.001-06:00

That may be the longest title for a blog post in the history of mankind. In fact, it might even be against the laws of journalsim. Either way, erroneous. On both counts.

Because it's Northwestern.

Anyway, it's sorta been a slow week for a variety of reasons. The foremost being that I had three tests this week over material that, much by my own choosing, I only had mere hours to learn. Just trying to flex some mental willpower. Nothing to see here. Moving on.

The second reason is that I'm teetering on the verge of cough/runnynose/lost my voice sick and can't move sick because everyone and their mother was out Halloween.  Therefore, I budged many long lines only to not move and eventually leave because the cover for the establishment was ridiculous. Also, I saw many moms out on Halloween.  NOT acceptable. While mothers usually hold a bit of an attraction for because their loving, caring, and nurturing nature, a Halloween mom holds the opposite attraction. You should be taking care of your families, not participating in college-fueled debauchery. Shame on you. Hi mom.

The third reason is that, as BlackHeartGoldPants puts it, it's justNorthwestern. Or the preferred way, JUSTNorthwestern. There's really nothing to see here. If Kafka doesn't play, it'll be a piss pounding of epic proportions. Which in 2009 Hawkeye terms means we'll win 21-3 and hold the lead the entire game. If Kafka does play, he's their entire offense.  Northwestern is so boring there is nothing to write about them. Coming from a guy who just wrote a tangent about Halloween moms, that's saying something.

As much as I like plagiarizing...

And trust me, I do. I can't here.  The college football blog, Every Day Should Be Saturday, is genious. Seriously, if every day could be Saturday, I would be overcome with emotion.

Anyway, this article is amazing. Here's a taste...

The redemption of the Dennis Dixon curse. If anyone should be allowed to get silly early about a possible national title, it’s Oregon, who is certainly owed some back credit by the college football universe for the heinous case of Dennis Dixon and the slight flick Crazy Old Testament God gave his ACL two years ago. Without that Dixon is a clearcut Heisman winner and the Ducks’ ambition knows no bounds, so in repayment for that go ahead and look forward to the eventual gutting of whatever Big Ten team you face in the Rose Bowl. (Unless it’s Iowa, where you lose despite having 600 yards of offense and allowing less than 250 yards total to the Hawkeyes. You have no choice.)

Did you hear that, Northwestern? You have no choice.

Plug, Void of Shame

2009-11-02T11:07:00.000-06:00

No Turnover this week due to 3 tests and a lack of time. I'll post something later in the week.

On a happier note, I've been working on a photo-documentary project called 100 Hours. I'm not quite sure how the finished product will turn out, but it should turn out to be one of the cooler things I've done in college. If you're a UI student, you can join the literally dozen readers of this site to help out the project.

For more info, the website is... 100hours.jmc.uiowa.edu

Could It Be?

2009-10-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

I've actually been thinking about this for awhile. Iowa 2009 = Ohio Stat 2002. Tough defenses, unremarkable offenses, freshman running back(s), close victories. Could it Be?

I was about to research the smilarities, recently. Luckily for me, the great Big 10 blog The Rivalry Esq., broke it down better than I ever could have. Here is their article. GO TO IT!

A few of my favorite similarities they found...

1.Ohio State faced two out of conference BCS opponents in 2002. One from the Big 12 (Texas Tech) and one from the Pac 10 (Washington State). Iowa faced two out of conference BCS opponents this year. One from the Big 12 (Iowa State) and one from the Pac 10 (Arizona).

2.Ohio State rebounded from a 5-3 Big Ten Season in 2001. Iowa is rebounding from a 5-3 Big Ten Season in 2008.

3.Ohio State played South Carolina in the Outback Bowl in 2001. Iowa played South Carolina in the Outback Bowl in 2008.

9.Ohio State was ranked Fourth in the BCS Standings heading into Week 9 in 2002. Iowa is ranked Fourth in the BCS Standings heading into Week 9 this season.

10.Ohio State won six games by 7 points or less in 2002. Iowa has already won four games by 7 points or less

Are these similarities mere coincidinces? You decide. Luckily for us, it looks like there will be two games won by more than 7 points. Thank God. I'm going to have cardiac arrest soon if this continues.

The Turnover: Michigan State

2009-10-26T12:31:00.001-05:00

What really happened in Hawkeye land this weekend? hint: spillin that MCNUTT.

Still in disbelief.

Destiny?

There is something undeniably special going on with this Hawkeye team right now. And I love every aspect of it. Let's just make a list of all the things that have gone on this season so far. In no particular order:

Shonn Greene bolts to the NFL. Running back in waiting Jewel Hampton tears his ACL in camp. Paki O'Meara fumbles twice in the season opener against UNI. Say hola to two freshmen: Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher.
Dace Richardson. His career was thought to be over. Doctors had to cut his freaking knee and move it over to relieve stress. Up until this games injury, Dace had been playing well enough to garner a mid-season 1st Team All-American Award. More on Dace later.
Iowa needed two consecutive blocked field goals to ward of UNI in the home opener. TWO!!!!
Bryan Bulaga is out for the next three games with a thyroid condition. False rumors were his career was in jeopardy. His replacement, Riley Reiff, plays well enough in his absence to earn a starting spot.
The Hawkeyes put its only beatdown of the year on a mildly respectable Iowa State in Ames. Even great Iowa teams go there to lose. See 2002.
Marvin McNutt has an open house party against Arkansas State. He provides many hors d'oeuvres and his guests have a great time.
Iowa blocks a Penn State punt in a punt-safe formation and goes on to win in Happy Valley.
Stanzi throws a pick-six on the first offensive play of the Michigan game. The Hawkeyes recover and oft-injured Tony Moeaki puts on a two TD clinic against Michigan.
Iowa rallies from down 10 at Camp Randall. John Clay, who had smashed the ball down the throat of the Hawks for the first half could have been a Hawkeye. Poor decision.
Dick Stanzi leads Iowa on a game-winning drive at East Lansing with 1:38 left on the clock. With :02 seconds left, he hits converted QB Marvin McNutt, for the victory.
Only one team, in the history of the world, including of course stories from the Old Testament, has won at Happy Valley, at Camp Randall, and at East Lansing. That, of course, was the 1997 Michigan team that shared the national championship. Of course, there are three home games left and that one game at the Horseshoe.
Adrian Clayborn morphed into some kind of John Randle/Bruce Smith/Reggie White/JackLinksBeefJerkeySasquatch clone this season. He's unreal. I pray he stays.

A bit of personal irony here. I watched Saturday Night's Michigan State game in the exact same spot I watched Tate to Holloway Capitol One Bowl game. Same town. Same house. Same recliner. Same television. Same snack food. Best part is: none of those "same's" are mine. It's also exactly 220.92 miles from my apartment. It's been a weird year. It promises to be a weirder one. Indiana on Halloween.

This sucks so hard. By NCAA rules, is Dace eligible to use my leg for the remainder of the season?

Media Darlings

The Big 10 gets a terrible reputation from the ignorant national media. They say Florida, Alabama, and Texas are the only real contenders for the national title. They say that Iowa isn't good enough because they needed two blocked field goals to beat UNI. Wait, but Alabama needed two blocked field goals from the Gigantic Fat to beat Tennessee.

They'll say that Iowa is slow, not innovative, and that the Big 10 is down, etc. These national pundits will look at 15-13 and pronounce it an ugly win. They'll say Iowa isn't flashy enough to be ranked this high. And I might even consider what they were saying if they weren't complete idiots. ESPN employs Lou Holtz. Enough said there. Even Shaun King, who has been giving Iowa props lately, said that he "loves what Kirk Ferentz is doing down there in Des Moines."

The matter of the fact is that this game is what Big 10 football, and football in general, is all about. It's about a battle of wills. It's about who can impose their physicality until the other team breaks. It's about toughness. I would love to see a team from the warmth of the SEC or Pac-10 play Iowa in the middle of November where the wind chill is -14 degrees. Let's see how "speed" those teams have then.

This game was the epitome of Big 10 football. Hard hits every play that could be heard on the TV. Great line play. Goal line stands. Michigan State is the first team that has not wilted, but matched, when met with the Hawkeyes' physicality. It wasn't the prettiest, but it was nowhere near boring. Dare I say...slobberknocker?

The victory didn't come without a price though. Colin Sandeman was knocked out. Brett Greenwood had to be carted off the field. Dace Richardson broke a bone in his leg. Adam Robinson was on crutches post-game. Brandon Wegher didn't play much of the first half with a rib injury. I'm sure plenty of other Hawks woke up very sore Sunday morning.

The worst news is Dace. As mentioned before, he was easily our most versatile and consistent lineman. He played right tackle against UNI and both guard spots throughout the year. Most people, including me, thought his career was over with. He's been the feel good story of the year thus far. If there's an individual that embodies what being a Hawkeye is all about, especially this year, it's Dace Richardson. Never quit, never give up, and play until you run out of time. Well, time has officially run out on Dace for this season. Maybe he gets back for the bowl game. Maybe not. He sure does deserve it though.

Julian Vandervelde will step in to Dace's right guard spot. The line from left to right will be: Bulaga, Reiff, Eubanks, Vandervelde, Calloway.

The running back two deeps will probably go Wegher, O'Meara. Pak-man is back! Keenan Davis and the Great One, Marvin McNutt, will get more reps in Sandeman's absence. The man you saw on your screen failing to make many plays in the absence of Brett Greenwood, was #20 Joe Conklin. He's a walk-on from Iowa State. So it is entirely possible he could have been trying to throw the game...only kidding. Don't underestimate how hard it is to come into your first game cold. It's incredibly difficult. But he bit on the hook and ladder (amazing play) and then was the closest guy to Blair White on what was supposed to be the game-winning TD. I'm sure a week of practice will do him wonders, but you can't instantly replace a 2-year starter. Hawk fans bag on Greenwood more than any other player on the team, but his absence was noticeable.

The Manzi is a rock star. Very similar to The Edge.

Quick Slants

Iowa is 8-0 for the first time EVER. EEEEVVVVEEEEERRRR!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, think about it. EVER.
The offensive line finally played as a unit this game. Bulaga and Calloway are returning to form. That's scary to think that two of Iowa's best offensive players haven't been playing that well. It's no coincidence that A-Rob went over 100 yards this game.
If you split the season into 4-game 1/3's, the last four is, on paper, the easiest. Three games at home to lower tier Big 10 teams, then the game @ Ohio State. If Iowa has come this far with this brutal schedule, it would be absolutely crushing to lose one of the three at home.
Adrian Clayborn was named Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week. No surprise there. He had two sacks, three TFL's, and one forced fumble. Always impressive.
Greg Jones was insane and should win Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year.
This weekend: We are all Cowboys.

*Photo credit to Dan Williamson of the Press-Citizen

The Turnover: Wisconsin

2009-10-22T14:38:00.002-05:00

What really happened in ~~Hawkeyeland~~ Madtown this weekend?

A.J. Edds plays for God's team.

Madtown

Being that this was my first real road trip to a Big 10 stadium that wasn't Kinnick ( I think we can all agree Minnesota doesn't count), I knew that the weekend was worth reviewing in every aspect. So, we'll start with the most important part: tailgating.

...Or lack, thereof. I knew we weren't in Iowa City when some friends of friends from Madison asked us what time we wanted to wake up.

"So, uh, what time do you guys wanna get up? Sometime around 9, get to the stadium around 9:45. Sound good?"

Actually, that didn't work for us. Sorry. We expressed our disinterest in their plan by cracking some fan cans at their breakfast. Social norms were chucked out the window that morning. Anyway, we arrived by the stadium at 8:30 am, only to find a barren wasteland of tailgating. Sure, there are some spots of diehards, fraternity row, and some bars near the stadium. It was clear, however, that Wisconsin tailgating doesn't even come close to Iowa City's. We're on a different level, get used to it. Tailgating Grade: D

After a few hours of non-tailgating, we decided to check out Camp Randall. For as lame as the tailgating was, the stadium was very cool. I believe it's one of the oldest in the Big 10. It's attached to the old Wisconsin Fieldhouse, so it's got a nice, historic feel to it.

This inside was bowl-shaped and gigantic. Stadium capacity is around 80,000, plenty of seats for those cheese-loving, brat-eating fans. The concourse inside was pretty cool too, featuring a Wisconsin apparrel store and typical set-ups of some Wisconsin football history. Stadium Grade: A-

One of the things I was most interested to find out during the trip was the student section. We had tickets for some south endzone seats. Naturally, we mosied our way over to the middle of the student section. Now, had some Wisconsin fan done this, I would have incessantly harrassed him to the point where he wouldn't be sure if standing in an opposing student section was a good idea. However, the most we got were some good-hearted jabs, even when the Hawks were down 10-0. The real insult came when some orange starbursts were chucked at us, because no one likes orange starbursts. It probably helped that my buddy Lundt and I run about 6'5 and 6'2 respectively.

The student section, even if it was gigantic, didn't fill up until halfway through the second quarter and were never that loud. Even the people that managed to show up by kickoff were borderline mentally incompotent. A balding guy who was standing in front of us and couldn't have possibly been in college, unless he was an engineer, commented after John Clay ripped off a 6-yard run on the second play, "I thought your defense was supposed to be good." Nice sample size, buddy.

They had organized cheers: some were alright, some were terrible. Especially the repeat of the PA "1st and 10 Wisconsin." I'd rather hear "That's another Cyclone, FIRST DOWN!!!!!" then hear "firstandtenwisconsin" again. That's how bad it was.

Of course, their one redeeming moment was Jump Around.

Naturally, I missed jump around by one second.

Student Section Grade: C-

Or course, after the Hawks did whatever they do in the second-half and escaped Camp Randall with the W, it was time to celebrate. We went to State Street both Friday and Saturday night, exploring a number of bars along the way: the Kollege Klub (which I snuck into cause the bouncers sucked), Brat Haus, Brothers, Wando's, the Pub, the Red Shed, and a few others I can't remember the names of.

Wando's

Although downtown Iowa City is way better, Madison held it's own. We spent most of nights at Brothers and Wando's and had enough fun at both places. The real winner here is the Buffalo Wild Wings that is located downtown and open really late. On both nights, I put down a combined 32 Honey BBQ boneless wings. Moderation was not a theme of the weekend. Also, there were police on horses. Cool in it's own regard.

Nightlife Grade: B+

One-armed tackles: just another weapon in Adrian's arsenal

Quick Slants

This was Stanzi's best game by far. He was in control, made great throws all day despite the lack of running game, and most importantly, won. Stats: 17-32, 218 yards, 1 TD. No INT's. If he plays this way the rest of the season, Iowa could be a legitimate national title contender.
DJK is back with the program. Thank God. Marvin McNutt saw limited playing time because of an injured finger. He should be back for Michigan State.
Daniel Murray sealed the game with a career-long 48 yard field goal.
Brandon Wegher averaged .1 YPG. Mostly not his fault (looking at you offensive line), but ouch.
Iowa is 7-0 for the first time since 1985 The hold sole possession of first in the Big 10 for the first time since 1990.
The defense was getting absolutely worked in the first half by John Clay and the Wisky O-Line. I have no idea why they went away from this in the second half.
Iowa's defense injured some of the most important Wisky players: John Clay, Garrett Graham, and probably more. This defense is too good.
Amari Spievey was a game-time decision. Good thing he played because he had his best game this season with two picks.
Iowa Football is affecting my life: schoolwork, free time, weekends, sleep, everything. I'm loving this season.

No Turnover: Michigan

2009-10-12T11:15:00.001-05:00

Because life has insisted on repeatedly slapping my face for the majority of the upcoming week, the Turnover has been canceled due to lack of hustle. And time. UGH.

Of course there is this. From fossilhawk at BHGP

Quick Slants

The aptly-named Michigan CB Boubocar Cissoko ceases play after being suspended indefinitely.
Another Stanzi pick six. Yiiiikes
Going into the game, I thought Ryan Donahue was clearly the best punter in the Big 10. Clearly, I was mistaken. Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko was impressive all game, including a 61-yard beezy.
Denard Robinson is really, really fast. Like 4.26 fast. Good thing he can't pass at all.
The Hawkeyes are 6-0 for the first time since 1985. Iowa is now ranked 11th going into Wisconsin.
Big 10 Offensive Player of the Week: Tony Moeaki. Six passes, 105 yards, two touchdowns. Not too shabby for his first game back. Obviously, this guy is a physical freak. The key is just staying healthy. Although not yet on the injured listed, Hawkeye House expects him to be back for the Ohio State game and the bowl game.
Speaking of Moeaki, Stanzi made a great audible for a well-designed play on Moeaki's first touchdown. Stanzi read all out blitz and audibled. Moeaki blocked for a second, let the linebacker covering him rush Stanzi, and then released up the seam. Beautiful.
The defense finally allowed a rushing touchdown for the first time since Penn State last year. This was the type of stat that, although very impressive, doesn't mean much. Especially since Michigan had three rushing touchdowns.
Tate Forcier is a little girl.
Kinnick looked gorgeous from the blimpshots.
All around, it was a massive, massive weekend.

Could you define...Desperate?

2009-10-07T12:55:00.000-05:00

Per the Gazette

A 22-year-old woman was arrested for harassing a Hawkeye football player during Saturday’s game.

According to a criminal complaint, Brittney J. Mears, of 2748 Heinz Rd., was sitting in the first row, behind the Hawkeyes’ bench, during Saturday’s Iowa-Arkansas State game at Kinnick Stadium when she repeatedly called out Hawkeye defensive end Adrian Clayborn’s name throughout the first three quarters.

Though Clayborn’s name was not listed in the police complaint, Clayborn filed a protective order against Mears this morning in Johnson County District Court, referencing the incident.

After Clayborn said he was “distracted and annoyed,” by Mears’ actions, police said she was removed from the stadium and charged with third-degree harassment, a simple misdemeanor.

According to court documents, the alleged contact from Mears began on June 28, when she was given a warning for harassment for driving past Clayborn’s workplace and staring at him. And on July 27, she sent a vulgar text message to Clayborn’s phone.

According to Iowa Courts Online, Mears initially pleaded not guilty to the third-degree harassment charge, but later entered a plea of guilty on Sept. 18 and received a deferred judgment.

The court records show she Mears was fined $100 and sentenced to 10 hours of community service. She also received a year of probation.

Mears remained in custody Wednesday at the Johnson County Jail on a $1,000 cash-only bond. Her trial is set for Nov. 13 at 9 a.m.

To say the least, it's been an interesting year for Adrian.

