Iowa Hawkeyes Football

This is an annual tradition of late summer, one of the fine early season college football games on the crop checkered prairies of the middle west. There is the bright, warm sun, and the oceans of corn rolling ripe over the land. The leisurely afternoon tailgates around the stadiums are tremendous feasts; what Hayden Fry liked to call "high porch picnics." 

Iowa State has become a much tougher football team in the last several years, and especially feisty in this game. Growing up, I used to go back and forth between these stadiums and watch Iowa administer beatings at both ends. The second to last game I saw the Hawkeyes won in Ames, 63-20. But just two years later, the last one I saw in person, Iowa State won at home, 17-10. It was a sign of things to come.

Last year it was triple overtime, and an almost mythical performance from Cyclones' hero Steele Jantz that decided the game. The 44-41 Cyclones' victory compelled State ahead 8-to-7 in the last 15 meetings. That 15-year cycle is important, because in the preceding 15, Iowa was unbeaten. State has not won in Iowa City since 2002. Iowa leads the series overall, 39-20.

"They took advantage of mistakes, and, quite frankly, outplayed and out coached us," head coach Kirk Ferentz said this week to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Cyclones' quarterback Jantz spoke to the Gazette, too: “You’re either a Cyclone fan or a Hawkeye fan,” Jantz said. “It just means so much to the fans. Cyclone fans really want to win and Hawkeye fans really want to win. That’s where I get the biggest sense for what this means.”

But it must be a little brother, underdog mentality that keeps the fire in State, because whereas Hawkeyes' fans generally root for the Cyclones in every game they're not playing against Iowa, Iowa State fans almost universally loath the Hawkeyes. I've always had the impression that Iowa losses felt almost as good to Cyclone fans as their own wins did.

But that may change under head coach Paul Rhoads, who is beginning his fourth season with the Cyclones, if they continue to improve and establish a tradition of their own. State was playing in front of 50,000 people at every home game last season, a huge improvement from the old game-day atmosphere at Jack Trice Stadium.

Since Rhoads has been with State they've beaten Nebraska in Lincoln, Texas at Austin, and last year the Cyclones kept Oklahoma State from the national championship game when they scored 17 consecutive second half points and vanquished the Cowboys in overtime in a memorable Thursday night game at Ames. 

Though Rhoads' record is 9-16 in Big 12 play, and 19-20 overall, the record belies what is going on at State. In 120 years of football, the Cyclones have played in 11 bowl games, yet Rhoads has led them there two of the last three years—missing the trifecta by one game in 2010—and won over Minnesota in the 2009 Insight Bowl. 

"Paul Rhoads had a really great idea of what he wanted to happen there," Ferentz told The Gazette. "They’ve built an identity. They have one on offense and defense and special teams. Personnel have improved every year. Very effective and tough to defend offensive package. Defense, they make you beat them."

The four trophy cases are empty in the locker room at Iowa City, where this game will be played. The Hawkeyes have not gotten up for their big rivalry games the last several years. The last two games against Minnesota, played for their finest trophy, the Floyd of Rosedale, have been among the flattest, most uninspired games I've ever seen Iowa play.

This year the Hawks' coaching staff has hung blown up photographs of the Cyclones celebrating last years' win. This is not a motivational tool generally employed at Iowa, but something has to change when your rivals are holding each of your traveling trophies.

“It’s a big game for us,” senior center James Ferentz told the Gazette. “It’s very important. It’s one we’ve been looking forward to all summer.

“If you want to be respected in your conference, you have to be respected in your state. Right now, we’re not the best team in the state, so Saturday, we’re eager to go out and try to change that.”

If the Hawkeyes' offense plays like it did last week against Northern Illinois, they probably will lose the game. Iowa quarterback James Vandenburg was unable to throw the ball more than five yards downfield. The Hawkeyes put the entire weight of the offense on sophomore running back Damon Bullock, who was making his first start. Beyond Bullock, defense and special teams were responsible for the win.

The offense is new, though, and Vandenburg may be better this week than he was last. He threw for more than 3,000 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season, so there is potential for a break through.

Iowa's receivers may be good—we know Keenan Davis can run routes and catch—but there does not appear to be a guy who can sprint past the coverage and make a big grab downfield. The Hawkeyes are going to put a lot of throws into the hands of tight-end C.J. Fiedorowicz in the short and middle range. But three yard  outs and curls are not going to be enough to beat the Cyclones.

