If I wrote this article in the week after the Iowa vs Penn State game it would have a very different perspective then it does now. When the game took place I saw it as a one loss Iowa team taking on a one loss Nittany Lions team with the winner competing for the Big-10 title regardless of which team was the winner. I expected another game where whoever scored last was going to win the game, Iowa showed up to play as expected, Penn State failed to live up to my expectations. Those expectations were lowered even more the following week when Penn State lost to a tough but not outstanding Illinois team by 20 points.
Regardless of how good or bad of a team Penn State ends up being there were many aspects of Iowa's game that looked outstanding. With the exception of one throw in the first half where he was intercepted, Ricky Stanzi had a great day. He went 16 of 22 throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown, rushing 6 times for 9 yards and another touchdown. The ball was distributed all over the field again as well, 6 different receivers made receptions, 4 of them had over 25 yards receiving for the game. Marvin McNutt and DJK once again were the favorite targets for Stanzi hitting them for 5 and 4 catches with 93 and 64 yards respectively. Adam Robinson continued his solid season as well rushing for 95 yards on 28 carries. The one thing I once again didn't like about this game was the slowdown at halftime by the offense. They put 17 points on the scoreboard in the first half but failed to score another touchdown the rest of the game. Overall the day was successful, only the one turnover by the offense, nearly 350 yards which generated 17 first downs and had a tendency to keep the clock rolling.
As good as the offense was the defense matched it. Through the last 2 games, yes one was against Ball State but still; they have allowed only 3 points. Penn state made it inside Iowa territory twice in the first half, only 6 yards in on one drive. A fourth down stop on the goal line in the third quarter kept Iowa in control of the game, something they never really gave up from the first drive. The final nail in the coffen for the Nittany Lions was the interception return for a touchdown by Shaun Prater with 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The defense did all that was asked of them in the game, although they gave up over 300 yards they stepped up when it was needed, the interception and the 4th down stop.
Special teams performed well again this week as well. Freshman Michael Meyer was solid, making all 3 extra point attempts and converting his only field goal try of 20 yards. Ryan Donahue was also excellent in the punting department. He had 7 punts which averaged 40.3 yards per kick and had 3 downed inside the Penn State 20 yard line. The fact that 3 of his punts were downed inside the 20 was the most impressive special teams stat to me, his 4 kicks that weren't downed they were from well within Iowa territory; the 29, the 35, the 11 and the 23. Making the opponents drive as fast as possible is going to be key as the season moves on, beginning this week with Michigan.
Denard Robinson may be the most feared 2 words in the Big-10 outside of Ohio State. This week Iowa goes into Michigan to face Denard and his 5-1 Michigan Wolverines. Last week Michigan got their first real test of the season against Michigan State and it turned out that they are human after all. This week Iowa hopes to repeat the Spartans performance and force Robinson to throw the ball. Michigan State did this mainly once they got the lead any Michigan had to try to mount a comeback. I hope that Iowa's ability to start fast will hold up again this week against the 112th (out of 120) ranked defense that allowed 536 yards, including 249 on the ground, last week to the Spartans. Iowa's secondary has a great ability to get to the ball and Robinson's arm is untested so multiple interceptions are possible. The front four will need to contain Robinson as well; they have done well at generating pressure this year. However, getting pressure will not be enough against a shifty quarterback.
This week has the potential to be a statement game for the Hawkeyes. Winning in the "Big House," something that the Hawkeyes haven't accomplished since 2002, would put Iowa on pace in the Big-10 with a 2-0 record. Regardless of the hype, or in this case skepticism, about Michigan, a win in Ann Arbor would be a huge one for the Hawkeyes. I personally think it can be done, Josh Nesbitt from Georgia Tech was supposed to run all over the Hawkeyes in the Orange Bowl last year and that didn't happen. Either way the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Wolverines Saturday should be a good one.
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