The Turnover: Arkansas State

2009-10-04T22:58:00.000-05:00

What really happened in Hawkeyeland this weekend?

Stanzi likes his loincloths

The Hangover

I had one. The Hawkeyes had one. Everyone and their mother had a hangover Saturday morning. Smack-dab in between two ABC Primetime games was pesky Arkansas State. This was a trap game in every sense of the term. Even Captain Kirk went as far as acknowledging it. The Hawkeyes are very lucky that this was a Sun Belt team and not a Big 10 team, cause the performance was certainly lackluster.

Iowa jumped out to a 14-0 lead very early in the game and coasted through the rest of the game. This game was eerily similar to the Purdue game of last year. Iowa had just come off a victory Penn State. Iowa was playing an inferior opponent. Iowa escaped with a victory. Sound familiar? Last year, Shonn Greene made Purdue safety Frank Duong his mistress, twice. This year, Stanzi mixed in 296 yards passing with three long touchdown passes to go along with two interceptions; one of those picks scored six points for other team. No good.

Spillin' it all over Arkansas State

Spill that McNutt

Marvin McNutt finally did what all Hawkeye fans thought he was very capable of: take over a game and be a BIG TIME receiver. 4 catches, 121 yards, 2 touchdowns. Hopefully, this can continue during the rest of the Big 10 slate. He's big, fast, and has great hands. The more he plays, the better.

Plus, he recovered the onside kick that essentially sealed the victory. Versatility.

To be honest, I only wrote this in a seperate section because I wanted to write that headline. Colour me immature.

There is no way Leonard didn't have an accident in his drawers. Terrifying.

The Cool

Frankly, this game was boring. Really boring. I don't know if it was the opponent, the lack of exciting plays, the weather, but it was one of the least exciting games I've ever been to. Ever. The game was never quite out of reach and never quite in jeopardy. There's not really much to take from a trap game like this.

However, just when I thought the Saturday couldn't get any worse, this kid starts dancing and totally redeems itself.

This was one of the coolest, non-football related things in Kinnick. Myself, along with 20,000 other people in Kinnick, were in absolute bits watching him. I hope and pray that this becomes a half-time ritual. This kid will become a legend on campus. In fact, he probably already is.

Quick Slants

Tyler Sash collected his 5th interception of the season. It's getting a little out of hand.
Bulaga played well the entire game. Despite that, the running game couldn't get going.
Iowa has the second-longest winning streak, behind only Florida.
College Gameday will be at LSU-Florida thanks to Michigan losing and the Hawks playing poorly.
Willie Lowe got picked on pretty bad most of the game. Shaun Prater should return from a sprained knee this weekend. Moeaki should return to action against Michigan, only to be re-injured instantly.
Despite the plea, Karl Klug was not brought out in a cage. Disappointed.
Next weekend is a BLACKOUT. A push for a Gold Rush through an athletic department poll was ignored. The choice does make a bit of sense. It'll be decently chilly for the game. More people have black coats than gold coats. Personally, gold would look better at night. But if everyone participates, the BLACKOUT should be sweeeeeet.

*Photo credit to Dan Williamson of the Press-Citizen

Bumped from the comments section due to Incredible-ness

2009-09-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

Much love to "Anonymous" for the picture. Pretty sterotypical username though.

Bulaga is Back!

2009-09-30T01:19:00.000-05:00

To Health! And a regulated thyroid! Cheers!

It's official.

The Hawkeye's All-American Candidate will be back in the starting line-up this weekend against Arkansas State. Arkansas State is the Arkansas equivilant of Iowa State. Except it's in Arkansas, so it's, you know, considerably worse. If you had told any Hawkeye fan that Bulaga would be out during the stretch of @ ISU, vs. Arizona, @ Penn State, they likely would have responded OMG WERE SCRWED FIRE KOK CAN NE1 BLOCK?

Per Kirk's press conference today, Bulaga had a thyroid condition. Like Kirk said, if it happened on some garbage day in February (paraphrasing, of course) this would almost be a non-issue (aside from Bryan getting healthy in the Winter, rather than now). However, as it stands, the great left tackle is back and will hopefully be paving defensive ends in the near future. It'll be very interesting to see how he plays the first week back.

Implications

The odd man out is the Philly Steak Pita Riley Reiff. For the last three weeks, Reiff has erased all thoughts about the Pita Pit streaking (though I'll never forget. EPIC) and manhandled players much older than him in seriously difficult environments. Although I expected there to be a gigantic drop-off after Bulaga went down, Reiff performed admirably considering the circumstances. The only way a gigantic drop-off doesn't happen when an All-American candidate goes down is when another one is awaiting in the wings. Although Reiff is the odd man out now, he's a damn good backup for a line that goes like this: Bulaga, Richardson, Eubanks, Vandervelde, Calloway. Iowa will win a lot of games this year based on the play of both lines.

Now that Bulaga has missed three games this season, it's entirely possible that he returns for his senior season. His draft stock probably hasn't taken that big of a hit, but perhaps a bit of one.

The offensive line now has even more depth with game experience: Reiff, Andy Kuempel, Josh Koeppel, Adam Gettis, and Dan Doering. It's like the free CinnaPie Papa John's throws in with their 2-topping large. Never, ever a bad thing. And always useful.

Other Notes:

Adrian Clayborn is now a captain after his insane performances against Penn State and Arizona. He also got some beard time on the Big 10 Network.

Clayborn had the best quote on DT Karl Klug, "Karl Klug is an animal. Next game we're going to bring him in a cage." Let me just interject, while this is my own opinion, THAT WOULD BE SO FREAKING SWEET. Put caged Klug on the platform the cheerleading bro's carry Herky out on, then set him in the middle of the field and watch him bend steel.

America Needs Farmers

2009-09-28T16:21:00.000-05:00

Not a lightning bolt.

Have you been noticing that decal the Hawks have been wearing this season? The decal isn't new, but I'm glad it's back. As you can see from the picture, it says "ANF" which stands for "America Needs Farmers." The NCAA has some crazy stupid rules (go figure) about decals on helmets that deal with advertising or promotion. Iowa officials must have found a loophole in the system. Either way, I hope it's here to stay.

Some History

From the immaculately reliable Wikipedia:

The Michigan Wolverines came into Iowa City with a perfect 5-0 record and the #2 ranking in the AP poll. It was just the 12th time in college football history that the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the AP poll would meet for a regular season game. It was the first such meeting where the victor scored the winning points on the game's final play. With two seconds remaining in the game and Iowa trailing 10-9, kicker Rob Houghtlin booted his fourth field goal of the day, this one from 29 yards out, as time expired to give Iowa a dramatic 12-10 victory over Michigan at Kinnick Stadium. Fry used the pregame attention to highlight the farm crisis in the state of Iowa at the time by putting ANF decals on Iowa's helmets, which stood for "America Needs Farmers."

Knowlege is power.

The Turnover: Pennsylvania State

2009-09-28T12:54:00.001-05:00

What really happened in Hawkeyeland this weekend?

THIS. HAPPENED.

Sweet Baby Jesus

I'm still a bit shocked at the outcome of Iowa's 21-10 victory over then #5 Penn State. Not shocked that they won, I knew it was certainly a possibility. Just surprised that they actually pulled it off. Just think everything that was working against the Hawks on Saturday: the revenge factor (if you saw the way Daryl Clark celebrated after the first TD, that revenge factor was real), the seven hours of rain on real grass, the White-Out, playing a top 5 ranked team in the country. Everything. And yet they did it.

This game, especially the fourth quarter, was so much fun to watch. It started with Clayborn's punt-safe-block-scoop-run-TD and it ended with Daniel Murray kicking a 31-yard ball of irony down Penn State's collective mouth. I had accidentally run into a variety of objects and spilled so much beverage on my roommates, apartment floor, and myself that I had to watch the game from the comforts of my own bathroom. Things can go from excited to annoying really fast when people are soaked. I have a feeling this was the case all across the dustland fairytale that is Iowa.

Rumble on, big man. Rumble on.

Comprehending the Awesomeness that is Six Seconds of Hell

This is easily the story of the game. Try and name someone on the defense that didn't play well. We'll just go left to right, back to front. ESPN.com's Big 10 Defensive POW Broderick Binns: 8 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble that led to a safety. Karl Klug: 6 tackles, 2 TFL, .5 a sack, a tip that led to an INT, and a fumble recovery in the 4th quarter that essentially sealed the game. Christian Ballard: not gaudy stats (only 2 tackles), but probably the most consistent pressure on Clark the entire game. ESPN.com's Big 10 Special Teams POW Adrian Clayborn: Only two tackles...plus the aforementioned game changing/winning play.

Let's talk about this play for a bit. I can usually rate big plays in Hawkeye history by how I reacted to them. Ed Hinkel's one-handed catch at the Big House; quiet astonishment. Shonn Greene's run against Wisconsin; "He's too good. Too good." The Catch? I ran around a basement screaming and hugging and swearing and screaming for a good 20 minutes or more. In the process, I managed to pop an air mattress and instantly changed the way a few of my family's friends thought of me. On Clayborn's block, I jumped up from the couch (blocking the projector, which blocked the actual screen) and began to simultaneously celebrate in disbelief and endure significant wrath from friends.

If this block doesn't happen, it could be a completely and totally different game. Iowa gained both momentum and confidence after the block. Ferentz's best teams have always made big plays in special teams. ALWAYS. This is the aspect that has been missing the past few years. This season is different, which is why it could be very special. Iowa blocked two consecutive field goals in its opener. The Hawks silenced Happy Valley with a block on a punt safe. Just sayin'.

A.J Edds: 6 tackles, one INT. Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week Pat Angerer: 14 tackles, 1 forced fumble, one interception that he got knocked out on, and one amazing quote. Angerer called Edds a "bleep" for sliding after his pick. I can only assume and hope "bleep" means "bitch", but who knows, curse words have a variety of uses and meanings. Pretty funny considering Angerer got his bell rung during his return.

Jeremiha Hunter: 12 tackles, 1.5 TFL. Hunter seemed to be in on every play.

Amari Spievey: After getting burnt team for the touchdown on Penn State's first play, Spievey did what Spievey does. Mainly, locking down an entire side of the field. I'd bet at least three of my toes that Spievey doesn't get burnt like that again all season.

Sash/Greenwood: Pretty quiet game from the tandem. Probably due to the fact that the ball didn't get more than 4 yards down the field at a time. Though, it's entirely possible Iowa was playing a cover-2 deep on the first play and Sash bit on the play fake. Otherwise, spectacularly solid.

Shaun Prater: Making only his second start, he baited Clark like a veteran for a INT and then proceeded to run 78 yards sideways for a gain of 0.

That defense was something special on Saturday. Although we knew coming in that Penn State's offensive line was not a strength, Iowa's D-Line abused them all night. Can we expect this type of production game-in, game-out. Absolutely not. However, Iowa's defensive line is the reason this defense is suffocating its opponents.

JoePa has seen better days, when he could see. Dude is a LEGEND.

So what's next?

First and foremost, Arkansas State. Anyone know anything at all about them? No? Sweet. They lost to Nebraska by 30ish. Last year, they "upset" a bad Texas A&M team. This is a "trap" game. Iowa just beat a top 5 opponent on the road for the first time since 1990. Iowa hosts #23 Michigan, at home, at night, on Homecoming. Arkansas State is sandwiched. Plus, the two stereotypes of trap games do sorta exist. Teams usually play worse after a huge win or before a big game. Arkansas State is both. Remember how well Iowa played against a bad Purdue game last year after Penn State? If it weren't for Shonn Greene destroying the manhood(s) of Purdue's secondary, Iowa might have lost that game.

Iowa's run schedule doesn't look so tough anymore. At Wisconsin, tough, but not Penn State tough. Plus, I'll be there, which means at least +4 points for the Hawks. At Michigan State not as bad, since they've been pooping the bed so far this season. Plus, I hope they lose to Michigan this weekend to set up the battle of the undefeateds in two weeks, with a possibility of GameDay coming to Iowa Cit-ay. With a good amount of luck, at Ohio State will hopefully be the battle for the Big 10 Title.

That's looking pretty far ahead, but it is certainly more plausible after this weekend.

(All photos owned by Matthew Holst)

The Turnover

2009-09-21T13:01:00.000-05:00

What really happened in Hawkeyeland this past weekend?

Look at the dude bottom right of the pic: Sweet pose, bro!

Scary Good

The Hawkeye defense is finally dominating the way we thought they would from the start. Adrian Clayborn was the best player on the field Saturday, and it wasn't even close. He played so well that the only thing to slow him down all day was a whistle he thought he heard while chasing down Arizona running back Nic Grigsby for the 42nd time. This is the kind of game Hawkeye fans have been waiting and expecting from him for awhile now. Not to say he hasn't been impressive, but he took over the game single-handedly. ESPN blogger Adam Rittenberg named him the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week. He also has a sweet beard. Here's to hoping that Clayborn's dominating performance wasn't just an anomaly.

The other dominating component of Iowa's D is safety Tyler Sash. I said in my season preview podcast with Gazette sportswriter Marc Morehouse that Sash could be comparable to former Hawkeye safety Sean Considine. In fact, I felt that might have been a touch of exaggeration. I was wrong. He's well on his way to be the second best safety of the Kirk Ferentz era, behind the incomparable Demond Sanders. Sash has 7 picks in his last 5 games, the most return yards on interceptions in Hawkeye HISTORY, and he's just a true sophomore. Sure, it's true Austen Arnaud was throwing the football to Sash like he was his own kin. However, if you saw Sash's INT on the tele against 'Zona, you said something to the effect of "Man, that Scott kid from Arizona sucks. He just lobbed it up there." But if you were lucky enough to be in Kinnick, you were saying, like me, "OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG." Because trust me, Sash was on his horse (not literally, that's a bit illegal) and came across the entire field.

Quick question: Has anyone thrown at Amari Spievey yet this year? I know the Hawks play a ton of zone, but seriously. He's shutting down one person/area for the ENTIRE game.

Do something crazy, Marvin.

Gameday in Happy Valley

The crew is going to be at the Big 10 opener at Penn State. Unfortunately, that means Desmond Howard will still be there, on television, and think himself to be funny. This is good and bad for a couple reasons. The good news is that Iowa will receive plenty of coverage throughout the day, will be nationally televised, and every Hawkeye fan in any podunk town can watch it on ABC. Even I got the three most basic channels (ABC, CBS, PBS) when I was in elementary and lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Though PBS was in black and white for me, so the whole purple dinosaur got sorta lost on me. The point of the story is this: public universities and their football teams, like Iowa, are absolutely, 100% a brand. If you don't believe this, you're a complete moron. The more frequently we're on national television, the better. Better for recruiting, better for a local and national fan base, better for everything (The key exception being Oregon's LeGarette Blount. Whoopsie). I'm convinced that it's much less how we play and much more that we're on the nation's televisions.

The bad news: Happy Valley was already gonna be completely and utterly APESHIT. This makes it worse; much worse. It was already a WhiteOut (which is undeniably both impressive and cool). Penn State is still fuming after 24-23 and Murray's ensuing seizure. Stanzi won't be able to audible, we have two freshmen running backs, and again, 110,000 caucasionly-clad people screaming. Good luck.

Throw it away, please

Enigma Manzi

Dick Stanzi comes to play in the first half. He chucks it around like he's Brett freakin' Favre only with Jake Christensen-style accuracy. Dick Stanzi is only completely 49 percent of his throws and there is an feeling of discomfort everytime he throws into triple coverage. Dick Stanzi is a bottom-tier Big 10 QB.

Rick Stanzi is the QB of the second half. He works drives, completes passes, converts third downs, and does everything anyone wants from their quarterback. Rick is completing 73 percent of his passes and playing above even Hawkeye fans expectations. Rick might be the best quarterback in the Big 10.

The key is to put it all together. Now I'm not one of those crazy types of Hawkeye fans who cut out their father's pacemaker and always want the back-up quarterback to get a chance. But I'm not an apologist either. Stanzi needs to play better in first halves, otherwise the Hawks will be looking at a 17-0 hole. The Hawkeyes are not climbing out of a 17 point hole in Happy Valley against Penn State's defense. Not happening.

Let's not forget that Stanzi's top players have been out for at least some time at every major offensive position. Offensive Line: Bryan Bulaga, Kyle Calloway, Julian Vandervelde. Running Back: Jewel Hampton. Wide Receiver: DJK. Tight End: Tony Moeaki. These aren't just starters out with injuries, these are all-Big 10 quality players that are out. It's not possible to take all the major parts away from a unit and not feel it. Perhaps this lack of cohesiveness is all falling on Stanzi's numbers. Perhaps he just needs to play better in the first half. I have a feeling both the first half and second half numbers will improve/regress to the mean eventually.

Either way, the Big 10 season will be very interesting. I have a feeling that the Hawkeyes are going to be right in the thick of things come November

Totally non-football, non-Hawkeye related. But hey, it was in Iowa...

2009-09-17T18:52:00.000-05:00

Another mental evaluation set for man accused of cutting out father’s pacemaker.

See those big, bold words above this sentence. Those. No, the ones below the picture. Got it?

This was an actually headline on the Gazette's website. There's a story that accompanies it, but for no reason really. It really could be a 25 word article. This man is so screwed in court because he tried to cut out his father's pacemaker, which is essentially like cutting out his heart anyway.

And he's going through another mental evaluation? My diagnosis: F'n insane. Not the clinical kind where you get off withour repercussions, but the kind where people in prison find out about it and make you their mistress for the rest of your stay. Enjoy.

http://gazetteonline.com/breaking-news/2009/09/17/another-mental-evaluation-set-for-man-accused-of-cutting-out-fathers-pacemaker

Iowa vs. Iowa State Video

2009-09-14T15:46:00.001-05:00

Back like Big Dace

2009-09-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Did you miss me? No!? Doesn't matter. I'm back from the far east. Finally. I spent my summer in the sandy deserts of Connecticut, not actually on maternity leave (I can't actually get pregnant, cause it would creepishly weird) but working as a basketball coach at a summer camp. Essentially my job entailed teaching young boys and girls how to shoot a jump shot as wet as Ray Allens, how to trap in a 1-3-1 defense, and the concepts of a fast break. In reality, most of the time it was "Today we're going to learn how to dribble" and "The rectangular shaped white lines that enclose the court are out of bounds and if you step on them you lose the ball" type of coaching.

