Getting to know James Vandenberg

For the first nine games of the 2009 season, redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg was simply known as Ricky Stanzi's back-up.

Hawkeye fans were introduced to Vandenberg in Iowa's 17-10 loss to Northwestern on Nov. 7 after Stanzi suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half. Needless to say, Vandenberg was caught in no-man's land. An unprepared quarterback up against a hungry and improving defense is a recipe for disaster, especially under the pressure of defending an undefeated record.

Obviously Vandenberg's 9-for-27 performance hurt the Hawks that day. Not many fans had any faith in the young gun slinger heading into the Horseshoe to make his first career start.

Then Vandenberg proved why he holds 12 Iowa High School football passing records against Ohio State.

He started the game a perfect 6-for-6 passing. His first incompletion? A dropped pass in the endzone by Trey Stross.

The Keokuk native ended up throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns against the Buckeyes' defense, a unit Kirk Ferentz said might as well be in the NFL.

So he will he fare in his second start tomorrow against a Minnesota defense that ranks ninth in the Big Ten in interceptions (9) and last in sacks?

If he has time to throw, Vandenberg is going to torch the young Gopher secondary.

Reflecting on Ohio State

I've finally gotten past the Iowa-Ohio State game from Nov. 14. It hurt.

And if hurt me, I can only imagine how the players felt especially considering how far they had come. Erasing a 14-point fourth quarter deficit in just over 10 minutes against a team of Ohio State's caliber in Ohio State's house (the Houseshoe?) would be tough for most teams.

Lest we forget, Iowa wasn't supposed to be in this game. Remember?

The Hawks were a 17-point dog. Somebody in Vegas went to the bank.

Iowa plays to the level of its opponent. Indiana and Arkansas State. Ohio State and Penn State. Call them antonyms.

But forget about Vegas.

What killed Iowa on Saturday?

Turnovers -- Iowa three, Ohio State none.

Conservative coaching -- Iowa had scored 14 straight, held Ohio State's offense and got the ball back with a time out left. They ran the ball once, got nothing and ate the ball. Apparently Kirk Ferentz doesn't know who Herm Edwards is. And I quote, "You play. To Win. The Game."

But one thing killed them more.

Execution. It's fair to say the play calling was no good. Still, how many times did Adam Robinson get dropped for a six-yard loss in the game? Just once, in overtime. How many times did James Vandenberg -- who flippin' balled out, by the way -- get dropped for a 10-yard sack? Just once, in overtime.

Damn. That just makes it hurt worse!

Iowa vs. Ohio State Pre-Game

No. 10/13/15 Iowa (9-1, 5-1) vs. no. 11/8/10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1)
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: ABC (regionally), AM 800 KXIC
Line: Ohio State, +17 (espn.com)

What to watch for
James Vandenberg makes his first career start under center for the Hawkeyes. A lot of people in Iowa City seem to think Vandenberg will be the reason the Hawks lose this game, but I'm not buying it. All dude has to do is make a few plays and be consistent. He does NOT have to be a hero.

Key Stats
Ohio State quarterback Terrell Pryor turned the ball over four times (two fumbles, two interceptions) in the Buckeyes' loss against mighty (haha) Purdue earlier this season. Iowa leads the Big Ten in takeaways. This won't be a cake walk for the Bucks.

Prediction
Iowa's defense keeps them in the game, like always. Pryor and the Bucks get some things going offensively in the first quarter, but settle for a pair of field goals rather than punching in two touchdowns. Vandenberg struggles to find his rhythm in the first half, but shows signs of life close to half time. The Hawks cash in on an Ohio State turnover towards the end of the first half and make it close at half time.

In the second half, the third quarter moves by fast because both teams attempt to establish the running game. But in the fourth quarter, Adrian Clayborn drops Pryor, forcing a fumble which he gobbles up and rumbles with it into the endzone. The Bucks scrap for a late touchdown and force Iowa into a three-and-out on the next possession. But the Iowa D stands strong and holds off Ohio State to seal the deal.

Iowa 17, Ohio State 13

Two reasons Boise State doesn't belong in the BCS ... right now

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be talking Hawkeye football here. But hear me out.

What Boise State does this postseason is going to effect what the Hawkeyes do for New Years.

Sitting at no. 6 in the BCS standings, as well as the AP and coaches' polls, the Broncos are 9-0 and seem poised to finished the season undefeated. That's awesome for Boise State.

But how impressive is dominating the WAC? I, for the life of me, can't even name all the teams in the WAC without looking it up. I get Boise, Hawaii, and Fresno State off the top of my head. Is Nevada in the WAC? Whatever.

I know Boise State fans would argue they belong because of the Broncos' upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007. They probably would also include Utah's 2-0 record in BCS games.

But the fact of the matter is, that is just one game, which is the beauty and also the downfall of college football.

Ok, so Boise State has beaten Oregon each of the last two years. Props.

