Iowa wins Double OT game at Michigan State to stay undefeated in B1G Legends race

Hawkeyes Give Ferentz No. 100 in East Lansing

Iowa toughs out a 19-16 double overtime victory over Michigan State

• Iowa wins in 2 OTs over Michigan State for second time ('07 win @ Iowa was 34-27)
• Iowa wins another OT game on an interception (2000 victory @ Penn State 26-23)
• Iowa and Michigan move to 2-0 to lead B1G Legends (Michigan beat Illinois 45-0 on Saturday)
• Iowa RB Mark Weisman runs for 116 yards for the fourth straight week over 100 yards
• Iowa PK Mike Meyer hits four field goals, including a 42 yard kick in the second OT to take lead
• Iowa's defense holds opponent under 400 yards for the sixth straight game to open '12

Iowa loses some games they shouldn't.  However, under Kirk Ferentz over past 13+ seasons another trend has developed.  Iowa often can win as an underdog, at home and on the road against anyone in the Big Ten.  In bowl games, Iowa has pulled out some impressive wins, as well, often as underdogs.

The latest underdog victory comes in East Lansing, as senior Greg Castillo intercepts the ball in the second overtime to give Iowa another B1G victory.  Michigan State (4-3, 1-2 B1G Legends) is the latest victim.

Throw out the ugly loss vs. Central Michigan in Week 4. The Hawkeyes hung around and pulled out an ugly 19-16 win in double overtime over the Spartans in East Lansing on Saturday.  The series in East Lansing is now 10-10-1.

"Obviously just extremely proud of our football team. It was a really hard-fought game. Both teams really competed hard; I think anybody in the stadium today could have seen that. Just really proud about the way the guys hung in there against a very good football team. It was more than 60 minutes, obviously and it took basically every player out there. And outside of the turnover, you can throw all the stats out the window. It was just a hard-fought, one of those tough games," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz 

The Hawkeyes were not projected to be in the hunt for the 2012 Legends title.  Michigan State, the defending division champions, along with Michigan and Nebraska were the three programs projected ahead of Iowa, Northwestern and Minnesota.  After Week 7 of 2012, the Hawkeyes are

At the halfway point of the regular season for Iowa, the Hawkeyes are in a position to have a good October and November run, if they can remain healthy and continue to improve week in and week out.

On his team's defensive performance...
"I think they're growing, and they played extremely hard today. It seemed like they gave a pass there each direction, but outside of that I thought they really competed and, you know, we started out in adverse circumstances and held them to 3 [points], which was a positive, and I just thought they played hard all day long," Ferentz said

"To win on the turnover there at the end...outstanding and probably appropriate...to have an unsung guy was really the trigger guy, really triggered this all, to get his hand on the ball. It's kind of a fitting way. It gave us the chance to get the pick."

Defense wins championships and if Iowa is going to continue in the hunt in the Big Ten in '12, the defense will continue to be leaned on.

On winning this game as a senior...
"It's huge now that we know that we've got momentum going into Penn State so it's going to be a tough task," said Castillo.

The Hawkeyes follow up the victory @ Michigan State with a game on Saturday night on the Big Ten Network at Kinnick Stadium vs. Penn State (4-2, 2-0 B1G Leaders).  The night game at Kinnick should be electric as two undefeated Big Ten teams square off.  The Hawkeyes lost in '11 @ Penn State 13-3, in a game that resembled the first half @ Michigan State.

The Hawkeyes have a lot of questions that remain, especially on offense.  Senior quarterback James Vandenberg has struggled at times each week.  "I don't care if they're home or away, the close ones are the ones that really separate the good football teams. I thought we executed very well down the stretch. We made the plays when we had to and we gave ourselves a chance," Vandenberg said.

Mark Weisman has stepped up from fullback to fill the running back position the past four weeks for Iowa, after Iowa experienced injuries of Damon Bullock and Greg Garmon were injured in the Week 3 game vs. Northern Iowa.  Weisman didn't play in overtime, but his five yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter tied the ball game up at 13-13, to send the game into overtime.

On the frustration with Iowa's offense...

"It's never good to have three and outs, but as an offense we're confident. We know that we're close. We're missing some easy plays out there, but we kept fighting. That's all you can do is just keep fighting until you get the ball."

