Hawkeyes are Finally Grounded

The following is a live journal composed during the Northwestern/Iowa game. All times listed are Pacific Standard Time.

FIRST QUARTER

9:04 – Well, that didn’t take long. The Wildcat safety took a terrible angle on receiver Marvin McNutt and the latter crossed him up, hauled in the pass from Ricky Stanzi, and took it to the house.

7-0 Iowa

9:09 – Nothing like a classic rugby style punt…that puts your opponent in great field position. Seriously, why do so many punters insist on taking longer to kick the ball away?

9:15 – Like Boise State last night, Iowa’s lack of a run game is costing them in the red zone; if things keep up, that won’t hurt them today, but the Hawkeyes still have a date with Ohio State to prepare for.

10-0 Iowa

9:25 – So, after a promising drive against the Hawkeye defense, quarterback Mike Kafka takes a sack on 3rd and 3 to push Northwestern out of field goal range. Throw it away Mike!

9:33 – Stanzi is getting plenty of time in the pocket to take shots downfield; this time, though, he was unable to connect with one of his receivers. If Iowa isn’t going to establish a run game, then they can stick with short passes and bubble screens as a substitute; a screen to running back Brandon Wegher went for sixteen yards on that drive before it fizzled out.

END FIRST QUARTER. IOWA LEADS 10-0.

9:43 – Cornerback Jordin Mabin finally makes the Hawkeyes pay for taking so many shots downfield; that’s one interception for Stanzi so far.

9:46 – Well, Northwestern has found the silver lining to having an inert offense thus far: Punter Stefan Demos has already pinned the Hawkeyes inside their own ten yard line twice whilst abandoning the rugby style punt. Coincidence? Probably not.

9:50 – THAT is why you don’t run play action inside the five yard line; worse yet, Stanzi was shaken up on the play. It’s starting to feel like last week against Indiana all over again.

10-7 Iowa

9:56 – As Stanzi heads for the locker room, his replacement, freshman James Vandenberg, throws a pick of his own. Like starter, like backup.

9:59 – This is good quarterback strategy by Northwestern; Kafka is dealing with a sore hamstring, so they’ve been putting backup Dan Persa in to run the ball and offer a different look to the Iowa defense.

10:05 – With the run established enough to where the Hawkeye defense had to honor it, Persa fakes a handoff and hits tight end Drake Dunsmore for the go-ahead touchdown. Surprise, surprise—Iowa is behind again.

14-10 Northwestern

10:08 – So, Iowa finally breaks off a big run—that went for a touchdown—but had to commit a holding penalty in order to execute it. Quite telling, don’t you think?

10:12 – That personal foul call could’ve gone either way—the real fault lies with how the rule is written; should the defensive player be flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit when the offensive player lowers his head first?

10:15 – What’s wrong with the replay official in the booth? That called fumble deserved a review, but the Wildcats were allowed to get a play off and make that impossible. It makes one wonder if the replay official is a pilot for Northwest Airlines on weekdays.

10:18 – Persa gets in on the act with an interception in the end zone; Northwestern will remember that play if they end up losing this game by a small margin.

HALFTIME. NORTHWESTERN LEADS 14-10.

10:24 – Iowa is going to have to make another comeback, but it’s different this week because the Hawkeyes are either going to have to do it with a freshman backup quarterback or a gimpy Ricky Stanzi. Northwestern’s performance in the first half wasn’t that stellar in its own right, but their defense created an opportunity and took full advantage of it. In the second half, it’s likely either the Wildcats will grind out a close victory, or the Hawkeyes will be forced to pray for another miracle.

THIRD QUARTER

10:45 – Stanzi is still on the sidelines; Iowa had better hope they have another miracle in them.

10:49 – Iowa’s defense finally finds a way to slow down Persa and gets a much needed stop on Northwestern’s first second half possession.

10:54 – Stanzi’s return is doubtful, but Vandenberg has looked a lot better on this drive in hitting three of four passes (and the one incompletion was on his receiver). If the Hawkeyes have taught us anything, it is that you can never count them out.