However, that is the only BCS-conference team that BSU has played the last two years.

I would love to hear a Boise State fan try to convince me that Boise State would go undefeated year-in and year-out against an entire conference of BCS-eligible teams. Boise State is allowed to go unbeaten in the WAC every year because the competition is a step down from the major conferences. They don't have to deal with injuries as much because their players can sit after halftime, or after the third quarter. How many fourth quarter comebacks has Iowa had to endure this season?

The point is, if the Broncos want to compete for BCS-caliber bowls they need to join a stronger conference. Say, for example, if they joined the Mountain West.

The Mountain West would then feature Boise State, Utah, BYU and TCU. They could then lobby for BCS eligibility, and maybe even, for every one's sake, take the Big East's spot.

The Broncos might beat Iowa head-to-head with four weeks to prepare. But they would not finish in the top three of the Big Ten, plain and simple. They don't have the physicality to endure an entire slate of Iowas, Ohio States and Penn States. It just wouldn't happen.

News and notes from week 10

What a sickening display it was Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Then when the locomotive burst into flames, the Iowa players crawled out with their skin melting off their bones. Their fault? Certainly not. Much like the four losses last year, the 17-10 setback to lowly Northwestern on Nov. 7 falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff. Forget the four turnovers, the injury to Ricky Stanzi and the holding penalty which negated a long touchdown run by Brandon Wegher. It was pretty obvious that redshirt freshman James Vandenberg was not prepared to take one snap, let alone over two quarters worth. Hey, Ken O'Keefe, Stanzi is resilient but he's not bulletproof. You'd better have a back-up quarterback who can step in and at least manage the game and it is your job to have him ready to do that. He was not ready and while some of that can be attributed to his experience, there is still a reason he is on the team: Because he can play the quarterback position pretty well. It didn't look like it on Saturday and I think it's because he lacked the guidance of the coach. There was even one instance in the second half, during a timeout, when the Iowa offense was on the sideline dialing up a play and not once did O'Keefe even acknowledge Vandenberg. That is poor coaching at its finest, folks.

Enough ranting.

And the game ball goes to...: Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn did everything he could do to help the Hawkeyes on Saturday, racking up 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack. On top of that, it seemed like No. 94 was in the back field causing chaos even when he wasn't making tackles. Needless to say the defense's effort was not lacking in the slightest.

Tip of the cap: to quarterback James Vandenberg. The redshirt freshman from Keokuk didn't look like the Iowa high school all-time leader in passing yards, but who would've when thrown into the line of fire without a weapon to defend himself. Vandenberg has the tools around him to make plays and he doesn't have to be a hero. He just has to do his best Chicago Bears Kyle Orton impression and manage the game. He is the future of the program. After 2010, Vandenberg is in line to be Ricky Stanzi. What a great time for him to start learning, when the Hawks need him most.

Wag of the finger: to the Iowa offensive line. ESPN.com Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg agrees that this group has underachieved this season and it was pretty evident against the Wildcats. I'm not saying they're no good, I'm saying they have not been the dominant group like they were supposed to be. Point and case: the Hawks' 65 net rushing yards on Saturday. It didn't help young Vandenberg that he had to scramble just about every time he dropped back to pass. Kirk Ferentz is supposed to be an offensive line expert. I just don't get it.

Final thoughts: Disgust mostly. To make matters worse, the Hawkeyes virtually limp into their toughest test of the year with a redshirt freshman ready to make his first start ever. Here's where I'm at: Iowa is better than the Capital One Bowl. But if they don't win on Nov. 14, that's where they're going, unless somehow, some way they get an at-large bid into the BCS. Not liking their chances. Good thing Notre Dame lost to Navy? Yep.

Next week: the Hawks travel to Columbus to take on no. 10 Ohio State. Iowa has four wins in the last 60 years in Ohio Stadium: 1949, 1958, 1987 and 1991. The Buckeyes won the last meeting between the two teams in 2006, 38-17, in Kinnick Stadium. Let the nervous breakdowns begin.

Iowa vs. Northwestern Pre-Game

No. 4/6/8 Iowa (9-0, 5-0) vs. Northwestern (5-4, 2-3)
Kickoff: 11:00 a.m., Kinnick Stadium
TV/Radio: ESPN (regionally), ESPN360.com, AM 800 KXIC
Line: Iowa, +16 (espn.com)

What to watch for
Iowa has started slow in almost every game this season. The Hawks have been the comeback kids of the nation, coming from behind in eight of their nine wins. Can the Hawks jump on Northwestern early?

Northwestern also is a slow starting team. On Oct. 24 the Wildcats spotted Indiana a 28-3 lead in the first half, before storming back for a 29-28 win. NU quarterback Mike Kafka is one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten and led the 'Cats to a 22-17 win in Kinnick Stadium last year.