On the big play in the fourth quarter (long pass from James Vandenberg to Keenan Davis)...

"That set a spark in us, definitely. It helped us big time. We need that, no doubt. If we don't have that, we don't have that drive," Weisman said.

On what the difference was that made the last play of the game...
"I think we were battling all day and eventually it pays off. We just kept fighting out there, giving punches, keep going and just got it done at the end," Weisman added.

On Iowa's defense...
"Defense is unbelievable out there. They're the only reason we were in the game at all. We give them more credit than anyone out there," Weisman said.

The defense kept Iowa in the game and the Hawkeyes put together enough offense.  But, special teams played a huge role in Iowa's victory.  After Michigan State took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, Iowa returned a kickoff 87 yards to the end zone.  Sadly, a poorly timed penalty, with a late block in the back to the MSU placekicker, the return was reduced and Iowa lost four points, but the first of four Mike Meyer field goals were witnessed.

"Mike has...really turned the corner from a confidence standpoint, maturity standpoint from back in the spring. And just really started performing the way we all hoped he would. He's been good the prior two years, so we don't take it for granted, but boy, his execution was flawless," Ferentz said.

Iowa won the toss in the overtime and put Michigan State on offense.  After MSU was held to a field goal in the first overtime, Iowa's Meyer kicked a 27 yard field goal to tie the game up again at 16-16 to send the game into the second OT period.  

Iowa started on offense in the second overtime.  After the offense struggled, Meyer came on to kick a 42 yard field goal and give Iowa the first lead of the game at 19-16.  On defense, Iowa's first forced turnover of the game was the difference.

"The biggest thing is just the way our guys fought right to the end because they [Michigan State] weren't going away - that was pretty obvious - but I think our guys answered the same way - they said they weren't going away either - and it's one of those games where, you know...last guy standing.

"It was a real great effort by our guys," Ferentz said

Can Hawkeyes pull out first conference road game @ #24 Michigan State?

From Michigan State on Saturday, with 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN, Iowa @ #24 Michigan State!

Iowa (3-2, 1-0 Legends, Big Ten) and Michigan State (4-2, 1-1 Legends, Big Ten) have faced one common opponent this season, with Central Michigan.  Looking at that game will not lead one to believe this game in East Lansing has much promise.  Our prediction on Saturday: Iowa 20, Michigan State 19, as the game looks very similar to the 2008 match up in East Lansing.  Which offense will click today?

IOWA CITY, Iowa - As the University of Iowa football team completes preparations for Saturday's Big Ten Conference clash at Michigan State, coordinators Greg Davis and Phil Parker know they will have their hands full as the Hawkeyes play their first conference road game of the season.

Michigan State (4-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) ranks as one of the top defensive teams in the nation, returning most of its key players from a squad that played in the first-ever Big Ten Conference championship game last season. The Spartans rank among national leaders in several defensive categories, including eighth in total defense and 10th in rushing defense.

Davis, in his first year as Iowa's offensive coordinator, has never attended a football game at Spartan Stadium; Parker is returning to his alma mater. After completing his playing career as a defensive back for the Spartans, Parker also began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on the Michigan State staff in 1987.

"We had a good bye week," said Davis. "And actually, you can have a bad off week, so it was good for us. Our last time out (31-13 win over Minnesota) we made improvements; continued to get better in the red zone among those improvements. One of the first things you notice about Michigan State is it returns eight starters from a team that played in the championship game."

The Spartan offense is led by veteran Le'Veon Bell (6-foot-2, 244 pounds), one of the most physical running backs in the country. Bell has rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown in two career games against the Hawkeyes.

"The open week gave us a chance to get some guys a little rest and get a little healthier," said Parker. "But we worked hard and are ready to go. Obviously, you have to stop the run first with Michigan State. He (Bell) is a heck of a back and they have won a lot of games when he gets going."

Game time Saturday at Spartan Stadium is 11:01 a.m., CT (ESPN).