If Iowa is forced again to run their outside zone all day, they'll be playing against the strength of State's defense, which is their linebackers. Seniors A.J. Klein and Jake Knott, along with junior Jeremiah George are big, tough rovers for the Cyclones' behind the line of scrimmage.

The Hawkeyes will have to stop Jantz from running out of the pocket. They'll also have to reduce his completion percentage and yards as a passer. Jantz completed 32 of 45 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns last week against Tulsa. State was a home underdog in that game and just rolled the Golden Hurricane, 38-23. They looked much better beating Tulsa than Iowa looked escaping from Northern Illinois. 

If it isn't Jantz though, the Cyclones run with junior running backs Shontrelle Johnson and James White. Johnson went for 120 yards and a touchdown against Tulsa. White picked up 5.4 yards a carry and scored a touchdown of his own.

"Someone told me we were ten point favorites," said Ferentz. "Games get decided on the field. All that stuff is really overhyped. They had a very impressive win [last week]. I know what I have seen on film and I see a good football team."

Iowa State has always struggled to beat Iowa in Kinnick Stadium, but under Rhoads' the road has not been a wilderness of pain. Several of the programs all-time signature wins have come there. 

The game is going to be close. It may hinge on a good punt, a clutch field goal or a block. If State gets going on the ground and in the air, and shuts down Iowa's passing game, they probably will win.

If the Hawkeyes' can throw it, balancing out their running game, and keep Jantz from opening up the field with the pass so that Johnson and White have room to gallop, the Hawkeyes will reclaim the state championship, and snatch back that Cy-Hawk trophy, making those empty glass cases markedly less transparent.

Former All-American and universally acknowledged crazy person Matt Roth will serve as honorary captain for the Iowa Hawkeyes as they take on Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk Trophy at Kinnick Stadium.

Before you ho-hum the move as a ceremonial window dressing with no real impact, consider this: Roth became something of an urban legend while still playing for the Hawkeyes.  Since graduating (he did graduate, right?) the Legend of Roth has grown exponentially.  He is more than simply a revered defensive end.  In Iowa City, Matt Roth is Chuck Norris.

Matt Roth once urinated in a semi truck's gas tank as a joke...that truck is now known as Optimus Prime.

Roth will join the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.  He will also accompany the captains to midfield for the coin toss and remain on the sideline throughout the game (via HawkeyeSports.com).  At least the Cyclones better hope he remains on the sidelines.  Woody Hayes' ghost thinks that's risky.

Pregame

There is no such thing as evolution, just a list of animals Matt Roth decided not to eat.

While Roth is best known for the reckless abandon with which he pursued opposing quarterbacks, it is said he was equally enthusiastic in his pursuit of other people's food during his days in Iowa City.  As the unsubstantiated story goes, Roth once entered a friend's apartment while a co-worker was sleeping and began eating hot dogs out of their dorm fridge.  When the co-worker awoke to this scene and asked what he was doing, Roth replied, "eating lunch, what the [expletive] are you doing?!?"

There is a lot to be said for proper nutrition in preparation for a physically draining football game, but there is also something to be said about the inherent danger in a pack of hungry wolves.  With Roth likely obliterating the team's pregame meal, I look for Iowa to come out of the gate aggressive and irritable.

Phase one complete, Captain Roth.

Coin Toss

Matt Roth and Superman once fought on a bet. The loser had to start wearing his underwear outside his pants.

There may be no quote that has come to define Matt Roth in the eyes of adoring Hawkeye fans like, "two words: Iowa Hawkeye Pride."

I'm not here to debate the moral ambiguity of celebrating painfully one-dimensional football killing machines, but I am here to point out there is a chance Roth will be the first honorary captain in football history to not know how many sides a coin has...and that may not be a bad thing.

Iowa State linebackers and co-captains A.J. Klein and Jake Knott are two of the players who present the Iowa offense its biggest hurdle.  If those two players dominate the way they are capable, it will be a major uphill battle for Iowa to reclaim the Cy-Hawk Trophy. 

If given the standard option of heads or tails, and Roth inexplicably chooses "steak," it could be difficult for the ISU linebacker duo to contain their laughter.  And if they share a laugh at Roth's expense on the big stage, ISU will be without at least one of their valuable defenders.

Crazy people are never in on the joke.  Don't laugh.

Sideline

Matt Roth is the reason Waldo is hiding.