10:58 – Unfortunately, Daniel Murray misses the field goal after that drive began with such promise; at this point, it looks like the Hawkeye defense is going to have step up and then hope for their offense to wake up. (Sound familiar?)

11:02 – Iowa’s defense is finally reining in Persa. It’s important to remember that Northwestern is playing with a backup quarterback too; Persa has thrown an interception already, so if the Hawkeyes can force the Wildcats to go to the air, then their chances of coming back will increase.

11:06 – A calculated risk by Iowa in not declining that penalty, but Northwestern is not going to get a first down on 3rd and 33 and the Hawkeye offense needs the field position.

11:12 – Persa is taking a walk of his own to the locker room for treatment on his throwing hand; this game has not been kind to any quarterback that has stepped on the field.

11:13 – The Iowa defense has completely shut down Northwestern’s rushing attack and Kafka can’t run well on his bum hamstring. This is going to be a problem for the Wildcats if they end up in a position where they have to run some clock and hang on; they’ll go three and out on every possession in the fourth quarter at this rate…

11:15 – …unless Iowa shoots itself in the foot with pass interference penalties.

END THIRD QUARTER. NORTHWESTERN LEADS 14-10.

FOURTH QUARTER

11:21 – It’s the fourth quarter at Kinnick Stadium; what crazy adventures and wacky hi-jinks are in store for the college football world this weekend?

11:25 – That was a defensive stand the Hawkeyes needed; hopefully, for Iowa’s sake, their offense can eventually pull off another big play.

17-10 Northwestern

11:31 – This is a message for the Hawkeye offensive line: Protect your quarterback! Vandenberg is too young and inexperienced to be expected to make accurate throws with Wildcat linemen right in his face on every play.

11:35 – Northwestern, do not go for this 4th and 1; trust your defense that has held Iowa scoreless since its first two possessions of the game.

11:36 – The Wildcats do go for it and run a quarterback sneak for sufficient yardage…except a timeout was called by the Northwestern sideline before the ball was snapped.

11:39 – Of course, now it will be easier to second guess that punt since the “non-play” would’ve moved the chains; nevertheless, making the Hawkeye offense, and their backup quarterback, go the length of the field just for a tie is hardly cause for the Wildcats to feel regret.

11:46 – Every Iowa fan probably just thought, “Stanzi would’ve placed that ball perfectly…or thrown another interception.” That’s a sure touchdown if Vandenberg is able to hit Derrell Johnson-Koulianos.

11:53 – The Iowa defense got the stop that was needed, but an illegal block on the ensuing punt is going to make this comeback even more unlikely than it already is.

11:57 – It’s hardly cavalier to rely on penalties to bail you out, but that looked like pass interference on third down; at least Iowa converted on fourth down to wipe away any possibility of a controversy.

11:58 – At this point, it’s obvious that Vandenberg can’t hit a fade, so stop making him throw it.

12:00 – 4th and 10 and a perfect season on the line. Fittingly, the time is high noon.

12:01 – Six unbeaten teams left.

GAME OVER. NORTHWESTERN WINS 17-10.

FINAL THOUGHTS

One play defined this entire game because of both the short-term and long-term effects it caused; that play was the Ricky Stanzi fumble in the end zone that Northwestern recovered for a touchdown. 1) It was the difference in the game in terms of the final score. 2) Stanzi was knocked out for the rest of the day (and quite possibly next week’s showdown with Ohio State as well). 3) It came at a time that the Hawkeyes were leading 10-0 and they didn’t score another point.

As heartbreaking as this loss undoubtedly is for the Hawkeye flock, it had to be lingering in the back of their minds that it was probably coming. This is what happens when you are indebted to karma because what else could’ve allowed Iowa to stay undefeated this deep into the season? Nonetheless, the Rose Bowl is still not out of the question for the Hawkeyes, but it’s likely that James Vandenberg is going to have to take some big steps during the next week of practice if Iowa is to stand a chance at Ohio State.

Meanwhile, over at the BCS, the computers are begging Alabama to take care of business against LSU tonight; they can’t take anymore upsets and poor performances from top ten teams.