The Iowa Hawkeyes are seeking first Big Ten Baseball Tournament

Omaha, NE -- The Iowa Hawkeyes have never won a Big Ten Baseball Tournament championship, since the tournament debuted in 1981. Iowa played in the 2010 Championship Game. The Hawkeyes face the Ohio State in the Championship Game at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.

The 2015 Iowa Hawkeyes finish first 12-0 season, first unbeaten season, since back to back 1921 and 1922

The Iowa Hawkeyes finished 12-0 during the 2015 regular season, capped off by
a 28-20 win over Nebraska, to bring back their fourth rivalry trophy. Iowa
senior DE #34 Nate Meier and native Nebraskan, sophomore DT #99 Nathan
Bazata carry off the Heroes Trophy off the Memorial Stadium field.

Lincoln, NE -- The Hawkeyes completed the task on the field at Memorial Stadium, in Lincoln. Iowa's first unbeaten season, in a long, long time. The #3 Iowa Hawkeyes finished 1-0 for 12 weeks during the 2015 regular season for the first time in Iowa history. It was the first experience for Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz in his career in coaching.

Iowa 2015 has been very much been TE U for the Hawkeyes. Iowa junior TE
#46 George Kittle put Iowa up 7-0 in the second quarter, with his sixth TD
of the season from his TE position for the Hawkeyes.

Opening Statement from Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz ...

"We're thrilled to get the victory and it was hard fought. We knew that coming in it was going to be a tough environment and a tough team to play against. Just really excited about getting the victory and really happy for our players. I told them, I said, 'I don't really know what to say.' I've never been around a team that is 12-0. I'm a little bit speechless on that. It is just an unbelievable accomplishment. Unbelievable effort by the players today. We said back in August, our goal is to be a championship level team, a Big Ten championship level team. So today we moved one step closer and we are very happy about that. A couple of things this team has done this season, they've done a great job of taking each week by itself and they treat it with the importance it deserves to be treated with. I told them on Tuesday, they all know every game is as important as game 12. You talk about those kinds of things for players to understand and then act it out. That is impressive and they have done that. And beyond that this is a tough-minded group. They've been tough-minded really since the season began. They believe in each other and care about each other and that is a pretty good combination. We're just really proud of our football team and proud of the staff and what they've done to prepare the team, the adjustments they have been making. I'm happy about that. I also just want to say it was great in the fourth quarter to hear our fans having some fun up there. Them for the first time to be able to say 12-0, chanting that is just fantastic. I appreciate them being here and I know we'll see them in Indianapolis next week on top of it. All-in-all just a really special day and a really special achievement for our players. They deserved all of the good things that certainly came their way."

Iowa sophomore SS #19 Miles Taylor celebrates with Iowa redshirt freshman
DE #40 Parker Hesse, after the deflected pass by Hesse and short Pick 6
to put Iowa up for good at 14-7 against Nebraska. Iowa intercepted Nebraska
QB Tommy Armstrong, Jr. four times, but this was the only INT that lead to
Iowa points on Saturday.

On where this game stands on an emotional standard ...

"It was pretty good. That's what makes this fun. The highs and the lows. If you're going to be involved in that you get both. Today just to see, look at our players and what they've accomplished. It's a pretty good feeling. I know our staff felt the same way. It's a great thing."

Iowa junior QB #16 C.J. Beathard and the Iowa sidelines celebrate, after the
Nebraska onside kick was recovered by the Hawkeyes, sealing the 12-0 record.

On recovering the onside kick, what was going through your mind ...

"First of all, all of us were nervous. You always run that situation, they still needed a two-point conversion. Unlike last week, this one came up big. Once that thing came up I felt pretty good. Then you know you got the game, that's always a good feeling. Anytime we can take a knee, that's as good as it gets in football. It's just been a special thing for all of us."

Iowa sophomore MLB #43 Josey Jewell has been an anchor and primary play-caller
for the 2015 Iowa defense. The Hawkeyes finish 12-0 overall, during the regular season.
The Hawkeyes won all four trophy games, after an 0-4 season last year.

On how pretty a football team he thinks he has ...

"We're not trying to be pretty, we are just trying to be productive. That has been our goal from day one. Football is not gymnastics. Gymnastics is a very demanding sport, an outstanding sport. Here it's about having a little more point than your opponent. I'm trying to do it, day after day, week after week. That's a challenge. These guys were 12-for-12, you can't do anything better than that."

In his 17th season, as head coach at Iowa, 26th season on the sidelines coaching the
Black & Gold; Kirk Ferentz had never experienced a 12-0 season. He has
now, as the Hawkeyes win the Big Ten West and will play next Saturday
in their first Big Ten Championship Game in five seasons, since the game originated.

The Hawkeyes (12-0) return to action Dec. 5 in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game. The Hawkeyes will face either Michigan State, Ohio State, or Michigan.

Iowa survives 11 inning affair to advance to play Missouri State again

Springfield, MO -- The Iowa Hawkeyes and Oregon Ducks took 11 innings to finish, with Iowa advancing in the loser's bracket with a 2-1 win. Up next, the winner's bracket champion, Missouri State, who beat Iowa on Saturday 5-3.

Missouri State took an early 1-0 lead after the first inning in the 7:00 first pitch in Springfield.

Iowa Baseball Team wins first NCAA Tournament game in 43 years

Hawkeyes advance in winners bracket on Saturday

Springfield, MO -- #2 seed Iowa defeated #3 seed Oregon 3-1 to advance in winner's bracket of the double elimination Springfield Region. It was Iowa's first win in 43 years, since the 1972 trip to the College World Series in Omaha.

Tonight's game between #1 seed Missouri State and #4 seed has been postponed due to weather. Iowa will face the winner tomorrow night at 8:05 p.m. in Springfield. Weather impacted the Iowa-Oregon game, as well. But, they were able to get the game completed.

NCAA Baseball Regional for Iowa: Hawkeyes face Oregon on Friday in Springfield, MO

How 'bout those Hawkeyes?               

Iowa City, IA - The Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to Springfield, MO for the NCAA Regional baseball play, as a number two seed. The Hawkeyes will open on Friday, in the second season, under Iowa's new baseball coach.
                                                    

Iowa Hawkeyes (39-16)
NCAA tourneys: 4 (last one in 1990)
CWS appearances: 1 (1972)
Region: Springfield, MO
Opponents: 1. Missouri State; 3. Oregon; 4. Canisus
NCAA opener: 2 p.m. ET Friday vs. Oregon
Factoid: The Hawkeyes are in the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1990.
Twitter: @UIBaseball - Source: Big Ten Network

The Hawkeyes will face third-seeded Oregon at 1 p.m. (CT) at Hammons Field. Missouri State is the top-seeded team in the regional and the No. 8 national seed. The Bears will face No. 4 seed Canisius -- the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion -- at 6 p.m.

Iowa is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990 and the fourth regional appearance in school history. The Hawkeyes boast a No. 29 RPI and finished runner-up in the Big Ten with a 19-5 record. Iowa is 39-16 overall -- the most wins for the program since 1985.

Iowa head coach Rick Heller is taking the Hawkeyes to his
first NCAA Tournament, in his second season at the helm.

Iowa head coach Rick Heller will be taking his third Division I team to NCAA Regional play (Northern Iowa, 2001; Indiana State, 2012). He is one of five active coaches to bring three different Division I schools to NCAA Regional play and one of eight all-time.

Oregon used a late season surge to earn an at-large berth, as the Ducks won their final five series in Pac-12 play and nine of their last 10 games overall. Oregon closed out the regular season with a key series win, taking 2-of-3 games at home against Pac-12 champion UCLA -- the top overall national seed.

