Home > Blogs > On Iowa by Marc Morehouse

1. Somewhere sunny -- The Orange Bowl rep was at the Johnson County I-Club breakfast Friday morning. A Fiesta Bowl rep is en route to Iowa City. The Sugar Bowl was at Ohio State last week (scouting the Buckeyes?). The Capital One/Citrus Bowl people will be there. They've been there nearly every week this season. So, somewhere sunny. Where exactly? Don't know. These bowls don't travel to Iowa City for the halftime hotdogs. I can't exactly say how the ratings/fans equation will ...

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Iowa LB A.J. Edds vs. Minnesota TE Nick Tow-Arnett A.J. Edds (sr.) Dimensions — 6-4, 244 Position — Outside linebacker Back story — Tight ends haven't had huge days against the Hawkeyes. That's what Iowa's outside linebacker does. Edds' job is mostly the tight end, but it also includes coverage against slot receivers. Before Edds, there seemed to be a big play made by a wide receiver against an Iowa linebacker every season. With Edds, those have been few and far between. Iowa's OLB isn't ...

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Junior offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga told stories about sending Iowa seniors off with a victory over Minnesota on Saturday. But will it be his last game in an Iowa uniform? “As of right now no decision has been made,” Bulaga said this week. “No discussions between coach (Kirk) Ferentz and I have really even happened yet. I don’t know.” The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder has been on NFL draft radars all season. Most mock drafts around the Internet list him as a first-round prospect. Last ...

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Yes, freshman quarterback James Vandenberg earned some acclaim with his performance at Ohio State. He completed 20 of 33 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. But he also had three interceptions, with a penalty and a miracle deflection saving another two. He also took a 10-yard sack on third-and-16 in overtime. Vandenberg stepped in for injured junior Ricky Stanzi (high-ankle sprain and surgery) and made his first career start in front of 105,000 hostile fans with a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl ...

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"I got to get into this dude's pelt and crawl around for a few days. Who's the gopher's ally? His friends? The harmless squirrel and the friendly rabbit?" Join Gazette columnist Mike Hlas, basketball/football writer Scott Dochterman and me for an intimate 11:30 a.m. chat on Thursday. We'll talk Hawkeyes because that's all I know. Seriously, I'm like Kelly Bundy from that one episode where she learned a bunch of stuff for a quiz/game show and the rest of the stuff ...

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The dog’s name is “Cash,” as in “Johnny Cash.” Cash is an English bulldog and he’s Pat Angerer’s best friend. We got to know Cash, owned by one of Angerer’s three brothers, after the Iowa linebacker tore ligaments in his right thumb earlier this season. Cash does just fine without thumbs, so . . . “You don’t need thumbs,‘’ he said. “My best friend is my brother’s dog. He doesn’t have any thumbs and he’s doing fine.” Angerer has made nearly every media ...

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When the Hawkeyes have the ball The Gophers appear to have more speed on defense than in past seasons and linebackers Nate Triplett (6-3, 247) and Lee Campbell (6-3, 246), playing behind a bruiser line, are active and disruptive. Campbell leads the team in tackles (106) and tackles for loss (9.0) with five pass breakups. He also leads the Big Ten in solo tackles. Triplett has two interceptions and returned a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown in the victory over ...

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Notre Dame talk -- Death, taxes and Ferentz-to-somewhere talk. Maybe this year is a record, though. On Sunday morning, the Chicago Sun-Times threw Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz's name into the mix for the potential opening at Notre Dame. "I don’t know who attached it. I heard that yesterday," Ferentz said Tuesday. "I read this morning that Bob Stoops is interested. So, call Oklahoma. I didn’t see anyone say they talked with Bob about it. Maybe his barber says he is interested." Notre Dame ...

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Here are videos from Iowa's Tuesday news conference. Good stuff today, I think, but you tell me. OK, it's been driving me crazy all season. What running back does Adam Robinson remind me of? Finally, I just asked him. He said as a high schooler and younger he tried to be a Barry Sanders type because he was a smaller back (5-9, 200). I also asked about his "combine numbers." I think the conclusion here is that this is just a ...

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Trey Stross dropped three passes Saturday, including a possible TD pass. Monday, he dropped the invisible wall between athlete and fan. On his Facebook account, the senior wide receiver from Avon Lake, Ohio, apologized to fans two days after the Hawkeyes' 27-24 loss at Ohio State. He also alluded to some not-so-nice e-mails he received. He wrote: "Trey Stross on the best team in the nation,w/the best fanbase,thanx for all the support every1, after 30+ games i had the worst game of my ...

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For starters -- James Vandenberg gets his second start at QB. Freshman Adam Robinson is listed as a "slash" this week with freshman Brandon Wegher. Robinson, who called himself "85 to 90" percent healthy, returned from injury against Ohio State and rushed 20 times for 74 yards, averaging 3.7 yards a carry against a team allowing only 2.6. Wegher missed OSU because of a rib injury. He was a gametime decision and coach Kirk Ferentz said on his TV show last night that ...

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  Your 2010 running back is . . . -- Going into Saturday's pregame, Adam Robinson knew he would play. The redshirt freshman running back suffered a high-ankle sprain at Michigan State and missed Iowa's last two games. He practiced this week and reported no pain or swelling. He knew he would play -- some. He didn't know until halftime that fellow freshman running back Brandon Wegher would miss the entire 27-24 overtime loss to Ohio State. "I didn't know I was going ...