It was a great, great summer. I met tons of people from all over the world I never EVER would have before. I can literally go to almost anywhere in the world and have people to stay with. It's an amazing concept really. Of course, I told them all about Hawkeye Football. The only recreational clothing I have has a Tigerhawk stamped somewhere on it. Naturally, they were extremely curious why I was branded like a heffer. (Speaking of heffers, I went to Ames this weekend. The girls there could use some serious work. Juuuust kidding. Sorta. That statement was a sarcastic/serious statement. Figure it out Ames.) So curious that a few of the internationals traveled all the way to Chicago, with intentions to get to Iowa City, just to see us open our season against UNI.

Yet, as good as it was, there was tons of things I missed while I was away. I felt like I lived in a little sheltered, make believe world since I was without Internet, TV, Radio, and basically any other type of news medium for the majority of the two months. I could get random bits of information from my roommates, like "Bernstine is out for the season." F. "Jewel is out for the season." FFFFFFFFF. In fact, I just found out that Steve McNair was murdered by his misstress and that he had a seperate home two miles from his family's house for his mistresses. This world is crazy.

But more than news, I missed the other things much more. My friends, roommates, and family, some of whom I didn't get to/haven't talked to in a long time while I was away. I missed Iowa City, late night Taco Bell, Mountain Dew, Mug Night at Brothers, fieldhouse basketball, my own bed, etc. And of course, I missed my beloved Hawkeyes.

Last year, I started this blog as a part of my Sports Journalism class. It's been the best assignment I've had so far. However, that class is over. So these blog posts no longer count as grades and I'm doing this because I freakin' love it. It's in my greatest intentions to keep up. Even if no one reads this anymore. The biggest difficulty I'll have is that I'm currently enrolled in 17 semester hours. 17 hours is no joke, unless you're at Kirkwood, and even then it probably sucks a little bit. The other thing is that I'm a Senior. I'm not sure how that happened and I'm really unsure of where the last three years went, but senioritis is a very real and very dangerous thing.

So let's dive in.

What We Know, What We Don't Know, and What I Made Up

Whatever was wrong with Bryan Bulaga, and I'm not sure we'll ever know the exact details, seems to have been figured out. Bulaga spent a couple of nights in the hospital last week and didn't play against Iowa State. However, Kirk said he is probable for the Arizona game. Bulaga's replacement, Freshman Riley Reiff (most famous for running naked through Pita Pit in one of his first weeks on campus. AWESOME!), more than held his own against Iowa State. But then again, Iowa State's defensive line was not good at all. They were poopy. Really poopy.
Speaking of the offensive line, the were horrific against UNI. Terrible. Against, Iowa State, much better. This is probably due to the fact that Gigantosaurus Kyle Calloway was back after serving his suspension for drunkenly driving a moped and that Julian Vandervelde is back after having surgery. Two key cogs from last year's O-Line never hurt. Once Bulaga is back and full strength, the Offensive Line should be the force we thought it would be before the season.
Let's be honest, UNI is much, much better than Iowa State at this point. In fact, Fat Grace threw for like 847 yards last Saturday. Austen Arnaud isn't as bad as he was on Saturday. (He was seriously atrocious. Hello 15.9 QB rating). Also, UNI is better on both the offensive and defensive lines, which is where most games are won or lost. However, I think the claims that UNI would be a middle of the pack Big 10 team are a little too much wishful thinking.
The Heismanzi is not playing well, especially not in the first half. One of these times, a first half STANZIBALL is going to cost us a game. I'm not sure what the problem is, but he seems to have a halftime fix for it.
Iowa State linebacker Jesse Smith said earlier in the week, "They (Iowa) aren't as good as we thought." Actually Jesse, your team is just much worse.
DJK is out of Ferentz's mythical dog house. If a player is hurt, not practicing, or affecting the team negatively, they aren't gonna play. Period. Ferentz is an adult. He's not holding grudges on 20 year old kids.

Run through that hole. Run into my heart.

Brandon Wegher probably thrust himself into a starting role after rushing for 100 yards, a TD, and the sickest one-handed grab on a screen. Ken O'Keefe even accidentally did something intelligent by lining Wegher up in the slot. Should be interesting to see how the RB situation plays out.
CB Willie Lowe is better than CB Greg Castillo. Hopefully, CB S.Prater is better than both. He returns after a two game suspension caused by an evil bartender duping him into boozing too hard and then driving.
A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer have been relatively quiet the first two. Not sure if it's the spread offenses not allowing them to do what they do (kill people with shoulder pads), but the linebackers with the Captain title and S's on their respect chests need to be impact players for this team to win the Big 10.
Amari Spievey is ridiculously, ridiculously good.
Sash and Greenwood combined for 5 picks. Ho hum.
The Hawks blocked two consecutive field goals against a very FCS team to escape with a win at home in the season opener. They layed a serious beatdown on a team we always struggle with. The Hawks are 2-0 and that's all that matters at this point. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO DADDY HOT DAMN!!!!!

Ames sucks so hard. Owned.

Photos courtesy of the Des Moines Register

IMPORTANT

2009-06-25T15:48:00.000-05:00

I'm on maternity leave until August. Be back soon.

You've got nothing on me, Rittenberg!

2009-06-09T08:46:00.007-05:00

Ran a little poll recently at Hawkeye House. Thanks in large part to Marc Morehouse and something called a link, this poll actually worked because it had things I like to call "substance" and "sample size." The results...

Bryan Bulaga
22 (39%)

Amari Spievey
10 (17%)

A.J. Edds
9 (16%)

Adrian Clayborn

5 (8%)

Pat Angerer
5 (8%)

Ricky Stanzi

4 (7%)

Tyler Sash
1 (1%)

No huge surprises here. Bulaga the Beast comes in with 39% of the votes, the clear #1. He's the best offensive lineman in the Big 10 and easily the most dominant Hawkeye.

CB Amari Spievey at number two with 17% of the votes. As mentioned in the podcast with Marc, these two underclassmen are going to have to sit down with Ferentz after the season and have "the talk." Much less about the birds and bees, much more about the benjamins.

If there was a surprise of the poll, it's A.J. Edds and Adrian Clayborn coming in at 3 and 4 respectively. Hawkeye fans know how good these two are; Edds is the key to the Norm Parker defense and Clayborn is set for stardom this season (unless he pulls and Ken Iwebama and totally takes a vacation his last two seasons).

Pat Angerer tied with Clayborn with 8% of the votes. I thought he might be a bit higher, mainly because he's likely to be the team's leading tackler again, garnering numerous post-season awards. Also, because the perfect surname for a Big 10 middle linebacker. The only names that could top Angerer's: Jim Destroyer, Tyler Tackle, Eric Kill, Sam Hate, and Harvey Bigtenmiddlelinebacker. That's it.

The Manzi comes in 7% of the votes, a little lower than I expected. Though I believe that quarterback's get either too much praise or receive too much scrutiny, the college QB is a very influential position. A great quarterback can make a mediocre team good, while a bad quarterback can make a great team average. I think Hawkeye, as well as Big 10 fans, are trying to find where to place the Manzi after last season. Plus, the question was, "Who was the best player for the Hawks?", most people know that title belongs to Bulaga.

Sash brought up the rear with one vote, more than likely it was someone from Oskaloosa who voted that way. Sash is good (I think he can eventually be game-changing good), but it's too early to tell and he's certainly not Iowa's best player.

Time to compare our results with those of ESPN Big 10 Blogger Adam Rittenberg. (Note: I listed my own top 10 players as a piece of my final project. Only differences were I had Clayborn at #3 and Sash above Stanzi. For the purposes of this post, we'll go with the poll and it's aforementioned "sample size.")

Rittenberg ranked the Hawkeye's this way, in order:

Bryan Bulaga - 5/30 - Notably the highest Hawkeye and highest ranked offense linemen in the Big 10. This is good, Rittenberg's brain is functional and logical. Right in line with the poll.

Amari Spievey - 15/30 - Seems to be a little low in terms of Big 10 rank, though these rankings were based on college performance and not professional potential. Spievey is the second Hawkeye and second defensive back in the rankings. All is dandy.

Pat Angerer - 20/30 - Third Hawkeye noted. Fourth linebacker listed in Rittenberg's rankings. It's hard to distinguish who the Hawkeye's best linebacker is. Edds was left of Rittenberg's list. Basically, it's Angerer's production (statistics) versus Edds role on the defense (barely measurable). Rittenberg gets a pass here, mainly because it'd be very hard, if not impossible, for someone who's not sitting in Kinnick drunk to measure how good Edds really is.

Richard 'Dick' Stanzi - 23/30 - I've been clamoring that the Manzi should start going by Dick for awhile now. Think of the many possibilities. He automatically becomes a gunslinger because his name is Dick Stanzi, which rings of risking passes and chewing tobacco. He begins to fit in with other famous Dicks of society, like Dick Tracy and. . . others. I would Google famous Dicks and find more, however, I'm at my University-related job and they monitor that type of things more than my mother monitors my Facebook trying to figure out what kind of shenanigans I'm up to while I'm away. Anyway, he's the fifth QB listed behind Clark, Pryor, Juice, and Weber. He's better than Tim Brewster's golden gopher boy, but whatever.

So that's the list. The only qualm (Yes, I used it in a sentence) is that Clayborn is nowhere to be
found. Though he didn't put up huge stats last year, he's darn good and deserved to be listed somewhere. I have a feeling we'll be hearing from him in about 3 months or so.

Now, let's look at where I rated them in terms of the Big 10.

Let's start with the Manzi. I ranked him 4/11 in the Big 10, behind Clark, Pryor, and Juice, but ahead of Adam Weber. Rittenberg and I basically agree, minus the Weber mistake he made. I'm going to go ahead and say I deserve a job, or at the very least an well-paying internship at ESPN. I said it and I don't feel bad about it.

(Editor's Note: I only listed one position player per team for the rankings. Thus, some very talented people were left out. I'll try to explain.) In my linebacker rankings, I listed Edds instead of Angerer as the Hawks top linebacker. They're basically equal and interchangeable in value as we've already gone over already. I listed Edds 4/11 in the Big 10. Angerer was the fourth linebacker listed in Rittenberg's rankings behind Bowman and Lee of Penn State and Jones of Michigan State. Because I only listed one player, I had Lee as the top linebacker, Jones at two, and Martez Wilson of Illinois at three (finished at #29 in Rittenberg's rankings). Pretty darn close.

UI senior and resident idiot Josh Heyer (me) ranked Spievey at 2/11 in the Big 10 behind Kurt Coleman of Ohio State. Adam Rittenberg, who joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges, ranked Spievey at numero dos behind Kurt Coleman of Ohio State. Enough said.

Bulaga is number one. I know this. Rittenberg knows this. The Big 10 knows this. Dick Tracy probably knows. I'm too excited for football to start.

So what's it all mean? First and foremost, my final project was not too shabby. Secondly, I think

I've earned a job at ESPN and will more than likely be offered one soon after the execs finish reading this. Thirdly (a word?), Rittenberg knows his stuff. For all the shit ESPN takes, the made a great move in having bloggers cover each conference. Finally, this...

Always amazing. I hope a Penn State fan wanders onto this site accidentally and watches this. BOOM! ROASTED!

Final Fall Preview: Hawkeye House Podcast w/ the Gazette's Marc Morehouse

2009-05-12T00:51:00.001-05:00

Hawkeye House Podcast w/ the Gazettes Marc Morehouse - Josh Heyer, Marc Morehouse

Final Fall Preview: Offense

2009-05-12T00:34:00.002-05:00

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Starter: Ricky Stanzi

Junior starter Ricky Stanzi is back after a successful 2008 campaign. The incumbent starter threw for 1956 yards and 14 touchdowns, good enough for a 134.8 QB rating. After replacing starter Jake Christensen early in the season, Stanzi provided an accurate arm (59.1% completion percentage), mobility in the pocket, and a reliable deep arm that stretched the field; three qualities that had been previously lacking under Christensen. He led the Hawks to key wins over Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota and South Carolina in the Outback bowl.

This season, Stanzi needs to learn to limit his turnovers. He threw 9 interceptions and fumbled numerous center exchanges. If Stanzi can cut down on the turnovers, he’s likely an All-Big 10 performer.

Backups: James Vandenberg, John Wienke

Vandenberg, a redshirt freshman from Keokuk, is the most prolific passer in Iowa high school history. Vandenberg holds 12 different Iowa high school passing records, including career passing yards (7,709), touchdown passes (93), single season passing yards (3,729 as a senior) and single season touchdown passes (49 as a senior). He ranks sixth all-time nationally in single-season completion percentage (70%) and 10th nationally in career completion percentage (64.6%).

Wienke, a redshirt freshman out of Michigan, is the other back-up. He owns conference record for single season touchdown passes (34 as a junior and senior) and finished his career with 6,070 passing yards and 68 touchdowns. The southpaw threw just nine interceptions in 620 attempts. He also had 102 rushes for 441 yards and four touchdowns.

The common theme in all the statistics is they were accomplished in high school. With the transfer of Christensen and Marvin McNutt’s move to wide receiver, Stanzi’s backup is lacking any experience at all. This could be trouble if Stanzi were to get injured

Big 10 Rankings: 4/11
1. Daryll Clark – Penn State – 192/321, 59.8%, 2,592 yards, 143.4 Rating, 19 TD, 6 INT
2. Terrelle Pryor – Ohio State - 100/165, 60.6%, 1,311 yards, 12 TD, 4 INT
3. Juice Williams - Illinois – 219/381, 57.5%, 3,173 yards, 138.1 Rating, 22 TD, 16 INT
4. Ricky Stanzi – Iowa – 150/254, 59.1%, 1,956 yards, 134.8 Rating, 14 TD, 9 INT
5. Adam Weber – Minnesota – 255/410, 62.2%, 2,761 yards, 126.9 Rating, 15 TD, 8 INT
6. Mike Kafka – Northwestern – 32/46, 69.6%, 330 yards, 131.1 Rating, 2 TD, 3 INT
7. Tate Forcier – Michigan - none
8. Dustin Scherer – Wisconsin – 104/191, 54.5%, 1,389 yards, 120.7 rating, 6 TD, 5 INT
9. Ben Chappell – Indiana – 80/153, 52.3%, 1,001 yards, 112.0 rating, 4 TD, 3 INT
10. Kirk Cousins – Michigan State – 32/43, 74.4%, 310 yards, 145.7 rating, 2 TD, 1 INT
11. Joey Elliott – Purdue – 8/15, 53.3%, 81 yards, 98.7 rating

This year, it’s Stanzi’s team. Gone are the spring position battle, the back-up role, and the switching of starters. However, also gone are the best Iowa offensive line since 2002 and the best running back in the nation, Shonn Greene. Stanzi’s receivers are talented, his running backs capable, and his offensive line should be dominant once again. This team will go as far as Ricky Stanzi can lead them.

Fullback

Starter: Brett Morse

Statistics are few and far between for fullbacks, so Morse’s ability is hard to quantify. He’s a solid blocker and displays good hands as a receiver in those rare opportunities. Morse’s major downfall is that he was often injured last year. Morse is a good fullback and should clear the way for whoever is running the ball for the Hawkeyes.

Backups: Wade Leppert

Due to Morse’s often injured status, Leppert got plenty of experience last season. A decent replacement, Leppert possesses many of the same characteristics of Morse; the two are almost interchangeable skill-wise. Positions like fullback are often only noticed for the wrong reasons. Leppert’s time came during a crucial 4th down play at Michigan State where it appeared he went the wrong way.

Newcomers: Shane DiBona

DiBona massed 2,958 yards on 426 carries with 32 rushing touchdowns as a prep. He also had 29 catches for 415 yards and four touchdowns.

Running Back

Starter: Jewel Hampton

There’s an 1850-yard, 20 touchdown, gaping hole in the Hawkeye backfield. Greene was drafted with the first pick in the third round by the New York Jets. His back up last season, Jewel Hampton, now steps into the starting role. Hampton rushed for 463 yards on 91 carries, good enough for a 5.1 yard per rush average. He also punched in 7 touchdowns. Impressive for a back up, but even more impressive considering Greene was a short-yardage, bruiser style back. Hampton’s long of 22 isn’t great, but he’s shown tremendous quickness and good top-end speed. Hawkeye fans haven’t seen him in a starting role yet, so his durability remains a question. Hopefully he learned a little bit from his predecessor and starts to make his own mark this season.

Backups: Jeff Brinson, Paki O’Meara

The coaches have been buzzing about Brinson since he arrived last season. It’s possible he may have reversed roles with Hampton last season if not for an injury during fall camp. Coach Ferentz has said he considered pulling the redshirt of Brinson last season. Apparently this kid has some talent. He finally gets to display it this season.

Paki O’Meara is not your typical walk-on running back. Sam Brownlee he is not. The Cedar Rapids native rushed for 2 touchdowns on 3 yards per carry. Used most effectively as a special teams player, Paki could be a talented replacement if Hampton and Brinson were to go down for any reason.

Newcomers: Brad Rogers, Brandon Wegher

Rogers is a compact, bruiser style running back from Ohio. He could possibly play fullback, but has stated his intent is to play running back. Rogers rushed for 1,226 yards on 246 attempts with 18 touchdowns as a senior.

Brandon Wegher rewrote the Iowa high school record books. Rushed for 6,825 yards on 792 carries with 105 touchdowns, including 3,238 yards on 362 carries with 54 touchdowns as a senior. Added 50 catches for 837 yards and four touchdowns... also had 87 tackles, nine interceptions, 18 passes defended and three sacks. The Sioux City native is the most highly sought after recruit since Jordan Bernstine. He’ll likely start this season returning kick-offs, but look for him to eventually have an impact in the running game as well.