Sophomore Cole Irvin is the Ducks' Friday night starter, going 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 74 innings. The southpaw has allowed 40 runs (33 earned) on 73 hits and has 42 strikeouts to 22 walks.
Offensively, Oregon has a .254 team batting average with just one player hitting above .300. Mitchell Tolman leads the team with a .329 average with team-highs in hits (72), runs (42), and RBIs (40). He is slugging .475 and reaching base at a .462 clip.

Iowa falls at home to Central Michigan 32-31 due to FG in closing seconds

For the first time, since 2007, Iowa opens the season 2-2, after Central Michigan (2-1) comes into Kinnick Stadium to knock off the Hawkeyes 32-31.  One plus over 2007 is Iowa has not open play in the Big Ten Conference.

The real season begins Saturday vs. Minnesota, but Iowa will have to lick the wounds associated with the final non-conference game of the season.

Penalties, Weirdness Sidetrack Hawkeyes

Iowa falls to Central Michigan in final minute

The Hawkeyes opened the game 14-10 in the first quarter, but an ugly second quarter led to a Central Michigan taking a halftime lead of 23-14.  Iowa has made excellent halftime adjustments on defense all season and the CMU game was not any different.  Iowa rallied in the third and fourth quarters to take a 31-23 lead.

But, the closing minutes saw Central Michigan score nine points highlighted by a successful onside kick, then a successful 47 yard field goal with 0:03 remaining to complete the upset over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

It was Central Michigan's biggest non-conference win, since the 29-27 win at Michigan State in 2009.  The Chippewas are coming off back to back 3-9 seasons under third-year coach Dan Enos.  However, the Chippewas pulled off a solid win last year over MAC champion Northern Illinois.

Kirk Ferentz will need to rally the Iowa team heading into the Big Ten season and the trophy game with Minnesota on Saturday.  The Golden Gophers have won back to back games over the Hawkeyes up in Minnesota.  This year, Iowa will celebrate Homecoming with a 11 a.m. kickoff vs. Minnesota, with eyes on winning Floyd of Rosedale back.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz expects his team's string of close games to continue the rest of the season, making performance in the fourth quarter of games paramount.

"The thing for us is to do a better job, particularly in the fourth quarter of games and find a way to be victorious," Ferentz said Sunday during an exclusive interview with hawkeyesports.com "We did that in our opening ball game and as we look forward, that is going to be a decisive factor in how the season goes."

The Hawkeyes (2-2) open Big Ten Conference play against undefeated Minnesota (4-0) on Saturday inside Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is 11 a.m. (CT).

"They are playing very, very well right now," Ferentz said of the Golden Gophers. "They have a staff in its second year and it looks like everyone is playing with a lot of confidence. They have done a great job. It will be good to be back in Kinnick, but that in itself won't win the game for us."

During the four-minute conversation, Ferentz talks about balanced offensive production, kicker Mike Meyer's record-breaking performance on PATs and a huge fourth-quarter field goal, improved production from the wide receivers, and the continued success of the ground game.

"A month ago we weren't sure what our run game was going to be or who our backs were going to be," Ferentz said. "Neither Mark (Weisman) nor Damon (Bullock) are veteran players at this stage, but they have shown they can do some good things out there on the field."

Post Spring Drills: Iowa Football 2011

The Iowa Hawkeyes enter 2011 likely an off-the-radar team in the Big Ten. Who should people keep an eye off as we head to Summer drills and August camp in 2011? Iowa spring roster and Spring Drills Recap.

QB - 16 James Vandenberg, fourth year junior, will step in for departed senior Ricky Stanzi, who will see his name in the NFL Draft later this month. Iowa has two players battling for the #2 spot, with junior 14 John Wienke and local product, redshirt freshman 17 A.J. Derby. As long as Iowa's signal caller tries to manage the Iowa offense, than attempt to win ball games, the Hawkeyes should be pretty solid at QB. Iowa did sign a freshman quarterback out of Florida, who should be a contributor down the road for Iowa (i.e. not 2011).

RB- True sophomore 34 Marcus Coker stepped up in the Insight Bowl win over Missouri, after Iowa's top running back Adam Robinson, a sophomore in '10, was left home, due to off-the-field issues. Iowa's running back position has been a roller coaster ride, since the Spring of the 2008 season, with both off-the-field issues, grades and injuries. Entering the '10 season, Kirk Ferentz was as high on the young RB Coker, than any RB he has recruited. Marcus Coker ran for 219 yards in the Insight Bowl win over Missouri and awarded offensive player of the game. This spring, junior walk-on 3 Jason White has ran #2 at RB. White played some in 2010 at RB and on special teams, but a knee injury knocked him out for most of the season. Redshirt freshman 30 De'Andre Johnson participated in the Spring, but was slowed entering Iowa due to a knee injury. This is a position where Iowa signed four running backs in Class of 2011.

FB - This is a position that is open for the Hawkeyes in 2011. The top candidate is out, due to medical reasons. True sophomore 38 Brad Rogers was held out of the Insight Bowl, due to a heart condition. He missed the Spring, due to the "cardiac" condition. Brad Rogers played a key role in his start at Michigan in '10. Iowa often will go one back, with either two tight ends or with three wide receiver sets, so how Iowa fills this open position in 2011 is clearly yet to be seen. Junior converted tight end 92 Jonathan Gimm and sophomore 41 Jacob Reisen saw reps in the Spring. Could we see a freshman step in or more HB sets in 2011?

WR - Iowa typically goes with three WR sets. Three players typically get the reps as starters under offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe offense for coach Kirk Ferentz. O'Keefe has been at Ferentz's side for 13 seasons now. The top wide receiver is 7 Marvin McNutt, Jr., who took the Spring off recovering from off-season surgery, but he should be 100% for his senior season. McNutt has been an outstanding performer the past two seasons for Iowa. The #2 spot likely will go to junior 6 Keenan Davis, who is entering his third season out of Cedar Rapids Washington. Davis appeared to have an outstanding Spring. A junior walk-on out of Oksaloosa 83 Steven Staggs is a player to watch heading into the 2011 season. The third spot may go to two youngsters though, true sophomore 8 Don Shumpert or redshirt freshman 11 Kevonte Martin-Manley. Iowa has some freshman members from the Class of 2011 that fans hope to see step up, as well.

TE - Many sports fan might not think of Iowa as being a TE-U, but under Kirk Ferentz, most senior TEs that start at Iowa go on to be drafted by the NFL team and spend time on a NFL roster. The two top TEs over the past 12 seasons under head coach Kirk Ferentz are Dallas Clark and Tony Moeaki. Iowa will replace Allen Reisner from '10, with another senior 39 Brad Herman for 2011. Iowa has a true sophomore, 86 C.J. Fiedorowicz, who may be Iowa's next top star at TE, from a physical standpoint. Another player, junior walk-on 85 Zach Derby will play a role, in a offense that requires three deep at the TE position. Iowa has a large roster of TEs, including incoming true freshman Ray-Hamilton.

Head coach Ferentz is entering his 13Th season as Iowa's head football coach. From '81 to '89, Ferentz served as former head coach J. Hayden Fry's offensive line coach. So, like most football teams, the offensive line is a key area to watch, especially, when you are examining an Iowa football team. Iowa returns three starters from the '10 season in the offensive line, plus a couple of part-time starters. Look for Iowa to have a solid offensive line heading into 2011.

LT - Junior 77 Riley Reiff is the returning anchor for 2011 Iowa offensive line. Reiff will begin his third year as a starter. The Hawkeyes have had some outstanding left tackles under Ferentz. Reiff replaced Bryan Bulaga in '10 at left tackle, moving over from the right side. Bulaga left Iowa early for the 2010 NFL Draft and finished his first season as starting right tackle for the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. Junior 60 Matt Tobin heads out of Spring as the #2 LT for Iowa.

