Mid-Season Awards

We're half way through the schedule in the 2009 college football season. The Hawks are ranked 11th by the Associated Press and 12th by ESPN/USA Today and are off to the best start in Kirk Ferentz's tenure as head coach, sitting at 6-0. It's time to hand out the awards (and, in a few cases, demerits) for the first half of the season.


Team MVP -- Tyler Sash
The sophomore safety's five interceptions through six games is tied for the Football Bowl Subdivision lead with UCLA's Rahim Moore. Sash isn't only Mr. Interception, the "pride of Oskaloosa" also averages 7.8 tackles per game. His 47 tackles nearly equals his 2008 total of 53, showing his support in the running game. He picked off three passes and had a forced fumble in Iowa's 35-3 beat down of Iowa State on Sept. 12 in Ames.


Honorable mention -- Adrian Clayborn, Ryan Donahue, Adam Robinson.


Best Offensive Player -- Ricky Stanzi
Say what you want about Stanzi's inconsistency, his eight interceptions (three of which have been housed by the other team), or his slow starts. The fact of the matter is this: Whenever Iowa needs him, Stanzi is there. Take game one against Northern Iowa.



Iowa started the game with a 14 play drive that ended in a Daniel Murray field goal. For the rest of the half, the Hawks' offense would be on the field for no more than five consecutive plays and managed no points, trailing 10-3 at halftime. Stanzi came out firing in the second half, throwing his first touchdown of the season to Tony Moeaki to give Iowa the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Stanzi averages 225.6 passing yards per game and has thrown 10 touchdowns.


Best Defensive Player -- Adrian Clayborn
Clayborn would have been the team MVP if not for Sash. The St. Louis native has been everywhere for the Iowa defense this year and is a big part of the unit's success as a whole. He leads the team in sacks (3.0) and is second to Karl Klug with 4.5 tackles-for-loss. Clayborn's big hit on Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier in the fourth quarter of Iowa's 30-28 win on Oct. 10 sidelined the freshman for the rest of the game with a concussion. Is there a quarterback out there who doesn't fear Clayborn's very presence on the field? I don't know if there is.
Clayborn's blocked punt touchdown broke the game open against Penn State. No. 94 and fellow defensive end Broderick Binns harassed Nittany Lions quarterback Daryll Clark virtually the entire evening in Happy Valley. "If Daryll Clark never sees Iowa again, that would be just fine with him," Big Ten Network said after the game. Truer words have never been spoken.


Honorable Mention -- the other 10 starters.

Best Newcomer -- Adam Robinson
Robinson has made the most of his time in the spotlight. At the beginning of the season, Robinson was listed as the third-string running back. Six games later, Robinson leads the team with 429 yards on 88 carries (4.9 average) and four touchdowns. His 95 total touches are also tops on the team.

The most significant impact of Robinson's success isn't necessarily related to field, however. Robinson's impact on the game has led to Ferentz openly admitting his newly discovered willingness to throw young players into the line of fire. Robinson has responded superbly.


Honorable Mention -- Brandon Wegher, Keenan Davis.

Best Game -- @ Penn State
This game had it all: drama, big plays, nasty weather, ESPN's College GameDay. Iowa was an 11-point underdog to the then-No. 5 Nittany Lions. But with a wet, sloppy field, Penn State's high powered offense failed it's first major test of the season as the Iowa defense had it's way against the Nits' inexperienced offensive line.

Things looked bleak from the start as the Hawks went three-and-out on their first possession. Penn State then scored on it's first play from scrimmage on a 79-yard touchdown pass and Beaver Stadium was rockin'.

But Iowa did what it does best: Played damage control.

The Nits notched a field goal on their next drive, but would not scavenge another point for the rest of the game as the Iowa defense took control of the game. A Broderick Binns sack and forced fumble resulted in a safety near the end of the first half, drawing the Hawks into striking distance at 10-5. Nobody scored in the third quarter.


Then Adrian Clayborn made the breakthrough for the Hawks, blocking a PSU punt in the fourth quarter and rumbling 53 yards for a touchdown to give Iowa the lead for good, 11-10. Adam Robinson punched in a touchdown after a Pat Angerer interception and Iowa rolled to a 21-10 win, it's fifth win in six games in Happy Valley.

Honorable Mention -- Northern Iowa, Michigan.

Achilles Heel -- injuries
Iowa has been haunted by injuries during 2009. Running back Jewel Hampton was lost to a season-ending knee injury before the season even started. Tony Moeaki sat out three games with an ankle injury before returning against Michigan last week. Bryan Bulaga sat out three consecutive games with an undisclosed illness. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has been hampered by a hamstring injury all year, but has played through it admirably. Other than Hampton, the Hawks haven't been nipped by the injury bug too bad this season, however any team is just one significant injury away from a melt down. It can happen any week.

Honorable Mention -- dropped passes, Stanzi's INT's, offensive play calling, offensive personnel selection.