Big 10 Rank: 6/11
1. Evan Royster – Penn State – 191 rushes, 1,236 yards, 6.5 avg, 12 TD
2. John Clay – Wisconsin – 155 rushes, 884 yards, 5.7 avg, 9 TD
3. Daniel Dufrene – Illinois – 117 rushes, 663 yards, 5.7 avg, 0 TD
4. Brandon Minor – Michigan – 103 rushes, 533 yards, 5.2 avg, 9 TD
5. Dan Herron – Ohio State – 89 rushes, 439 yards, 4.9 avg, 6 TD
6. Jewel Hampton – Iowa – 91 rushes, 463 yards, 5.1 avg, 7 TD
7. DeLeon Eskridge – Minnesota – 184 rushes, 678 yards, 3.7 avg, 7 TD
8. Ralph Bolden/Jaycen Taylor (torn ACL) – Purdue – 170 rushes, 560 yards, 5.2 avg, 4 TD
9. Bryan Payton – Indiana – 79 rushes, 339 yards, 4.3 avg, 2 TD
10. Stephen Simmons – Northwestern – 62 rushes, 178 yards, 2.9 avg, 2 TD
11. Andre Anderson – Michigan State – 26 rushes, 97 yards, 3.7 avg, 0 TD

Wide Receiver

Starters: Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Trey Stross, Colin Sandeman

Iowa had two receivers with 100 yard games last season: Andy Brodell had one, DJK has the other. The leading returning receiver, DJK caught 44 balls for 639 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. He really improved over the course of last season and should be Stanzi’s most dangerous weapon. He is a legitimate deep threat, though he possesses a skill set that allows him to also work underneath routes. DJK absolutely abused Minnesota. Here’s to hoping that abuse of the Big 10 continues. Prediction: 2nd Team All-Big 10 performer.

Trey Stross is as talented a receiver as the Hawks have, he just can’t seem to stay healthy. Big play Trey is the Hawk’s best deep threat. He’s athletic (high jumps for the track team), tall (6’3), and most importantly, a natural receiver. It seems he’s put his temper issues behind him (head butting against Northwestern in 2007, arguing and pushing a coach the same season) and could be headed toward big things. If he can stay healthy, and that’s a big IF, many skeptical Hawks will be pleasantly surprised.

Colin Sandeman is the unknown of the group. Last season he caught only 6 passes for 76 yards. However, 2 of those 6 passes were touchdowns. He’s lightning quick and extremely agile. Sandeman will probably replace Andy Brodell as the primary punt returner. If Sandeman can emerge has a reliable target, this group is as talented, though very inexperienced, as any wide receiving core since 2002 (C.J. Jones, Mo Brown, Ed Hinkel).

Backups: Paul Chaney, Marvin McNutt

This group of back-ups is not particularly strong or experienced. Paul Chaney might be the fastest player on the team, but he’s been in the coaches’ proverbial dog house for awhile now. He’s not big and doesn’t go get the ball well, that being said, he’s probably the 4th receiver right now.

Marvin McNutt is an interesting prospect. He moved to receiver in the middle of last season and has been practicing there ever since. At 6’4 and 210 pounds, McNutt could potentially fill a void as a red-zone receiver. He was a highly touted basketball recruit, so chances are he has a good vertical. Perhaps will see an end zone, fade route for the first time in Iowa history with McNutt.

Newcomers: Jordan Cotton, Keenan Davis, Stephane N’goumou, Josh Brown

Of the three, Keenan Davis is the most likely to play right away. Davis is often compared to former Michigan player and Cedar Rapids native, Adrian Arrington. Wide receiver coach Erik “Soup” Campbell tutored Arrington at Michigan and will be mentoring Davis. He’s long, rangy, and athletic. Look for Davis to contribute right away. He totaled 169 receptions for 2,602 yards and 26 touchdowns his senior season of high school.

Jordan Cotton, Josh Brown, Stephane N’goumou could possibly contribute as there is little experience throughout the receiving corp. Cotton is moving from a stellar high school career at Mount Pleasant as a running back and the transition will take some time. Brown is listed as an athlete, so there’s a possibility he could play multiple positions. N’goumou has good size (6’4, 195), but other than that, is relatively unknown.

Big 10 Rankings: 4/12
1. Erik Decker – Minnesota – 84 receptions, 1,074 yards, 89.5 ypg, 7 TD
2. Arrelious Benn – Illinois – 67 receptions, 1,055 yards, 87.9 ypg, 3 TD
3. Mark Dell – Michigan State – 36 receptions, 679 yards, 67.9 ypg, 3 TD
4. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos – Iowa – 44 receptions, 639 yards, 49.2 ypg, 3 TD
5. David Gilreath – Wisconsin – 31 receptions, 520 yards, 40 ypg, 3 TD
6. Keith Smith – Purdue – 49 receptions, 486 yards, 2 TD
7. Martavious Odoms – Michigan – 49 receptions, 443 yards, 0 TD
8. Dan Sanzenbacher – Ohio State – 21 receptions, 272 yards, 1 TD
9. Terrance Turner – Indiana – 29 receptions, 289 yards, 0 TD
10. Graham Zug – Penn State – 11 receptions, 174 yards, 2 TD
11. Andrew Brewer – Northwestern – 18 receptions, 145 yards, 0 TD

Tight End

Starter: Tony Moeaki, Allen Reisner

Though he’s one of the most talented players on the entire roster, don’t count on Tony Moeaki being a consistent contributor for the Hawkeyes. He’s talented, a great receiver and blocker, but has never played even close to a full season for Iowa. He was pictured in a walking boot earlier this year, so don’t expect anything to change. When he’s healthy, he has All-American potential. The problem is that the snake-bitten tight end never actually is.

Allen Reisner got a lot of experience last season behind First Team All-Big 10 performer Brandon Myers. Reisner actually had the highest yards per reception average of all receivers at 18.2. He caught 11 passes for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. The junior tight end from Marion has displayed good hands (Wisconsin 2008 one-handed grab), but so far is only an average blocking tight end.

Backups: Brad Herman? J.D. Griggs? Kyle Spading? Ross Peterson?

Who? Exactly. There aren’t many recognizable names behind Moeaki and Reisner. Luckily, tight end is a position that can be filled from a variety of other positions (fullback, linebacker, and receiver) and is one that the Hawkeyes have developed well over the years i.e. Tony Jackson, Dallas Clark, Scott Chandler, Brandon Myers, etc.

Newcomers: Anthony Schiavone, Dakota Getz

Schiavone, a 6’6 tight end from New London, Connecticut enrolled early at Iowa in order to practice with the team for spring. Hopefully at his height, he’s a Scott Chandler clone.

In his prep career, Getz totaled five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman. He rushed for 3,195 yards on 429 carries with 40 touchdowns. At quarterback, Getz completed 288-457 passes for 4,011 yards and 40 touchdowns. He played primarily quarterback as an upperclassman. The Hawkeyes have had recent success with moving high school quarterbacks to other positions, i.e. Chad Greenway, Adam Shada, Marvin McNutt, etc.

Big Ten Rank: 5/10
1. Garrett Graham – Wisconsin – 40 receptions, 540 yards, 5 touchdowns
2. Michael Hoomanawanui – Illinois – 25 receptions, 312 yards, 2 touchdowns
3. Charlie Gantt – Michigan State - 19 receptions, 302 yards, 4 touchdowns
4. Nick Tow-Arnett – Minnesota – 10 receptions, 211 yards, 1 touchdown
5. Tony Moeaki – Iowa – 13 receptions, 144 yards, 1 touchdown
6. Andrew Quarless – Penn State – 11 receptions, 117 yards, 1 touchdown
7. Kyle Adams – Purdue – 8 receptions, 109 yards, 2 touchdowns
8. Jake Ballard – Ohio State – 5 catches, 73 yards, 0 touchdowns
9. Josh Rooks – Northwestern – 7 receptions, 46 yards, 2 touchdowns
10. Max Dedmond – Indiana – 6 receptions, 51 yards, 0 touchdowns
11. Martell Webb – Michigan - none

Left Tackle

Starter: Bryan Bulaga

In my opinion, the most talented player on the roster, Bulaga spent last season paving defensive ends into the ground. A Second Team All Big-Ten selection, Bulaga has been projected to go in the top 10 of next years draft by the Walter Camp Football website. Only a junior, he’s the most dominant offensive lineman since Robert Gallery, even potentially more dominant. Iowa fans will be thanking their chosen deity if he comes back to school after this season.

Backups: Riley Reiff

Riley Reiff could do a variety of things this fall. Perhaps backup Bulaga, perhaps move into a starting spot at guard, perhaps watch the Hawks play from the sidelines. After making the move from defensive end, it seems Reiff has found a spot on the offensive line. In high school, he was the South Dakota Gatorade player of the year as a senior. Though his status as starter or backup is uncertain, there’s no arguing that we both thoroughly enjoy Pita Pit. Philly Steak with mushrooms and Swiss cheese melted on please.

Newcomers: Brett Van Sloten

6’7, 270, Van Sloten was a First team elite all-state selection as a senior, second team all-state selection as a junior, three-time all-district pick, including first team honors as a junior and senior. He led team to state championship in 2008.

Left Guard

Starter: Dace Richardson

Undoubtedly the story of the spring. The extremely unlikely return of Dace Richardson could help bolster an offensive line that needs some stability after the departure of seniors Rob Bruggeman and Seth Olsen. Although Dace was a left tackle before the injuries started, Bulaga has that spot on lock down. Not many people come back to football after what Dace went through, so any production, especially starting, is simply amazing.

Backups: Kyle Haganman

6’5, 285, Haganman played in eight games last year. The guard from Osage, IA may be the next walk-on success story for the Hawkeyes. Look for him to make a splash in the next couple years. (Self-promoting, glory day’s side note: Haganman and I played on separate teams at a post-season basketball game held at NIACC. Late in the game, I blocked/climbedonhisbackandfouledhimbutitwasn’tcalled off the backboard. Ultimately, he has the upper hand. He’s playing for the Hawkeyes and I’m writing on my blog about him. The score: Haganman – Infinity, Heyer – 1.)

Newcomers: Conor Bofelli

Bofelli comes from one of the most successful high school programs in the state of Iowa, West Des Moines Valley. His high school team went 43-1 over his four years as a prep. As a tight end, Bofelli totaled 31 catches for 402 yards and two touchdowns.

Center

Starter: Julian Vandervelde

The only returning starter on the interior of the offensive line, Julian Vandervelde may have to adapt to a new position. If Dace his healthy and effective at guard, Vandervelde may slide to center. Iowa uses a ‘best five’ approach to the offensive line. Vandervelde is definitely in one of those five, the only question is where.

Backups: James Ferentz, Rafael Eubanks

James Ferentz absolutely destroyed any chance of him starting, and maybe even playing, this year when he was arrested for public intoxication earlier this spring. My guess is we don’t hear from him until next year.

I feel genuinely bad for Rafael Eubanks. He was named first team Freshman All-American by scout.com in 2006. Before 2007, he was named to the pre-season Rimington Trophy Watch List. Last season, Bruggeman took his spot at center and Eubanks spent the year backing-up Bruggs and the other two guards. As a senior, it’s Raf’s last chance to make an impact.

Right Guard

Starter: Andy Kuempel

Right guard is the position that is most up for grabs for the 2009 Hawkeyes. There are 4-7 people legitimately competing for this position. I listed Andy Kuempel as the starter because of his performance in Seth Olsen’s absence last season, especially against Wisconsin. Many of Shonn Greene’s runs were right behind the Linn-Mar native.

Backups: Dan Doering, Adam Gettis

First team all-American by USA Today, Parade Magazine and EA Sports as a senior in high school. Gatorade State Player of the year for Illinois. Like many others from the heralded class of 2005, high school success hasn’t transferred to college. To be fair, Doering has been injury prone thus far into his career. A senior, Doering must have a sense of urgency to grab the position. Otherwise, he’s just another class of 2005 casualty. (Quick note: It could be a year of resurgence for the class of 05. Dace is back, Tony is poised to have the type of year everyone expected him to. If Doering grabs the right guard position, this could be a huge storyline for the season.)

Adam Gettis is relatively unknown to Hawkeye fans, especially those of the casual variety. Remember his name. Offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe said Gettis was one of the guys who really stood out during spring ball.

Newcomers: Matt Murphy

Murphy is a bit undersized and possibly an offensive line project. He was a Quad City Times first team all-Metro selection as a senior and three-time all-conference selection, including first team offensive and defensive line honors as a senior.

Right Tackle

Starter: Kyle Calloway

After a dismal sophomore season, the humongous (6’7, 315. Cripes) right tackle turned around his play and garnered 2nd Team All-Big Ten Honors. If he makes even similar strides this offseason, Iowa will have the best set of offensive tackles in the Big 10.

Backups: Markus Zusevics

There’s not much information out there on the Russian import. (Kidding, he’s from Illinois). He was first team all-state and all-area as a senior. I’d be very surprised if he saw any action this season.

Newcomers: Nolan MacMillan

MacMillan is listed at 6’6, 288, which is very, very large for a true freshman. He was named first team all-MAP as a senior and led his team to state championships in 2006 and 2007. He’s also Canadian. I’d bet the NCAA Clearinghouse does an investigation after reading this.

Big 10 Offensive Line Ranks: 1/11
1. Bryan Bulaga – Iowa
2. Stefen Wisniewski – Penn State
3. Zach Reckman – Purdue
4. Gabe Carimi - Wisconsin
5. Al Netter – Northwestern
6. Joel Nitchman – Michigan State
7. Michael Brewster – Ohio State
8. Jon Asamoah– Illinois
9. Matt Stommes – Minnesota
10. Rodger Saffold- Indiana
11. Mark Ortmann– Michigan

Final Fall Preview: Defense and Special Teams

2009-05-12T00:24:00.003-05:00

Defensive End

Starters: Adrian Clayborn, Christian Ballard

Adrian Clayborn is one of the more interesting players on this year’s roster. As dominant and talented as anyone on the defense, his stats don’t always reflect this. Clayborn had 50 total tackles, eight of those for loss, and two sacks. Clayborn was recently named to the football team’s leadership committee. This comes only months after he was involved in an altercation with a taxi driver. The fact that he’s was allowed to be named to the committee, and that Kirk Ferentz hasn’t suspended him immediately, tells us that there is probably more to the story than Clayborn simply beating the hell out of a cab operator. Gazette sportswriter Mike Hlas reported in a chat that while speaking at an I-Club event, offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe said there was no one on offense like Adrian Clayborn. In terms of talent level, that’s extraordinarily interesting. Mainly because Clayborn goes head-to-head with Bryan Bulaga. Quite a compliment.

To be completely honest, Christian Ballard was one of the biggest disappointments of 2008. Not that he played poorly, or without effort, but he wasn’t the explosive defensive end I thought he could be. Both his tackles for loss and sacks dropped from his freshman year; a year where he got significantly less playing time. Playing along Kroul, King, and Clayborn, Ballard certainly wasn’t getting double-teamed often. Hopefully it was only a sophomore slump and he’ll rebound this season.

Backups: Broderick Binns, Chad Geary

Broderick Binns’ play is the major reason Ballard seemed to be subpar. As a freshman, Binns collected 20 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass break ups, and one recovered fumble. Binns will probably play the same role as he did last year, 3rd down pass rusher. Look for him to start earning some more minutes, especially if one of the starters slides in to defensive tackle.

Chad Geary tore his ACL earlier in the Spring. Geary is a decent player who has really bulked up since his freshmen year. This is unfortunate due to the lack of depth of the defensive line. He’s one of those back-ups where you know exactly what you’re going to get every game and every down.

Newcomers: Tyler Harrell

Harrell made 90 tackles, including 69 as a senior. He finished with seven tackles for loss, eight pass deflections, three sacks and one interception

Defensive Tackle

Starters: Karl Klug, Mike Daniels

6'4, 255 pounds, Klug is the front runner to start. He played so well in spot duty against Florida International last season that he earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Klug is more slender than King and Kroul, but tough as nails. He also played well in the upset victory against Penn St.; namely when he broke through the line to stuff Evan Royster as the Nittany Lions were driving.

Mike Daniels (6’1, 267) is the other probable starter. Career stats: Six tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack. That’s it. Scary. This is not to say the type of player he is or is capable of being, only that there’s very little production returning at defensive tackle.

Backups: Cody Hundertmark, Steve Bigach, Travis Meade

Both Cody Hundertmark (6'4, 276) and Steven Bigach (6’3, 270) redshirted last year. Former offensive lineman Travis Meade (6'2, 285) has made the switch to defensive tackle.

Likely to be a position “by committee”, Hawkeye fans have to, and should be, concerned about the depth and inexperience here.

Newcomers: Martin Hopkins, Scott Covert

Martin Hopkins has an impressive list of awards: Prep Football Report Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, Chicago Tribune, Champaign News-Gazette and Illinois High School Football Coaches Association first team all-state as a senior, Chicago Sun-Times all-area as a senior, named first team all-conference and conference defensive MVP as a senior. Only 6’3, 230 right now, Hopkins may be a future starter at defensive tackle.

Scott Covert collected 65 tackles, 20 sacks and 13 tackles for loss over his last two seasons.

Big 10 Defensive Line Rank: 5/11
1. Brandon Graham – Michigan
2. Jared Odrick – Penn State
3. Jammie Kirlew – Indiana
4. Corey Wooton – Northwestern
5. Adrian Clayborn – Iowa
6. Trevor Anderson – Michigan State
7. Ryan Kerrigan – Purdue
8. Thaddeus Gibson – Ohio State
9. O’Brien Schofield - Wisconsin
10. Garrett Brown - Minnesota
11. Corey Liuget – Illinois

MLB

Starter: Pat Angerer

I love Pat Angerer. Everything about him I love. His last name, no excuses attitude, play, swagger, demeanor, etc. Everything. Not only that, he has the one thing a true MLB needs: a part of his brain that’s not just quite right. A crazy edge. Bill Romanowski-ness. Angerer is the type of the guy that you love having on your team, if only so he’s not on the other one. Though he’s not the biggest guy in the world, Angerer finds a way to get it done. #43 led the team in tackles last season (107) and tied for the Big Ten lead in interceptions (5) with strong safety Tyler Sash. He was a second team All Big Ten selection last season and is one of 42 players named to the pre-season Lott Trophy Watch List for 2009.

Backups: Jacody Coleman, Bruce Davis

There were serious transfer rumors surrounding Jacody Coleman this season. Word is that he’s decided to stay and will redshirt this season. Presumably, that redshirt will be taken off faster than Clark Kent’s suit if Angerer goes down. Coleman is great in the running game, but still struggles with his pass coverage. It was essential that the Hawkeyes keep Coleman, as he will probably step into the starting role in 2010.

Bruce Davis is a high-school teammate of current Hawkeyes DE Lebron Daniel and DB Derrick Smith and former Hawkeye QB Arvell Nelson. The Glenville connection (Ted Ginn) has not paid dividends. Yet.