LG - Senior 73 Adam Gettis started the '10 season as the starting right guard, but an injury slowed him last season. Gettis is the top candidate to replace departed LG Julian Vandeverde, who played well in his final season, after being slowed by injury much of his career at Iowa. He ended the Spring as the #1 right guard, but he could very well be Iowa's top choice at LG this fall. Redshirt freshman 68 Brandon Scherff was the #1 LG at the end of Spring drills. Iowa will determine the Top 5 or 6 linemen in the Fall, before they start using pen over pencil. with the offensive line. Sophomore 60 Drew Clark looks to provide depth at one of the guard positions in 2011.

C- Junior 53 James Ferentz will enter his second season as the Iowa signal caller in the offensive line. Ferentz remains an undersized center, who many believe would be an all-American, if he had a larger frame. Sophomore 59 Conor Boffeli is another lineman that the coaching staff is high on. He could shift over to guard, if required.

RG - Sophomore 76 Nolan MacMillan was a part-time starter in '10, but has been dinged both last year and this Spring. MacMillan was recognized for his play as a freshman nationally last season, so he could be a player to watch at RG in 2011. Gettis could remain at RG, especially, if MacMillan doesn't get back on the field. Another player to watch at RG coming out of the Spring, as #2 RG, is senior 72 Woody Orne.

RT - Senior 56 Markus Zusevics returns for his second season as a starting tackle for Iowa. Sophomore 70 Brett Van Sloten returns at the #2 spot at RT for Iowa in 2011. Others to watch in the offensive line for Iowa in 2011: redshirt freshman 78 Andrew Donnal and junior 66 Casey McMillan, Newcomer, JUCO transfer sophomore 67 Dan Heiar, likely will miss the 2011 season, if he is unable to recover from a recent single-vehicle accident that cost him in the final week of Spring drills.

Last season, Iowa was without the services of defensive coordinator Norm Parker for much of the season. He did return at the end of the season. Parker has served as Ferentz's DC for all 13 seasons. His presence is very important and Iowa looks to retool in 2011 on the defensive side of the field. Iowa must replace three starters in the defensive line, retool a linebacker corp that was killed in '10 with injuries, as well as replace both starting safeties for 2011.

LE - Senior 58 Lebron Daniel becomes one of the new starters in the 2011 defense. Daniel has served as outgoing DE Adrian Clayborn's back up the last couple of seasons. It will be interesting to see how Daniel responds to the new role. Sophomore 79 Dominic Alvis is listed in the #2 spot, but he played with the #1 defense at DT rotating with Carl Davis. Iowa often uses undersized players at DT taking advantage of their motors and quickness.

LT - Senior 93 Mike Daniels is considered a returning starter, after former DT Christian Ballard moved outside much of the '10 season at DE. Clayborn, Ballard and DT Karl Klug have all departed. It will be interesting to see how leadership steps, up from three seniors who likely will start on the defensive line this season. A walk-on freshman 64 Cole Heissel has emerged as a backup for Daniels.

RT - For the Spring controlled scrimmage sophomore 79 Dominic Alvis and redshirt freshman 71 Carl Davis rotated with the first unit at DT opposite Mike Daniels. Another player expected back from injury in the fall is junior 54 Steve Bigach, who saw action as a reserve in '10 and can't be ruled out in the rotation. The #2 spot during the Spring was manned by redshirt freshman 98 Mike Hardy, who is a nice prospect out of the State of Wisconsin. Another redshirt freshman to watch is 74 Donavan Johnson. Another veteran, who should be back for 2011, is senior 87 Thomas Nardo, who was held out this Spring, due to injury. Another redshirt freshman 90 Louis Trinca-Pasat will provide depth to the defensive line.

RE - Senior 91 Broderick Binns was a starting DE in 2009 is back in the starting line-up, after being a part-time starter in '10. The back up at DE may change, but coming out of the Spring is senior 96 Joe Forgy. But, what side will junior 99 Joe Gaglione, who has been slowed by injuries, but was able to participate in the Spring controlled scrimmage, which is a welcome sign for Iowa.

WLB - Two youngsters are battling for the #1 spot this Spring. True sophomore Christian Kirksey from St. Louis and converted back true sophomore Anthony Hitchens from Ohio are battling for the #1 spot. Kirksey is in the lead heading into Fall.

MLB - True sophomore 44 James Morris, started #3 at MLB in '10, but elevated to the #1 spot, due to injuries and received some freshman all-American recognition. Morris will be back by #2 MLB from a year ago, senior 57 Bruce Davis, who is coming off a knee injury from last season. Junior walk-on 51 Terrance Pryor could figure inside or at WIL as a reserve.

WIL - Senior 45 Tyler Nielsen broke his neck in the middle of '10 season. He returns and should anchor the LB corp, along with Morris. Nielsen should be an outstanding LB for Iowa. He was having a solid season, until he injured his neck. Converted TE sophomore 47 Dakota Getz will provide depth at the WIL position. Like most LBs, look for a major role in special teams from others, such as sophomore 37 Shane DiBona, who played in '10, but missed Spring, due to injury. Others: redshirt freshman 43 Jim Poggi, 50 walk-on redshirt freshman Palmer Foster, 54 sophomore Marcus Kloos, redshirt freshman 56 Lucas Speaker and true freshmen may see an opportunity to make a mark on special teams, as many last year did for Iowa.

CB - Junior 2 Greg Castillo and true sophomore 19 B.J. Lowery are battling for one of the open spots in the secondary, since returning starting CB junior 18 Micah Hyde was moved to FS to fill one of the two safety spots open in the Spring. Will Hyde stay at FS? If so, look for Castillo and Lowery to battle or rotate opposite Iowa's top CB.

FS - Junior 18 Micah Hyde was moved from CB in the Spring. True sophomore 5 Tanner Miller was the #2 FS in '10, but was held out during the Spring, due to a surgery. Hyde or Miller could figure at FS. One or the other could be moved to another position, such as CB for Hyde or SS for Miller. Junior 40 Jack Swanson will provide depth at FS, as he did last year and play special teams.

SS - The other open position in the secondary in 2011. Junior walk-on 16 Collin Sleeper could be the next walk-on safety to sign during the Ferentz era. He worked with the #1 unit during the Spring. Two seniors are expected to provide depth at SS, as well, with 13 Tom Donatell and 4 Jordan Bernstine. A true freshman Nicholas Law from Maryland may be a prospect to watch in 2011.

CB - Senior 28 Shaun Prater, opted to not enter the NFL draft and figures to be one of the leaders in the 2011 secondary for Iowa. A walk-on redshirt freshman 26 Jordan Price will provide depth, along with senior 4 Jordan Bernstine. Others, who figure to provide depth in the secondary and on special teams in 2011: senior walk-on 12 Kyle Steinbrecher, redshirt freshman walk-on 22 Brian Kroll and junior walk-on safety 29 Nick Nielsen is back. Look for opportunities again from members of freshman class on special teams. One senior 10 William Lowe is missing this Spring, due to complications coming out of Iowa's rhabdo medical condition, which impacted 13 members of the team in January conditioning drills. The senior CB is a reserve CB and contributor on special teams in the past.

PK - True sophomore 96 Mike Meyer emerged as the #1 PK in 2010. He returns, along with junior 8 Trent Mossbrucker, who has experience at PK over the past three seasons. Iowa did invited a preferred walkon for 2011, so if Meyer and Mossbrucker have issues, another player may be called on in reserve. Meyer and Mossbrucker should be the two in 2011.

