Iowa Hawkeyes Football

Five weeks into the college football season and we are already seeing some interesting statistics.

There was the 70-63 offense blowout by West Virginia over Baylor, Washington upset Stanford 17-13 and then there was the 9-6 defensive struggle by Iowa State over Iowa.

So what sort interesting stats have the Hawkeyes produced?

Lets take a look.

10. 5 of 7 of former backup quarterback John Wienke's punts have been pinned inside the 20.

After not finding a starting spot at the quarterback position, John Wienke has found a place where he can get in the game. Although freshman Connor Kornbrath is the starting punter, Wienke has been the guy who is called upon in situations where the team needs to pin the opponent deep. 

It's nice to see the recruit—who never got a real chance to prove himself—get on the field in some fashion. It's startling because as we all know nobody knows the punter until he screws up, but Wienke deserves recognition for pinning five of his seven total punts inside the opponents 20-yard-line and putting Iowa in great defensive position. 

9. 99 victories for Kirk Ferentz

The next victory for the Iowa Hawkeyes will be victory No. 100 for Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz is in his 14th season as the head coach which makes him the fourth longest tenured coach in FBS. His 100th win puts him to perhaps be on pace with Iowa coaching legend Hayden Fry, who at the end of 14 seasons had 105 total wins. 

Kirk will no-doubt achieve 100, but to achieve 105 Iowa would have to achieve a huge turn-around. 100 is no doubt a strong statistic and Kirk has continued the success at Iowa.

8. 0 touchdowns for C.J. Fiedorowicz

The tight-end that has Rob Gronkowski-like stature has been a relative non-factor so far, with only 15 catches and less than 200 yards. It's been disappointing to say the least. Most looked for quarterback James Vandenberg and the tight end to hook up regularly in the end zone this season. So far through five games, Vandenberg has two touchdowns and zero of those belong to Fiedorowicz.

The power of the tight end is something that the Hawkeyes have utilized in the past, especially with the recent line of NFL tight ends—a few that were utilized heavily by the Hawkeyes: Dallas Clark, Tony Moeaki and Scott Chandler. 

If Fiedorowicz wants to make the leap to NFL-talent, he'll have to find a way to get some chemistry with the quarterback and find himself open. 

7. 2 touchdowns for James Vandenberg

At the beginning of the season, many predicted that Vandenberg would at the least be edging, if not already in double-digit touchdown numbers by now. He was a Davey O'Brien award watch-list member at the beginning of the season and now stands with only two touchdown passes. 

He's starting to warm up, but his production has to heat up if he wants the team to succeed. 

6. 10/11 field goals made

A pleasant surprise this season, Mike Meyer has been one of the strong points and has made almost all of his field goals with a miss between 40-49 yards, no easy field goal gaffes so far this season.

He's made every extra point, including the go-ahead extra point against Northern Illinois. 

5. 1 Flea Flicker

The Jordan Cotton touchdown against Minnesota was a beautiful play, a 47-yard bomb from James Vandenberg. It was nice to see the new offensive coordinator throw in his two cents into one of the most conservative offenses in the nation. 

Kirk Ferentz generally doesn't pull the trick he's hiding out unless completely necessary, but Davis persuaded Ferentz to let it fly and it resulted in an Iowa touchdown. 

4. +7 turnover margin

According to the weekly notes posted by the sports information department, Iowa is 14th in the country in turnover margin and helped them to a victory against Minnesota and a close battle with Iowa State. The Iowa State game was kept winnable due to turnovers forced by the defense.

The defense has been stellar thus far, and with the offense gaining steam it could be a much improved Hawkeye team than what we saw Week 4 against Central Michigan.

3. 106.6 total yards per game less

In Greg Davis' first season at Texas he averaged 106.6 more yards per game of total offense behind running back Ricky Williams. Although Williams adds a lot more talent than Iowa has this season, it'll be interesting to see if Davis can manage those kind of numbers by the end of the season.

2. 7 Mark Weisman Touchdowns

The walk-on transfer from Air Force has been the savior and the true meaning of next man in. Behind the offensive line, Mark Weisman has been the propellant for the team. In his three starts he's rushed for over 100 yards every time. His big test comes next week against Michigan State.