OLB

Starters: A.J. Edds, Jeremiha Hunter

As good as Pat Angerer, Adrian Clayborn, and Amari Spievey are, A.J. Edds is the player that makes the defense work as well as it does. He debunked the myth that a linebacker can’t cover a receiver. He does, and he does it very well. Although the Hawkeye defense is frequently in zone coverage, Edds has the ability to shut down the slot receiver or tight end he is covering. This is the polar opposite of years past. Specifically, the Iowa State game of 2007 (Klink) and the Ohio State of 2006 (Humpal, Klink, Everyone). He allows the Hawks to play the style they do. Without him, it would not work nearly as well.

Jeremiha Hunter was one of the pleasant surprises of 2008. Hunter was neck-and-neck with linebacker Jeff Tarpinian in fall ball when Tarp went down with an injury. Hunter grabbed the spot and never let go. Different season, same story. Hunter and Tarpinian are locked in a position battle again. Defensive Coordinator Norm Parker said, “It’s closer than Hunter thinks it is.”

Backups: Jeff Tarpinian, Tyler Nielsen

Jeff Tarpinian **see above

Tyler Nielsen was the best player on kickoff coverage in 2008. He was routinely in on tackles, looked very fast, and improved a unit that had been dreadful in 2007. (Note: Huge exception: Minnesota. But it was 55-0. So no one cared.)

Big 10 Rank: 4/11
1. Sean Lee – Penn State
2. Greg Jones – Michigan State
3. Martez Wilson – Illinois
4. A.J. Edds – Iowa
5. Jaevery McFadden – Wisconsin
6. Obi Ezeh – Michigan
7. Bryan Rolle – Ohio State
8. Matt Mayberry – Indiana
9. Joe Holland – Purdue
10. Simoni Lawrence - Minnesota
11. Quentin Davie – Northwestern

Corner Backs

Starters: Amari Spievey, Jordan Bernstine

How many superlatives and adjectives can you give to Amari Spievey? ‘Superman’ for ICCC. Best corner ever at Iowa. Best defensive player. Best player on the team? No one was throwing these terms around for Jovon Johnson, Antwann Allen, Adam Shada, etc. Here’s his line: Four interceptions, 127 return yards on said picks (only bested by Sash), one touchdown (the second quarter dagger he stabbed the Golden Gophers with). If Bradley Fletcher was a 3rd round draft pick, just think of the possibilities for Spievey. Limitless.

Jordan Bernstine is a bit of an enigma. Highly recruited by many high-caliber programs across the nation. He’s only really played as the nickel back and on special teams. This is his year to establish himself. The starting spot has been gift-wrapped and delivered to him by Shaun Prater. Career stats thus far: one pass break-up, one interception, and 21 tackles.

Backups: Shaun Prater, William Lowe, Greg Castillo

That tricky bartender, who is employed by a bar, devilishly put alcohol in Prater’s drinks all night. This resulted in an arrest on the drive home. Regardless, his suspension is going to hurt.

Behind Prater are Lowe and Castillo, two players with very little game experience. They are going to be asked to step in right away. There will be growing pains. Those pains will likely result in huge gains and/or touchdowns. The secondary will be scary good when he comes back.

Newcomers: Micah Hyde

Hyde totaled 165 tackles, eight interceptions and seven passes defended at cornerback, also had 549 carries for 3,443 yards and 46 touchdowns.

Free Safety

Starter: Brett Greenwood

Brett Greenwood is the most undervalued member of the swarming Hawkeye defense. 68 tackles, two interceptions, six passes broken up. Although he’s not a physical ‘presence,’ he isn’t afraid to hit and often lays opposing receivers out. Fans often bag on him, but he’s smart, tough, and rarely out of position. He certainly isn’t a weak link.

Backup: Jack Swanson

Iowa lost both of their back up safety’s after Lance Tillison and Diauantae Morrow decided to transfer. Jack Swanson steps into the reserve free safety spot. As a high schooler, Swanson was first team all-state and News-Press Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. This all coming in one of the top three football states in the country: Florida.

Strong Safety

Starter: Tyler Sash

The playmaking strong safety led the Big 10 in interceptions (5) and return yards (147). Not only did Sash make plays, he made them in the most dire times (4th quarter vs. Penn State, 2 in Outback Bowl, in the end zone vs. Iowa State). Don’t forget, Sash wasn’t even starting to begin the year. He beat out incumbent starter Harold Dalton. Only a sophomore, Sash could turn out to be one of Iowa’s best safety’s. An impressive list that includes Bob Sanders, Sean Considine, Derek Pagel, Marcus Paschal and many more. Sash may never reach Bob Sanders’ type impact, but Considine is definitely within reach.

Backup: David Cato

Cato also moves into a back up role after the transfers. A special teams player as a freshman, Cato was tabbed with 13 tackles, one pass break up, and one forced fumble. He is a fierce hitter and should learn well behind Sash. Look for #31 destroying returners on kickoffs next year.

Big 10 Secondary Rank: 2/11
1. Kurt Coleman – SS - Ohio State
2. Amari Spievey – CB – Iowa
3. Ray Fisher – CB – Indiana
4. Drew Astorino – S – Penn State
5. Traye Simmons - CB – Minnesota
6. Danny Fortener – S – Michigan State
7. Aaron Henry – CB - Wisconsin
8. Donovan Warren – CB – Michigan
9. Torri Williams – S - Purdue
10. Brad Phillips – S - Northwestern
11. Tavon Wilson – CB – Illinois

Special Teams

Punter

Starter: Ryan Donahue

Donahue punted 50 times for 2078 yards, an average 41.6 yards per punt. His long was 64 yards.

Backup: Eric Guthrie

Kicker

Starter: Daniel Murray

After hitting the kick to seal the biggest win of the season, Murray seems to have a hold on the starting role. Murray knocked in 6/9 field goals and a perfect 14/14 extra points.

Backup: Trent Mossbrucker

Murray’s Penn State kick seems to have had the opposite effect on Mossbrucker, the kicker who is on scholarship. Mossbrucker was an impressive 13/15 of field goals; however his long was only 39 yards. He was 31/33 on PATs.

Iowa Football's Top 10 Players

2009-05-12T00:23:00.001-05:00

1. Bryan Bulaga
2. Amari Spievey
3. Adrian Clayborn
4. A.J. Edds
5. Pat Angerer
6. Tyler Sash
7. Ricky Stanzi
8. Ryan Donahue
9. DJK
10. Jewel Hampton

Hawkeye House w/ Sports Journalism Professor Dave Schwartz

2009-05-06T15:25:00.003-05:00

Hawkeye House w/ Dave Schwartz - Josh Heyer

*As Charlie pointed out, James is the Ferentz getting into trouble. Not Brian as we said. His youngest son is Steven, who is 14.

** Jim Leavitt is the coach of USF, not UFC like I said.

Big Ten Network Spring Wrap-Up

2009-05-03T13:59:00.002-05:00

from Notre Dame's official website

I find Gerry DiNardo hilarious for no reason. Can't explain it.

Hawkeye House Podcast

2009-04-29T17:49:00.004-05:00

My friend Bubba and I discuss his failed blog, finals week, the NFL Draft, and the return of The Office.

Click below to listen to the full podcast.
hawkeyehouse1 - Josh Heyer

The Undrafteds

2009-04-29T00:54:00.004-05:00

So who out of the Hawkeye senior class wasn't drafted?

photo from hawkmania.com

He looks like a good little boy there. He's not. Well, first and certainly foremost, the All-American Bad Ass Mitch King was not drafted. (I know, WTFTF? Right. Come on NFL GM's, please tell me that you're smarter than this.)

Okay, you run a 3-4. You have no use for him. Understandable.

Wait, what!? You run a 4-3. And while you passed on King, you drafted some defensive tackle who has never even heard of a swim move and couldn't define intensity if it was on the Wonderlic. I will never understand the Draft. One would think average college football fans could easily have jobs as scouts. On that notion, we might as well be coaches too, cause everyone knows more than the coach. But I digress.

King signed with the Tennessee Titans. I can see King and Vince Young forming a life long friendship. Mel Kiper said today on College Football Live that King was the best player not drafted. No kidding. This means that Mitch probably had his choice of teams and felt comfortable with Tennessee. Jeff Fisher is one of the best coaches in the league. My guess: Mitch sticks around and shows the lazy defensive tackles on the roster how to play.

Rob Bruggeman went to Tampa Bay. I was super impressed by Bruggeman this fall. He instantly gelled a line that gave up 46 sacks the year before. Bruggs should be plenty comfortable with his new home stadium, after playing their just 4 months ago and whupping the Gamecocks. My guess: Bruggeman makes the practice squad the first year, but eventually earns roster spot.

King's partner in crime, Matt Kroul, signed with the New York Jets. No word if he's tackled Mark Sanchez yet. Confusing move here. The Fighting Rex Ryans run a 3-4 defense and Kroul isn't exactly B.J. Raji. It'll be hard for him to stick here. Kroul might need to find a better situation.

The forgotten senior Andy Brodell signed with the Green Bay Packers. Bad news here: the Pack are loaded at WR. Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin, and Jordy Nelson. Jordy Nelson is basically Andy Brodell, except better. Hopefully Brodell sticks around, but it's hard to imagine.

Interesting song choice. Mainly because it's been forever tainted by...

Also, Bruggeman's link is a link to all the undrafted signees. Check out your favorite team's new players there.

One last note, in the interest and curiosity of Al Davis' ever evolving senial-ness. I checked out who Oakland signed after the drafted. Turns out, they signed a wide receiver out of Harvard named Desmond Bryant.

Is it out of the question that Al Davis thinks Harvard's Desmond Bryant is Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant (only the best receiver playing college football next season)?

I don't think so either. Discuss.

Myers Selected

2009-04-26T16:24:00.003-05:00

Iowa TE Brandon Myers was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the 29th pick of the 6th Round. Myers was not invited to the NFL Combine.

Elmo and Trini the Yellow Ranger must be running Oakland's draft room. Their picks have made little to no sense thus far.

Full reaction later.

Olsen Chosen

2009-04-26T15:40:00.007-05:00

photo from jamd.com

Offensive Guard Seth Olsen was taken by the Denver Broncos with the 32nd pick of the 4th Round.

Olsen's credentials are impressive. First team all-American by Rivals.com, second team all-American by the Sporting News, third team all-American by Phil Steele's College Football, honorable mention all-American by SI.com, first team all-Big Ten by league coaches and media, first team all-Big Ten by Phil Steele's College Football, academic all-Big Ten.

The 6'5, 305 pound Olsen should be a good fit for Denver's zone blocking scheme. Iowa's offensive line runs a scheme similar to the Broncos. Zone blocking is where the line isn't assigned to block a man, but an area. When a defensive player enters your area, you block him. Sounds simple, but it is extremely difficult.

Iowa may be one of the few colleges that produces NFL ready talent: especially along the offensive line, tight end, and safety. Not always elite players, but players who are ready to contribute right away.

From ESPN's Scouts Inc., "Olsen is limited as far as athleticism. He displays brute strength and is a mauler at the point of attack. However, concerns about his lack of lateral movement may mean problems trying to stop more powerful, quicker defensive linemen."

Quick Note: Mitch King, Rob Bruggeman, Brandon Myers, Matt Kroul, and Andy Brodell still on the table. It's the 6th round now: King is listed as the second best remaining defensive end (even though he's a tackle, he may play end in the NFL) and Bruggeman the third best remaining center by Scouts Inc.

Greene and Fletcher Kick Off 2nd Day

2009-04-26T14:02:00.003-05:00

from bleacherreport.com

After a first day where no Hawkeyes were selected, the Jets and Rams wasted no time in finding Iowa's talent.

RB Shonn Greene was taken with the 65th pick overall to the NY Jets. After browsing some of the Jets fan boards, it appears that incumbent starter Thomas Jones is unhappy with his situation in New York. Not sure why, but if he's out, Greene's in. The other Jet's running back is Leon Washington. Washington is a quick, play maker with good hands. If Jones is out, Washington and Greene complement each other well. With recent first round selection Mark Sanchez from USC as the likely starter, new head coach Rex Ryan will want to run the ball.

The Jets were eager to grab Greene when they traded a third, fourth, and seventh round pick to the Lions.

Greene, an All-American, rushed for more than 100 yards in all 13 games last season, finishing with 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns in his one season as a regular.

From ESPN's Scouts Inc., "At 227 pounds, Greene is a powerful between-the-tackles runner who can carry a heavy load and appears to get better with each carry. He doesn't have great top-end speed, but he's quicker than he is fast and runs with good balance. Although he is an inconsistent receiver at this point he's an above-average pass-blocker for a college prospect."

(Unimportant side note: I lost the bet with my roommate by ONE pick. One. Uno. I literally could not have lost the bet by a smaller margin. Not that anyone actually cares about this other than me, but I figure that since it's my blog, the world can share my frustration over consuming 44 ounces more Mountain Dew that any person should drink at a time. Damn you Beanie Wells.)

DB Bradley Fletcher was taken right after Greene with the 66th pick overall to the St. Louis Rams.

From ESPN's Scouts Inc., "Fletcher is 6-feet tall and, like we said yesterday in regard to Utah cornerback Sean Smith, corners this tall can have a hard time changing directions. In Fletcher's case, he doesn't have the burst or hip fluidity to consistently match up in man coverage. However, he does a good job masking his weaknesses with instincts. Because of his long arms he doesn't necessarily have to be in perfect position to make a play on the ball."

I think this is a good fit for Fletcher. Mainly, because the Rams play in the NFC West which includes the 49'ers, Seahawks, and Cardinals. Fletch is a big corner at 6', big enough that there's been talk of a move to safety. However, the NFC West specializes in big receivers. San Francisco miraculously had Michael Crabtree fall into their laps, Arizona has Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (for now). The Seahawks don't have these elite receivers, but with Nate Burleson and the recently drafted Deon Butler from Penn State, they still provide a decent threat. You can see Fletcher on Butler the video below.

No Hawks Drafted First Day

2009-04-25T21:30:00.002-05:00

With Beanie Wells falling to Arizona at pick 31 and Philly taking LeSean McCoy in the 2nd round, the chances of Greene being picked fell significantly. Greene, the only Hawk who had a chance to be realistically drafted on the first day (unless you're Al Davis and don't even care about who you're drafting anymore), will probably go sometime early tomorrow. Disappointing, but not completely unexpected.

The real loss from the situation is that I now owe my roommate a 64 oz. Mt. Dew from Kum & Go.

Hawkeye House should be plenty busy tomorrow.

NFL Draft Watch

2009-04-25T13:53:00.003-05:00

It's draft day. The best day of the year for fans of teams who had less than successful seasons the year before. Here at Hawkeye House, we'll be paying special attention to the Hawkeyes and give you reactions to the picks.

Predictions:

Shonn Greene - Late 2nd Round to the Arizona Cardinals (because I really want to win this bet)
Bradley Fletcher - Mid 3rd Round to the Atlanta Falcons
Seth Olsen - Early 5th Round to the Seattle Seahawks
Mitch King - Mid 6th Round to the Houston Texans
Rob Bruggeman - Late 7th Round to the Minnesota Vikings
Brandon Myers and Matt Kroul - Undrafted Free Agents

Spring Video

2009-04-22T19:24:00.003-05:00

From the Gazette...

(#32 is RB Adam Robinson, #16 is QB James Vandenberg)

From the Big Ten Network...

Also I tried to embed a spring video from gohawks.com. Apparently I'm too dumb to figure it out. Check it out anyway.

Coordinator Speak: Norm Parker and Ken O'Keefe

2009-04-15T18:55:00.004-05:00

Here's some video clips from the blog of the Gazette's Marc Morehouse.

Links Galore

2009-04-13T17:34:00.007-05:00

A lot has been going on in Hawkeye Land this past week, so let's get caught up.

From the 'thank your chosen deity department,' Ed Podolak is BACK. This is fantastic news, as Eddie is an Iowa Hawkeye through and through and one of the smartest football guys on the air.

Former Hawkeye Paul Burmeister, a draft analyst from the NFL Network (which like 6% of America gets to watch), does an interview for Hawkeye Report about the Hawks draft status.

He thinks Shonn Greene will be off the board sometime in the 2nd Round. This is good for a couple reasons. First and most importantly, I made a bet with my roommate after the Florida International game that Shonn would go in the first two rounds of the draft. My roommate is a Hawkeye pessimist/realist, though he is a big fan. The wager: a 64 ounce container of sweet, green nectar titled Mountain Dew from the local Kum & Go. I literally have never wanted to win a bet so much and waited so long to do so without forgetting about it in my life.

Secondly and less importantly, it bodes well for the school and the program to have star players in the NFL. Running back has never been an area that success as a Hawkeye has translated to stardom in the NFL. The only legit NFL caliber running back is Ladell Betts and he's a back-up, albeit an effective one. Fred Russell declared for the draft early (I know what you're thinking, but he seriously did). I think Greene has pretty decent shot at being a feature back for a team.

Here's a link to a Press-Citizen article about the installation of the new FieldTurf.

Here's a photo gallery of the spring football practice/scrimmage held last Saturday.

Finally, ESPN's Big 10 blogger Adam Rittenberg talked with Coach Ferentz recently and got some spring tidbits.

Most notably, the Hawks have three night games as of now: @ Penn State (possible White Out. Bad for us, good for TV), vs Michigan (Homecoming, haven't played the Wolverines in two years, they sucked last year!!!!!!), and @ Michigan State (blah).

Also of note, remember when the spring two deeps were recently released and DJK was listed behind Colin Sandeman. I didn't think much of it at the time, but Rittenberg also points out that something could be going on.

Here's a quote from Ferentz on the situation from the article:

"He's got to improve just like everybody else," Ferentz said of the man known as DJK. "There's a lot of little things that he can do better. With receivers, when they make plays, it's pretty obvious, but there are a lot of things that go on during the game that go unnoticed by the average person watching. That's a challenge for all the guys."

If you're going to look for any scoop on the Hawks aside from the brilliant work done here at Hawkeye House, read Rittenberg's blog.

Lords of the Realm

2009-04-09T10:15:00.002-05:00

The Major League Baseball strike of 1994 was an inevitable and necessary evil.

The strike was inevitable for many reasons: no permanent commissioner, a terrible relationship between the Lords and the players union, and it was simply too late.

It was necessary for one major reason; to get the Lords and players of America’s game back on the same page.

Baseball’s first problem was their lack of leadership during a crucial time. Bud Selig was acting as baseball’s interim commissioner. Blame for the strike shouldn’t be placed solely on Selig, however. Selig was only replacing the man that the real blame should fall on: former Commissioner Fay Vincent.

