Happy Valley, PA

[SRath]

That was a huge and unexpected win for the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight!



I have tremendous respect for Paterno and his teams. To upset them 2 years in a row is amazing, though Ferentz has now raised his record against Paterno to 7 wins in 8 games! This time in as hostile an environment as you could find anywhere. And the Hawks were 10 point, unranked underdogs again...



But just watch: The Nittany Lions will still be ranked in the top 25 come Monday and Iowa won't be...



I would trade a victory over Penn State at Happy Valley for a win over Ohio State at Columbus, though. I detest the usually over-rated Buckeyes and the Hawks tend to choke in Columbus.



Once again, though, the SEC will own the Title for "Over-Rated Conference" followed closely by the Big 12 South. All media hype. Utah was the real National Champion last year. Talk about a team and conference that never gets any respect... The whole BCS system is crap!

 

[Missouri Mule]

Yes it was a good game. ! The defense really held in there for Iowa.



But I'm a Buckeye fan.

 

[SRath]

If we ever get the offense clicking, we just might have a shot at the Big Ten title. We are definitely missing Shon Greene this season, but who can blame him for taking the money and going pro early? Our two freshman running backs are stepping up and Iowa tends to get stronger as the season goes on.

It was definitely our defense that won the game. They scored more points than the offense.

 

[kowaliga]

'Once again, though, the SEC will own the Title for "Over-Rated Conference" followed closely by the Big 12 South. All media hype. Utah was the real National Champion last year. Talk about a team and conference that never gets any respect... The whole BCS system is crap! ' (quoted from SRATH) You should advocate the Hawkeyes take on a few SEC teams during their out-of-conference scheduling. I would suggest LSU, in Baton Rouge, on a Saturday night. 'Dem Bayou Bengals would skulldrag your corn-eaters.

 

[SRath]

I think Utah put to rest the LSU hype in grand style last year. LSU couldn't handle facing a real smash-mouth defense. Those SEC teams are all run 'n gun and no defense. It's easy to put up big offensive stats down there.

I wanted Iowa to go up against Texas or similar for their bowl game last year to prove that a powerful defense matched with a powerful running game (Shon Greene) would prevail. Instead they matched us up with a weenie team. It wasn't even interesting.

 

[kowaliga]

I think Utah put to rest the LSU hype in grand style last year. LSU couldn't handle facing a real smash-mouth defense. Those SEC teams are all run 'n gun and no defense. It's easy to put up big offensive stats down there.



I wanted Iowa to go up against Texas or similar for their bowl game last year to prove that a powerful defense matched with a powerful running game (Shon Greene) would prevail. Instead they matched us up with a weenie team. It wasn't even interesting.

Utah took 'Bama in last years Sugar Bowl. Credit the Utes for showing up to play. I think your run 'n gun attribution should be to the Big 12 ( Missou, Texas Tech, etc. ). Iowa goes down to OSU this year and possibly Purdue also. In the SEC, Iowa = Mississppi State or possibly South Carolina. The Big Ten should stick to corn growing and pig farming ( which they do very well ) and leave football to the SEC.

 

[SRath]

You are joking! This South Carolina team?? This is the "weanie team" I mentioned we got for a Bowl Game last year. What a joke! Bunch of pansyassed criminals and crybabies :{ ...

BY THE NUMBERS

55, 117 - Game attendance. Iowa sports information director Phil Haddy estimated 20,000 were Iowa fans.

9 - Wins for Iowa this year, fifth time under Coach Kirk Ferentz won nine or more games.

20 - Rushing touchdowns for Iowa RB Shonn Greene, the new Iowa single-season record

43 - Rushing yards by South Carolina. It set a new low in Outback Bowl history.
(so much for how the SEC matches up against a real Defense!)

86 - Consecutive points by Iowa before South Carolina scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Iowa beat Minnesota 55-0 and led South Carolina 31-0 before the TD.

121 - Yards for Greene in his final game as a Hawkeye. Greene announced after the game that he is skipping his senior year and wil enter the NFL Draft.