When ISU runs plays toward the Iowa sideline, they would be wise to keep it in the field of play.

Typically, when successful alumni return to their college stomping grounds with a sideline pass there is a lot of smiling and a steady stream of handshakes with familiar stadium and university staffers.

I do not anticipate Roth hugging it out during the game.

Not to be confused with criminals, successful teams do benefit from a healthy dose of nasty.  I don't know a single Iowa fan that doesn't want Roth in close proximity to the Hawkeyes' inexperienced defensive line, providing an elevated level of intensity through osmosis.

Postgame

When the boogeyman goes to bed, he checks his closet for Matt Roth.

Many people in Iowa City have passed along stories that Roth used to drive his moped around town in the same fashion he rushed passers and strangers' dorm fridges.  A favorite story has Roth losing control of his moped, hitting a curb outside Carver Hawkeye Arena at top speed and being thrown over the handle bars.  

Roth stood up, looked around, got back on his bike and drove off like nothing ever happened.

I don't anticipate the postgame portion of Roth's honorary captaincy being contained to the locker room.

If you are in the downtown Iowa City area celebrating a Hawkeye victory Saturday evening, be on the lookout for runaway mopeds, lest you find yourself written into the next chapter of the Matt Roth Urban Legend.

Ringed by skyscrapers half-obscured by a low ceiling of gray swirling over Chicago's vaulted skyline, Iowa sophomore running back Damon Bullock stretched an off-tackle run to the outside and went 23-yards swiftly to the corner of the end-zone for a Hawkeyes' touchdown. 

He was met by a thundering cheer from the gold-decked mass that descended on Soldier Field for the game against Northern Illinois, and comprised a commanding majority of the 52,117 in attendance. 

The storm clouds were the dispersed remnants of Hurricane Isaac. They'd migrated up the plains and prairies from the Gulf of Mexico and settled ominously over the city that morning. The rain stayed in the clouds, somehow, but it was hot and muggy all afternoon.

"I just saw daylight and ran as fast as I could," said Bullock in the stadium tunnel after the game. "It was frustrating not scoring. Every time we'd get close we couldn't punch it in. We just wanted to help our defense out. Everybody was frustrated, but we found a way to get it in."

The touchdown run came on a 3rd and seven, the most critical snap of the game with 2:15 remaining to play, and put Iowa ahead of Northern Illinois for the first time in the second half, 18-17.

"It was a play we'd talked about at half-time, based on something we'd seen in the second quarter," said head coach Kirk Ferentz during the post-game press conference. "Greg [Davis] pulled it out of his pocket at an opportune moment. That was a huge play, because clearly up until that moment we had issues getting into the end zone."

Bullock ran 30 times for 150 yards and the game winning touchdown in the first start of his college career. There were a lot of young players and new starters on the field for Iowa. It is the youngest team Ferentz has had in 14 seasons as head coach.

"Bullock's a very young player," said Ferentz. "I didn't know what to expect. For him to play almost the entire game; it was muggy, I was worried about that. He'll get better, but he did a lot of good things. Missed a couple of reads, missed a couple of protections, but a good first step for him, and finishing up in a strong fashion."

The football had not matched the picturesqueness of the Lake Michigan shoreline, with the campus of museums and the sailboat masts bobbing in Burnham Harbor beyond the stadium. In stark contrast, both teams passing games looked primitive and underdeveloped. The running games, defenses, and special teams had determined the outcome.

The Hawkeyes' game winning drive had been set-up by a fourth quarter punt, dapperly dropped down inside the five yard line by former quarterback John Weinke. The ball was touched dead by Greg Castillo, a back-up cornerback, inside of NIU's 1 yard line. 

"Contributions from a guy like John, a fifth year senior, he was competing for that punting job, lost it to Conner [Kornbrath], so I thought we'd divide the labor a little bit," said Ferentz. "And then Castillo, a fifth year senior, goes down there and keeps it out of the end zone. Those things aren't obvious, but they're good contributions going forward, we're going to need those all season long."

There had been some confusion in the press box regarding the ruling. The lads went back-and-forth in pontificating fashion on the protocol. Castillo had slid into the end zone as he knocked the football dead outside the goal-line. 

The ball did not break the end zone plane, but Castillo's body clearly had. He was lying on the paint with his arm out, his hand stopping the ball from rolling in with him. 

