CFI Countdown: #10 Iowa Hawkeyes

2008 Record: 9-4 (Big Ten 5-3)
Bowl Game: Won Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina 31-10
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Stadium: Kinnick Stadium (70,585)
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Overall: 82-74 (14th season)
@ Iowa 70-53 (11th season)
Link to Iowa Football Page

After reaching double digits in victories each season from 2002-2004—quite a turn around from 11 total wins in Kirk Ferentz’s first three years (1999-2001)—it appeared the Hawkeyes would be a perennial ten-win team and Big Ten title contender as long as Ferentz remained in Iowa City. Ferentz stayed, but Iowa’s mojo did not. They failed to reach even eight wins from 2005-2007, including a 2006 campaign where they finished eighth in the Big Ten with a losing record (first since 2000). Last year was a bounce back season and the hope in Hawkeye land is that another ten-win season is just around the corner.

When the Hawkeyes Have the Ball

Offensive Coordinator: Ken O’Keefe (11th season)
Scheme: Multiple
Starters Returning: Six
Key Losses: RB Shonn Greene, WR Andy Brodell, OG Seth Olsen, C Rob Bruggeman, TE Brandon Myers

The best Hawkeye teams, whether led by Coach Ferentz or the legendary Hayden Fry, always had one common denominator—a dominant offensive line. It appears Iowa is getting back to their roots, as they could boast one of the best front lines in the Big Ten. It starts with junior left tackle Bryan Bulaga, who may have single-handedly changed South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood’s mind about leaving school early for the NFL, by dominating the two-time All SECer. Bulaga is a legitimate All-American candidate. On the other side, senior Kyle Calloway is also one of the top tackles in the conference. They return Julian Vandervelde at one guard spot and if senior Dace Richardson, who once manned the left tackle spot, returns at 100 percent this will be a dominant unit. (Callaoway will miss the opener and Vandervelde may miss a game or two.) Shonn Greene left early and his replacement, sophomore Jewell Hampton, enters the season with durability questions. Hampton showed he was capable as a freshman and it’s important that he returns healthy before conference play begins. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi is more of a game-manager than a playmaker, but that’s OK. He is a good leader and has a couple of big wins already under his belt. They should be fine in the pass catching department as long as junior wide out Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and senior tight end Tony Moeaki play to their talent level.

Top Pro Prospects: 1) OT Bryan Bulaga (JR), 2) OT Kyle Calloway (SR), 3) TE Tony Moeaki (SR)

When the Other Team Has the Ball

Defensive Coordinator: Norm Parker (11th season)
Scheme: 4-3
Starters Returning: Eight
Key Losses: DT Mitch King, DT Matt Kroul, CB Bradley Fletcher

With teams spreading defenses out and throwing the football more than ever—even in the Big Ten—Iowa is ready with a stacked secondary. Junior corner Amari Spievey is primed for a big season as he continues Iowa’s tradition of underrated players at the position (see Bradley Fletcher and Charles Godfrey). Sophomore safety Tyler Sash joins him as a big time playmaker, with junior Brett Greenwood a solid force. The linebackers aren’t too shabby either. MIKE Pat Angerer not only has the most fitting name for a middle linebacker, he has the game to go along with it. He is a tackling machine who surprised with his ball skills last season. On the outside he is joined by senior A. J. Edds and junior Jeremiha Hunter, a pair of players that were a bit overshadowed a year ago, but who will make names for themselves in 2009. The potential Achilles heel comes at defensive tackle where they must replace both starters including defensive linchpin Mitch King. Junior Karl Klug was impressive when given the opportunity and sophomore Mike Daniels was good enough to contribute as a freshman. The Hawkeyes will hope to counter their losses on the inside with more production from the outside. Juniors Christian Ballard and Adrian Clayborn are back and there is depth behind them.

