On Iowa by Marc Morehouse
‘Cost us a TD and a QB’
Posted on Nov 07, 2009 by Marc Morehouse.
Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg (16) drops back to pass during the second half of their game against Northwestern Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette)
IOWA CITY — On Ricky Stanzi’s right, Iowa had a tackle, tight end and an H-back. Then, the ball was snapped.
The tackle blocked down. The tight end went into his route. The H-back brushed off the defensive end and ran into pattern. Not long after the ball was snapped, Stanzi had no one on his right except Northwestern defensive end Corey Wootton.
It was a massive heart attack, for the game and, maybe, the Hawkeyes’ season.
The 6-foot-7, 280-pounder sacked Stanzi, forced a fumble the Wildcats recovered for a touchdown and bent the Iowa quarterback’s right ankle in a disgusting angle, pretty much bending the tide in Northwestern’s 17-10 upset over No. 8 Iowa on Saturday.
What went wrong, besides everything?
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz didn’t get into too many details.
“Obviously, we didn’t get a good enough block, delay on their defensive end. He made the play,” he said. “It’s a good play on their part, bad play on ours.
“It cost us a touchdown and a quarterback, unfortunately.”
It was a second-and-10 from Iowa’s 6-yard line, with the Hawkeyes leading 10-0. Stanzi was coming off an interception on the last drive that allowed Northwestern to flip field position. NU punter Stefan Demos pinned the Hawkeyes at their 6 with a 31-yard punt.
The call was a naked bootleg off a play-action fake. A risk from your 6, yes, but it’s also a play Iowa has made into a pillar of its offense.
It blew up in the worst way possible.
“It’s unfortunate to see Ricky get injured. He’s been having such a great year, it’s been a magical ride and you never like to see a competitor get injured,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “As a big momentum play, not only getting the sack and causing the fumble but getting the touchdown, that play was critical from a momentum standpoint.”
Iowa’s right tackle Kyle Calloway blocked down. Tight end Allen Reisner gave Wootton a look before sprinting into his route. H-back Brett Morse gave Wootton a shove before going out for a pass.
Wootton, who suffered torn ACL and MCL in a knee in NU’s bowl game last year, barrelled up field. Stanzi turned right into him. He had no time to react.
“Corey is continuing to get closer and closter to finally getting over the hump of him becoming the player he wants to be,” Fitzgerald said.
After Stanzi, redshirt freshman James Vandenberg led Iowa no points and only 121 yards total offense on 9 of 27 passing. The Hawkeyes will try to hang on to a portion of the Big Ten lead at Ohio State next week with a freshman quarterback making his first start.
“We’re going to go over there and try to be aggressive and see if we can’t score points,” Ferentz said. “It’s going to be tough with just 10.”
Injured Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi talks with backup quarterbacks John Wienke (14), and James Vandenberg (16) along with receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (15) during the second half of their game against Northwestern Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Stanzi left the game with a leg injury during the second quarter. (Brian Ray/The Gazette)
trapperjohn
07. Nov, 2009
Can someone answer me why you would call a playaction, naked bootleg that close to your own endzone. Takes to long to develop and played right i to wootens hands.
#86 in nation in offense w/Stanzi,DJK,Mcnutt, Moeaki, Bulaga, Wegher.
Inexcusable. Norm couldn't quite bail Ken O'Keefe out again.
socksonaworm
08. Nov, 2009
i can. because it works. i dont know if u watched the indy game but thats where our tds came from. i had a good feeling they were gona call that play and should have. one guy just didnt make his block. you carry out your assignment and it works like a charm. its our best play, also i think they guessed right and knew that also. but otherwise its a big gain or td again. good call coach!
ScottinArizona
08. Nov, 2009
It's been easy, too easy, to take Stanzi's health for granted. Sure, you knew there would be big trouble if something ever happened, but for some reason that possibility seemed remote. Hardly anybody has great depth at QB, but it's clearly one of the last positions where you can pull it off with a freshman or redshirt freshman who has maybe 5 actual game plays. It's one of the consequences of not putting games away.