The rule in college football states that a player does not have to settle himself outside the end zone before touching a ball dead. In the NFL, a player must leave the end zone and re-establish himself in the field of play before making contact, or the punt is called a touchback. 

That wisdom did not mollify the behemoth I encountered in the CTA train tunnel downtown after the game. He was an enormous, despondent man dragging an empty cooler thuddingly down the stairs in the midst of a large crowd of people. His girlfriend walked along behind him with her head hung in embarrassment, not for the loss, but for the way her suitor was taking it. 

I'd forgotten for a moment that no good deed goes unpunished. I'd watched him abuse his cooler down a bank of 25 steps, marveling at the resilience of plastic, and making a mental picture never to embarrass my girlfriend that way. At the bottom near the tracks the lid had popped off. Neither of them had noticed it and both slunk all the way to the far end of the station platform.

I gathered up the lid and walked it over to him. I'd known bad losses in my day.

He stared blankly, with a powerful smell of booze wafting out of him. He was red-eyed and sweated big dark spots through the Northern Illinois t-shirt he wore. It had been a long afternoon in the humid heat. I could see he was studying my press credential, which was white and red and said nothing more than "Media" on it. I wasn't dressed in either teams' colors. 

"Hey, what happened with your team out there?" he'd wanted to know.

"My team? I was covering the whole game," I'd said. "Who do you think I'm for?"

"Yeah, they sent you out here from Iowa to watch it. What are you going to write?"

"That Iowa won."

"Yeah, but they didn't dominate it. They aren't going to have a good year."

"Maybe not."

"Where are you from then?"

"Chicago."

I told him my newspapers; he'd never heard of them. I got him out a business card. 

"I'm gonna check you out," he said, studying it. "I went to Northern, I was around last year, that punt was a touchback. The ball, the ball went across."

"Not the ball, the man went across." 

He was getting confused and looking up at the ceiling. 

"You can't touch the ball from the end zone," he said. "Unless that rule changed. Iowa shouldn't have won."

"Probably not, but what are you going to do? That's how the game goes." 

The punt pinning Northern Illinois against their goal line was not the end of the game. Iowa's defense had stuffed NIU on three consecutive plays, and pressured the punter into a short, poor kick from the back edge of the end zone that Micah Hyde brought back to NIU's 24 yard line. Then Bullock had to make his run.

The train came noisily down the tunnel. He looked like he wanted an apology for having had his afternoon ruined. His girlfriend had retreated to the wall at the end of the platform and was watching under her eyebrows, obviously worried this drunk, sulking giant would lose his cool. She looked like she'd gotten a dose, or witnessed something ugly already.

"You guys will be alright," I said. "Lot of games left. Better than I thought you'd be."

He shook my hand, muttering something about beating Toledo, and slunk away. 

The Huskies' junior quarterback, Jordan Lynch, finished the game 6 of 16 passing for 54-yards. Lynch led the Huskies in rushing attempts and yards, too, with 18 carries for 119. He'd collected 73 of them at once on a 3rd and eight draw he'd galloped down the sideline with for a touchdown early in the third. The scoring run put Northern ahead 17-9 with 9:43 to play in the quarter. 

Northern's most effective third down play by far was that five wide receiver set from which Lynch ran a designed quarterback run through the gaps in the stretched-out defense. They'd used the play to pick-up three third downs of more than six yards over the course of the game, and attempted the play on several others.

The Huskies' second leading rusher was junior running back Leighton Settle, who ran 10 times for 33 yards. Northern Illinois finished with 201 yards of combined offense. No receiver for NIU had more than 39-yards worth of catches.    

Iowa had struggled to throw, and scoring touchdowns looked like a Sisyphean task until the very end. It looked every bit the first game it was. It's been this way at Iowa a long time, though. Not the scoring, but the fact that Ferentz operates a developmental program, and his teams have almost without fail improved enormously as their seasons progressed.

"I was proud of the guys, proud of the effort," said Ferentz. "The goal was to come into the game, play hard and win the game, and we did that. A lot of things were disappointing at times, but those things are correctable, hopefully, with time."

A good example of Iowa's offensive jam-up could be seen after Lynch had been just flattened on a backside rush by Iowa end Joe Gaglione in the third quarter. The football popped loose like a tooth had been punched out and went end-over-end to the turf. Carl Davis recovered it for the Hawkeyes at NIU's 14 yard line. 

Iowa's offense ran three plays at nearly the gates of Northern's end zone, and settled for a field goal. It was that kind of a day.