2009 Outback Bowl | Iowa Hawkeyes vs. South Carolina Gamecocks | HawkeyeBowlGame.com

Iowa vs. SEC

Iowa is one of the few Big Ten teams that don't succumb often to the all-powerful SEC in bowl play. Iowa has won four of its six bowl match-ups with SEC teams, with both losses coming against Florida. Iowa has beaten South Carolina (Outback), Florida (Outback), Louisiana State (Capital One) and Tennessee (Peach) in bowl games, while losing to Florida in the 1983 Gator Bowl and in the 2006 Outback Bowl.

The league comparison is something that chaps Iowa players, who've heard for too long that the SEC has too many athletes with too much speed for their Big Ten neighbors.

“(South Carolina) had athletes, but we had athletes, too,” Edds said. “I think you take a guy like (Penn State receiver) Derrick Williams and you put him in a track meet with anybody in the country and they're going to win. (Illinois receiver) Arrelious Benn and guys like that. We know what speed looks like on the field, and we've got some guys that are maybe faster than we give credit for. So we knew it was out there for us, but we had to take it and make sure we made our lack of speed and made it an advantage for us. ”
Munnerlyn said there was a difference between Iowa and other SEC teams.
“I wouldn't say they was as much physical as they just different from the SEC. They're going to try to pound you, pound you, pound you. But they weren't all that physical but they were a great team.

Around the horn

The Gazette's live blog had posters from Senegal to Iraq, Germany to Washington. Here's a sampling of the best comments:

“I'm still waiting to see the awesome speed from S. C. Haven't seen much yet. ”

“Gen. Sherman just said to put down the torches, Iowa. They've had enough. ”

I hope all you Ohio State fans overlook Iowa like Penn State just did. I think OSU will end the Big 10 season with 3 losses. Oh, and collect a 4th loss at their "automatic" Bowl game.

Actually, upon re-reading that last line, I don't think PSU "overlooked" Iowa at all. I think they focused too much on Iowa...

 

[kowaliga]

You did say 'last year', right? If Big Blue is on your schedule this year, they will win also.

The Big Ten is a great conference for the fans of corn shucking and snow-bank climbing.

In the SEC, depending on the hour of the day, its either football or women. No comparison.

 

[SRath]

If you pay attention, those facts and tidbits above DO cover the most recent Bowl game (2009) and on back. The ONLY sec team to ever beat Iowa in a Bowl game is Florida. They are 2 and 1 against Iowa. ALL the rest are losers against Iowa, including LSU. The SEC can't carry our jockstraps.



And speaking of women, even our big, beefy linemen can't carry the SEC's cheerleaders... Not that they'd want to... :-laf Those coastal states take the "Save the Whales" thing a little too far, I think...



Oh, and by the way, how did your beloved Ohio State and Michigan do in their Bowel Games last year... ??? Let me help your feeble memory: (Humiliating DEFEAT (blowout) for OSU and NO GAME AT ALL for Michigan 'cause Big Blue sucked!)



Which two teams in the Nation now have the longest winning streaks? A: Iowa and Florida. Tied. None of Florida's have been against higher ranked teams. Several of Iowa's have been, including two wins over a Top 5 Penn State team.



Just like Utah, Iowa can beat a Top 10, 5, or 3 team on Saturday and still find themselves ranked below that team come Monday. We get no respect. And the SEC, Big 12 South, USC, Ohio State, Michigan all cruise on past reputation and current media hype alone.



A few weeks ago, Iowa fell from the Top 25 because it took TWO blocked field goal attempts by our defense on consecutive plays to keep UNI (University of Northern Iowa) from winning. That was GREAT defense! And Iowa did win. More importantly, and completely overlooked by the talking idiots, is the FACT that UNI could beat MOST Division 1A schools! They were UNDEFEATED all the way to the Championship game last season (a true Championship game) for their Division. They have produced many EXCELLENT ballplayers, such as Cedar Rapids hometown boy Kurt Warner, over the years.



My money would be on UNI over Ohio State. They are TOUGH and completely unafraid of anyone. They are HUNGRY, too, and LOVE beating 1A schools. Talk about speed...