Brian Ferentz Enjoys Busy Week

Offensive line coach juggles birth of his first child, football preparations

WAVERLY, Mich. -- It has been a busy and exciting week for University of Iowa offensive line coach Brian Ferentz . On top of preparing the Hawkeyes for their first Big Ten Conference road game of the season at Michigan State, he became a father Tuesday morning when his wife, Nikki, gave birth to their first child, Presley.
"It was a pleasant addition and she came at a pretty opportune time," Ferentz joked. "She was about three weeks early, but she must have known we were coming off a bye and I had a little time here. It's exciting and it's nice."
On the football field, Ferentz's young offensive line has steadily improved over the first seven weeks of the season. He is quick to point out that the sport he coaches is a team game, and the offensive unit needs everyone working together.

"Anytime you have some success as an offensive football team, whether it's throwing or running the ball, it's a team game," Ferentz said. "The key is 11 guys doing their job. We've been fortunate enough to be OK up front.

"We still need to improve and we have a long way to go in that regard," Ferentz said. "But if we get 11 guys on the same page, like we've had them, I think we have a chance to have some success."

That success can continue Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Iowa is coming off a bye week after a convincing win over Minnesota to open Big Ten play. Ferentz said the message during the bye week was pretty simple.

"Our focus was improving our football team," Ferentz said. "Getting better at the things we know we are going to be doing all season and for years to come. The key is improvement; working with some younger guys to bring them along, and getting older guys healthy and feeling better."

While the team was improving and working on fundamentals, Ferentz added that the bye week allowed the staff to get a start on preparing for the Spartans.

"You would be remiss if you didn't pick up a few extra days of preparation on your next opponent," Ferentz said. "It's a great chance to get a head start. We are excited to go out there and see the fruits of that labor."

Iowa looks to make history for the Hawkeye Football program in East Lansing tonight

The #6 Iowa Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) at the Michigan State Spartans (4-3, 3-1 Big Ten) in East Lansing tonight 6:00 pm Central Time on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes have never started 8-0 in the history of Hawkeye Football, which began in 1889.

Iowa finished undefeated in both 1921 and 1922, but they only played seven games in each of those seasons. Iowa currently has the second longest win streak (11 games) in the FBS, sandwiched between #1 Florida and #3 Texas. Iowa's all-time win streak was 20 games between 1920 and 1923.

The Spartans have won four straight in the series in East Lansing. The Hawkeyes last win was in 1995, 21-7, when RB Sedrick Shaw had a strong rushing day on the Spartans defense. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz was coaching in the NFL back in 1995. He has yet to win at East Lansing, since becoming head coach at Iowa in 1999.

Michigan State games in East Lansing have been a thorn for Hawkeye teams of late. Last year, the Hawkeyes lost a close 13-16 game, where they had several opportunities to settle for FGs, but were stopped going for first downs, including the final offensive play with a little over 2 minutes left and the Hawkeyes driving toward the MSU 30.

Our pick this week in the #6 Iowa @ Michigan State game:

• Iowa 27


• MSU 13

Look for Iowa to get over the top and get to 8-0 in East Lansing. However, it will not be easy and the Hawkeyes need to be careful not to let the Spartans hang around with their young offense, lead by first year starters at QB and RB. MSU PK Brett Swenson is a senior and a very capable weapon in the close ballgame.

Keys to victory for the Hawkeyes:

1. Keep playing strong on the road: Iowa is 3-0 this season and has yet to give up a second half point @ Iowa State, @ Penn State and @ Wisconsin.


2. Keep composure on the road: Iowa fell behind in all three road games thus far this season. By 3 @ Iowa State, by 10 @ both Penn State and Wisconsin.


3. Game Adjustments - coach Kirk Ferentz and staff are veterans, second to Joe Paterno at Penn State.


4. Control the line of scrimmage and avoid giving up the big play: MSU likes to attack in the air with the long passing attack.


5. Turnovers, miscues and penalties: A strength so far for the 7-0 Iowa Hawkeyes, especially in the second half on the road, where Iowa is 3-0 on the season.


6. QB Ricky Stanzi needs to play a solid game vs. the MSU Spartan defense.


7. Win the Special teams phase of the game: always a key to a Ferentz coached team.


8. Make MSU beat you through the air ... as the Hawkeyes seek to reach 8-0 on the season for the first time in Hawkeye Football history.

peace