"We had a tough time protecting, a tough time getting open, and it didn't seem like we were in sync," said Ferentz. "We'll improve as we go along."

The positive that came of it for the Hawkeyes was that place kicker Mike Meyers tied two school records with four made field goals and five attempts. If he'd missed even one more, the Bullock touchdown would not have been enough to win.

"I think we shot ourselves in the foot," said quarterback James Vandenburg afterward. "They didn't do a whole lot of things that were out of sorts, but we weren't able to execute against them. That's obviously gotta get better and this is just a stepping stone."

NIU's defensive line—constituted of three seniors and one junior—played well against Iowa's mostly new offensive line. Northern Illinois tallied six sacks and got into Vandenburg's face regularly.

The usual thing had happened in Iowa City after last season: three linemen set sail for the NFL. Two were drafted—tackle Riley Reiff was the 23rd player taken in the entire draft—and a third, Marcus Zusevics, would have been drafted, but he tore a pectoral muscle at the NFL Combine. He was signed as an un-drafted free agent by the New England Patriots.

Vandenburg had looked jittery on nearly every throw he made in new offensive coordinator Greg Davis's scheme. Most of the routes were truncated, and on many plays he'd locked onto his primary target and threw there no matter what. There were several backside routes broke wide open that Vandenburg didn't see. 

These were tendencies he showed last year when he threw for 3,022 yards, and 25 touchdowns against seven interceptions, but really battled to complete passes against strong, cohesive units. On Saturday he finished 21 of 33 for 129 yards with no touchdowns, but no interceptions either. His average completion yardage was 3.9, which was less than the yards per rush.

Ferentz was positive about Vandbenberg, too. He talked to Marc Morehouse of the Sioux City Gazette on September 4.  "I think [Vandenberg] played well. He led the team and we won the game, that is the objective. It just [the completion average stat] says we didn't throw the ball as well as we wanted to. That is all it says. I am glad he is our quarterback. I am glad he is our quarterback for at least 11 more games."

"You always want to go out in a road game and get the win," said senior cornerback Micah Hyde, who has been in the grinder on many fall Saturdays. "That's the most important thing. It's early in the season, you never know what could happen. We knew this was going to be a hard fought game and we got the win."

An exciting in-state rivalry is on tap for Saturday as Iowa welcomes Iowa State to Kinnick Stadium.

Both the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones fared well in their season openers—though one fared a bit better than the other. Iowa just managed to squeak by Northern Illinois with a come-from-behind, 18-17 victory, while Iowa State handily defeated Tulsa, 38-23, even after letting the Golden Hurricanes stake a 16-7 lead in the first quarter.

The Cyclones defense held Tulsa to a single touchdown for the rest of the game and managed to escape unscathed—but on Saturday, neither of these teams will have any room for error.

Here's how you can make sure you don't miss a second of the action.

Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa

When: Saturday, September 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Watch: BTN

Listen: HawkeyeSports.com, Iowa State

Betting Line (via BetLegends): Iowa -4

Iowa Injuries (via USAToday.com):

• Running back Barkley Hill is out for the season after tearing his ACL.
• Defensive back Ruben Lile is out for the season due to a knee injury.
• Running back Jordan Canzeri is out for the season due to a torn ACL.
• Defensive back Collin Sleeper has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

Iowa State Injuries (via USAToday.com):

No injuries to report.

AP/USA Today Top-25 Poll Implications

Though both Iowa and Iowa State won their season openers, they didn't triumph over the strongest of opponents—so whichever team wins this one certainly has a better shot at the polls than the other.

The good news for Iowa is that it has two winnable games coming up after Iowa State, including Northern Iowa and Central Michigan—both at home. It will take more than that for the Hawkeyes to put themselves into top-25 consideration, but it will certainly help.

If the Cyclones can get by Iowa, Western Illinois, Texas Tech and TCU, they'll be in very good shape, but that will prove to be much easier said than done—especially when that quest begins with a road game against their in-state rival.

What They're Saying

Iowa's come-from-behind victory over Northern Illinois was carried out by one player: running back Damon Bullock. The sophomore was called upon in a third-and-9 situation on Saturday with the Hawkeyes down by five, and he scored to give Iowa a lead it wouldn't relinquish, according to ESPNChicago.com's Scott Powers.