 

[Bloomy]

I'm willing to say as a Penn State fan, that anybody that knows football and is a PSU fan knew we were over ranked. Top 25? Probably. Top 10... . no. Iowa has had our number pretty much since we joined the Big Ten. To the whole SEC, Big Ten... . and other conference discussions, the Big Ten has taken advantage of the BCS to get in the title hunt each year. The SEC is more competitive. SEC teams and fans typically support other SEC teams, Big Ten fans despise their fellow conference teams. Not sure why, but if you pay attention and you hang out in as many different states as I have, you will see it plain as day. Good Luck on your seasons! Go State!



Thomas

 

[kowaliga]

With Bloomy, I completely agree. The SEC has two television networks ( big $ ) invested and I'm sure they influence rankings to the detriment of other conferences. The BCS was created by former SEC commish' Roy Cramer, who also created conference playoffs. Its all about exposure and the TV $. That said. . on to the mighty Hawkeye's opponent this week: Arkansas State, a Sunbelt conf. team that lost to Troy last week. I believe Iowa looks ahead to Michigan and Arkansas St. gives them a scare. Iowa should have the numbers to win, but Arkansas St. almost beat Troy, the Sunbelt champ. This could be a trap, if Iowa is flat ( the team , not the state ). I salute Penn State, and Coach Paterno. . beloved by all football fans here in Alabama and everywhere. Roll Tide.

 

[SRath]

So Iowa should stick to corn and pigs, huh?

UNI regularly reminds both Iowa and Iowa State NOT to overlook smaller non-conference or lesser-division teams. UNI came within 2 could-never-happen-again-in-a-million-years blocked field goals of beating Iowa a few weeks ago. I don't think Arkansas State will be taken lightly at all.



This is the first time in years that Iowa hasn't stumbled to start the season. Usually to a "lesser" oponent. All of our losses last year were: 1> early in the season, and 2> by a combined total of less than 12 points. Couldn't win the close ones. Then the team picked up steam and being on the winning end of the very close score of the PSU upset fired them up and built their confidence. UNI recently moderated that confidence a bit, so I think their frame of mind is about right. Sure hope so anyway...



Meanwhile, our former players continue to have great NFL success. Our great running backs and occassional quarterbacks continue to be snubbed by the NYC Athletic Club (Heisman), but who cares? It is as much of a joke as the BCS selection system anymore. Besides, anything that comes out of NYC is bad anyway.



Iowa can lay claim to the town that produces more NFL players per capita than ANY other city or town in the USA: Parkersburg, Iowa. Population 1,900 souls. 250 in the entire high school system. Most of the town, including the school, was wiped out by a huge F5 tornado 1 year ago. Their Legendary head coach and community leader, Ed Thomas, was shot and murdered by a whacko a couple months ago. Former high school coach of four NFL players shot, killed in Iowa

USATODAY.com - Small Iowa school plays big in NFL



Players in the NFL: Centers Casey Wiegmann of Kansas City and Brad Meester of Jacksonville and defensive ends Jared DeVries of Detroit and Aaron Kampman of Green Bay all starred for Aplington-Parkersburg during a 10-year stretch from 1988 on.

Small Iowa high school produces four NFL players - NFL - ESPN



Cedar Rapids and then UNI was home to Kurt Warner, and we all know his incredible story and what a good, decent man he is. Maybe you've heard of Dedrick Ward? Another recent UNI alumni. Timmy Dwight and Nate Kaeding are from right here in Iowa City.



What else has the University of Iowa and our "corn and pigs" state contributed to Pro Football? Lets take a look: NFL Players who Attended University of Iowa - databaseFootball.com



You may recognize a few names , and those are just the players that attended the U of I. There are MANY, MANY more who attended Iowa State, UNI, Coe College, and any number of other tiny colleges here along with many players who went out of state to attend college.



Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark, Jared DeVries, Nick Gallery, Chuck Long, Andre Tippet (Hall of Fame), Tim Dwight, Chad Greenway, Jeff Drost, Ed Podalak, Mike Haight, Charles Godfrey, all the Hilgenbergs, Nate Kaeding, Paul Krause (Hall of Fame), ... the list is extensive.