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Everyone Iowa was about a million miles from bowl talk. Kirk Ferentz was into Joe Namath references while explaining his decision to throttle down with 52 seconds left and a timeout. The Hawkeyes themselves? They ground their teeth about what might’ve been after Saturday’s wrenching 27-24 overtime loss at Ohio State. “I’ve done enough stupid things this year, why do another one at that point?” Ferentz said. “Had we got the return, had there been a shanked punt where ...

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — James Vandenberg wanted a lot of it back. No matter how steady and gutsy it was, he couldn’t get past the result. The redshirt freshman quarterback played well in No. 15 Iowa’s 27-24 overtime loss at Ohio State. Filling in for injured starter Ricky Stanzi, Vandenberg made his first start in front of 105,544 fans who didn’t exactly wish him success, on ABC national TV and for a Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl. He played well, completing ...

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The mood wasn't chatty. They have no regrets. They have a shot at a BCS bowl. I wouldn't want to be Minnesota. Kirk Ferentz part I Yes, first question was about Iowa's last series before the overtime. Iowa had first down at its 33 with 52 seconds left and one timeout. After a handoff to Adam Robinson, Iowa took a delay of game penalty and ran out the clock to go to overtime. Ferentz said he based the decision on the punt return. ...

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — They brought the entire state of Ohio and a big red stadium to their knees. In the end, it was too much. It was just too much for the No. 15 Hawkeyes. It was too audacious for the football Gods to allow. It was so close and yet it was so far. The Hawkeyes pushed the big red Horsehoe to the brink with a freshman quarterback who barely shaves, their first kick return for a TD in and 242 ...

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The sequence that doomed the Hawkeyes in the first half was a three-and-out. After Ohio State used 17 plays and 8:40 minutes to drive for Devin Barclay's 30-yard field goal, the Hawkeyes answered with a quick three-and-out. On first down, wide receiver Trey Stross dropped his second pass of the game (the first would've been a touchdown) and the Hawkeyes never caught up. So, Iowa's defense got just more than a minute to get themselves correct. It wasn't enough time. The Buckeyes rushed seven times ...

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ARob a go? -- There are reports (HawkeyeInsider) saying Iowa's leading rusher will give it a go today. He suffered a high-ankle sprain three weeks ago against Michigan State. He still had a limp at Iowa's walkthrough Friday afternoon. It's a four-week injury, minimum, but with treatment and if it was a grade one, he could make it back. But that might stilll be a pretty sloppy ankle for a Big Ten running back. I'm not sure how much he'd be able ...

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"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." -- Shakespeare We'll start the chat at 2 p.m. central.

Iowa CB Amari Spievey vs. Ohio State WR DeVier Posey Amari Spievey (jr.)  Dimensions — 6-0, 190 Position — Right cornerback Back story — Amari Spievey's name is on the list. ESPN draft persona Mel Kiper has the 6-1, 19-pounder No. 4 on his list of junior cornerbacks. Spievey earned second-team all-Big Ten last season. This season, he has two interceptions and seven pass breakups. Coming off the field against Iowa State, when Iowa picked off five Cyclones passes, I joked with him, where's your's? He kinda snapped, hey, they're not ...

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“It’s a great situation to walk into, actually,” Vandenberg said. “What more could I ask for? The chances are that you could never be in this situation again. I just plan on making the most of it and putting in as much effort this week as I can to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. “This is a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity. Yeah, I haven’t had all the experience in the world before this game, but ...

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The clamps have come down on Iowa tight ends. Tony Moeaki and Allen Reisner have caught three passes total in the last three games. Both were shut out against Northwestern. Moeaki, tied for third in receiving for the Hawkeyes with 23 catches for 274 yards, caught one against Michigan State, two against Indiana and was targeted three times against Northwestern. Reisner, 13 catches for 134 yards this season, hasn’t caught a pass since Wisconsin. In the two games before the cold streak, Moeaki ...

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Contrary to Iowa legend, Hayden Fry didn’t invent high-ankle sprains. It was an unfamiliar term when Fry broke it out in the mid ‘80s. Iowa fans began hearing it a lot. Fullback David Hudson had one in ‘86, followed by O-lineman Bob Kratch in ‘87, tight end Marv Cook in ‘88 and so on. People thought it was something Fry made up. They really exist. For the 2009 Hawkeyes, high-ankle sprains have been a real pain in the neck. “Football isn’t built for joints, ...

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When the Hawkeyes have the ball The heart of Ohio State’s defense is a line that can reach 10 deep. The stud of the bunch is end Cameron Heyward (6-6, 287), who leads the Buckeyes with five sacks to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss. His play has jumped off the video so noticeably that he was thrown the “are you leaving for the NFL” question this week. Heyward, son of the late NFL back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, said no. ...

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              NASA Director: "This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever faced." Gene Kranz: "With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour." I love that quote. I'm still probably picking Ohio State, but I love that quote. Join us for a Thursday chat. Gazette columnist Mike Hlas and me, football and backup hockey writer, I think. Scott Dochterman will be attending to basketball business. If the weather is nice, well, it might just be me. We'll start at 11:30 a.m.