Bullock's final line—150 yards on 30 carries—surprised even his coach, Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz told Powers:

I didn’t know what to expect. [Bullock’s] a very young guy, second year on campus. He didn’t have many yards last season, period. …I though he made some real tough runs and did some good things. I’m certainly pleased with this being a first step for him.

Iowa State's experience on Saturday wasn't quite as suspenseful. In part, the Cyclones' success was due to the play of their own backfield star, Shontrelle Johnson, who returned after missing most of 2011 with a neck injury, according to the Associated Press.

Johnson rushed for 120 yards against Tulsa, and though the padded stat line was nice, the fact that he was back on the field again was reward enough. After the win, he told the AP of being back in action:

It's a good feeling. I wasn't 100 percent sure if I'd be able to play again. But I got the word from the [doctors] and it felt good to be back out with my boys.

Iowa Player to Watch

Quarterback James Vandenberg wasn't bad against Northern Illinois last weekend, he just wasn't as effective as he needed to be in order to put the Hawkeyes in a decisive position to win.

The senior threw for 129 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions, with a completion percentage of about 64. It was fine, but he is going to need to be much better if the Hawkeyes are going to have a chance at beating a Big 12 opponent.

Last season, Vandenberg threw for 3,022 total yards and 25 touchdowns with an average rating of 138.5. He's going to need to get right back to where he left off in order to get this offense rolling.

Iowa State Player to Watch

Often, the play of special teams members goes under-appreciated, but the truth is that a competent punter can be the difference between a top-25 team and a mediocre team.

That's why the Cyclones are lucky they have punter Kirby Van Der Kemp, who was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week on Tuesday, according to David Ubben of ESPN.com.

According to Ubben, Van Der Kemp booted nine punts in the Cyclones' win on Saturday and averaged 43 yards on each of them; five landed inside the 20-yard line. Judging from that, it's easy to see why Tulsa had a tough time engineering some key scoring drives.

Iowa could be in for the same struggles if Van Der Kemp submits another performance like that.

Key Storyline

This is the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, and as can be expected, these two teams are playing for pride just as much as they're playing for their second wins of the season.

This is also Iowa's home opener, and there would be no better way to welcome back the fans than by throttling Iowa State right in front of them to improve to 2-0.

According to HawkeyeSports.com, Iowa has won each of the last four meetings between these two teams that have been played on its home turf, and it has won its home opener for 11 straight seasons. None of that bodes well for the Cyclones.

But then again, we all saw how much the Hawkeyes offense struggled in the Week 1. Maybe this is the year the streak is shattered.

Prediction: Iowa Wins

The Cyclones may have put up more points in the season opener, but now that Iowa has had time to work out the kinks—and now that it has been energized by last week's scare—it will work itself up to a big win over its in-state rival at home. The odds and the history are too heavily in the Hawkeyes' favor to ignore. 

Living in the largest metropolis that sits on any two Big Ten state borders, you get to read a lot of ink about two different Big Ten teams.

The Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa, metro is full of passionate fans of both Iowa and Nebraska. With that are several media outlets looking to capitalize on that passion.

Yesterday was the perfect storm for media reaction and fan overreaction.

On the surface, Nebraska looked nothing short of the most impressive team in the Big Ten. Having lost its best player early on, much-criticized quarterback Taylor Martinez took to the skies and put on a passing clinic that could have been the envy of anyone named Brady or Manning.

The end result: A 49-20 Nebraska victory over Southern Miss.

Then you have Iowa.

After struggling the entire game to find consistency and any playmakers outside of tight ends, the Hawkeyes pulled out a victory, as they often do early in the season, against what many thought was an inferior MAC team.

The end result: An 18-17 Iowa victory over Northern Illinois.

So this morning I fill my coffee cup, put on the slippers, mosey out to the driveway and grab the Sunday Edition of The Omaha-World Herald, the premier news outlet in the region.

The reactions of the media were easy to spot right away as I opened the college football insert: cupcakes and rainbows for Nebraska; doom and gloom for Iowa.

The insert was loaded with articles describing how great Nebraska looked in virtually every facet of the game, including a front-pager about Taylor Martinez's stellar performance.

Page three of the insert was dedicated to the Iowa game, highlighted by quick hits about how disappointing James Vandenberg's performance was, how pedestrian Damon Bullock looked at running back, and how Iowa's defense was exposed against a dual-threat quarterback.

OK, now let's all take a sip of our coffee and a deep breath.