Top Pro Prospects: 1) CB Amari Spievey (JR), 2) LB Paul Angerer (SR), 3) LB A. J. Edds (SR)

The Schedule

Iowa takes on in-state schools Northern Iowa and Iowa St. in Ames before hosting the Arizona Wildcats in an interesting Big Ten/Pac-10 September matchup. They would be wise not to look past the ‘Cats, although it will be tempting with the Penn St. Nittany Lions coming up the following week. A win in Happy Valley would catapult the Hawkeyes into Big Ten title contention. However, the Big Ten schedule is tough—they also play at Ohio St. and at Michigan St., so they face all three ranked Big Ten foes away from Kinnick. Not to be forgotten is a trip to Wisconsin, while 2008 bowl teams Minnesota and Northwestern will make the trip to Iowa City.

Pivotal Point

Win the close ones! Iowa is not going to be explosive offensively and will need to pull off an upset or two on the road if they are going to reach ten wins, so expect to see them in several nip and tuck contests that will go down to the wire. The Hawkeyes did not fair well in those types of close games last season, which is the only reason they fell short of double digit wins. Yes, they kicked a last second field goal to knock off previously undefeated Penn St. 24-23, but they lost their other four games that were decided by five points or less—21-20 at Pittsburgh, 27-24 at Illinois, 16-13 at Michigan St., and 22-17 versus Northwestern—all very winnable games.

CFI Final Analysis

The Hawkeyes are back. The team that tied for a Big Ten title both in 2002 (8-0 in conference play) and 2004 (7-1) will make a run again in 2009. The offensive line and defense will rival any in the Big Ten, keeping them in each and every game. Stanzi learned how to win last season and will take that experience into his junior season, allowing the Hawkeyes to exceed expectations with their best finish in five seasons. If not for a stacked conference schedule, a share of the conference title wouldn’t be out of reach.

College Football Insiders Top 25 Countdown:
The Next 25 (26-50) Plus 18 Bowl Teams
#25 West Virginia Mounainteers
#24 Tennessee Volunteers
#23 Clemson Tigers
#22 Pittsburgh Panthers
#21 Michigan St. Spartans
#20 Utah Utes
#19 Oregon Ducks
#18 Florida St. Seminoles
#17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#16 Boise St. Broncos
#15 North Carolina Tar Heels
#14 Penn St. Nittany Lions
#13 Mississippi Rebels
#12 Oklahoma St. Cowboys
#11 California Golden Bears

Photos Courtesy of Iowa Sports Information

Q&A: Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa

Shonn Greene, former Iowa running back, was interviewed on The All Access Football Friday on April 10 2009 show by Daniel Mogollon, Ralph Mancini and Rodney Towe.

The Draft is now 15 days away. Have you done any private workouts and if so, for whom?

Greene: I was worked out by the Jets. I went out to San Diego and then to Arizona with the Cardinals, so I’ve been here and there.

We just had Ian Johnson on, talking about the Combine process and the whole drafting process. What is your take on this process?

Greene: I think it is huge for those NFL guys to determine how we perform under pressure in a situation where we are uncomfortable, not knowing the surroundings and things like that. I think it measures that and teams like to see how you’re going to perform under pressure.

How stressful is it...is it stressful?

Greene: It can be if you let it, but I think if you focus on doing what you need to do and just having fun with the guys you’re around it is mush easier on you as opposed to worrying about running fast and things like that. You want to be focused but then again, you want to be relaxed and be yourself.

If we went back a year ago from today and we were talking to you as you were in spring practice and we told you in a year you would be getting ready for the NFL Draft, would you be surprised, or did you think this was a possibility, this soon?

Greene: I would be surprised. I don’t doubt myself. I know what I am capable of and I know the things that I could do but the way (how fast) things have happened is surprising to me.

Before my buddy Ralph comes in with a question I wanted to mention that he’s a Penn State fan. Talk about that big win you guys had and how great it was to knock off that undefeated team in the Big Ten.

[Ralph] “Oh no, come on” (laughs all around)

Greene: Oh man, that was a great feeling right there. You couldn’t ask for anything better in football. You have a top-ranked team, I believe they were ranked third in the nation at that time. It was a home game, it was cold, it was flurrying, snowing, and it was just a great football atmosphere. Our fans were into it and it was a great game. Both teams competed very well, we got after each other and the outcome, fortunately, went in our favor, so it was a good experience.

What was the atmosphere like after that win? Was everybody in Ames (IA) crazy for the whole week?