Key Stats
Kafka has been the catalyst for the NU offense throwing for 2195 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Kafka also leads the team in rushing with 248 yards. He injured his hamstring last week against Penn State, however, so it will be interesting to see how many times head coach Pat Fitzgerald lets Kafka run the ball against the bullies of the Big Ten.

Iowa sophomore safety Tyler Sash leads the Big Ten with six interceptions.

Prediction
Iowa's last win in Kinnick Stadium against the Wildcats was in 2002 when Brad Banks, Dallas Clark and company throttled NU, 62-10. What a coincidence. Iowa went 8-0 in the Big Ten that year on its way to the Orange Bowl. Iowa will come out strong and give it to the 'Cats to make up for last year.

Iowa 38, Northwestern 14

A few thoughts on Penn St.-Ohio St.

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to tangle this Saturday in Happy Valley and even though the Hawkeyes aren't playing, there is a lot at stake for them in this game.

So, if you're an Iowa player, coach, or fan where should your loyalties lie?

The obvious answer is Penn State. Iowa won at Penn State earlier this season and, other than the Hawks, the Nits are the hottest team in the conference. A win against Ohio State would not only eliminate the Bucks from the Big Ten title chase (barring a miracle or, in other words, an overwhelming collapse) but it would also boost Iowa's street cred with voters. How can all the haters out there knock the Hawks if they have a road win against a fellow top ten team on top of an (assumed) undefeated record?

A Penn State win gives Ohio State three losses on the season, two in the Big Ten, and essentially makes the pursuit of the Big Ten title a two-horse race between Iowa and Penn State. A race the Hawkeyes have already won, again assuming they stay unbeaten.

On the other hand, if the Suckeyes (yes, I went there) were to pull something out of their asses against a clearly superior Penn State team on the Nits' turf, then they are playing their best football of the season. A win would also nullify the Purdue loss and give the Bucks new life in the Big Ten title race.

That would drastically raise the stakes for the Iowa-Ohio State showdown in Columbus on Nov. 14. Ohio State would control its own destiny. A win against the Hawks would vault the Buckeyes to the top of the Big Ten and grant the Bucks the precious head-to-head victory which would get likely get OSU to its first Rose Bowl since the 1996-97 season.

At the same time, an Iowa win at Ohio State would crush any more criticisms the critics want to come up with. But wins at Ohio State are hard to come by for the Hawks.

The last time Iowa won at the dreaded Horseshoe? 1991.

The most damning stat of all, however, is Iowa's record at Ohio Stadium. Iowa is 8-27-1 all-time playing on the road against the Bucks. So how great of a chance does Iowa have of winning there this year, let alone any other year?

In my best JoePa voice, I say to you: COME ON PENN STATE!

News and notes from week nine

Another week, another crazy, discombobulated, unpredictable win for the Iowa Hawkeyes. For the eighth time in nine games this season the Hawkeyes fell behind, this time by a pair of scores to the lowly Indiana Hoosiers. But again the Hawks rallied behind Ricky Stanzi and one of the nation's stingiest defenses and pulled off a ridiculous 42-24 win.

And the game ball goes to...: Ricky Stanzi. So he threw a career-high five interceptions and was the brunt of a few unnecessary boos from Hawk fans. But in the fourth quarter Stanzi did what he does best, win the game for the Hawkeyes. Going into the final period Stanzi was 10-for-23 for 160 yards and those five picks. Yet Stanzi's 3-for-3 for 177 yards and two long touchdowns, the first a 92-yarder to Marvin McNutt and the second a 66-yarder to DJK, are what told the story for the Hawkeyes. When the pressure was on, Stanzi delivered. End of story.

Tip of the cap: to Mr. McNutt. Four receptions, 155 yards and the 92-yard touchdown which cut Iowa's defecit to 24-21 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It looked like McNutt took about 10 total steps on his way to the endzone. This kid needs to touch the ball more.

Also to freshman running back Brandon Wegher. In his first career start Wegher recroded his second career 100-yard game, ripping off 118 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. I was worried before the game about Wegher's durability against a Big Ten team, but he got better as the game went on icing the Hawkeyes' win with a pair of fourth quarter touchdown runs.

Wag of the finger: to Iowa's slow starts. Eventually the Hawkeyes are going to need to come out from the opening kick and take control of their opponent because it just might cost them one of these times (Ohio State, I'm lookin' at you).

Final thoughts: What is there to say about that crazy Halloween near disaster? The Hawkeyes keep finding ways to win, but how long they can afford to spot their opponents two scores and continue to win?

Next week: the Hawks host those pesky Northwestern Wildcats. Iowa has dropped three of its last four against Northwestern, including two in a row in Kinnick Stadium. Anybody else starting to feel that pixie-dust waring off? Well, not waring off, but maybe running out? How about Iowa hammers the Wildcats to save a little more magic for that trip to Columbus that's coming up. I like it.