As many Husker fans were quick to remind me after I wrote an article explaining how Southern Miss could be a trap game, the Golden Eagles were a shell of their 2011 selves that won Conference USA.

A new coach, three new quarterbacks, and a mass exodus of starters make the 2012 Southern Miss football team an average mid-major football team.

While it was nice to see Martinez's improved mechanics, it came against a group of players who had never seen a stage like Memorial Stadium. It also came against a non-existent pass rush.

We have yet to see how his mechanics will look under real duress while his receivers navigate a secondary full of guys who will play on Sundays in the next two to three years.

Let's not forget that Southern Miss had the Huskers looking for the door before the final drive of the first half. I'm anxious to see this team play in a hostile environment against a UCLA team that hung 49 points on a Rice team that compares favorably to Southern Miss.

As far as Iowa goes, any college football fan who did any research on Northern Illinois beforehand knew that they were a team riding the longest winning streak in the nation and returning 15 of 22 starters.

I'll also bet they'll be in the hunt for the MAC title with Ohio and Western Michigan, winning 10 games along the way.

For what many consider to be a middle-of-the-road team in the Big Ten, I personally thought Iowa turned in a gutty performance on a neutral field over what could be a conference champion in 2012. Whether it was by one point or 21 points, they won their opener and learned that they do have a go-to running back, after a tumultuous offseason where everything that could have gone wrong at the position did.

The lesson here is that it is a long season. I could very well walk out to my driveway next Sunday and open a paper with completely opposite articles on both teams based on the previous day's results.

Both teams won their openers and we can all move on. Just don't fall into the trap that the talking heads set for you, both good and bad, when analyzing your team's performance. I promise it will all change week by week. 

Well, it wasn't pretty.  

That may be underselling it.  It was downright ugly.

But somehow, the Iowa Hawkeyes are 1-0.  

A late 23-yard touchdown run by Damon Bullock gave the Hawkeyes an 18-17 lead.  Following an unsuccessful two-point attempt, that was the final score at Soldier Field on Saturday.

Bullock was the hero for the Hawkeyes on Saturday.  The supposed one-dimensional Iowa offense was just that, except that they were supposed to have a potent passing game and no running game.  

Bullock rushed 30 times for 150 yards and was an absolute workhorse for the Hawkeyes.  The Iowa offensive line, which was supposed to be a strength, failed to give quarterback James Vandenberg much time in the pocket.  They did, however, contribute to Bullock's 150-yard day.

Vandenberg was 21-for-33 for only 123 yards.  Vandenberg did not even attempt many long passes, as many Hawk fans expected him to do under new offensive coordinator Greg Davis.

Leading the receiving core was Keenan Davis with five catches for 41 yards and Kevonte Martin-Manley with six catches for 31 yards.  Bullock and tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz also pulled in three catches a piece.

The Iowa offense stalled out in Northern Illinois territory most of the day.  Kicker Mike Meyer kept them in the game until Bullock's game-winning burst.  

A win is a win, but this particular win is worrisome for Iowa.  

Some specific worries include the failure to get six points after defensive lineman Carl Davis recovered a fumble on the NIU 13-yard line, Kevonte Martin-Manley dropping a potential touchdown pass, the consistent attacking of Micah Hyde by NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch, the offensive line's inability to deal with a four-man rush in the third quarter, the lack of targets for Fiedorowicz and Vandenberg's reluctance to look for the deep ball, among others.

Nitpicking?  Possibly.  But it does get tougher from here.  

Iowa hosts in-state rival Iowa State next week, followed by an extremely confident Northern Iowa team coming off a very impressive 26-21 loss at Wisconsin.  

Iowa needs to get the passing game working.  It was expected to be a strength of the Hawkeyes, but now that Bullock has shown his potential, the passing game could be even more lethal, if effective.

The offensive line needs to protect Vandenberg and continue to open holes for Bullock.  

Keenan Davis needs to be Iowa's number one receiver.  Every football-savy Hawkeye fan could see how much Vandenberg missed Marvin McNutt today.  And while we are on receivers, Kevonte Martin-Manley cannot be dropping touchdown passes on an already struggling offense.

The huge advantage in the form of C.J. Fiedorowicz needs to be utilized.

The defense was fine today, but it resembled the 2011 defense a lot more than the 2009 or 2010 defense that many were wishing for.

The saying is that teams improve the most between weeks one and two.  The Hawkeyes need to hope that this is true.  