Greene: It was crazy, man. After the win, the fans came onto the field and I was getting hit over the top of the head by so many different people. I couldn’t see where my teammates were. It was just crazy.

I heard that your kicker could probably run for mayor and win the election if he decided to.

Greene: He probably could. That was probably the play of the year as far as Iowa is concerned. Props out to him (the kicker), he did a helluva job with all that pressure on him and still making the kick.

[Ralph] “You had enough, Dan? Have you got it all out of your system?” (laughs)

Your former coach, Kirk Ferentz, indicated that your attitude and determination are two things that make you a special player. Can you elaborate on that? What type of attitude do you bring to the table?

Greene: I think just being dedicated and hard working, having goals and things in life you want to achieve and to do those things, you have to be dedicated to what you’re doing. You have to want to do what you need to do. You have to have the mindset of not letting anything bother you. You have push through everything that comes up and I think that’s what I put in, as far as my attitude. Whatever comes my way, I’m going to handle it and get to where I want to go.

You took a long, winding journey to where you are today. As a matter of fact, for the people who don’t know this, you were ruled academically ineligible to play back in 2007 and you weren’t allowed to play football, basically. That must have been tough on you. How did you fill that void during 2007, when you couldn’t go out and play?

Greene: That was a big moment in my life. Football is everything to me and when that was taken away from me, I went to community college to get my grades up. I worked at a furniture store to pay rent and then to pay for my classes. I just worked to get my grades up so I could get back to Iowa and get back on the team. I think that whole year was a big turnaround for me and it matured me much more as a man.

Whenever I’ve watched you play, the thing that I really admire about you is you have excellent vision on the field and that allows you to hit those cutback lanes that you’re very good at. Walk us through what you’re thinking and what you’re looking for when the quarterback hands you the football. Does everything sort of slow down for you or do you just act on instinct?

Greene: I think it’s a little of both. Being a running back, I think everyone acts on instinct. In the Iowa offense we run a lot of zone plays, so we are basically taking our zone reads and looking for the opening and we’re following our offensive line and we’re cutting off of them. Some linebackers tend to overrun the play and that’s where you get the cutbacks. Having vision is a key and I think that’s a great ability for me and separates me from a lot of backs this year.

When you first got to Iowa your former coach Kirk Ferentz said that you would be an awesome linebacker, but back then you also had guys like Chad Greenway and Jonathan Babineaux playing the position. Do you think you really could have been a linebacker or played another position on defense?

Greene: I think so, but I’m not going to put my all out into that because I think I was running back at heart. That being said, I was a football player too so I think just being able to compete and get on the field I was going to do whatever. I liked the contact. That’s what linebackers do. They hit people and there’s a lot of contact. I think I could have made the transition but fortunately I stuck at running back and it turned out beautifully.

We talked about that winding road and it began back in New Jersey, where we are, in the northeast. We’ve had several guys from Jersey on. The Garden State looks like it is going to be represented well in the upcoming Draft, particularly at the running back position. Some of the guys you will be competing against for draft positioning are Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown. Do you know any of those guys or any other Jersey guys, like B.J. Raji, who are going to be high picks in this Draft?

Greene: I didn’t know any of them leading up to this point, but at the Combine I met a couple of those guys and talked to them. I know a couple of them. Me and Knowshon talked a lot because he was at the College Football Awards and I was there and then the Doak Walker (Award) thing, so I know him pretty well. I saw Donald on a visit and we talked a little bit. I didn’t know them beforehand.

So you guys kind of gravitated towards each other at these different events, coming from the same part of the country?

Greene: Yes, absolutely. I think those kind of events brought us together. At first I didn’t know Knowshon or Donald were from Jersey. When those events started coming around and you hear where they’re from, you’re like “Wow, we’re all from Jersey!”

I believe you are the only running back to run for at least 100 yards in all of his games. What happened this year? Was it just that you got an opportunity to play?

Greene: I think that is the main thing. I got an opportunity to play along with a great offensive line here at Iowa. Those guys busted their chops and blocked their behinds off for me and they did a good job the whole season. That’s why I was able to get 100 yards in every game along with getting the opportunity to show what I could do. This past year was the first year I got to show what I could do on a starting basis every game.