PT - Four-year starter Ryan Donohue has departed. Fifth-year senior walk-on 6 Eric Guthrie appears to be the #1 guy heading into the Fall. Redshirt freshman 15 Jonny Mullings from Canberra, Australia appears to be still a work in progress. Iowa has given junior QB 14 John Wienke, an opportunity to compete for punter, as well. Wienke is currently one Iowa's #2 QBs and will likely be Iowa's holder on placekicks in 2011. Under Ferentz, typically, a punter is used as a holder, like most NFL teams.

LS - Sophomore 61 Casey Kreiter will be Iowa's new deep snapper. Iowa will have newcomers at holder, long snapper and punter in 2011. Further, Iowa will need to have newcomers step up at kick returner and punt returner in 2011.

KR - Keenan Davis has been the sidekick next to #1 KOR Derrell Johnson-Koulanos the past two seasons. With DJK's departure, Davis likely will get an opportunity with Iowa's newcomers on the kick off return team.

PR - Could Keenan Davis get the nod? The Hawkeyes could look at Kevonte Martin-Manley, Micah Hyde or Don Shumpert. Of course, Iowa may look at a newcomer at either KR or PR in 2011.

It will be a wide open race in the Big Ten, especially with the new division play format. Iowa will play in the Legends Division with Michgian, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern. In the other division, the Leaders Division will consist of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Big Ten title game will be in Indianapolis this season.

peace

Michigan State at 3-0, Iowa and Purdue at 2-0: The Road is Long ...

The Tony Barnhart Show on CBS College suggests that the Road to the Title in the Big Ten is through Iowa City, with Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State all scheduled to visit Kinnick Stadium before the Big Ten season is concluded.

"I'm not looking at the race; I hope our players aren't. To me, there is no
race yet. We're two games into it...tortoise and the hare and all that stuff;
it's a long race. And right now I know we have a tough game Saturday, that's as
far as I've looked." - Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz

Ferentz: March to Big Ten title is a `long race' - The University of Iowa
Iowa won't look at standings with No. 10 Wisconsin coming to town ...

Big Ten Standings

1. Michigan State 3-0


2. Iowa 2-0


3. Purdue 2-0


4. Wisconsin 2-1


5. Ohio State 2-1


6. Northwestern 1-1


7. Michigan 1-2


8. Illinois 1-2


9. Indiana 0-2


10. Penn State 0-2


11. Minnesota 0-3
    

Kirk Talks Wisconsin - The University of Iowa
Ferentz word-for-word from his Tuesday visit with the media

Ferentz Press Conference Transcript (Oct. 19) - pdf

Some other recent Hawkeye news:

• October 19, 2010 - Greenway To Be Featured On BTN's "The Next Level" - U of I


• October 19, 2010 - Reisner Makes Mackey Watch List - U of I


• October 19, 2010 - Critical downs stimulate Johnson-Koulianos - U of I

Ferentz: Parker could return next week - The Gazette
Defensive coordinator Norm Parker could return to the office next week depending how his rehab goes this week, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz ...

peace

Iowa picks up 38-28 win @ Michigan on the Wolverines Homecoming to remain undefeated in the Big Ten

The Iowa Hawkeyes win for the fourth time over Michigan in the coach Kirk Ferentz era. Iowa has back to back wins under coach Ferentz in 2002-2003 and now in 2009-2010.

The Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) won 38-28 over Rich Rodriquez and his Michigan Wolverines (5-2, 1-2 Big Ten) to spoil Homecoming festivities in Ann Arbor. Iowa is now 4-5 as a Homecoming guest at Michigan.

Iowa, which did not commit a turnover, is 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference with
wins over Penn State and Michigan. It is the second consecutive Hawkeye win in
the series and their first in the Big House since 2002. The Wolverines are 5-2,
1-2.

Points fly, teeth chatter during 38-28 Iowa win - University of Iowa
Hawkeyes build 21-point lead, improve to 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference ...

The game in Ann Arbor resembled a past Iowa game in 2002. The road opener @ Penn State, where Iowa build up a big lead, only to see the home team strike back. Unlike the 2002 game, Michigan couldn't get it tied up, as Iowa was able to get a key late field goal from true freshman Mike Meyers. Like 2002, Iowa won in Ann Arbor and on the Wolverines' Homecoming, again.

"This is a happy lockerroom. Winning on the road is difficult anywhere.
Winning on the road in this league is really difficult." - Iowa coach Kirk
Ferentz

Big Plays Key to Big Win - The University of Iowa
Big plays by a number of Hawkeyes key to big win over Michigan ...

"It was a great team effort," who noted Iowa's 4-0 advantage in
turnovers. "They are always critical to the outcome, particularly in league
games, and proved to be again today." - Kirk Ferentz

• Senior WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos receiving - 3 TD receptions
• Sophomore RB Adam Robinson's running and receiving - 2 TD runs
• Senior QB Ricky Stanzi's composure, after a couple slow starts to open each half
• Junior S Tyler Sash's interception and block FG return in the first half
• Senior DT Karl Klug's forced fumble in the Iowa red zone to end a Wolverine drive in the 3Rd quarter
• Iowa's red zone success, while Iowa's defense stepped up and spoiled the Wolverines twice in the red zone
• True freshmen PK Mike Meyers converted on all five XPs and his 30 yard FG attempt

Postgame Notes - The Unversity of Iowa
Iowa vs. Michigan ...

The 38 points scored by the Hawkeyes are the most for Iowa in the series against Michigan. Iowa scored 37 points in 1958. This series with Michigan has been a very exciting one, since the 1981 game in Ann Arbor, in coach J. Hayden Fry's third season. Like 2002 and 2010, Iowa won the 1981 game.Coach Kirk Ferentz was in his first season as an offensive line coach at Iowa in 1981.

Iowa's path to the Rose Bowl and a Big Ten Championship doesn't get any easier in the final six games. Iowa will host back to back home games at Kinnick Stadium to close out October. Wisconsin (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) and Michigan State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) are up next for the Hawkeyes in back to back Saturdays.

peace

Will #13 Iowa get it done in the Big House @ Michigan in Week 7?

Iowa has enjoyed some nice victories in Ann Arbor over Michigan. The 1981 game in coach J. Hayden Fry's third season was a huge 9-7 win for the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes won in 1990 by the score of 24-23, with a late TD, then a interception to seal the game for Iowa.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz in his fourth season at the helm picked up a huge win in Ann Arbor. The 2002 Hawkeyes beat Michigan 34-9 in Ann Arbor.

Now, we have #13 Iowa (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) @ Michigan (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) for the Wolverines Homecoming game. Will Iowa pull off another Homecoming game win against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor? They did in 2002, as Hawkeyes took it to the Wolverines in the second half on way to Iowa's lone 8-0 season in Big Ten play and a share of the Big Ten title.

How strong will Iowa's veteran team play in Ann Arbor on Saturday? None of the Iowa players have played at Ann Arbor, since Iowa's last game in the Big House was in 2006. Iowa is coming off a bye week, so will the Hawkeyes get off to a strong start or will they start slow?

Iowa senior QB Ricky Stanzi is 21-5 as a starting QB, while Michigan sophomore QB Denard Robinson is 5-1 as a starter. Stanzi is #3 in the country in QB rating, while Robinson is the top dual threat QB in the country right now.

Iowa sophomore RB Adam Robinson is the #1 guy for the Hawkeyes now. He didn't have a good outing in his first road game of the season at Arizona. Iowa needs their Robinson to play well. Michigan's sophomore RB Vincent Smith and junior RB Michael Shaw haven't made the yards on the ground that Denard Robinson has, but could they figure more into the offense vs. Iowa?

