Hawks flying high after win
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By LUKE MEREDITH
AP Sports Writer
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 8:00 AM CDT
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa enters this week’s preparation for Wisconsin with a well-deserved spring in its step. After three weeks of close calls, near misses and agonizing defeats, the Hawkeyes finally broke through against Indiana.
And they did so in signature Iowa fashion.
The Hawkeyes (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, wearing down the Hoosiers in a 45-9 road win. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz hopes it’s a sign of things to come as Iowa hosts reeling Wisconsin (3-3, 0-3) on Saturday.
“It was a positive step for us. It was great to win. We needed a win,” Ferentz said.
Iowa’s offensive line provided consistent holes for running backs Shonn Greene and Jewel Hampton, who each rushed for over 100 yards. That success allowed quarterback Ricky Stanzi to stretch Indiana’s defense with deep throws, and second-half touchdown passes to Andy Brodell and Brandon Myers put the game out of reach.
The Hawkeyes’ vaunted defensive line kept Indiana from establishing any rhythm, and a Hoosiers team that had hung 69 points on Iowa in two previous meetings could only muster a touchdown and a field goal.
Iowa’s total team effort reinforced the notion the Hawkeyes held through losses to No. 23 Pittsburgh, Northwestern and No. 20 Michigan State — that their plan would work as long as they cut down on turnovers and made plays when they presented themselves.
“I think our players, and probably our coaches, have been more realistic than people outside the program ... we see the film every week, we watch our guys practice,” Ferentz said. “Like I said a week ago, I wasn’t discouraged at all with our football team. I was disappointed, but all of us were.“
Iowa’s starting offensive linemen haven’t changed all that much from a year ago, but the results have. After giving up a mind-boggling 46 sacks in 12 games in 2007, the Hawkeyes have given up just 14 through seven games this season. Though that ranks just 70th nationally, it shows how the unit has improved with experience.
Their growth is also evident in Iowa’s rushing numbers. Granted those totals have a lot to do with Greene, who has established himself as one of the nation’s elite tailbacks with seven straight 100-yard games, but it’s clear that Green and Hampton have benefited from the strong play of the big guys up front.
“Whether it’s pass-blocking or run-blocking, and I think you’ve been able to see from watching the games that we’ve come along a lot more than last year,” guard Seth Olsen said.
Saturday’s effort was more of the same for Iowa’s defensive line. Tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul continue to be everything Iowa’s coaching staff hoped they would be, stuffing running lanes and keying what’s been the nation’s fifth-best scoring defense so far.
That defense was one of the reasons Iowa maintained its confidence despite losing three straight. In fact, Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds postulated just last week that the Hawkeyes were the best 3-3 team in the country.
It was hard to argue that point after what the Hawkeyes did to Indiana, but the Badgers will be a much different beast.
Call it a gut check, a turning point or any other cliche about adversity — and that’s where Wisconsin’s at. The Badgers just lost by 41 points at home on national television to No. 3 Penn State, and they’ll need their own breakthrough on Saturday to dig themselves out of the Big Ten basement.
It’s a predicament that, until last week, Iowa was all too familiar with.
“Don’t let what’s happened the last couple weeks fool you,” Ferentz said of Wisconsin. “To judge a team against Penn State right now is probably not a fair evaluator.“
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