Everybody outside of Iowa complained about the calls last week. Probably none of them will speak up about the several bad calls here, one of which cost Iowa the go-ahead touchdown. Which is why all the chirping was, and is, ultimately meaningless. After that second missed PI call, you just got the feeling it wasn't to be.
How utterly fragile the whole thing can be. At the moment, Cap One looks good. Still, somehow, some way, this team can still control it's own destiny. There is little reason for us to think the team can win in Columbus. Can't even think beyond that. But if there is a team that deserves our faith despite the most dire of circumstances, it is this one. No fanfare, no talking heads, no expectations this week, just a lot of fundamental preparation to play a sound football game. We'll see what happens.
trapperjohn
08. Nov, 2009
Can someone answer me why you would call a playaction, naked bootleg that close to your own endzone. Takes to long to develop and played right into Wooten's hands.
Ken O'Keefe's playcalling is terrible. Always has been. Norm has bailed him out for a decade now.
86th in the country on offense w/our current players is inexcusable.
wwwizz63
08. Nov, 2009
That play action naked bootleg was the same play they scored on last week with Mcnutt at the same spot. The receiver was open….just didnt pick up the blitz good enough….
It's just so disapointing to lose like this, not even at full strength.
cmhawks99
08. Nov, 2009
please stop………………………………..This is the 3rd winningest team in the Big 10 since 2001. KOK is a part of that.
Chad
Marc_Morehouse
08. Nov, 2009
It's worth debating.
I say it's a pillar of their offense, something they run 10 times a game. They ran the same play from the 8 last week and it turned out to be six.
The situations were different, down 10 in the fourth and up 10 in the second. But it's a shot they felt they needed to take.
Credit Wootton. Helluva play.
It's OK to debate the play call. Let's not make it personal, though. We can be civil.
Thanks!
WWJD1
08. Nov, 2009
Iowa's play calling seems so predictable, why can't there be more passing and the aggressive goal of getting way ahead from the start so that the other team can't possibly catch up? Iowa can go down the field and score a touch down in two minutes if they want too!!!
brokenhawk
08. Nov, 2009
Kirk Ferentz is a great coach who has allowed friendship with an assistant to blur his vision, the Paterno's Osborne's Stoop's etc. put the program first, Okeefe has always been the weak link, this game should have been won in the 1st half , MSU game should have never came down to the last play, incompetence finally bit the Hawks in the tailfeathers (Okeefe's ) oh yeah throwing the long ball into a 25-30 mph wind last week wasn't a great idea either!!
cmhawks99
08. Nov, 2009
Good point and Stoops now has 4 losses and a couple years ago also had 4 and his fans are calling for his head.
Paterno has long been accused of having friends on staff I/e: his son.
Tom Ozborne, was maliciously maligned for years until he finally won it all. This thread is indicative of what many of us already know.
Chad
socksonaworm
08. Nov, 2009
why is it always o'keefe? nobody has a problem when he makes his calls and it results in a td or big play. u take the good with the bad but all in all the players have to execute their assignments
trapperjohn
10. Nov, 2009
We are ranked 66th nationally over the last 8 years offensively.
We are ranked 18th nationally over the last 8 years defensively.
Our defense keeps bailing out the offense. Maybe Vandy would have had some experience if KOK could hold up his end.
As for the naked bootleg call. Not sure how much you actually know about football, but it is not the right call on your own 5 yrd line. Bob Griese who actually played football and was announcing the game questioned the call as well as a few other pundits on ESPN and B10 network.
I assume being ranked 66th over the last 8 years on offense is fine by you.
ScottinArizona
08. Nov, 2009
Lost an earlier comment, will try again.
Amazing at times how fragile it all is. We all knew we were in trouble if Stanzi ever went down, but for some reason, it never seemed like it would happen. Too many miraculous things have happened for the season, at least the regular season, to end like this for him.
It will be interesting to see if a fraction of the army of media types who bemoaned the calls last week will say anything about the calls this week. Probably not, though I saw some mention of it over at College Football News. It shows how much the chirping matters in the end, which is not at all.