Iowa has a talented group of receivers and tight ends. Senior WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos could become the leading receiver lifetime in either yards or receptions for the Hawkeyes today in Ann Arbor. TE Tony Moeaki is playing on Sunday's now, but look for the Iowa TEs to play a huge role in Ann Arbor. Success at TE may be the difference as Iowa looks to click on offense in the Big House. Senior Allen Reisner and junior Brad Herman are players to watch on Saturday.

The Hawkeye defense is missing two outstanding LBs from last season. Thus far, the Hawkeyes have not yielded a scoring TD on the ground on defense this season. Will Denard Robinson and the Michigan Wolverines make Iowa pay on the ground on Homecoming? Iowa has one of the outstanding defensive lines in the country in 2010.

The linebackers are the key in Saturday's game at Ann Arbor. Will senior MLB Jeff Tarparian play, after injury knocks him out of back to back games? Will Iowa see true freshman James Morris leading the team in Ann Arbor? Tall order, if the youngster must step in and play for 60 minutes.

Iowa over Michigan has a nice ring to it. Illinois pulled off a big win at Penn State last week and we are taking Iowa @ Michigan by the same score. Defense trumps Michigan's offense. Look for Iowa to take control in the second half and beat Michigan in Ann Arbor to spoil the Wolverines Homecoming.

Prediction:

#13 Iowa 33

Michigan 13

in the Big House<>

peace

Week 6: For Iowa it's a Bye Week and for others it is Business as Usual

Tuesday night football: Troy (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) is @ Middle Tennessee (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) on ESPN2 in a huge Sun Belt showdown. The #14 Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) have a bye week in Week 6, before heading up to Ann Arbor for a showdown with Michigan (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) in Big Ten play. Michigan State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will play @ Michigan in Week 6.


Clayborn Earns Big Ten Defensive Honor - U of Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa - - University of Iowa senior defensive end Adrian Clayborn has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa's 24-3 win over Penn State last Saturday. The announcement came Monday from the Big Ten office ...

Iowa Football Has Break from Action this Weekend - U of Iowa
10/5/2010 - Iowa has an open week after defeating Penn State 24-3 in Kinnick Stadium to begin Big Ten Conference play. The Hawkeyes are 4-1, with home wins over Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, Ball State and Penn State and a loss at Arizona ...

A popular question on Iowa message boards, such as Rivals.com HawkeyeReport, is where would Iowa be ranked right now, if they had not been upset at the University of Arizona in Week 3? ESPN radio guy, Colin Cowherd on Monday called Iowa a Top 10 program, despite the loss in Tucson.

peace

Iowa Hawkeyes beat Penn State 24-3 on Homecoming; while State of Iowa Division I teams go 3-0 in Week 5

The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) open Big Ten play with a solid 24-3 win over Penn State (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) on Homecoming on Saturday night. Like the 2002 season, Iowa heads into Big Ten season at 3-1, and like 2002, Iowa opened with a solid win over Penn State. Unlike 2002, which was an offensive dominated game, defense shined on Saturday night this year.

Iowa for the past couple years has been compared to Alabama by Phil Steele, the noted college football magazine. Call Iowa a version of Alabama lite. Like the #1 Alabama program, both programs own a 24-3 win at home over the Nittany Lions this season.

Iowa's base 4-3 defense held ground and kept the Nittany Lions out of the end zone again. Other than a first minute TD on the first drive at Happy Valley last year, the Hawkeyes have kept the Nittany Lions out of the end zone for the past 119 minutes, as a happy coach Kirk Ferentz responded to Gary Dolphin on the Hawkeye Sports Network, after Saturday's game. As Gary Dolphin noted, the Hawkeyes have held the Nittany Lions without a touchdown for seven straight quarters now.

Iowa's defense was outstanding during last year's Penn State game in Happy Valley. This year, with two key newcomers in the linebacker corp, Iowa played solid football again. Senior Jeremiha Hunter, from York, PA, was the only returning starter, but junior Tyler Nielsen and true freshman James Morris were solid, as well. Morris entered the game in the second quarter, with Iowa ahead 10-0, after seniors Jeff Tapinian and Troy Johnson went out with injuries. Iowa has already lost junior Bruce Davis with an ACL injury at the MLB position.

It all started, as it has in the past three wins over Penn State, with the defensive line. Iowa has five outstanding lineman, with DE Adrian Clayborn, DT/DE Christain Ballard, DT Karl Klug, DT Mike Daniels and DE Broderick Binns. Ballard, pictured to right, was outstanding on Saturday night. He was considered by most the player of the game. Klug pulled off a couple tackles equal to his 2008 performance. Clayborn continues to garner the attention of most offensive coordinators and OL coaches.

Further, junior cornerback Shaun Prater had an outstanding game, including a 33 yard INT and a TD saving open field tackle at the tail end of the first half. Senior safety Brett Greenwood made some key open field tackles, as well.

Senior QB Ricky Stani, sophomore LT Riley Rieff, sophomore RB Adam Robinson, senior FB Brent Morse, senior WR Derrell Johnson-Koulanos, who missed last year's game, junior WR Malvin McNutt and senior TE Allen Reisner were all key performers on offense. The special teams units were solid, though Penn State took our return squads completely out of the game. Senior punter Ryan Donahue continues to show why he is one of the nation's best. True freshman place kicker Mike Meyers was perfect on the day.

Iowa will get a bye week next week, then head to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines (5-0, 1-0) on Homecoming for the Wolverines faithful, in Week 7. The Iowa-Michigan series, since 1981 has been one of the better rivalries in the Big Ten. The 1981 game, which was a 9-7 win in coach J. Hayden Fry's third season. It brought an end of the Ohio State-Michigan dominance in the Big Ten. Wasn't the 1981 game in Ann Arbor a Homecoming game for Michigan, as well?

Iowa is now 12-11 in the PSU series. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz is now 8-2 head to head, as a head coach vs. all-time great Joe Paterno. Ferentz has the oldest tenure among Big Ten coaches, with the exception of Joe Pa, who is in his 45Th season as head coach and 61St overall on the sidelines for the historic Penn State program.

Iowa will open Big Ten play in 2011, in the new-improved Big Ten, at Penn State in Happy Valley. Will Joe Paterno be on the sidelines again in Iowa City in 2012?

For now, the quest for the Rose Bowl has started in 2010. Iowa is 1-0, with Ohio State, Michigan State, Northwestern and Michigan, after opening Big Ten play in the first weekend in October. It should be another exciting season of Big Ten football, as the 2010 College Football season heads into Week 6.

*** *** ***

Since the 7-35 loss at Iowa in Week 2, Iowa State (3-2, 1-1 Big 12 North) has been playing competitive football, as they returned to Big 12 play on Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium. Iowa State beat Texas Tech (2-2, 0-2 Big 12 South) 52-38, after taking a 24-0 lead early. ISU coach Paul Rhoads beat his old boss, first year coach Tommy Tuberville at Texas Tech. Rhoads was a defensive coordinator at Auburn for Tuberville, ahead of becoming the ISU head coach in '09.

Utah (4-0, 2-0), Top 10 team, will visit Ames this Saturday for the Cyclones final OOC match up for the 2010 season. The Cyclones will work to remain competitive, after a near miss at Arrowhead Stadium over Big 12 North leader, Kansas State (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) and back to back wins over UNI and Texas Tech at Jack Trice.

*** *** ***

The University of Northern Iowa is only 2-2, but they have won two big MVfC games to start the 2010 season. On Saturday, UNI beat South Dakota State (0-4, 0-2 MVfC) 24-14 in the UNI-dome. Turnovers have been a heartache for the Panthers much of the 2010 season, but were not a thorn on Saturday. UNI will travel to #13 Southern Illinois (2-3, 1-1 MVfC) on Saturday.

