News and notes from week five

Did Iowa really look better in the first half of Saturday's game against Arkansas State than it did in the second half? Yes, and that's a first for the season. But I'd rather see the Iowa team which played better in the second half of the first four games rather than the team who decided not to show up for the lowly Red Wolves on Oct. 3.

And the game ball goes to...: Marvin McNutt (right). The ex-quarterback turned wide receiver pulled in two long (41, 43) touchdown passes from Ricky Stanzi on Saturday. When all was said and done, McNutt finished with four catches for 121 yards and two TDs. McNutt's performance was the first 100-yard receiving game for an Iowa receiver this season and vaulted him to the top of Iowa's receiving yardage heap with 242 yards. His 12 receptions on the year are second on the team to Trey Stross' 15.

Tip of the cap: to Tyler Sash. Despite a lackluster defensive performance, Sash picked off his fifth interception of the year which equals his total from last year. The sophomore from Oskaloosa, Iowa, also tallied eight tackles (1.5 tackles-for-loss). At this rate, Sash is on pace to set an NCAA-record with 12 interceptions in a season.'

Also, kudos to Kirk Ferentz for reaching 5-0 for the first time in his career at Iowa. Ferentz was 0-2 in games where the Hawks entered 4-0. Consider those demons exorcised.

Wag of the finger: to offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe. This would have gone to Stanzi for throwing two picks (one was returned for a touchdown), but "Pretty Ricky" did manage to put up a season-high 296 passing yards and accounted for all three of Iowa's TDs. The real problem with Iowa's offense is not Stanzi's up-and-down play and that was evident on Oct. 3. O'Keefe was right in not abandoning the run in the second half, despite Iowa's lowest rushing output of the season (124 yards). But he continues to not make adjustments in the offense as the game goes on. Arkansas State made it a point defensively to stop the run and make Stanzi beat them with his arm (which he did). I'm not claiming to be an offensive mastermind, if that's what you want to call O'Keefe. I just have to believe somewhere in Iowa's two-page playbook there is a sweep, or a misdirection run play. Not every play can be a stretch play to the short side of the field, Mr. O'Keefe. If Iowa wants to continue on its roll, the offensive play calling has to improve. That's all there is to it.

Final thoughts: Iowa won and that's all that matters. Oct. 3 is over and now Iowa can focus on what it was probably focusing on last week: Michigan.

Next week: The Hawks host Michigan (4-1, 1-1). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be aired nationally by ABC. This will be the first meeting between the two Big Ten foes since 2006, when Mike Hart, Chad Henne and the Wolverines hammered Iowa, 20-6, at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich.