CFI: HAWKEYES LOOK TO BECOME BOWL ELIGIBLE

BY J.J. PESAVESTO
IOWA INSIDER

After the Iowa Hawkeyes lost four straight to drop to 2-4 earlier this season, many had left them for dead. But now a month later, the outlook has changed dramatically. The same Hawkeyes, who could not find a way to mount any kind of offense during the four game skid, have now won three of their last four games. And this Saturday, they meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Kinnick Stadium looking to become bowl eligible with a win. While the young Hawkeyes have turned things around, the 1-9 Golden Gophers have struggled all season and inhabit the cellar of the Big Ten Conference.

The last two wins by the Hawkeyes have not been works of art by any means. The Hawkeyes were basically outplayed badly by both Michigan State and Northwestern in the first two quarters of both games. But as lopsided as the opening halves were, the Iowa defense kept the Hawkeyes within striking distance. And in both games, Iowa did just that.

Against Northwestern, the Iowa defense held the high-powered Wildcats offense to a mere three points in the second half while their offense got rolling. The Hawkeyes scored 21 second-half points and came away with the 28-17 victory.

For Minnesota, the 44-17 loss to Illinois a week ago was their eighth straight. And the losses have been ugly to say the least. The Minnesota defense has held only one of the 10 opponents they have faced this season under 30 points. Half of those have scored over 40 points on the Golden Gophers.

While the Iowa offense would not be classified as a juggernaut, it has shown vast improvement over the past few weeks. With seniors Albert Young and Damian Sims leading the way, the running game has become much more potent. While the big yardage totals were not there against Northwestern like they were in the win over Michigan State, the running backs put points on the board. Sims found the end zone twice against the Wildcats while Young scored once. In the last two wins, the Iowa ground game has accounted for six touchdowns. And in Minnesota, the duo will be facing a defense that surrenders over 228 yards per game on the ground.

Quarterback Jake Christensen has still struggled at times in recent victories, but he has found a way to rebound from slow starts to help Iowa put points on the board. Against Northwestern, Christensen got off to a slow start but finished the game with 299 yards passing and one touchdown despite absorbing six sacks.

Christensen may not have to worry as much about being pressured considering the fact that Minnesota has only nine sacks on the season, which ranks them dead last in the nation. And with Minnesota allowing nearly 320 yards per game through the air, the Iowa receivers, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Trey Stross and James Cleveland may be in for a big day. Stross experienced his best outing of the season last week with three receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The Minnesota offense features freshman Adam Weber, who has thrown for 2,353 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Weber can put up huge numbers in the passing game, but he can also make critical mistakes as shown by his number of interceptions. Against Iowa, he will be facing a Norm Parker defense that will look to pressure him into forcing the ball into their zone coverage. The Hawkeyes, who have forced 14 interceptions this season, are led by cornerback Charles Godfrey, who leads the team with five picks.

And while Parker does not blitz often, Weber will have to be on the lookout for Mitch King, Kenny Iwebema and Brian Mattison, along with freshmen Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard. Mattison leads the Hawkeyes in sacks with nine for the season. Clayborn and Ballard have come on strong for Iowa the last two games.

But the Iowa front seven will have to be disciplined when going after Weber, who can make plays with his feet as well as his arm. He has rushed for 460 yards and five touchdowns and the Hawkeyes will have to contain Weber.

Injuries have basically slowed the Minnesota ground game to a crawl. Senior Amir Pinnix (562 yards, five touchdowns) leads the Golden Gophers in rushing, but he is suffering from a quad injury. And with Jay Thomas gone for the season, the burden of the running game falls to freshman Duane Bennett (356 yards, two touchdowns). Bennett will not find the going easy against an Iowa defense that allows 121 yards per game on the ground. With linebackers Mike Humpal, Mike Klinkenborg and A.J. Edds flying to the ball, the task of running the ball will be even harder for Minnesota.

The bottom line is that with Iowa and Minnesota, you have two teams going in opposite directions. The Hawkeyes are overcoming their youth and inexperience on offense and finding ways to win. The Golden Gophers are severely undermanned and injuries have made the situation even worse.

So on Saturday, Floyd of Rosedale will be coming back home to Iowa City as the Hawkeyes regain the bronze trophy by downing Minnesota.