Unlike Week 3, where Iowa fell at Top 25 Arizona (5-0, 1-0 Pac 10) and both Iowa State and UNI fell short to Kansas State and Stephen F. Austin, respectively, the State of Iowa shined on Saturday.

peace

Game Day: #21 Penn State @ #17 Iowa on ESPN, 7 p.m. at Kinnick Stadium

The Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1) have won seven of eight in this series under coach Kirk Ferentz, as Iowa hosts Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1) in Iowa City tonight for a Homecoming for the Hawkeyes. The all-time series is tied at 11-11. Does Iowa get to +1 vs. the Nittany Lions on Satuday?

The Quarterbacks

• #12 senior Ricky Stanzi for Iowa vs. #1 true freshman Rob Bolden for PSU


• Iowa needs to avoid turnovers, Stanzi has 9 Tds to 1 INT


• PSU's true freshman has 5 INTs to 3 TDs

The Running Backs

• #32 Iowa sophomore Adam Robinson is the #1 gun now for the Hawkeyes


• PSU has #22 senior Evan Royster and #21 junior Stephon Green


• Establishing the run game is always a big priority for either program


• Can Iowa shutdown the Nittany Lions ground attack and force Bolden to make plays?

The Receivers and Tight Ends

• QB Ricky Stanzi and the Iowa attack should be healthier than the '09 game


• #15 senior WR Derrell Johnson-Koulanos missed last year's game in Happy Valley and leads Iowa's solid WR/TE squad


• The TE position is often a huge part of the Iowa passing game


• #6 junior WR Derek Moye leads Penn State's receiving crew


• #83 senior Brett Brackett is a large WR at 6-6 242

Offensive Line vs. Defensive Line

• Iowa's defensive line is considered one of the best in the nation


• #94 Iowa senior DE Adrian Clayborn has been a little quiet thus far in '10


• #93 Iowa junior DT Mike Daniels doesn't start, but he is getting national attention


• PSU typically finds d-lineman to complement the Linebacker U motto


• #85 PSU senior Ollie Ogbu is a three year starter for the Nittany Lions

Linebackers

• Penn State is Linebacker U
• Iowa's linebackers were huge in '09
• #42 Iowa senior WLB Jeremiha Hunter is from York, PA and only returning starter for either squad and like last season is #2 in tackles for the Hawkeyes


• #33 Iowa senior MLB Jeff Tarpanian leads the Iowa's LBs in '10


• #48 PSU senior Chris Calasanti leads the 1-2-3 punch at LB U

Secondary

• Iowa's secondary is lead by returning safeties #9 junior Tyler Sash and #30 Brent Greenwood, while #28 junior Shaun Prater is the top corner this year


• #1 PSU junior FS Nick Sukay leads the Nittany Lions in the back 4

Special Teams

• Iowa has won the past two games in the kicking game


• Many would give the edge to Penn State heading into Kinnick Stadium


• Is this Joe Paterno's ace, as he heads into Iowa City?


• How will teams execute on Saturday night?

Coaching

• Joe Paterno - 45 years as head coach for PSU


• Kirk Ferentz - 12 years as head coach for Iowa


• The most seasoned staffs in the Big Ten squaring off


• Iowa will be missing long-time DC Norm Parker, for the third straight game, due to health reasons.

Outlook:

Field position is always important in football. Over the past nine games, there may not be any Big Ten game that field position hasn't turned out to be as huge factor for the winning program.

If Iowa can control field position and the line of scrimmage, Iowa is clearly worthy of the 7 point favorite.

Turnovers, penalties and special teams are likely statistics to keep a good eye on. Penn State has a true freshman at QB. Penn State has been very disciplined in there 3-1 start and have avoided penalties. Special teams could be an area where the Nittany Lions can be successful. Iowa is 3-1 and entered the season in the Top 10 by many. Special teams has been the only negative thus far.

Iowa and Penn State are usually close games. Iowa has played well at home scoring 35 points or more in three ball games. But, Penn State is clearly a better opponent, other than #16 Arizona, who upset Iowa 34-27, in Iowa's only road game in the out of conference. Penn State has already traveled to #1 Alabama, where they lost 3-24. So, a trip to Kinnick Stadium will not likely be as big a hurdle as it may have been had PSU had a traditional four game start at home, like Ohio State, this year.

Prediction:

#17 Iowa Hawkeyes 22

#21 Penn State 15

@ Kinnick Stadium

peace

Homecoming High School Football to Homecoming Hawkeye Football in Eastern Iowa starts now

It's Thursday, September 30Th and a great MVC match up kicks off tonight at Kingston Stadium with Iowa City High @ Cedar Rapids Washington High School in prep football. It's Homecoming for Washington and the University of Iowa this weekend.

– Iowa City High at Cedar Rapids Washington. No. 3 City High (5-0) has won 19 consecutive games. Ronald Thompson is the team’s leading rusher with 668 yards.

Ronald Thompson: City High's talented back
Washington (also 5-0) is an offensive powerhouse led by Alex
Carr (906 yards, 18 TDs rushing). Check your calendar, this is a Thursday
game. Both teams are ranked: Wash is No. 10. - The Des Moines Register

Tonight and Tomorrow in College Football

Thursday, September 30th (Central Time kickoffs)

• Hampton at Delaware State
  6:30 p.m.
  ESPNU (HD)


• Texas A&M at Oklahoma State
  6:30 p.m.
  ESPN (HD)


• DII: West Liberty at Fairmont State
  7:00 p.m.
  CBSC (HD)
  

Friday, October 1st

• BYU at Utah State
  7:00 p.m.
  ESPN (HD)

Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium, it's Homecoming for Iowa, as well, as the Big Ten opener with Penn State coming to Iowa City for a national game on ESPN at 7 p.m. More game info.

peace

Iowa Hawkeyes host 'Throwback Game" vs. Ball State to wrap up OOC play in September

#17 Iowa (2-1) will return to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, after the disappointing 27-34 loss in Tucson vs. #16 Arizona (3-0). The Hawkeyes will host Ball State (1-2), wearing the 1958 style uniform when the face the MAC opponent in Week 4.

The Hawkeyes will honor the "Evy" era on Saturday.

Iowa has some special teams to work on, after a poor performance in Tucson yielding a KOR for a TD and a block punt. Injuries mounted with the loss of three performers, two running backs and a reserve MLB for this week's game. Iowa will likely pull a redshirt off one or two running backs, due to depth at the position. Sophomore # 32 Adam Robinson will be the #1 at the position for now for the Hawkeyes.

Fans will likely see true freshman #34 Marcus Coker make his debut in the Ball State game today, while true freshmen #31 Anthony Hitchens and #30 De'Andre Johnson may make it on the field for the first time, as well.

Iowa needs to step up play heading into Big Ten Conference play in Week 5, with a Homecoming Game, on October 2Nd in prime time vs. #21 Penn State (3-0).