1. 1 conference win

At the end of the day, Hawkeye fans can breathe a big sigh of relief after the impressive start against an undefeated Minnesota Gophers. After the loss against Central Michigan, it was honestly uncertain whether Iowa would look like that the whole season.

They came out on the offensive, showing that the Hawkeyes aren't going to dwell the cellar yet. The one conference win is a perfect start for the Hawks.

Nicholas Moffitt is a Fantasy Football and Iowa Football contributor.. Follow him on twitter (@nickmoff) for quick updates on all of his articles.

He's coming home. 

Tell the world he's coming home.

After two crushing defeats at TCF Bank Field the last two seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes welcomed Minnesota to Kinnick Stadium and sent them home no longer unbeaten, and pig-less.

Iowa used a 21-point second quarter to put the previously unbeaten Golden Gophers in a 24-0 hole at the half. 

After an eight-yard Mark Weisman touchdown run to open the quarter, less than two minutes later, James Vandneberg connected with Jordan Cotton on a 47-yard flea-flicker pass for another Iowa touchdown.

Vandenberg then ran in a touchdown from a yard out to build the lead to 24-0.

In the second half, Iowa failed to score an offensive touchdown, but was helped by a interception by Christian Kirksey, who returned it 68 yards for a touchdown. 

The story of the game, however, was yet again sophomore running back Mark Weisman.

Weisman carried 21 times for 177 yards and a touchdown, and it could have been a lot more. Weisman had a touchdown called back after a review and had a 30-plus-yard run called back for holding.  Weisman continued to be a force in the backfield, proving hard to bring down even for a Big Ten defense.

Weisman's effort helped open up the passing game a bit as well.  Vandenberg completed 18 passes to eight different receivers for 192 yards.

The mysterious thing about Iowa's offense on Saturday, however, was the play-calling in the second half.  With a 24-0 lead, the Hawkeyes chose to pass on all three downs, instead of pounding the ball, which would not only have let the clock run, but also was working all day.

Play-calling aside, it was an encouraging offensive day for the Hawkeyes.

The defense bottled up Minnesota for most of the day, holding them to under 300 total yards, with many of those yards coming late in the game when it was already decided.  Greg Castillo, Tanner Miller and Kirksey all had interceptions for the Hawkeyes.

Suffice it to say, it was the most impressive showing by the Iowa football team this season.

While the crowd chanted "We Want Floyd," and the band geared up to play the Victory Polka, the players had their sights set on that beautiful, bronze pig, which they rushed across the field to hoist in the air.

After a rough month to start the season, many Hawkeye fans left Kinnick Stadium Saturday feeling a lot better about the Iowa football team. 

They now have a week off before traveling to East Lansing to take on the Spartans of Michigan State.  If Weisman can run all over Sparty like he did Minnesota, the Hawkeyes may have a real chance to shock some people.

No way Zultan wanted to wake up for this season. The Big Ten is spiraling down the proverbial drain and leading the way are Mom’s Iowa Hawkeyes, who tripped and fell during their “bend but don't break” defensive stand at the end of the game against Central Michigan.

As a world-famous prognosticator, you go to into hibernation for a few months and when you wake up, the whole college football landscape has shifted. Missouri and Texas A&M are members of the SEC—what were they thinking? West Virginia moved out west into Big 12  cattle country? Where is the logic there?

It seems to me that some of these teams are going to be spending all their profits on air-fare.

It was bad enough when Nebraska came on board in the Big Ten, but at least they are next door to Iowa where they share a natural enmity with the Hawkeyes as river rivals.

The good thing in Week 5 is that the non-conference portion of the year is breathing its last breath. The Big Ten can stop suffering embarrassment in isolation, falling to teams who should not be winning against the legendary Big Ten.

What happened to the patsies or cupcakes we were accustomed to running over during the first four weeks? Didn’t anybody get the message about the MAC Conference. They are too good—scratch them from the Big Ten non-conference schedule immediately.

Now, at least the “Legends” and “Leaders” can play teams they can defeat—their brothers in the Big Ten.

So, fellow fans of the Hail Mary, this is the start of the 2012 football season, Zultan’s fourth run at prognosticating college football fortunes highlighting the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Big Ten Conference and other Saturday games worthy of my penetrating insight.