Fred Kuhlman said Vincent developed “commissioneritis.” Much like “senioritis” affects the ability to complete coursework in timely manner, “commissioneritis” affected the way Vincent operated.

A passage in Lords of the Realm describes just how bad of a commissioner Fay Vincent actually was.

“He accumulated so many grievances that he actually wrote his own list of ‘Bad Things Fay Has Done.’ It included being a labor wimp; being a press hound and compulsive leaker; and being an ineffectual leader.”

Bud Selig did all he could to prevent the ’94 strike (he tirelessly worked the phones calling owners), but in the end it was his title that held him back. He was the interim commissioner, not the permanent commissioner. Although he repeatedly stated that he wasn’t interested in being the full time commissioner (obviously time tells us he actually was), he never took a firm stance on the issues and was afraid to get into the messy politics of baseball.

The Lords and players union also started negotiating far too late. A vital decision for the future of baseball was delayed for too long. Solid business decisions are thought out and rationalized. They aren’t rash and hurried.

When the two sides finally began discussion, the outcome was already a foregone conclusion; there would be no agreement. A baseball stoppage was inevitable.

Could the strike have been avoided? Was it actually inevitable?

If Bud Selig takes a hard stance, do the rest of the owners respect it? What if they started negotiating sooner, do they get a deal done in time? Even if these things happened, the strike was surely to happen. Baseball needed it.

The real reason the ’94 strike was inevitable was the relationship between the owners and players union had deteriorated so far that it was impossible to come to terms of an agreement.
Even when logical and fair arguments were voiced, like luxury tax, the other half wasn’t listening. The owners had tried to short change and reduce players’ salaries and benefits for so long, players were constantly wary of the Lord’s motives. Marvin Miller and the players union had hammered the owners on almost every baseball detail (arbitration, free agency, reserve clause, lockouts, etc.), that the Lords were afraid of what power they would forfeit next.

Their relationship was ruined. Neither side was listening. Neither side was bargaining.

It was a far cry from player/Lord relationship from the early days of baseball. Relationships where owners took care of their players. The Lords then had more than just a monetary investment in their teams. They were their teams.

In those days, owners used to help their players out, usually by any means necessary. Owners helped finance player housing, slipped players cash after a good game, and were much more lenient during the salary negotiation process.

Can you picture George Steinbrenner doing these things for his players?

I can’t either.

Honorary Hayden Fry Mustache Award

2009-04-08T01:40:00.002-05:00

When the only comment on Youtube goes like this, "Kyle Massey has a bad ass mustache in this video. ...for sure," you know you're doing something right with your upper lip.

If you or your friends want to be honored with the Hayden Fry Mustache Award, email Hawkeye House your mustache pictures at heyerjoshua@gmail.com

Every Day Should Be Saturday

2009-04-07T12:08:00.003-05:00

nom nom nom nom nom nom

With the recent arrests, we're in the lead for something called the "Fulmer Cup" on national blog Every Day Should Be Saturday. Five points for the five charges the three wisemen collected early Monday morning. Hooray for press!

More on Ferentz, Derby, and Christensen

2009-04-06T17:12:00.003-05:00

Some excerpts from the Gazette's Scott Dochterman's blog...

"James Ferentz, Tyler Christensen and Zachary Derby were arrested by the University of Iowa Public Safety, for public intoxication around 2 a.m. this morning near Old Capitol Mall. All three were taken to the Johnson County Jail and were released this morning."

So they went downtown on a Sunday night?

“It was very disappointing to learn of the behavior of our three players last night,” Coach Ferentz said in a statement. “Short term, all three will be suspended for the remainder of spring practice and they will be expected to fulfill significant community service obligations the next several weekends. Additional action will be determined at a later point and return to the team will be based on additional criteria.”

I cannot even fathom the hell they will have to go through to return to the team. Especially for James. He was expected to compete for a starting spot, probably center. He can probably start re-thinking that option.

"According to UI police complaints, Christensen, a red-shirt freshman fullback from Belmond, approached an off-duty officer wanting to fight. When on-duty officers arrived, Christensen had slurred speech, red bloodshot eyes and admitted drinking at Iowa City’s Fieldhouse bar but refused to take a blood-alcohol test. Christensen then admitted to UI police he had broken the arms off of a parking gate at the mall’s entrance. UI police then called Iowa City Police, who arrested Christensen for fifth-degree criminal mischief."

Meets the criteria for like a brilliant guy. Wants to fight an off-duty officer, check. Breaking arms off the parking gate, check. Suspension, check.

"Derby, a 19-year-old red-shirt freshman tight end from Iowa City, joined Christensen in wanting to fight an off-duty police officer, according to the complaint. Derby’s blood-alcohol level was .211 before the arrest."

.211? Cripes. These three didn't just head downtown for an underage drink or two. They were out to get hammered drunk. Maybe they thought they couldn't get in trouble Sunday night. They definitely thought wrong.

.211

Seriously!?

2009-04-06T14:51:00.002-05:00

According to the Gazette, James Ferentz and two other Hawks were arrested earlier this morning for public intox. This is the second alcohol-related offense for Ferentz before he's even stepped on the field. Is it possible Kirk kicks his own son of the team if he's found guilty? Discuss.

McLink

Ferentz talks Spring Ball on BTN

2009-04-05T11:23:00.003-05:00

Interesting note on Clayborn toward the end of the video

Spring Two Deeps

2009-03-31T22:12:00.003-05:00

Offense
SE - Sandeman, Johnson-Koulianos, Chaney
LT - Bulaga, Zusevics
LG - Vandervelde, Eubanks/Haganman
C - Koeppel, Ferentz
RG - Kuempel/Doering, Gettis
RT - Calloway, Reiff
TE - Moeaki, Reisner, Herman
QB - Stanzi, Vandenberg, Wienke
WR - Stross, McNutt
RB - Hampton, O'Meara, Brinson
FB - Morse, Leppert

Defense
DE - Clayborn, Geary
DT - Klug, Bigach
DT - Daniels, Hundertmark
DE - Ballard, Binns
OLB - Edds, Nielsen/Johnson
MLB - Angerer, Coleman
WLB - Hunter, Tarpinian
CB - Bernstine, Prater, Castillo
CB - Spievey, Lowe
SS - Sash, Cato
FS - Greenwood, Swanson

Special Teams
PK - Murray, Mossbrucker
P - Donahue, Guthrie
LS - Schulze, Murphy
H - Donahue
PR - Sandeman
KR - Hampton, Johnson-Koulianos

Only real surprises are at wide receiver where Colin Sandeman is listed in front of DJK. Johnson-Koulianos really came on late in the year, but I've been a big fan of Sandeman since the Iowa State game two years ago at Jack Trice. Also, it is really weird not seeing Kroul and King penciled in at DT. I'm sure it'll take a couple of games to get used to them not being on the field as well.

2009 Spring Prospectus

Ferentz March 25 Press Conference

2009-03-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

per hawkmania.com

Iowa Pro Day Results

2009-03-30T15:24:00.001-05:00

Per NFL.com

RB Shonn Greene (5-10 1/2, 227) ran a 4.55 and 4.59 in the 40, had a 39-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 6-inch broad jump, a 4.25 short shuttle and did 23 bench press reps.

OL Seth Olsen (6-4 1/2, 305) had a 28-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot, 7-inch broad jump and did 28 bench press reps.

CB Bradley Fletcher (6-0 1/8, 193) ran a 4.44 and 4.45 in the 40, had a 40-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 7-inch broad jump and a 4.22 short shuttle.

DL Mitch King (6-1 3/8, 278) ran a 4.89 and 4.92 in the 40, had a 33 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump, a 4.40 short shuttle, a 7.55 three-cone drill and did 25 bench press reps.

TE Brandon Myers (6-3 3/8, 250) ran a 4.79 and 4.78 in the 40, had a 31-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 8-inch broad jump, a 4.45 short shuttle and a 7.36 three-cone drill and did 17 bench press reps.

C Rob Bruggeman (6-4, 293) ran a 5.05 and 5.09 in the 40, had a 33-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot, 8-inch broad jump, a 4.69 short shuttle, a 7.69 three-cone drill and did 32 bench press reps.

Black Friday for Iowa Basketball

2009-03-29T13:26:00.002-05:00

Friday, March 27th, will be remembered as a vital day in the Todd Lickliter era. Four players, including Iowa's best, are transferring. Jake Kelly, Jeff Peterson, The President David Palmer and Jermain Davis are taking their games elsewhere. This is a crushing blow not only to the actual team, but also to the enthusiasm and confidence of the program.

Coach Lick obviously gets a grace period due to the lack of talent he inherited in year one. However, patience is running thin throughout the program. The last three seasons, the Hawks of lost their top scorers to transfer (Tyler Smith to Tennessee, Tony Freeman to Southern Illinois, and Jake Kelly to, presumably, Indiana State).

Why is this happening? Tyler Smith and Jake Kelly had deaths in the family, but there could be other reasons. Tony Freeman didn't 'fit' with Lick's system. Perhaps Freeman is solely the exception. but there certainly could be inside issues dealing with the coaching staff that is causing this.

Regardless, Iowa lost four players in a single day. Two of them starters. Three of four of them point guards. This leaves the Hawks with one point guard on the team: Little Lick. This collective loss of point guards is almost more damaging then Kelly leaving by himself. Lickliter's system is deemed to be complicated. It's understood that it takes players, especially point guards, a couple of years to pick it up and have it flow naturally. Peterson improved greatly from his freshman season, Kelly took over games after a move to point guard, and Davis had spurts of being effective when he was healthy (see Iowa State).

This is catastrophic for next years team. Bawinkel doesn't have great handles, Gatens can't be asked to do everything (even if he is Superman), and Little Lick isn't the answer. So who is going to handle the ball next season? Maybe Anthony Tucker. Iowa is heavily recruiting JUCO point guard Malcolm Armstead. Kaylon Williams, a Cedar Rapids native who played his freshmen season at the University of Evansville, is transferring to be "closer to home." He averaged 6.3 points and 4.9 assists in 27 games. Even if he does come to the Hawks, he'll probably have to sit out a year due to transfer without a hardship.

I don't know what the future holds for the Hawkeyes. Iowa recently signed Devon Archie, an explosive JUCO forward, but that doesn't solve the absence of a point guard. It's a dark time for Iowa basketball right now. If all the players stay, Iowa is looking at a probable NIT appearance and perhaps an NCAA tourney bid. Now that they're gone, Iowa could very well be the worst team in the Big 10.

It's sad. It's depressing. Especially with the Madness going on right now. I want to be excited about Iowa basketball again. In my three years of college, we haven't even sniffed the tourney. My older friends talk about how amazing Carver was in Horner and Brunner's senior season. I want that. I want to unrealistically send the Hawks far in my bracket. I want them to be relevant again.

I want to be upbeat about the program. And I can't be right now.

My feelings on Jake Kelly leaving

My feelings on Jeff Peterson leaving

My feelings on Jermain Davis leaving

My feelings on The President leaving.

Clayborn v. Taxi Driver

2009-03-29T13:21:00.003-05:00

After a week long break here at Hawkeye House, due to the blogger challenge, things have been a bit crazy in Iowa City.

First, Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn allegedly assaulted a taxi driver back in January. He has pleaded not guilty and has not been suspended by Coach Kirk Ferentz. This is an interesting move on Ferentz's part, as he has recently been swift to suspend those to have run into trouble with the law (see Shaun Prater).

Here is Gazette sports writer Marc Morehouse's blog on the Clayborn situation.

Top 10 Sports Meltdowns

2009-03-15T22:45:00.007-05:00

Disclaimer: These videos may or may not (they do) contain language that is unsuitable for some people and most children. Watch accordingly.

10. Jim Boeheim - Syracuse Orange Head Coach

Apparently Coach Boeheim thinks Gerry is a good little ball player.

9. Phillip Wellman - Mississippi Braves AA Manager

I almost refused to put this one on here because I think Phil did this mostly for attention. I can't help myself though, it's too good.

8. Kevin Borseth - Michigan Women's Head Basketball Coach

Hawkeye House's pre-analyzation

7. Dennis Green - Arizona Cardinals Head Coach

As a Vikings fan, I find it hard to say that I would much rather take a crazy, ranting Denny Green than an inept Mike Tice or Brad Childress.

6. John Chaney - Temple Owls Head Coach

When an old, very angry black man tells you he's going to kick your ass, you listen. Coach Cal, are you listening? Be careful.

5. Bob Knight - Indiana Hoosiers Head Coach

I don't think mothers across the United States are buying Bob Knight's reasons why he likes the F bomb.

4. Mike Gundy - Oklahoma St. Cowboys Head Coach

Is there anything else to say about this one?

3. Chris Berman

Berman gets the trifecta because...

a. He doesn't like people ducking under the camera.
b. He likes to swear.
c. He's got a thing for redheads.

2. Jim Mora - The King of Head Coaches

I really, seriously wanted this one at #1, but the red-headed kid that can't talk good always takes the cake. Jim Mora needs to be back in the NFL soon. He's clearly the best coach in the history of coaching to give a press conference. If the Lions hired him, I would (maybe) watch a game just to see how Mora breaks down afterward.

Notice how when he punches the wall around the 2:50 mark, it says he's fired on the ticker. Comedic timing, my friends.

1. Boom Goes the Dynamite

I'm not sure if there will ever be a video that tops this. Massive breakdown, perfect uncomfortable teen, hilarious one-liners. The perfect storm. Congrats.

So let me know what you think? The order? Better meltdowns? Favorites? Others deserving of honors? Let me know and comment here.

Hawkeyes Prevail

2009-03-08T23:14:00.003-05:00

(hawkeyereport.com photo)

In his last game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, senior Cyrus Tate finished his regular season career in the most ideal way: a victory.

It wasn't an easy victory for the young Hawks. Jake Kelly overcame the flu, a fever, and mid-game vomiting to lead Iowa with 22 points, nine of which came after regulation. He also dished out 11 assists. Many of those dimes went to the Iowa big men, Tate and Jarryd Cole.

Coach Lickliter effectively played this pair at the same time for the first time this. Both Cole and Tate joined Kelly in the double-double department. The senior, in his first meaningful minutes since the injury, finished with 15 points and 10 boards. The sophomore beast was perfect from the field on his way to 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Matt Gatens and Devan Bawinkel played every minute of this game, 50 in all, and have done so the last few games. It's hard not to root for this young, gutsy Iowa team who has been short-handed much of Big 10 play.

The Nittany Lions certainly didn't make it easy. Talor Battle had a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. Penn St. slapped a press on the Hawks late in the 2nd half and created loads of turnovers, fueling their comeback. This definitely isn't the Penn State of old, the Nittany Lions have serious talent and may find themselves dancing soon depending on their Big 10 tournament performance.

This day belonged to the Hawkeyes though. Kelly banked in two 3's and blocked Battle twice in OT . Cole and Gatens hit four free throws in the last 30 seconds. Tate closed out his home career on a high note.

In Cyrus' words, "What a way to go out."

Game Notes:

Jamelle Cornley officially scares me. There's something seriously, and probably clinically, wrong with him. Cornley was screaming at Bawinkel as he inbounded that. There's no doubt in my mind that if I was in Bawinkel's shoes, I would have called timeout, taken myself out, and filed a no-contact restraining order.
The Carver crowd, sans the student section, was as packed and loud as any other time this season. Lick and the Hawks may finally have turned the proverbial PR corner. It could be the $10 tickets or even the gutsy play of the Hawks. Either way, it is working.
The All Big 10 selections are announced tomorrow night. I'm calling Kelly for 2nd Team All Big 10 and Gatens as Freshman Player of the Year.
Iowa plays Corperryale and the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday in the First Round of the Big 10 Tournament in Indianapolis. Hawkeye House will have complete coverage.

Honorary Hayden Fry Mustache Award

2009-03-07T22:29:00.004-06:00

...goes to Mike Dunleavy. Mike has been successfully rocking a potent mustache. Ladies love it, men respect it. In honor of the legendary Hawkeye coach who sported one of the best mustaches in Iowa history, Hawkeye House will be randomly honoring those who choose to follow in his great footsteps.

Congrats Mike, if only your father wasn't so awful as an NBA coach.

(Penn St. game reactions coming tomorrow)

Wha...What happened?

2009-03-04T19:37:00.005-06:00

A/P Photo

Lick is confused to what happened. I'm a little confused to what actually happened. Even John McCain is confused.

It was a really, really weird game for the Hawks.

Devan Bawinkel went ape and scored a game-high 24 points on eight treys. Jake Kelly is still on fire as he gathered a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks shot more free throws, made more deep bombs on 41% shooting, had less turnovers, played in Carver Hawkeye, and still lost.

Granted, Ohio State's Evan Turner took over the game with his 22 points and the Buckeyes as a team shot 55.6% from the field. That's extraordinarily hard to overcome.

I didn't get to attend the game in person because apparently the UI Main Library was in desperate need of my professional services, so I settled for watching a Big Ten Network replay at 3 in the morning. Therefore, I will not write an article, but only offer my observations. I feel like I can't get the proper feel for what actually happened just by watching it on television and looking at stats. I know that barely makes sense, but it's my method.

And. Here. We. Go.

Jake Kelly has been going crazy and playing awfully well. Kelly is averaging 20.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 3.5 apg over his last six games. He only broke the 15 point barrier three times before this stretch. Three! That's hardly fathomable. I'm not sure what it is; he's getting healthier (though I believe I heard he's going to need surgery after the season) or he's getting his swagger back. All of this coming in the middle of a position switch. Either way, this is the Jake Kelly everyone has been waiting to see all season, if not more so.
As mentioned before, Bawinkel channeled his inner Justin Johnson. Except, he stretched it out over the entirety of the game.
Jermain Davis...
Gatens was his usual solid self. Nothing spectacular, always productive.
It's unfortunate to see Cy Tate hobbling around for his senior season. He flipped the proverbial switch sometime late last year and had an exceptional Big Ten Tournament (one game). He's a much bigger loss than Anthony Tucker or Tony Freeman.
It's clear the Hawks are close to turning the corner. Although much of the Big Ten has a lot of young, talented players returning, Iowa returns 90+% of their minutes next year. The starting line-up right now goes: Sophomore (Kelly), Junior (Bawinkel), Freshman (Gatens), Freshman (Fuller), Sophomore (Cole).
Mark Titus was on the Buckeye bench last night. My roommate Aaron was pumped that he was within shouting distance of him. For those of you who don't know, Titus runs a blog called Club Trillion that is hilarious. Check it out.