Saturday, September 25th

• Austin Peay at #10 Wisconsin 11:00 a.m., BTN (HD)
• Ball State at #17 Iowa 11:00 a.m., BTN (HD)
• Score: Iowa 35, Ball State 10 is our pick
• Bowling Green at # 25 Michigan, 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 (HD)
• Buffalo at Connecticut, 11:00 a.m., SNY / ESPN-GP / ERTV (cable)
• Central Michigan at Northwestern, 11:00 a.m., BTN (HD)
• Florida International at Maryland, 11:00 a.m., ESPNU (HD)
• North Carolina State at Georgia Tech, 11:00 a.m., ESPN (HD)
• Northern Colorado at #22 Michigan State, 11:00 a.m., BTN (HD)
• Toledo at Purdue, 11:00 a.m., BTN (HD)
• Virginia Tech at Boston College, 11:00 a.m., ESPN-GP *2 / ACC Network (cable)
• UAB at Tennessee, 11:21 a.m., SEC Network / ESPN-GP
• Central Florida at Kansas State, 11:30 a.m., FSN (HD)
• Air Force at Wyoming, 1:00 p.m., MTN (HD)
• #19 USC at Washington State, 2:00 p.m., FSNW / FSPT (HD) / FCS Pacific (cable)
• #1 Alabama at #14 Arkansas, 2:30 p.m., CBS (HD) / online video
• Arkansas State at Troy, 2:30 p.m., ESPN-GP *2 / (CSS & CST) (cable)
• Eastern Michigan at #2 Ohio State, 2:30 p.m., (ABC *1 / ESPN *7) (HD)
• North Carolina at Rutgers, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU (HD)
• #20 Stanford at Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m., NBC (HD)
• Temple at #21 Penn State, 2:30 p.m., BTN (HD)
• Tulane at Houston, 2:30 p.m., CBSC (HD)
• UCLA at #4 Texas, 2:30 p.m., (ABC *1 / ESPN *7) (HD) / ESPN-GP *2
• Wake Forest at #23 Florida State, 2:30 p.m., (ABC *1) (HD) / ESPN-GP *2
• Nevada at BYU, 5:00 p.m., MTN (HD)
• #8 Oklahoma at Cincinnati, 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 (HD)
• Akron at Indiana, 6:00 p.m., BTN (HD)
• Georgia at Mississippi State, 6:00 p.m., (FSS/FSSW/FSHO/FSAZ) (HD) / ESPN-GP *2
• Kentucky at #6 Florida, 6:00 p.m., ESPNU (HD)
• New Mexico State at Kansas, 6:00 p.m., DirecTV - 623 / FCS Central (cable)
• South Dakota State at #9 Nebraska, 6:00 p.m., PPV
• Western Kentucky at South Florida, 6:00 p.m., ALT/SNY/MASN/ESPN-GP/ERTV(cable)
• Fresno State at Ole Miss, 6:30 p.m., ESPN-GP / CSCA / CSS (cable)
• #13 South Carolina at #18 Auburn, 6:45 p.m., ESPN (HD) / ESPN 3D
• Baylor at Rice, 7:00 p.m., CBSC (HD)
• Oregon State at #3 Boise State, 7:00 p.m., ABC (HD)
• Northern Illinois at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m., BTN (HD)
• #24 West Virginia at #12 LSU, 8:00 p.m.. ESPN2 (HD)
• California at #16 Arizona, 9:00 p.m., CSN Plus / FCS Pacific (cable)
• New Mexico at UNLV, 9:00 p.m., MTN (HD)
• #5 Oregon at Arizona State, 9:30 p.m.. FSN (HD)

Games not selected for nationally available networks.

• Army at Duke, 2:00 p.m., espn3.com
• Central Arkansas at Tulsa, 6:00 p.m.
• Charleston Southern at Hawaii, 10:30 p.m., espn3.com / Oceanic PPV
• Colgate at Syracuse, 2:30 p.m., espn3.com
• Idaho at Colorado State, 3:00 p.m.
• Memphis at UTEP, 8:00 p.m., Time Warner cable (TX)
• Miami (Ohio) at Missouri, 1:00 p.m.
• Middle Tennessee at Louisiana-Lafayette, 6:00 p.m.
• North Texas at Florida Atlantic, 6:00 p.m.
• Northern Iowa at Iowa State, 6:00 p.m., Mediacom (cable)
• Ohio U. at Marshall, 6:00 p.m., WSAZ (cable)
• San Jose State at #11 Utah, 8:00 p.m.
• Southeastern at Louisiana-Monroe, 6:00 p.m.
• Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech, 6:00 p.m., espn3.com
• Utah State at San Diego State, 7:00 p.m.
• VMI at Virginia, 12:30 p.m., espn3.com

peace

The Iowa Hawkeyes fall 27-34 @ Arizona in Week 3

Iowa's previous loss was 24-27 in OT at Ohio State last year. In a way, the Iowa loss @ Arizona in Week 3 was similar to the loss in '09 @ Ohio State. Both games witnessed an Iowa opponent on their home field gain separation, due to Iowa's poor execution or turnovers.

In both games, Iowa scored a big touchdown in the endzone by WR Marvin McNutt in the come back. But, at the end, the Iowa play calling couldn't keep the momentum on track as another opponent pulled the game out.

Former Iowa safety and now seventh year head coach Mike Stoops at Arizona appeared to have everything riding on the Iowa @ Arizona game in Week 3. He paced, he shouted, he disagreed with just about every negative play that impacted his Wildcats, despite what replay would have suggested as a good call on the field.

On the flip side, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz remained calm and quiet in his demeanor as Iowa fell behind 7-27 at halftime in Tucson. The Hawkeyes midway in the fourth quarter came back to tie the game 27-27. A missed extra point became costly, on a night where Iowa's special teams were not playing well.

"Both teams had their share of sloppy plays, but we got off to a fast start in
that department. That makes it tough, but our guys battled back." - Kirk Ferentz

Arizona blocked an Iowa punt deep in Iowa territory on Iowa's first possession. Arizona went on to take a 7-0 lead. Iowa made some positive plays in their next possession taking the ball nearly into the Arizona redzone, only to drop a pass that deflected right into the hands of Arizona CB Trevin Wade for a pick 6. Wade scored a pick 6 in Iowa's 27-17 win in '09 in Iowa City.

Iowa bounced back with another drive to make the score 7-14, but on the next kickoff, Arizona took the kickoff 100 yards for another Wildcat touchdown. Turnovers and special teams lead to 21 points right out of the gate for the Wildcats in what the ESPN television coverage called a "Hawkeye ambush." The "red out" was working in Arizona Stadium on Saturday night in the Desert in Tucson. And that was all in the first 16 minutes of the game.

The Hawkeyes (2-1) gave it a great effort in the second half, with Broderick Binns returning the pick-six favor with 8-minutes, 12-seconds left to knot the score at 27. Iowa also scored a touchdown after cornerback Shaun Prater recovered a muffed Wildcat punt.

After Iowa tied the ball game up 27-27, with solid defense in the second half and a mix of patient passing and several big plays, it was time for one final drive for the Wildcats. The #21 Arizona Wildcats (3-0) secured the upset by executing a 73-yard scoring drive late in the nonconference contest. #4 Iowa falls in the desert, after running out of momentum on the heals of the missed PAT.

Iowa allowed the most points since Indiana scored 38 in 2007 against the Hawkeyes. "They made the plays they had to make at the end and we didn't get it done," Ferentz said.

"The bottom line is that we made too many mistakes to win the game," UI linebacker Jeff Tarpinian said. "We knew we had to stop them and we didn't get it done." Tarpinian led the Hawkeye defense with 12 tackles. It was the second week in the row the new starting MLB has lead Iowa in tackles.

"We're going to go in (Sunday) and it will be a good teaching tool for us," Tarpinian said. Iowa will regroup with one final nonconference game, before the eight game conference schedule begins in the Big Ten.

Iowa will host Ball State at Kinnick on Saturday, September 25Th. The game will be telecast nationally on the Big Ten Network with an 11 a.m. Central Time start.

peace

TGIF: Two more college games on tap for Friday and Prep Football in Eastern Iowa

The #4 Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) will travel to Tucson to face #21 Arizona (2-0) on Saturday night on ESPN, with a 9:30 pm Central Time kick off. The Hawkeyes beat the Wildcats 27-17 in Iowa City in '09. The game was not as close as the score would indicate. Arizona junior QB Nick Foles became the starter, after the loss to Iowa in '09. It should be a good game between two Top 25 opponents.