Time for three-and-out: First down: Your favorite basketball player of all time?

Greene: Kobe Bryant.

Second down: Your favorite baseball player? It is baseball season...

Greene: That’s a really tough one because I don’t watch baseball like that. I have to go with Mike Schmidt.

Whoa, Mike Schmidt, old school. Third down: If you were in “Dancing with the Stars” or “American Idol” which competition would you do better in?

Greene: Probably “Dancing with the Stars”.

You've got some moves? Donald Brown said the same thing. I guess you Jersey guys have some moves, huh?

Greene: Yeah, you know, I like to keep it "nice and smooth”. (laughs all around)

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Iowa)

Big Ten Week 4 Preview

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan have the week off. One could argue, by virtue of their schedules, that Penn State (vs. Temple) and Ohio State (vs. Troy) come pretty close to having the week off before they open up their Big Ten conference schedules. This week may leave a lot to be desired overall, but let’s take a look at some intriguing match-ups:

1. (Purdue vs. Central Michigan) Purdue’s Curtis Painter vs. Central Michigan’s Chris LeFevour: The stellar quarterbacks go toe-to-toe in what could be a match-up eventually seen on Sundays. Last year, LeFevour put up strong numbers (17-34, 296 yards, 4 touchdowns) in a dramatic shoot-out loss (51-48) to the Boilermakers, in which Painter threw for over 500 yards and three touchdowns. Expect nothing less from these two future pros in this season’s sequel. Not enough to whet your appetite? Central Michigan is 109th in passing defense, yielding 285 yards a game. Who will put on the better show for the scouts? PREDICTION: Purdue 85, CMU 77

2. (MSU at ND) Will MSU running back Javon Ringer continue his Heisman campaign against Notre Dame? Ringer leads the NCAA FBS in attempts (104) and touchdowns (nine) and is third in yards (498). On the other side of the ball, ND’s defense was susceptible to the shifty running of Michigan’s Sam McGuffie (25-131, 5.2 yards/carry). Defensive captain and inside linebacker Maurice Crum left the game early last week. He’s still a little banged up, but the word on the street is that he will be ready to play against Michigan State. Does Notre Dame build on their 2-0 start and continue their 180-degree turnaround from ’07? PREDICTION: MSU 20, ND 17

Iowa at Pittsburgh? OK, so I may be stretching it here since Pittsburgh has stumbled out of the gate 1-1 (win vs. Buffalo, loss to Bowling Green), but this is a nice road test to see if Coach Kirk Ferentz is putting Iowa (3-0) in serious position to compete in the Big Ten again. It is early, but did you know that, along with Michigan State’s Ringer and Wisconsin’s P.J. Hill, Shonn Greene of Iowa is also a member of the top ten rushing club (Greene is ninth nationally with 359 yards and three touchdowns)? Keys to the game: Pittsburgh comes in stout against the run, ranked 34th (94.5 yards/game), but will be tested by the strong running of Greene. Iowa’s 29th ranked pass defense will face a similar test going up against Pittsburgh’s 37th ranked pass offense. This one will almost certainly NOT be mistaken for an old-fashioned shoot-out. PREDICTION: Iowa 17 Pittsburgh 13

CFI: HAWKEYES NEED TO WIN TO GET TO .500

BY JJ PESAVENTO
IOWA INSIDER

When the Iowa Hawkeyes meet the Northwestern Wildcats this weekend in Evanston, IL, both teams will be looking to keep their bowl hopes alive. The Wildcats enter the contest at 5-4 after losing to Purdue last week. The Hawkeyes come in at 4-5 after coming back from a 14-point deficit to beat Michigan State in double overtime.

The last two meetings between the two teams have been less than pleasant for Iowa. In 2005, the Hawkeyes saw a 24-7 halftime lead evaporate as the Wildcats scored 21 second half points led by quarterback Brett Basanez, who threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Northwestern scored twice in less than two minutes to pull out the win and become bowl eligible. Iowa running back Albert Young rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

Last season, running back Tyrell Sutton was unstoppable for Northwestern as he rushed for 168 yards with a touchdown on the Iowa defense. The Wildcats amassed over 440 yards of total offense in the game and left Iowa City with a 21-7 win.