Prater Suspended after OWI

2009-03-02T16:23:00.005-06:00

Oops.

Shaun Prater was cited for drunken driving early Saturday morning. Coach Ferentz isn't going easy on him easy. He said that Shaun will face a "multiple-game suspension in the fall." Not very smart for a potential start. He and Jordan Bernstine would have been vying for Bradley Fletcher's vacated corner spot.

My favorite line is when Prater told police officers that the bartender "must have put alcohol in his Coca-Cola."

I must have had a similar type of bartender that night. Why? Because that's what bartenders do when you order an alcoholic beverage.

Here's a link to the Gazette article.

Revenge of the Nerds

2009-02-28T15:01:00.004-06:00

1:05 pm: Getting ready for the Iowa game. I have a can of Wild Cherry Pepsi to my right, a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos to my right. Inevitably, I will stain the keys of my roommate’s laptop. My guess is he will be angry.

1:07 pm: Northwestern's center Rowley hit the tip-off out of bounds. I’ve never seen that before in a real game. He’s so bad. See reference of previous blog post.

1:10 pm: I’ve come to the realization and it’s sort of revolutionary…Matt Gatens is talented at basketball. He also loves flying into the stands like Kazaam.

1:13 pm: My roommate Weston and I begin discussing how many of Northwestern’s starting lineup we could beat in a street fight without weapons. We came to the conclusion that we would each win against everyone except for Rowley. However, we would certainly outwit him.

1:16 pm: Based on current standings, which will change and is likely in accurate, the Hawks would play Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. Hopefully Corperryale gets benched again. Ejected would be fine too.

1:17 pm: “Contest, but don’t molest.”

1:19 pm: Mediacom choppy picture son of a gun…

1:21 pm: Potential street ball nicknames for Jake Kelly. White Chocolate Infinity. The White Mamba, Apollo 7, The American Dragon, or just Dragon, The Pocket Rocket, El Robar de Basquetbol, The Blue Hornet, The Secretary of Defense, El Sabio de Iowa, Bomber, Gooch, Ned, The Little Unit, or Possum. I’m going to try a variation of these.

1:25 pm: I wonder if it was possible to make an announcement over Northwestern’s PA system. If so, an announcement needs to be made that all the calculators in the world have been destroyed. NU would freak out and probably forfeit the game.

1:28 pm: The White Mamba strikes!

1:29 pm: The announcers just referenced a protractor. How appropriate.

1:30 pm: Kevin Coble runs like my aunt Deb.

1:32 pm: I just realized the gravity of Bill Carmody being at Northwestern for nine years. Nine!?!?! Seriously. Really? Do they not care at all about winning with any consistency? I know it’s hard to recruit with Northwestern’s academic standards and its rich history of crappyness. But if NU can win a Rose Bowl, they have to be able to have a fluke year once in awhile in basketball.

1:44 pm: I just missed the last 12 minutes (real time) because I forgot my laundry in the washer and was unprepared for the laundry transfer. If I was granted 3 wishes for today: First, I would want someone to start/finish the insane amount of laundry I have to do. 2ndly, I’d wish the Iowa City weather would stop teasing me like it was an attractive girl who was out of my league. Finally, I’d really like a Burge style Omelet.

1:48 pm: Anyone know the record for most shot clock violations in the first half? The Wildcats have to be approaching it.

1:49 pm: The American Dragon for 3!

1:50 pm: Tate and Cole are in at the same time, interesting strategy by Coach Lickliter. The Hawks are still getting killed on the boards though. Ned for 3 again!

1:53 pm: Halftime analysis from Tim Doyle and Gene Keady. I feel so much more informed. Doyle, a NU “star,” is a pretty arrogant tool. Nonetheless, I once heard him reference “old man strength,” which is a very serious, very real thing.

1:59 pm: I just received a text from my friend, Captain D, asking if I would have relations with Jake Kelly. I answered in a mildly serious, “Yes.” The scary thing is, I’m attracted to the opposite gender (females); Captain D’s sexual preference has not been confirmed. So…that question makes me a lot more uncomfortable than when I originally read it.

2:01 pm: Big Ten Network anchor Dave Revsine just said Iowa had lost 10 straight road games. I didn’t realize we had slumped that far.

2:04 pm: Northwestern’s student section is nicknamed “The Wild Side.” I wonder if they know it is Saturday. They should probably be in the library.

2:08 pm: The Blue Hornet leads all scorers with 12 at half. A healthier looking Jermain Davis leads all players with an astounding two assists.

2:09 pm: Apollo 7 can’t be stopped, another 3!

2:13 pm: Jarryd Cole makes a great hustle play diving/supermanning/steal…twice. There is a reason Lickliter made this kid a captain as only a sophomore. He never stops.

2:21 pm: Fuller cashes a three ball from the corner. He’s got a smooth jump shot and makes a good percentage of his shots. Although the coaches seem to be pretty hard on him, I think it’s because he has a ton of potential.

2:27 pm: Possum again from deep!

2:29 pm: Is it just me, and it certainly could be, but does Jake Kelly make the same exact face that Steven Adler does? Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form am I insinuating that Jake Kelly is a drug addict, because there’s no way he would have such a wet jump shot.

2:33 pm: More laundry. I hate laundry in the same way I hate Kevin Coble: with a deep passion.

2:42 pm: I’ve moved from a Wild Cherry Pepsi to a Mountain Dew. One could argue that both have their respective advantages. But for me, Dew > WCP every single day. Even on the days we skip because of leap year.

2:44 pm: Mediacom is crap. Tim Doyle is crap. NOT EVERYONE NAMED JAKE IS A SNAKE!!!!! It’s just not feasible.

2:46 pm: Gatens has had three deep bombs rim out. I still love him like a son though.

2:48 pm: It’s senior night for the Wildcats. Craig Moore is the only senior who contributes anything and he’s playing like garbage. Beautiful, majestic irony.

2:50 pm: God just handed me a bitch slap of karma as Moore drains a trey.

2:55 pm: Cyrus Tate just fouled out doing almost absolutely nothing.

2:57 pm: The Wild Side just started chanting “Let’s play football.” There are no words. The Hawks lose their 11th straight on the road 55-49 to Northwestern. Michael Wilbon and dorks everywhere rejoice.

Spring Pub

2009-02-25T17:53:00.004-06:00

College football spring practice is right around the corner. The Hawks are nationally relevant again after disappearing for a couple years and the major media coverage shows it.

From Ivan Maisel's recent article "For the love of the game"...

4. Football in Iowa: After Kirk Ferentz had three consecutive mediocre seasons at Iowa, Hawkeye athletic director Gary Barta didn't panic. Instead, he stood behind Ferentz. Iowa rebounded last fall with a 9-4 season and a top-20 finish. From 2005-2008, Ferentz went 28-22. Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer went 29-21, one game better. Iowa just signed Ferentz, a perennial NFL candidate, to a contract extension through 2015. Tennessee kicked Fulmer to the curb. I'll take patience and a long-term vision over what-have-you-done-for-me-lately every day of the week.

(No mention of Iowa State. Victory link!)

On another note, the Hawkeyes were featured on this afternoon's College Football Live. ESPN's Big 10 blogger Adam Rittenberg talked a bit about the major losses of King and Kroul. Analyst Bob Davie mentioned that Kirk Ferentz doesn't 'care' about recruiting rankings. He compared the similar number of victories but differently ranked recruiting classes of Florida State and Tennessee .

Combine Coverage: Defensive Backs

2009-02-25T15:56:00.002-06:00

photo courtesy of hawkeyesports.com

Bradley Fletcher: Measuring in at 6'0, 196 pounds, this corner probably had the best combine of all the Hawkeyes. He was a top performer in the vertical jump at 38.5", 5th best among corners. He also benched 225 pounds 20 times and ran a 4.52 40-yard dash, solid for one of the bigger corner in the drafts. Fletcher may be moved to safety in the NFL, a la Charles Godfrey with the Carolina Panthers.

Fletcher was a vastly underrated member of the vaunted 2008 defense. He formed the best corner combo in the Ferentz era with Amari Spievey. Fletch also kept a very talented Jordan Bernstine firmly on the bench. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten with 60 tackles, three interceptions and 10 passes broken up.

I'm guessing he goes somewhere in the 5th or 6th round.

Football's Future

Tillison and Morrow Transferring

2009-02-25T15:00:00.001-06:00

Per Hawkeyereport.com

IOWA CITY, IA - Iowa sophomore defensive backs Lance Tillison and Diauntae Morrow have informed Iowa Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz they have decided to transfer to another school. The announcement was made today by Ferentz.

Tillison, a 6-2, 213 pound sophomore from Seffner, FL, had eight career tackles and one pass interception. He played in 13 games last season. Morrow, was a 6-0, 190-pounder from Cleveland, OH. He played as a true freshman in 2007 and was a backup safety in 2008. Morrow was credited with 12 tackles in 11 games last season.

Greene Footage

2009-02-24T23:00:00.007-06:00

The NFL Network is clearly a communist organization.

My main points:

Approximately somewhere around the made-up statistic of 4% of Americans get to see the entirety of the Thursday night games they air. I know I don't. And that's all I care about. Call it selfish. I call it entitlement.
They poached Rich Eisen.
They only list "top performers" in their combine coverage. Clearly, none of our receivers at the combine (I wonder who the last one was. Not this guy.) are running 4.3's in a scamper of 120 feet.
The won't allow me to embed their videos of combine coverage. So I have to link it.
I want my own network. Suggestions for cool names for the network are welcome.

So that last one isn't valid at all. But here's the link to the video. Shonn comes on around 1:50. Enjoy.

Combine Coverage: Hogmollies pt. 2

2009-02-24T15:10:00.005-06:00

King the Rhinoceros

Mitch King: King measured in at 6'1 1/2 and 280 pounds. He didn't have a particularly good combine. As an undersized DT, King already is under scrutiny for being a "tweener." He put up only 23 reps in the bench press (225 lbs.), least among defensive tackles. While bench press is a slightly arbitrary measure of strength, the fact that King did the least is not a good sign, even if it is a bit meaningless. Those of us who watched King throughout his career at Iowa wouldn't questions his overall strength as garnered numerous double teams and abused the guards and centers across from him.

However, King ran the fastest 40 time of all defensive tackles at 4.89, so a move to linebacker isn't completely out of the question. Especially since he was an all-state selection at that position in high school. How the team that eventually drafts him will use him is an interesting storyline to watch.

Regardless, Mitch King is exactly the type of player I would want in my locker room, no matter how much he actually contributes on the field.

Stats courtesy of Football's Future.

Big Ten Player of the Week

2009-02-23T15:41:00.003-06:00

Jake Kelly, Iowa

6-6 – Sophomore Guard

Carmel, Ind. - Carmel HS

Jake Kelly earns his first weekly laurel after delivering a clutch performance in Iowa’s dramatic overtime victory over Michigan in the Hawkeye’s only game last week. The Hawkeye sophomore played all 45 minutes in Sunday’s contest and posted 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists – all career highs. Kelly was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. With the game knotted at 56-all after regulation, Kelly scored seven of Iowa’s first nine points in the extra period to give the Hawkeyes a commanding 65-58 lead with 2:17 left to play. With the win, Kelly helped the Hawkeyes improve to 2-0 in overtime this season.

Last Iowa Player of the Week: Cyrus Tate (Feb. 25, 2008)

Here's the release from the Big 10.

Combine Coverage: The 'Backs

2009-02-23T14:57:00.005-06:00

Shonn Greene: Measured in at 5'11" and 227 pounds. Top performer in the vertical and broad jump. In the vertical jump, Greene elevated 37", good for 5th best among running backs. In the broad jump, he jumped 10'1", also good for 5th best among running backs. Greene best 40 time was 4.63 unofficially, which is about what everyone expected. Greene ran just a bit slower then Georgia's Knowshon Moreno and Ohio State's Beanie Wells, but not by much.

Shonn probably didn't hurt his draft stock too much, but he certainly didn't help it much either. Apparently, he's fantastically good at jumping, something I wouldn't have guessed going into the combine.

The big question is the same as it is every year: Which do scouts put more value into? Things like 40 times and broad jumps or production during the year?

Boise State's Ian Johnson ran one of the faster 40's among running backs, 2nd best in fact at 4.46. Johnson is best known for the Statue of Liberty touchdown run against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and then proposing to his cheerleader girlfriend. What most people don't know is that Johnson split time as a senior and that is statistics decline every year since his sophomore season.

So who gets drafted higher: The Doak Walker Award winner or Ian Johnson and his faster 40 time?

Michigan Matchup

2009-02-22T12:35:00.009-06:00

"FIRST TIME WE BLOCK OUT WE GET CALLED FOR A DAMN...BLOCK OUT!"

"WHAT ELSE DO YA WANNA KNOW!?"

" *sigh*... I'm not gonna sleep."

(The last one is easily my favorite. I don't really know why. I picture him doing something really, really crazy after that press conference. Like going home to his family after the game, freaking out even more over the offensive rebounds, dabbling in insomnia, capturing one of those face/hand-eating chimpanzees and robbing a Denny's somewhere in Michigan. If I somehow missed this actually happening in the news, I apologize.)

And how about that entrance? Flying karate chop to the table. HIIIIIIIII-YA! That's the way I'm going to enter everywhere I go: work, class, bars, ping-pong tournaments, restaurants, everywhere.

That was almost completely unrelated, and definitely pointless, so here's the potential starting line-up match-ups for this afternoon's game.

PG: Jermain Davis v. Kelvin Grady

Jermain Davis is injured. No question about it. Watching him try and play point guard hurt gives me the exact same feeling I get when I walk by the vomit trees on Iowa's campus. Michigan sophomore Kelvin Grady is probably the least effective player in the starting line up, but he isn't asked to be. He doesn't turn the ball over and distributes it at a decent rate.

(Editors Note: Sounds like Jermain is out today too. The Hawks are going to be hard pressed not turning the ball over at an alarming rate today. I have no idea who will be bringing the ball up if Kelly has to go out.)

Advantage: Grady. Undoubtedly now.

SG: Devan Bawinkel v. Corperryale Harris

BARHAHAHAHAHA. Coach Lick isn't dumb enough to make Bawinkel guard Manny, Kelly probably will, but the notion that they match-up is hilarious. Harris is the 2nd leading scorer in the Big 10, averaging 17.2 points per game to go along with 7.1 rebounds per game. Bawinkel shoots 3's and picks up his dribble at the top of the key.

Advantage: I think you know.

SF: Jake Kelly v. Stu Douglass

I think Iowa actually has an advantage here. Kelly returned to form against a defensive-minded Purdue team last week. Kelly is averaging nearly 10 ppg, while Douglass averages 5.7. Jake will probably have to play point again, which means the Hawks will run constant pick and rolls at the top of the key, which is what Lick's offense with the young Hawks turns into most of the time anyway. Douglass doesn't do much for me nor the Wolverines.

Advantage: Kelly

SF2: Matt Gatens v. Zack Novak

Gatens leads the Hawks in both scoring and waking up the drowsy Carver "faithful." He's a shoe-in for the Big 10's All-Freshman team. It wouldn't surprise me if he wins Freshman POTY, that's how good this kid is. He's the cornerstone of the program. However, Michigan freshman Zack Novak is no slouch. He's the fourth leading scorer on the Wolverines and absolutely bombs in from deep, hitting at a 35% clip on 118 shots.

Advantage: Gatens

PF: Jarryd Cole v. DeShawn Sims

Jarryd Cole is recovering nicely after he tore his knee up. He's finally "there" on both the physical and mental levels. DeShawn Sims is who Cole should aspire to me. Leading the Wolverines in rebounding and second in scoring, Sims forms John Belein's 1-2 punch with Harris. Michigan has relied on them all year. Today will be no different. Cole's stats are actually lower than his level of play, so this should be an interesting head-to-head.

Advantage: Sims

Peterson and Tate are probably out. Tucker and Angle are definitely out. The Vegas line is at Iowa (-.5), apparently they know something we don't. Tipoff is at 4 in Carver.

God help us.

Combine Coverage: Hogmollies

2009-02-21T19:27:00.006-06:00

Photo courtesy of NFL.com

Hawks in the Draft. Offensive Lineman (Bruggeman, Olsen) worked out today, Running Backs on Sunday (Green), Defensive Lineman on Monday (King), Defensive Backs on Tuesday (Fletcher).

Rob Bruggeman: Bruggs measured in at 6'4" and 293 pounds. He put up 30 reps on the bench press, tied for 10th best among offensive lineman. I think he'll get drafted somewhere in the 6th or 7th round and make a very nice addition to some teams offensive line.

Seth Olsen: Big Seth measured in at 6'5" and 306 pounds. He was top performer in the 3-cone drill, finishing 7.59 seconds, 9th best among offensive lineman. I'm not sure how they scouts use that measurement for offensive lineman, but if I had to guess, it would be to measure foot speed for pass coverage. He also put up 23 reps in the bench press and ran a 5.24 in the 40 (even though the 40 yard dash for offensive linemen is completely pointless). I think Olsen will be drafted a little higher than Bruggeman, but feel that Bruggeman has more of a mean streak and will be a better pro player.

Stayed tuned for continuing coverage.

Stats pulled from NFL.com

Cyrus Status

2009-02-19T14:00:00.005-06:00

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Cyrus Tate done for the season? It's a possibility that Scott Dochterman writes about in the Gazette.

From the barely news file...

2009-02-16T15:36:00.003-06:00

It was announced sometime last week that LB Khalif Staten is leaving the Iowa football program. From the press release, it appeared Staten was homesick and would be transferring some place closer to his Brooklyn, NY home.

Although he didn't record any statistics this season, Staten definitely passed the looked test and from all accounts, kept his nose clean during his time as a Hawkeye. So best of luck to him in the future.

Note: Oddly, today is Khalif's birthday. Weeeeeird.

Ferentz extension through 2015

2009-02-12T14:44:00.005-06:00

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN blogger for Big 10 football, is reporting Kirk Ferentz recieved a new seven-year contract extension that runs through 2015.

Read the article here.

HOLYJERSEYAWESOMENESS

2009-02-11T16:09:00.003-06:00

So it has been rumored over the intranet that Iowa is unveiling some new uniforms against Purdue this Saturday on Valentine's Day.

Ironically, I love them. Especially the black ones.

Apparently these new uniforms are the Nike fit ones that the likes of Ohio State and Syracuse wear. It'll be interesting to see Kelly and Bawinkel swim in these jerseys.