Friday, September 17th

• Kansas at Southern Miss
  7:00 p.m.
  ESPN (HD)


• California at Nevada
  9:00 p.m.
  ESPN2 (HD)

Who knows if Kansas (1-1) and coach Turner Gill can keep it going, after the solid 28-25 home win in Week 2 over Georgia Tech. Southern Miss (1-1) opened the season @ South Carolina, so they have played a pretty good team already. Another BCS-non-BCS game has California (2-0) @ Nevada (2-0). Good opportunity for the MAC to pick up another win against a BCS program.

Mississippi Valley Conference Football tonight in Eastern Iowa

• 7:15pm , Football: Varsity Game
  Iowa City West vs. Prairie @ Cedar Rapids Prairie
  Homecoming
• 7:15pm, Football: Varsity Game
  Xavier vs. Iowa City High @ Iowa City High School
• 7:15pm, Football: Varsity Game
  Dubuque Senior vs. Kennedy @ Kingston Stadium - Cedar Rapids
• 7:15pm, Football: Varsity Game
  Washington vs. Dubuque Wahlert Catholic High School @ Loras College
• 7:15pm, Football: Varsity Game
  Waterloo East vs. Dubuque Hempstead @ University of Dubuque
• 7:15pm, Football: Varsity Game
  Linn-Mar vs. Waterloo West @ Waterloo Memorial Stadium

peace

Paki O'Meara named Special Teams player of the week from Big Ten Conference

O'MEARA EARNS BIG TEN HONOR

Senior RB Paki O'Meara was named Big Ten Conference special teams Player of the Week for his play in Iowa's 37-7 win over Eastern Illinois. The Cedar Rapids (Washington HS) native blocked an Eastern Illinois punt in the first period and returned the block for a 42-yard touchdown. His score gave Iowa a 21-0 advantage. O'Meara also had four rushing attempts for 34 yards in the second half in earning his first Big Ten Player of the Week honor. Eight Hawkeyes were honored by the Big Ten Conference during the 2009 season.

Big Ten Weekly Football Release - Sept. 6 - Big Ten Conference
Big Ten wins nine of 11 games in opening week, including three road trips...

peace

Game Day: Iowa vs. Eastern Illinois at Kinnick at 11 a.m. on the BTN

The 2010 College Football season has finally arrived in Iowa City today!

The #4 Iowa Hawkeyes will host the Eastern Illinois Panthers, an FCS program from the Ohio Valley Conference in the season opener at Kinnick Stadium. Our Pick: Hawkeyes 40, Panthers 9.

Plenty of other College Football on tap today, after last night games prep and college games...

In Eastern Iowa high school football, we attended the 49-0 whitewash as the Washington Warriors blanked the Jefferson J-Hawks 49-0 at Kingston Stadium on Friday night. The Warrior Band was decked out in new uniforms and performed, as well!

Friday Night College Football

• The Arizona Wildcats knocked out the Rockets of Toledo in Ohio

• Temple nearly got upset by the Villanova Wildcats, the pride of the FCS

Other games for Saturday, September 4Th (Central Time)

• Miami (Ohio) at Florida, 11:00 a.m., ESPN (HD)


• Samford at Florida State, 11:00 a.m., ESPNU (HD)


• Western Michigan at Michigan State, 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 (HD)


• Youngstown State at Penn State, 11:00 a.m., BTN (HD)


• Louisiana-Lafayette at Georgia, 11:21 a.m., SEC Network / ESPN-GP


• Illinois vs. Missouri (St. Louis), 11:30 a.m., FSN (HD)


• Colorado vs. Colorado State (Denver), 1:00 p.m., MTN (HD)


• Coastal Carolina at West Virginia, 2:30 p.m., ALT / MASN / ESPN-GP / ERTV (cable)


• Connecticut at Michigan, 2:30 p.m., ABC / ESPN2 *7


• Jacksonville State at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m., ESPN-GP / CSS (cable) / CSMA (j.i.p.)


• Kentucky at Louisville, 2:30 p.m., ABC / ESPN-GP *2


• Purdue at Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m., NBC (HD)


• North Texas at Clemson, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU (HD)


• Texas at Rice (Reliant Stadium), 2:30 p.m., ESPN (HD)


• UCLA at Kansas State, 2:30 p.m., ABC / ESPN2 *7 / ESPN-GP *2


• UC Davis at California, 3:00 p.m., CSCA


• UT-Martin at Tennessee, 5:00 p.m., ESPN-GP *2 / PPV (TN)


• Sacramento State at Stanford, 5:30 p.m., CSNB (HD)


• Arkansas State at Auburn, 6:00 p.m., (FSS / SUNa) (HD) / ESPN-GP *2


• Lehigh at Drake, 6:00 p.m., FCS (DirecTV - 617) / FCSA (cable) in FCS play


• Memphis at Mississippi State, 6:00 p.m., ESPNU (HD)


• North Dakota State at Kansas, 6:00 p.m., FCS (DirecTV - 623) / FCSC (cable)


• San Jose State at Alabama, 6:00 p.m., ESPN-GP *2 / PPV (AL, CA)


• Stony Brook at South Florida, 6:00 p.m., SNY / ESPN-GP *2


• Tennessee Tech at Arkansas, 6:00 p.m., ESPN-GP *2 / PPV (AR, TN)


• Washington at BYU, 6:00 p.m., CBSC (HD)


• Washington State at Oklahoma State, 6:00 p.m., FSN (HD)


• Western Kentucky at Nebraska, 6:00 p.m., PPV


• Utah State at Oklahoma, 6:00 p.m., PPV


• Northwestern at Vanderbilt, 6:30 p.m., CSCA (HD) / CSNCa / ESPN-GP / CSS (cable)


• Oregon State at TCU, 6:45 p.m., ESPN (HD)


• LSU vs. North Carolina (Atlanta), 7:00 p.m., ABC (HD)


• Cincinnati at Fresno State, 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 (HD)


• Portland State at Arizona State, 9:15 p.m., FSAZ (HD) / FCSP (cable)


• Wisconsin at UNLV, 10:00 p.m., Versus (HD)

Games not selected for nationally available networks:

• Arkansas-Pine Bluff at UTEP, 8:05 p.m.,


• Army at Eastern Michigan, 6:00 p.m.


• Bowling Green at Troy, 6:00 p.m., Troy/ISP Network / FCSP (cable)


• Elon at Duke, 6:00 p.m., espn3.com


• Grambling at Louisiana Tech, 6:00 p.m.


• New Mexico at Oregon, 2:30 p.m., Comcast OR & WA (cable)


• Nicholls State at San Diego State, 7:00 p.m.


• Northwestern State at Air Force, 1:00 p.m.


• Richmond at Virginia, 5:00 p.m., espn3.com


• Sam Houston State at Baylor, 6:00 p.m.


• South Carolina State at Georgia Tech, 12:00 p.m., espn3.com


• South Dakota at Central Florida, 5:00 p.m., BHSN


• Southern Utah at Wyoming, 8:00 p.m.


• Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M, 6:00 p.m.


• Syracuse at Akron, 5:00 p.m., espn3.com


• Texas State at Houston, 7:00 p.m.


• Weber State at Boston College , 12:00 p.m., espn3.com


• Western Carolina at North Carolina State, 5:00 p.m., espn3.com


• Wofford at Ohio, 6:00 p.m.

It should be a great opening weekend of College Football this Labor Day weekend. The weather in Iowa City is cool and will be pleasant for all!

On Iowa!

peace