Nevertheless, they are undefeated, with an opportunity to start 5-0 without playing a top-25 team or traveling away from Kinnick Stadium.

1-0 is 1-0.

The Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Northern Illinois (kind of) to take on the Huskies in the Soldier Field Showdown III on Saturday afternoon. 

You might technically want to call it a home game for the Huskies, but their campus is about 65 miles away from Soldier Field, somewhat canceling out the advantage they will desire against its Big Ten foe. 

Iowa is simply trying to get the bad taste out of its mouth from last year's 31-14 Insight Bowl defeat to Oklahoma, which capped off a frustrating 7-6 campaign. 

Northern Illinois' arrow, meanwhile, is pointing straight up as it looks to continue to build its program after two-straight 11-win seasons. 

When: Saturday, September 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

Watch: ESPNU

Listen: Iowa fans can find their radio broadcast here. Northern Illinois fans can tune in to WSCR 670 AM. 

Live Streaming: WatchESPN

Betting Line: Iowa (-10), according to Covers

Iowa Injuries (via USA Today)

Barkley Hill, RB, Knee, Out

Ruben Lile, DB, Knee, Out

Jordan Canzeri, RB, Knee, Out

Collin Sleeper, DB, Suspension, Out

Northern Illinois Injuries (via USA Today)

Logan Pegram, OL, Leg, Out

What's at Stake?

The Huskies are trying to notch one in the win column at Soldier Field, where they have yet to win since starting the "Showdown Series."

The first matchup was in 2007, a year in which Northern Illinois won just two games all year. They lost to Iowa, 16-3. The series returned last year with the talented Wisconsin squad rolling to a 49-7 victory.

If Northern Illinois keeps leaving Soldier Field in defeat, they might not want to keep coming back. 

As for Iowa, the Hawkeyes are coming off a 7-6 season, which was Kirk Ferentz' worst year in Iowa City since 2007. An upset loss to start this year would be absolutely brutal for this reeling squad.  

Iowa Player to Watch: Keenan Davis, WR

With Marcus Coker now beating up on the teams in the vaunted Big South, the focus of the Hawkeyes' offense will shift to the veteran senior duo of James Vandenberg and Keenan Davis.

While Vanderberg was solid at managing the ball for Iowa, he didn't exactly always light up the scoreboard. But when he did, Davis was usually on the other end. The now-senior pulled in 50 balls to the tune of 713 yards and four touchdowns in 2011, all which led the team. 

With a less reliable running game, Vandenberg and Davis will have to be even better in 2012. For the 6'3", 215-pound wideout, that should be no problem. 

Northern Illinois Player to Watch: Jordan Lynch, QB

It's odd looking at the Northern Illinois depth chart and not seeing Chandler Harnish in the "QB1" spot, as it seems like he's been there for about the past 10 years. 

Harnish, who is currently a member of the Indianapolis Colts, was terrific last season for the Huskies, throwing for 3,216 yards, 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions while rushing for another 1,379 and 11 scores.

Talk about big shoes to fill for Jordan Lynch.

The junior has been backing up Harnish for the past two years, but if the way he's played during his limited opportunities is any indication, his feet are plenty big enough.

During his two years with NIU, Lynch has completed 73 percent of his 26 throws for 179 yards, two TDs and zero picks. He's also added 76 rushes for 608 yards and six touchdowns, as he is clearly a dangerous dual threat. 

It will be fun to see how Lynch does against a solid Big Ten defense in his first start. 

Key Matchup: Iowa Offense vs Northern Illinois Defense

This is going to be an intriguing battle to say the least. 

Iowa, like most Big Ten offenses, struggled to move the ball at times last season. They scored just 27 points per game (52nd in the country) and averaged 370.7 yards per contest (72nd). With Coker gone, those struggles could very well continue.

But if they are going to find a way into the endzone, Northern Illinois is probably the defense to do it against. The Huskies return eight starters on defense, but those starters simply weren't very good in 2011, as they gave up over 400 yards and 30 points per game. 

Whoever's weakness prevails should push them to victory. 

Prediction

This is the classic battle of two opposite teams. Iowa usually finds its success on the defensive side of the ball while Northern Illinois is there to score points in a hurry.

I think this one is a lot closer than a 10-point spread, but Iowa should escape with some timely defensive plays against the inexperienced Northern Illinois offense.

Hawkeyes win, 21-17. 

Follow @t_keen.