Fast forward to this season and the two teams are decidedly different. Northwestern lives by throwing the ball. Led by quarterback C. J Bacher (2,806 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions), the pass offense is the best in the Big Ten, averaging 313 yards per game. The running game isn't as potent, partially due to the fact that Sutton has missed a good portion of the season due to injury. Still, Sutton may not find as much room to run as he did a year ago with a more experienced Iowa front seven. If there were any weakness in the Iowa defense, it would be defending the pass. The Hawkeyes have struggled at times shutting down the pass and it has cost them dearly. The trio of Eric Peterman (47 receptions, 556 yards, three touchdowns), Ross Lane (42 receptions, 518 yards, six touchdowns) and Kim Thompson (32 receptions, 508 yards, one touchdown) will test them severely.

The Iowa defense will be led by Mitch King, Brian Mattison and Kenny Iwebema up front. The three have combined for 13 sacks thus far this season and pressure on Bacher will be key. Linebacker Mike Klinkenborg may go once he gets the cast on his broken hand that he suffered against Michigan State altered. Klinkenborg and fellow linebacker Mike Humpal lead the linebacking corps and can fly to the ball. Iowa will be without cornerback Adam Shada, who is injured his ankle last week against Michigan State. Bradley Fletcher will step up in his place across from Charles Godfrey, who is among the leading tacklers, and has four interceptions on the season. Brett Greenwood and Harold Dalton man the safeties but look for Norm Parker to give Bacher a lot of different looks with his secondary.

The Iowa offense is just the opposite of the Northwestern offense. The Hawkeye’s strong suit is running the ball with seniors Albert Young (722 yards, three touchdowns) and Damian Sims (403 yards, one touchdown). Young led the second half charge last week in the comeback win over MSU. He had his best game of the season rolling up 179 yards with two touchdowns. Northwestern has had their problems against the run. Purdue, normally a pass happy offense, rolled up 220 yards rushing on the Wildcats a week ago. Senior linebacker Adam Kadela (92 tackles, one sack, five TFL) leads the Wildcat defense in tackles. The four behind Kadela in tackles are all members of the secondary, which is never a good sign. Defensive tackles John Gill (39 tackles, 5.5 TFL, two sacks) and Corey Wooten (28 tackles, six TFL, one sack) will be key if the Wildcats plan on shutting down the Iowa running attack.

The Iowa passing game has struggled all season mainly due to inexperience. Quarterback Jake Christensen (1,564 yards, 12 touchdowns, three interceptions) is in his first season as the starter and is operating with a young offensive line and inexperienced receivers. Iowa has been trying to operate without both their starting receivers plus tight end Tony Moeaki since early in the season. Redshirt freshmen James Cleveland (26 receptions, 380 yards) and Darrell Johnson-Koulianos (23 receptions, 258 yards, two touchdowns) are now the starting receivers for Iowa. If there is a bright side, Christensen may have more time to look the field over since Northwestern has only nine sacks the entire season. And the Wildcats rank even lower nationally defending the pass than they do the run.

Northwestern can obviously move the ball and put up points. They average over 26 points per game. The problem lies with the Wildcat defense. Iowa is anything but an offensive machine at this point but they will be facing a defense that allows over 413 yards of total offense and 30 per game. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. For Iowa, that may work. The more the Hawkeyes can ground the ball out and control the tempo of the game, the longer the Northwestern offense will be on the sidelines. And if memory serves correctly, no offense has scored from the bench.

Beyond that, the Hawkeyes have lost two straight to Northwestern in dismal fashion. With their season and bowl hopes on the line, if there were ever a time for payback, this would be it.

CFI: HAWKEYES FIGHT BACK TO WIN 34-27

BY JJ PESAVENTO
IOWA INSIDER

When the Iowa Hawkeyes and Michigan State Spartans locked horns on Saturday in Iowa City, it was a battle of two teams with only one win in the Big Ten conference.

The Spartans were not the same team they were a year ago by any means. They came in at 5-3 and looked to become bowl eligible with a win over Iowa.