No. I don't think we need to fold up our tents and go home out of fear of any SEC team... Bring 'em on! Our boys really like to hit...



(and I can't wait for wrestling season):



The University of Iowa: Leaving a trail of bloody, bruised, and broken opponents on the mat with 22 National Championship Titles since 1975...



Yeah, I guess the boys in this "pig 'n corn" state are pretty good at getting physical. (maybe it's our hard-work ethic since childhood? I've been down South many times, and folks down there tend to "take it easy"... :-laf ) Just watch our defense sometime. The SEC has no clue. There were several plays where Iowa defensive players would clear a hole through the PSU line with a single swipe of their massive arm. The series that resulted in a safety is a classic example, as is the blocked punt. And they will keep pounding, and pounding, and pounding away the entire game until the O-line is utterly broken. That's when really good things start to happen for the Hawks...



Meanwhile, just to show I know what I'm talking about, check out this latest coaches poll. See anything "curious" about Penn State's ranking and Iowa's... ?



Big names and Big reputations always means more than actual ability...

NCAA Polls - College Football Coaches Top 25 Poll - FOX Sports on MSN

 

[kowaliga]

Big Blue comes to birdland! The spread will make you dead.

 

[SRath]

I sure hope you bet money on your mouth...

"Big Blue comes to birdland! The spread will make you dead. "

IOWA: 30
Michigan: 28

Is there anything about football that you are actually ever right about, kowaliga?

I live in Johnson County, Iowa: Home of three undefeated football teams:

1> #1 (Class 2A) Solon High School (35 consecutive victories over 3 seasons which is closing in on a new National High School record); 2 consecutive State Championships; a third coming up. The JV squad is just as undefeated. Despite being a small farm-town (population 1,900 souls) 2A high school, there is general consensus that Solon is the best high school football team in the state. Even though the starters are sitting on the bench for the 2nd half of most games, the Spartans have outscored their opponents this season by 368 to 40 over the course of seven games for an average score of 52 to 5. Ranked in the Top 3 in the Nation for football in schools of similar size. My son plays for Solon.

2> #1 (Class 4A) Iowa City City High. Ten miles from Solon... Everybody drools over the fantasy prospect of a #1-undefeated 4A vs. #1-undefeated 2A showdown between ten-times-bigger City High and Solon... It would be a great game! Solon's victories include several matchups with 3A teams.

3> #1 (Big Ten) Iowa Hawkeyes. 2nd longest winning streak in NCAA (11 games; only Florida has more in a row). INCLUDING the most recent Bowl Game thumping of your laughable SEC South Carolina PrairieChickens by a 21 point margin; 2 wins over top-5 ranked Penn State; and, of course, the sincere pleasure of beating "Not-so-Big-but-very-black-and-Blue" Michigan.

We DO know a little bit about football around here, kowaliga. Let me know when you are ready to begin your education, grasshopper...

 

[kowaliga]

Master SRath, please teach me the Iowa way of football. Tell me how great the Hawkeyes are in such an illustrious conference as the Big Ten. Tell me of Iowa's popularity, outside the cornbelt. Tell me of tradition, and national championships oh master of the gridiron. To crow of beating a second year coach's new offensive style and its high-school-sized QB that ran your heavy-footed team all over the field is bush.

Sparty lurks.

 

[SRath]

Well, so far, every dig you have targeted at the Hawkeyes has backfired in your face. Claiming they rate with the lowly South Carolina team they trounced just last Bowl Season, picking "big blue" by a huge margin over them. BTW, Michigan belongs to the Big Ten you now attack.



The SEC is over rated. They have a few decent teams, most conferences do, but they mostly have press and posturing. Again, I point to "lowly Iowa's" record against them. It will be the same crap this year. The BCS needs to be honest and drop the "C". It isn't likely, but Iowa could continue it's grueling schedule undefeated and STILL not be in the so-called "championship" game just as Utah did last year. What a joke.