It's a lot to ask of a kid with less than a game of experience to go to Columbus and right the ship. Can't even think beyond that, or whatever the bowl implications are. The outside media will be gone, the spotlight is gone, and nobody will think Iowa has a chance. While it may indeed seem that way, if any team deserves our faith, it is this one. This week's preparation will likely be a strong dose of fundamental football with a crash course in game management for Vandenberg. Although this team still has a lot to play for, in one sense it's back to having nothing to lose. We haven't been there since Penn State. Let's see what happens.
Doug11
08. Nov, 2009
You can't find a coach at any level that would call a naked bootleg in your own endzone. It cost us a sack and a TD for NW.
cmhawks99
08. Nov, 2009
actually not true, seen it many times this year alone. sorry but please don't make things up because you are mad.
Chad
socksonaworm
08. Nov, 2009
no what cost a sack was someone not picking up the block. the fumble was stanzi, which happens but not o'keefes fault. when a player throws the ball to the other team or fumbles its not o'keefe. he CALLS the plays, the player PERFORM them.
Robin Tucker
08. Nov, 2009
I was disappointed in Ricky Stanzi’s lack of taking what the defense was giving in the first half. Up 10-0, Iowa seemed eager to make the big strike, rather than keep the chains moving and the Northwestern defense on the field.
Northwestern beat Iowa on Saturday.
Sadly, the Iowa team played into Northwestern’s game plan. The Wildcats forced Iowa to be patient and consistent, which has not always been Stanzi’s strength this season.
Turnovers and miscues will add up over the course of the season.
On Stanzi’s injury and fumble, it appeared that two players were confused and may have tipped off the Northwestern defense. I believe those two players, after the snap, broke down on their execution and assignment.
9-1 and playing for the Big Ten title in Columbus.
All we could have asked for in a season!
Scoty
09. Nov, 2009
All the Sunday morning, armchair stuff in the world accomplishes little. Football is a game where little things matter. This play has been very successful for Iowa's offense this year and in the past. Northwestern had likely prepared for it. Our blocking could have been better on the play, but these things happen in football.
I know another Big 10 team that lost unexpectedly a few weeks ago. They haven't lost since and improved every week afterwards. Iowa can learn and grow from this game. If there was ever a time that I liked our chances in Columbus, it is now. No one expects much. Past experience tells me Iowa will be ready for this game.
Bilbo
09. Nov, 2009
Bob Griese made the same comment about calling a naked reverse with an all American Defensive end. OMG, he is 6″7′ and 240 pounds. I think he has credibility for all you KOK lovers. The play calling in the MS game was unimaginative. They were on the goal line and he did not run one play up the middle, not even a QB sneak. George Hallas said you should always be able to get 1 yard on a sneak, NW did it 3 times.
This reminds me of the Bulls owner’s loyalty to Paul Krause get in the way. He forced Phil Jackson to leave even though Jordan threatened to retire.
The team wins in spite of him.
trapperjohn
10. Nov, 2009
We are ranked 66th nationally over the last 8 years offensively.
We are ranked 18th nationally over the last 8 years defensively
DMHawkeyeD
10. Nov, 2009
I remember a game a while back where a fan a few rows behind us bemoaned the lack of creativity in Chuck Long's offense. "Chuck Long is so predictable. He needs to mix things up." There was a brief and absolutely silent moment in our area until someone reminded him, "Chuck Long's been gone for two years." Never mind what his responsibilities as a coach actually were when he was there.
There is an element of risk in every play and calling what they're not looking for can have great rewards. The complaints about KOK in this 9-1 season seem to be that he is too predictable and that he took too much of a risk calling the naked bootleg. Several top teams had safety's on Saturday, because they were taking a risk to get the reward. Had the Wegher touchdown not been called back, who knows what people would be saying right now. I know it would be nice if the Hawks would man up like the XBox and Wii players who don't get the flu, break bones or tear ligaments. The first quarter seemed to go well and the same guy was calling plays.