For the Hawkeyes, the game would have major bowl implications. Entering the contest at 3-5, a loss would almost guarantee Iowa would not compete in postseason action for the first time since the 2000 season.

But even with their bowl hopes on the line and a vocal sellout crowd behind them, the Hawkeyes experienced the same problems on offense that have been haunting them the entire season to fall behind.

Even worse was the fact that the strength of the team, the defense, could not find a way to stop the Spartans from moving the ball in the early going.

While the score was only 7-0 at the end of the opening quarter, MSU totally dominated the action. The Spartans amassed 176 yards of total offense as compared to minus one yard of total offense for the Hawkeyes.

To say things looked bleak would be an understatement.

Finally, after going three and out on their first three possessions, the Hawkeyes found a spark in running back Damian Sims. A 30-yard run by the senior put Iowa in MSU territory for the first time in the game. A personal foul penalty at the end of the play added 15 yards to the run. The Hawkeyes moved the ball to the MSU 11-yard line before they reverted to their old form. After back-to-back penalties turned a third-and-one into a third-and -6, Iowa couldn't convert and had to settle for a 43-yard Dan Murray field goal.

But the Spartans rolled down the field on the Iowa defense and answered with a Jehuu Caulcrick one-yard touchdown run to up the score to 17-3.

Considering how lopsided the first half statistics were, it could have been much worse for Iowa.

MSU had held the ball for over 20 minutes in the first half and came away empty handed on their initial drive thanks to kicker Brett Swanson pushing a 39-yard attempt wide left.

And maybe the best term one could use for the Iowa offense considering Halloween is upon us would be ugly.

Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen completed only one pass for nine yards the entire first half.

The Hawkeyes could only muster 71 yards of total offense in the half and converted only once on third down.

As lopsided as the stats were, it looked as though the Hawkeyes could again be on the wrong end of a blowout.

But something happened at halftime.

At the end of the first half, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz appeared incensed with officials over what he viewed as a blown call. Ferentz is normally calm and collected and in control. Maybe the emotion he displayed entered into his halftime talk with his players, maybe it didn't.

Whatever the case, it was a totally different Iowa team that came out of the locker room for the remainder of the game.

The Hawkeyes seemed to be on a mission in the second half. They were relentless on both sides of the ball.

After a personal foul penalty following a MSU punt gave the Hawkeyes their best field position of the day at the MSU 30-yard line, senior Albert Young put Iowa back into the game.

Young ripped off a 26-yard run on the second play of the drive to close the score to 17-10 and it seemed to bring the entire team back to life.

After the Iowa defense slammed the door on the MSU offense that appeared unstoppable in the first half, Young went back to work.

Young accounted for 62 yards on six carries during a 75-yard drive that he put the finishing touches on with a three-yard scoring run to tie the game 17-17.

The Iowa offense that was nowhere to be found for the most part in the first half had come to life. The offensive line was winning the battle up front. Wide receivers were literally fighting with defensive backs downfield on their blocks.

Even punter Ryan Donahue got into the action. The freshman launched an 81-yard punt to start the final quarter.

And somehow, after being dominated for an entire half, Iowa fought back and took the lead with 10 minutes left in the contest after a second Dan Murray field goal from 42 yards out.

But the Spartans came back with a last minute drive to tie the game on a 29-yard Swenson field goal and sent it into overtime.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime then Iowa took the lead in the second overtime on a short run by Jevon Pugh after Young, who rushed for 179 yards with a pair of touchdowns on the day, had to leave the game due to injury.

The defense rose the occasion this time for Iowa. A sack by Adrian Clayborn put the Spartans in a hole they could not dig themselves out of. Iowa stopped the Spartans on a fourth-and-16 and came away with the win.

Kirk Ferentz, his staff and the Iowa players have taken a ton of criticism for the lackluster play of the Hawkeyes this season.

The youth, inexperience and lack of execution on offense have hurt them much of the season and the first half against Michigan State was no different.

But in the second half, the Hawkeyes showed what they were made of. They showed their heart, they fought back and refused to lose even when forced into overtime.

They overcame...and they won.