Defense wins Championships, and the SEC and Big 12 South know nothing about defense. They wouldn't want to get their pretty poster-child faces smashed, ya know. I'd especially like to see those wimps come up here for a COLD, wet, rainy/snowy game where the lightest hit is bone jarring and the ball is hard and slippery and the turf is like concrete. It takes real men, like northern high schoolers, to play football hard on days and nights like that.



Go ahead, oh Ignorant One: Make yet another laughable prediction.



Or should I say: "Open your mouth and change feet again. " ? :-laf

 

[kowaliga]

I haven't predicted any scores, only that ARK. St. would test Iowa and Michigan would win. Sparty is upcoming. I've never referred to the Hawkeyes as 'lowly'. They are undefeated, and that's worth of respect. If your team goes undefeated, as it looks like it will, its unfortunate end of season will be in a second-class bowl game. Face the facts: the T. V. audience would rather watch a two-loss LSU play USC than a game pitting Iowa against USC.

I agree that playing on ice is not for the weak. Neither is playing Saturday night in Tiger Stadium with the temp. and humidity at 90 and 100K roaring drunken coonasses

causing the ground to quake.

I predict the Big Ten will continue to suck, and get no respect because of it.

 

[SRath]

If Iowa somehow manages to escape from the unfriendly confines of Spartan stadium and the horseshoe in Columbus with victories, they will not be going to some "second rate" bowl. The worst they would get is the Rose Bowl, and that is a bowl we here in Iowa would rather play in than any "pretend" BCS Championship farce.

Right now, for what it's worth (not much), the poll pundits have paired Iowa against USC in the Rose Bowl. But there are many games left to play.

Iowa travels well. Bowl officials LOVE inviting the Hawkeyes. If not for the cheater officiating at Florida's crooked games recently, Iowa would now have THE longest winning streak in the NCAA. Those SEC officials have now been BUSTED!! Typical SEC b. s.

I can make no claims for the Big 10 other than Iowa was the only team in it to win it's Bowl game last year. And they did it in very convincing style against an SEC team that did not deserve a Bowl game and still doesn't.

If it helps, rest assured that once a year, I, too, become a Michigan fan for at least one day. I detest Ohio State... they are the Florida of the Big Ten, and Michigan is the LSU. Both over rated.

 

[kowaliga]

FYI, the BCS game is the Rose Bowl and the traditional Pac-10 vs. Big 10 matchup won't happen, unless those conference's teams are the two. Its futile to speculate how great this or that conference is. . unless one considers respective revenue / fanbase. The SEC rules in this respect. Television network contracts ( 2 ) and $billons bear this out. Most people don't even know where Iowa is, much less the Hawkeye's Big 10 winning streak. Why would they watch them on TV ( I admit I do know where and watch )? I'd love to see Ole Miss vs Iowa ( won't happen ); Pulpwooders vs pig farmers = Hawkeye skulldraggin'.

 

[SRath]

Winning with a little grace

Last night's regular season-finale high school game was a blowout for our top-ranked team against a very weak team. The previous week, Solon had destroyed the number 3 ranked team in the state 49 to 7. We hoped for a better contest last night since playoffs begin Wednesday, but the schedule is the schedule and the game had to be played. But there was an unexpected bright spot that demonstrated what football, and nothing is more pure than high school football, is all about.

Even before the end of a 63 to 0 first half, our starters were long since sitting on the bench. You can't tell 2nd and 3rd string players to "hold back" and not score. They work hard all week for their chances to prove themselves. So the score got out of hand in a hurry even without the starters.

During halftime, the opposing team's coach let our coach know he had a "special needs" player on his team that he would like to get into the game for a few plays in the 2nd half (without getting him hurt) since it was their team's final game of the season.

That young man, who had attended practices and worked his tail off all season for his team, defended his school's honor by "shredding the mighty Solon defense" for an 80 yard touchdown that kept his team from being shut out...

I hope there were some cameras rolling. Our players made it look very convincing as he was chased (escorted) all the way to the endzone and it was something that boy will likely always remember. Both sides of the field and stands were cheering wildly.