What does everyone think of the new unis?

Note: I totally stole the image from Black Heart Gold Pants.

Victory...

2009-02-08T15:02:00.008-06:00

(courtesy of AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Northwestern LOLcats v. Iowa Hawkeyes

Finally. One went the way of the Hawkeyes. The players needed this one. The fans needed this one. I'm sure Coach Lickliter and the rest of the staff didn't mind the victory either.

Devan Bawinkel did the only thing he can do in his first career start: make 3-point shots, including an ice-in-his-veins type shot from the corner with only 55 seconds left and the Hawks trailing.

Freshman star Matt Gatens hit four clutch free throws down the stretch on his way to a 13 point night.

Point guard Jeff Peterson had the unenviable task of dissecting the long 1-3-1 zone of the LOLcats. He had 6 turnovers on the night, most in 4-5 minute period, but had a really good game other than the turnovers. He finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Not too shabby considering he's playing with a broken bone in his wrist.

The young Hawks hoisted up an astounding 30 3-pointers, hitting at a 40 percent clip. They made a whopping two field goals inside the arc.

But somehow, some way, the baby Hawks stole this game away from a Northwestern team that isn't completely awful this year.

One thing is for sure, Lickliter is rebuilding a broken program the right way.

First, he's finding the right players for his system. Gatens is a star that fell into his lap, but either way, is the type of player/leader you can build a program around. Tucker, when he's not contracting mono or passing out behind Union, can definitely shoot. If he sticks around and gets out of the massive doghouse he's surely in, he could be a special player.

Secondly, Lickliter has obviously stressed the importance of protecting home court. The Hawkeyes are 11-2 at home this season, with their only losses coming to ranked Minnesota and Michigan State squads.

Finally, he realizes the importance of getting the community and students involved in the program again. Some suit decided to lower all remaining tickets to $10. Drastic, but proved to be effective Saturday. Someone else also convinced the players to wear the student section "Hawkamanic" shirts as warm-ups for the Michigan State game and to toss shirts during the Northwestern introductions.

Random Game Notes:

Jarryd Cole is baaaaack. Despite only scoring two points in the Northwestern game, he averaged 9 points the three games before that. He also blocked the Wildcats feeble last shot off the backboard for, just good measure. He's not a skilled big man, but he's a physical force. There's a reason why Coach Lickliter made this kid a captain before the season.
The President David Palmer didn't even take off his warm-ups. Yikes.
Cy Tate is also back. It's clear he's not 100% yet. Hopefully he gets there soon, this team needs its senior leader.
Northwestern C Kyle Rowley is one of the worst Division I basketball players I've ever seen. He's humongous and really, really bad.
Bill Carmody reminds me of my mildly creepy great uncle. I don't what it is about that guy. He made me uncomfortable from the stands.
Prediction: Kevin Coble will be cast in a Revenge of the Nerds remake by 2012.
"Hawkamaniac" is just an awful title for the student section. It's a travesty.
Special Note: I won the musical lay up contest during the 4th media timeout. I ordered a large, stuffed crust pepperoni pizza from America's favorite pizza place, Pizza Hut. Deliciosity.

More Pub for Doak Walker Winner

2009-02-08T14:54:00.003-06:00

Here's some excerpts from the Dallas Morning News.

Mr. 100

Iowa Runner Takes Long Way

**Interesting Note: In the Mr. 100 article is a list of past winners of the Doak Walker Award. They are pretty hit or miss as far as NFL careers, but the good ones on that list are really, really good.

Super Extensive, Extraordinarily Thorough Signing Day Coverage

2009-02-05T15:09:00.008-06:00

So I was actually working on some signing day coverage, sifting through all the blue-chippers, class rankings, star ratings and statistics. I was looking at videos of Iowa high school stars Brandon Wegher, Keenan Davis, Jordan Cotton, etc. I had even started a draft of a post covering signing day.

And then I found this.

It's a university-run website (somehow it's not a piece of crap, it's actually really, really good!) featuring the greatest entity known to man: Hawkeye Football.

On a serious note though, this website (gohawks.com) has incredible recruiting coverage. There are highlight videos, biographies for all the recruits, and tons of other information.

So instead of boring you with my analysis of the latest Hawkeye recruiting class, I highly recommend you check out this website.

note: Check out Brandon Wegher and Stephane N'goumou's videos. Very impressive.

Fred's Interview: Hawkeye at Heart

2009-02-05T14:55:00.004-06:00

This is Aaron. I felt this was worthy of a post cause this is a Hawkeye Blog and he was almost a Hawkeye himself. And he's got a picture with the fake Captain Kirk.

Aaron Friederich was a 4 sport star at Forest City High School (3A) in north central Iowa. He played basketball, football, baseball and ran track. He holds virtually every major passing record in Forest City High School, along with having held multiple basketball records. He also ran at state track multiple times. Aaron was invited to walk-on to the football team after his senior year of high school, but declined to focus on his academics. He’s moved on to have a wildly successful intramural career. Aaron’s greatest accomplishment, however, is being my roommate for 3 years.

Josh Heyer: What was your favorite sport in high school and why?

Aaron Friederich: Basketball was my favorite because we were a hugely successful team, and more importantly than that my hometown of Forest City was undoubtedly a basketball town. Home and away, games were all packed gyms and there was an excitement there that no other sport, or surrounding school for that matter, experienced.

JH: Did that place any additional pressure on you during your career that your school was known as a "basketball school?"

AF: It definitely added pressure. Every opponent that we faced brought their very best game with a chance to beat us. We couldn't afford to slip up against anyone because the whole town wanted to see us in the state tournament. In season it was all anyone in town talked to the starters about and while everyone was very supportive it made us want the win for more than just ourselves.

JH: Do you have any regret today that you didn't ever make it to Des Moines?

AF: I wouldn't use the word regret, because I don't feel like there is a lot more we could have done as a team. We lost to a good team, and they actually had an exceptionally good game that night. Unfortunately, we were one of the top rated teams in the state and couldn't get there. Initially when we lost, I assumed that years down the road I would look back and hate the fact that we never made it, but leaving high school you learn to put different things into perspective.

JH : Do you have any records intact at Forest City?

AF: I had career, single season, and single game steals record but I think Brett Putz (St. Cloud State) broke those. I held the most 3 pointers for a sophomore, but Putz broke that too. I currently hold point total for a sophomore.

JH: Having a brother on the varsity teams for much of the same time you were on there, did that change how you practiced, prepared, played?

AF: Having Ryan play varsity sports with me was the best part of high school sports for me. In practice you never want to hit any of your friends unnecessarily hard in football, but brothers are supposed to crush each other, because you can't be the one who gave up first. Pre-game it was awesome to eat supper together or talk about the upcoming game together. Playing together was the best experience. You can always count on him to be the first one to high five you or slap you on the back. To be completely honest , my proudest moments on the court or field were when I saw Ryan make a great play, or ones we made together.

JH: What were your parents like at the games or even after them? Were they supportive, pushy, hard on you, etc.?

AF: My parents were never hard on me. My dad loved to watch us play sports, as well as my mom does. My parents were not hard on me by any stretch of the imagination. I could have quit everything at any point and they still would have been supportive. My mom actually only got upset in the stands one time, and that was a night where she thought I was being too 'cocky' on the floor. Otherwise they were 'team parents'. If you would have been across the gym you wouldn't have known which kid was theirs, and I was always glad that was the case. After the games there would be nights where me, dad and Ryan would sit in the kitchen for hours going over what might have happened in the game. It was never a lecture type atmosphere or anything like that, but more just recollecting what happened through the game or meet that night. We all enjoyed it.

JH: Did you have any superstitions in the locker room?

AF: In basketball, I was always the last one to get ready. I don't know if that was so much a superstition as much as I just hated to just sit and wait for the game to begin. I definitely was superstitious though, every game day I would have a foot long Subway roast beef sandwich with nothing on it. They would actually have it made for me when I would come in after school. I also wore the same white and red cutoffs under my home and away uniforms for all 3 years of varsity basketball. I couldn't find my white shirt one night. I didn't even get to the gym until after the girls game started because I was tearing the house up for it. When I got to the gym I found out my brother had it on under his shirt in the stands...needless to say I made him come in the locker room and take it off so I could wear it.

JH: Favorite memory from any sport at any age?

AF: My junior year we played at Osage the first game (our biggest conference rival) and we lost on my own buzzer-beater. Later that season we played them at home and it was the area news station's "Game of the Week". The gym was standing room only fifteen minutes before the girls’ game, and obviously nobody was interested in that game at all. I know at least a couple opposing teams from the conference came to watch a great game. The game was anything but great; we came out of the gates and destroyed them. We were up 25 points at half, and at no point in the game did the crowd get any less excited. The greatest feeling I’ve had on the floor was to win so convincingly over a top rated 2A team that had beaten us previously.

Combine Approaching

2009-02-04T01:13:00.004-06:00

Really!? No. Of course not.

This. I bet he got Gisele with this picture too.

The NFL Draft is coming up in a couple months. This means a few things. One, executives of their respective teams get to over-analyze 21-24 year old kids. Vince Young scored incredible low on the famed Wonderlic test. Officials over-analyzed this to death, which probably is the reason they failed to investigate if he was mentally stable. Two, the world gets to over-analyze Mel Kiper's hair for the next few month. Three, Keyshawn Johnson will talk about players in the Draft and what qualities of 'Key' they have in them. And finally four, a few Hawkeyes may get invited to the NFL Combine to be poked, tested, skewered and tested.

The Hawks turned their season around after a mediocre 3-3 start, finishing 9-4 with an Outback Bowl pounding of South Carolina for good measure. This also means a few things. Because of the drastic turnaround, the young Hawkeyes had good senior leadership in the locker room. Also, a 9-4 season is not too shabby, meaning the Hawks had some darn good players, some of whom may even be drafted.

Five Hawkeyes were invited to the week long festival of running and jumping. Seniors Mitch King, Rob Bruggeman, Bradley Fletcher and Seth Olsen. Junior RB Shonn Greene also got invited (duh) after declaring for the Draft immediately following the Outback Bowl.

Graduating seniors absent-minded-ly left off the save the date list were DT Matt Kroul and TE Brandon Myers. Myers is a bit of surprise here as was a 1st Team All Big Ten selection and possesses both good speed and above average hands.

Interesting topics to look at going into the NFL Combine:

Shonn Greene's 40 time? I know he's so called "football fast." But how fast is he in a straight line for 40 yards. A good time at the combine and he could shoot way up the draft boards. Recent examples: Chris Johnson and Matt Forte. However, all teams are going with two feature running backs, as the position is so vital in the NFL. So even if he doesn't run a great time, he could definitely be some teams 'power' back.
Mitch King. Is he big enough? Is he strong enough? I know that he's mean and crazy enough. He won't fit in well with a 3-4 scheme as defensive tackle. So he needs to be drafted in the right situation.
Bradley Fletcher. He's a big corner, weighing in at 6'2 and 200 lbs. He was scary good this season for the Hawkeyes. He's easily the second best cover corner in the Ferentz era, right behind Charles Godfrey. One possible option is a switch to safety, like the Carolina Panthers did with Godfrey.
Rob Bruggeman and Seth Olsen. Both these guys are better than you think. Olsen was a Rivals.com All-American. Bruggeman replaced Raf Eubanks and completely transformed a dismal line from the year before. I'm not sure if they get drafted, but Bruggeman is strong as an ox; hopefully that shows at the Combine. I'm betting Bruggeman gets drafted in a late round and will be a pleasant surprise.

Here's the link to all the invitees: http://www.nflcombine.net/players/official-invite-list

With great hype, comes great responsibility

2009-01-31T16:55:00.005-06:00

Official Paver of Men: Bryan Bulaga

After a spectacular sophomore season, Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga is recieving some high praise from one mock draft. Bulaga spent his season protecting Rick Stanzi's blindside and mowing down opposing defensive ends. He's easily the best offensive lineman since Big Bob Gallery and could go down as one of the best offensive lineman in Hawkeye history if he keeps improving.

Click here for a mock draft that is published ridicously early.

Michigan State Recap: Hi Goran...

2009-01-31T15:41:00.005-06:00

Sparty was just too American for the Hawks

It was a butt kicking. An absolute clinic. Something Sam Elliott might call a 'tail-whippin.'

This game was essentially over before it started. The Spartans were quicker, smoother and stronger. They were better in all facets of the game. You know the expression, "the game was closer than the final scored indicated." That wasn't this game. It was the exact opposite. The Hawks lost by 15, but it should have been way more. Tom Izzo called off the Spartans about halfway through the 2nd half.

Kalin Lucas sliced and diced the Hawkeye defense for 24 points and 4 assists. Delvon Roe and Goran Suton combined for 21 rebounds.

The President David Palmer

Rarely any Hawks stood out. The President reverted back to his old human form, scoring only one point in 14 minutes. 6'5 Matt Gatens, arguably Iowa's best player as a freshman, was so desperate in trying to box out a rangy 6'8 Roe, he turned around and started pushing Roe like Gatens was an offensive lineman.

The 3-point shot, a staple of Todd Lickliter's system, was not kind to the Hawks. They shot a measly 30.8% on 8-26 shooting. Meanwhile, the Spartans shot 55.6% from behind the arc.

Granted, Tom Izzo's Spartans are the cream of the crop in the Big 10. No one expected the Hawkeyes to win, but they are expected to compete. The Hawks sit at 10th, only besting the worst Indiana team in...forever.

It's a shame that the team failed to compete this particular game. The marketing department finally upped the ante by focusing on getting the students back into Carver-Hawkeye. They let all students in for free, the handed out pizza for the first 200 students in and they rewarded student season ticket holders with lower seats. This marketing department needs to continue to show this type of creativity. Even when the Hawks would make mini-runs during the game, cutting the deficit to single digits, the students energized the rest of Carver. The real question is this: will the students come back after the Hawks got thoroughly dominated in the most hyped game of the season?

The students need to be moved. They're crammed up some of the worst seats in the house, squarely behind the basket. And something has to be changed.

Hello, world, are you listening?

2009-01-27T00:29:00.006-06:00

Welcome to Hawkeye House! If you've stumbled upon accidentally, or for some reason, visited here on purpose, I hope you stay.

In the upcoming months, I will be blogging about everything that has anything to do with the Iowa Hawkeyes' football and basketball teams. Maybe even the dominant wrestling team if I comprehend what they're actually doing and how they're keeping score. Among the topics I'll be covering in the future: the emergence of Mr. David Palmer, Ed Podolak's retirement (firing), the NFL Combine/Draft (Mitch King=Chris Hovan????), the wrestling teams eventual national title, Colonel Angle and Mini-Lick, the hell of a semester Anthony Tucker had, National Signing Day, Pat Angerer for Heisman, next year's 2-deeps, figuring out what the tournament below the NIT is called and if the Hawks will make it, and much more. Hopefully that's just scratching the surface. If there's anything that's going on in Hawkeye world, you can find it here.

A little about myself. The author per se. I'm a 20-year-old Junior at the University of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and Business Management. I'm nuts about the Hawks, as you can see. I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life. None. But I'm not too worried about it. I'm from a town with less people than most of my lectures. Seriously, I graduated with 24 other kids to give you an idea. I played football, basketball and baseball in high school. I loved everything about it. And I basically needed to play so the school had enough people to field a team. I have zero professional writing experience. The only people that have read anything I've written are teachers and other instructors. So whoever is reading this blog will have to bear with me as I figured it all out; enjoy the ride. Essentially, I love sports and the Hawks, so what better way to combine my two passions.

Again, welcome to Hawkeye House. Make yourself at home.

Hawkeye House

Welcome to the End

Coming Soon: The Miami Diaries

2009: Iowa Football Top 10

You Just Know Norm Has This on Repeat

Finals Week: Rise of the Hawkeye, Decline of the Grades

There's Only One Thing To Do In Time's Like These...

The Search for Sombreros: An Afternoon Delight

100 Hours

The Turnover: Northwestern

In Terms of Arbitrary Wishes I've Made While Blowing Out Candles On a Birthday Cake, Here's #1: Every Day SHOULD Be Saturday

Plug, Void of Shame

Could It Be?

The Turnover: Michigan State

The Turnover: Wisconsin

No Turnover: Michigan

Could you define...Desperate?

The Turnover: Arkansas State

Bumped from the comments section due to Incredible-ness

Bulaga is Back!

America Needs Farmers

The Turnover: Pennsylvania State

The Turnover

Totally non-football, non-Hawkeye related. But hey, it was in Iowa...

Iowa vs. Iowa State Video

Back like Big Dace

IMPORTANT

You've got nothing on me, Rittenberg!

Final Fall Preview: Hawkeye House Podcast w/ the Gazette's Marc Morehouse

Final Fall Preview: Offense

Final Fall Preview: Defense and Special Teams

Iowa Football's Top 10 Players

Hawkeye House w/ Sports Journalism Professor Dave Schwartz

Big Ten Network Spring Wrap-Up

Hawkeye House Podcast

The Undrafteds

Myers Selected

Olsen Chosen

Greene and Fletcher Kick Off 2nd Day

No Hawks Drafted First Day

NFL Draft Watch

Spring Video

Top 5 Spring Football Topics

Coordinator Speak: Norm Parker and Ken O'Keefe

Links Galore

Lords of the Realm

Honorary Hayden Fry Mustache Award

Every Day Should Be Saturday

More on Ferentz, Derby, and Christensen

Seriously!?

Ferentz talks Spring Ball on BTN

Spring Two Deeps

Ferentz March 25 Press Conference

Iowa Pro Day Results

Black Friday for Iowa Basketball

Clayborn v. Taxi Driver

Top 10 Sports Meltdowns

Hawkeyes Prevail

Honorary Hayden Fry Mustache Award

Wha...What happened?

Prater Suspended after OWI

Revenge of the Nerds

Spring Pub

Combine Coverage: Defensive Backs

Tillison and Morrow Transferring

Greene Footage

Combine Coverage: Hogmollies pt. 2

Big Ten Player of the Week

Combine Coverage: The 'Backs

Michigan Matchup

Combine Coverage: Hogmollies

Cyrus Status

From the barely news file...

Ferentz extension through 2015

HOLYJERSEYAWESOMENESS

Victory...

More Pub for Doak Walker Winner

Super Extensive, Extraordinarily Thorough Signing Day Coverage

Fred's Interview: Hawkeye at Heart

Combine Approaching