You want a piece of the action—just make your picks here and we will see mano y mano who is the best at predicting winners in upcoming Week 5 in the 2012 season. Or as Zultan calls it—the year of the big, bad Big Ten fall.

Results listing the superior prognosticators—those who surpass Zultan in picking the winners in the 10 games featured in Week 5—will be posted in next week's article, assuming Zultan survives another tumultuous weekend of Big Ten action and Mom's cooking if Iowa loses again.

 

Game 1: [Big Ten] Minnesota Gophers at Iowa Hawkeyes

Now that the Gophers [4-0] have their egos in overdrive, it may be just the right moment for the Hawkeyes [2-2] to put them back on their heels with a healthy running back plus the wunderkind fullback Mark Weisman stomping Gophers in his way.

Let’s see that defense jell and hold together for the entire game.

Iowa lost to Minnesota in 2010 and in 2011. Enough is enough. It is the Hawkeye’s turn to ruin the Gopher’s season. Payback time is coming. Besides, if Iowa does not win, I cannot be responsible for Mom’s special form of retaliation.

Pick Iowa to win at home.

 

Game 2: [Big Ten] Indiana Hoosiers at Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats [4-0] come into their Big Ten opener with a perfect non-conference record safely tucked away in the record book. They defeated Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Boston College before playing the South Dakota Coyotes last Saturday in Evanston. The Cats breezed past the Coyotes 38-7.

This coming Saturday the Wildcats play host to the Indiana Hoosiers [2-1] who had a week off to rest up for their contest against Northwestern. The Hoosiers are recovering from their shocking upset at the hands of one of those pesky MAC teams—Ball State. The Hoosiers, too, lost in the final seconds of the game.

Previously, Indiana had won against Indiana State and UMass on the road, looking for a promising 3-0 record going into conference play. Ball State, however, had their own script.

Mental Note: Somebody in the Big Ten needs to find a copy of the MAC final two-minute drill.

Pick Northwestern who will continue their winning ways.

Game 3: [Big Ten] Penn State at Illinois

Penn State [2-2] must travel to Champaign to begin their first Big Ten season without Joe Paterno at the helm. The Lions lost their first two games to Ohio and Virginia but have settled down, winning their last two contests at home against Navy and the Temple Owls.

With new coach Bill O’Brien leading the way and quarterback Matt McGloin providing a solid foundation in the pocket, Penn State is slowly leaving behind the notorious headlines that rocked the university over the past several months.

The Illini [2-2] have also suffered some early season setbacks that include losses to  Arizona State 45-14 out of the PAC 12 and Louisiana Tech 52-24 last weekend.

The Bulldogs are part of the WAC and took full advantage of Illinois’ unending capacity to turn over the ball last weekend—there were six, count them, six turnovers which just gave Louisiana Tech the ball way too many times.

Pick Penn State to win on the road.

 

Game 4: [Conf. USA] Marshall at [Big Ten] Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue [2-1] defeated Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Michigan but lost in Week 2 to Notre Dame on the road. The Boilers had last week off to help them prepare to meet their last non-conference opponent, the Marshall Thundering Herd out of Conference USA.

In their last game against Eastern Michigan, Purdue gained 576 yards with quarterback Caleb TerBush clicking on all cylinders.  The Boilers were aided by another stingy defensive outing.

Pick Purdue to stop the Thundering Herd dead in their tracks in week 5.

Game 5: [Big Ten] (14) Ohio State at (20) Michigan State

It doesn’t seem all that strange that the Ohio State Buckeyes are leading the way, sitting 4-0 as they head into the Big Ten season. Last year, Ohio State hovered in complete disarray weighted down by NCAA sanctions and penalties.

This year, hopefully, the Buckeyes have set that aside. Even though they are ineligible to compete in postseason play, the team is getting back to their accustomed place at the top of the Big Ten.

But this weekend, the Buckeyes must travel to Michigan State [3-1] to play inside Spartan Stadium. This is not a pleasing prospect for any team this year.

Michigan State started the year ranked in the top 10 but have fallen to No. 21 after an uninspiring and inauspicious beginning—getting by Boise State but losing meekly at home to Notre Dame 20-3.

