People like ESPN.com's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg have said the Hawks will need to score some style points eventually. But Kirk Ferentz has never really been one for style points and I think he'd be the first to tell you that.
And the game ball goes to...: quarterback Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi was mistake-free (other than a fumble he lost at the Iowa 25, which resulted in no points for the Badgers) and it made a pretty significant impact on the game. The junior signal-caller from Mentor, Ohio, finished the game 17-23 for 218 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a thing of beauty. Facing a third-and-seven at the Wisconsin 24, Stanzi read blitz and narrowly escaped the pocket. Rolling to his right he found tight end Tony Moeaki with single coverage in the corner of the endzone for a stunning strike that blew the game open for the Hawkeyes. A receiver like Moeaki is open even when he is covered, and Stanzi threw an absolute gem for the touchdown. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when Stanzi plays well, the Hawks play well. This guy is a real game breaker.
Let's hand out another one to the Iowa defense. Amari Spievey's interception early in the third quarter put a crack in the dam so to speak. Nine plays later Stanzi hit Moeaki for the game-tying touchdown. Spievey (above) had another pick in the fourth quarter, as did linebacker A.J. Edds. Usually the difference in close games is who makes the fewest mistakes. For the seventh time this season, the Iowa defense forced its opponent to make too many mistakes. And thus, another win.
Tip of the cap: to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. DJK was the glue that held the Iowa passing game together, snagging eight passes for a season-high 113 yards. When Stanzi needed some one to go to, DJK was the guy. The more this guy touches the ball, the better for the Hawkeyes offense.
Wag of the finger: to Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema refuses to show the public his Iowa tattoo. Come on coach, tell us how you really feel.
Final thoughts: Iowa may be the most resilient team in the nation. The Hawks have been behind in six of their seven games, yet still stand 7-0. Young quarterbacks can learn from a guy like Stanzi. Few signal-callers are more cool when the heat is on.
The Hawks continue to make believers out of the rest of the nation as they made a significant leap in the polls this week (7th in the AP, 8th in the ESPN/USA Today). Iowa is ranked even higher in the season's first Bowl Championship Series rankings as well, climbing all the way to No. 6. Rankings don't mean anything until the end of the season but, needless to say, this is a good start for the Black-and-Gold.
Next week: the Hawks travel to East Lansing, Mich., for a date with a Michigan State team (4-3, 3-1) who seems to have found the stride most experts expected them to have at the beginning of the year. The Spartans have racked up three straight wins over Big Ten foes (Michigan, and Big Ten bottom-feeders Illinois and Northwestern) after a 1-3 start. The Hawkeyes haven't won in Spartan Stadium since a 21-7 triumph in 1995. And so the trap has been set.