The Spartans will have their hands full trying to contain the Buckeyes. But, this is a critical contest for Michigan State and their postseason chances. They must win to stay alive.

Pick Michigan State to win at home.

 

Game 6: [Big Ten] Wisconsin Badgers at (22) Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Badgers [3-1] have not exactly stunned the media so far in 2012. They barely got by Northern Iowa in their opener and the following week, Wisconsin lost to Oregon State, falling out of the top 25 rankings.

The Badgers, however, held on to defeat Utah State 16-14 and stayed ahead of UTEP 37-26. But in winning their last game, they lost their premiere running back, Montee Ball, surely in line for a Heisman Trophy nomination. He may or may not play on Saturday—the jury is still out on that one.

Unfortunately, the Boilers must travel to Lincoln next Saturday to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers [3-1] in their Big Ten opener.

Nebraska, on the other hand, while not exactly setting the football world on fire, has managed to stay ranked in the top 25, hanging tough at No. 22. This contest should be the game of the week— if Ball is cleared to play.

The Huskers put up some impressive numbers against Idaho State last Saturday. But Wisconsin is a far cry from the Bengals out of the Big Sky Conference. Still...

Pick Nebraska to win at home.

Game 7: [PAC 12] (18) Oregon St. Beavers  at Arizona Wildcats

The Oregon State Beavers [2-0] are perfect so far this year after knocking off No. 13 Wisconsin 10-7 and then upending No. 19 UCLA 27-20 in week 4.

Now ranked in the top 20, the Beavers head to Arizona [3-1] where they will hope to extend their winning ways to Week 5.

Arizona was off to a great start of their own, defeating Toledo in overtime, then following that with an upset over No. 18 Oklahoma State 59-38 in Week 2. The following week, the Wildcats took it to South Carolina State, winning 56-0.

But in Week 4, Arizona traveled to Oregon where reality bit them badly. The Ducks pounded the Cats 49-0 in an embarrassing loss. It is hard to come back after that. Nonetheless, the line is drawn in the desert sand.

Pick Arizona to win at home.

 

Game 8: [Big 12] (12) Texas Longhorns at Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Oklahoma State Cowboys [2-1] will be welcoming the Texas Longhorns [3-0] into Stillwater. Last year, the Cowboys won the Big 12 title and should have played in the National Championship Game—or so many believed.

But this year, the Cowboys were shellacked by Arizona 59-38 in Week 2. Now with an injured quarterback, Wes Lunt, whose status remains off the table it is hard to be fully confident in the Cowboys as they face the Longhorns on Saturday.

Texas, of course, has slipped off their perch at the top of the college football pedestal, suffering for the last two seasons. This year they are ranked and undefeated behind the play of quarterback David Ashe. But to date, they have not been tested under fire.

This is a tough one. But when in doubt, do the smart thing.

Pick Oklahoma State to win at home.

 

Game 9: [Big 12] (25) Baylor Bears at (9) West Virginia

This is the first Big 12 contest for West Virginia [3-0] who hosts the newly ranked Baylor Bears [3-0] on Saturday. Both teams remain undefeated on the season.

The Bears have defeated SMU, Sam Houston State and Louisiana-Monroe.

West Virginia, on the other hand, has turned back Marshall, James Madison and Maryland so far in 2012.

But Saturday should reveal which team deserves their ranking and who might need to go back to the drawing board.

It is homecoming in Morgantown and Geno Smith has been playing first-rate ball.

Pick West Virginia to win at home.

 

Game 10: [SEC] Ole Miss Rebels at (1) Alabama Crimson Tide

Ole Miss [3-1] has won three games so far in 2102. They scored wins over Central Arkansas, UTEP, and Tulane while suffering one big loss to No. 14 Texas 66-31 in week 3. Their season seems moderately mediocre to date.

But this week, the Rebels get to travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium where they will face the No. 1 team in the country—the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa [4-0].

There is no way Ole Miss will win this contest. The only question for this season remains—can any team beat Alabama? It looks like a difficult task for any SEC brother.

Therefore, you would be smart to select the obvious.

Pick Alabama to win at home.