Coach Todd Lickliter is under a lot of pressure going into Friday’s game against Bowling Green. Not just the normal pressure of being a head coach or the pressure the fans are giving him and the team. But the pressure of repeating history over again and the results that followed it.

If Iowa (0-2) shall lose on Friday against Bowling Green (1-1), then this will be the third time in Iowa’s history that they lost the first three games of the season.

Last time this happened was the 1920-1921 season. Iowa finished that season 9-10 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten under head coach James Ashmore. Back then it was good for a sixth place finishing in the conference. At the end of the season, Coach Ashmore was fired after coaching three seasons. His record was 29-28 overall and 17-17 in the Big Ten during his time at Iowa. His best team finished fifth in the Big Ten in his second year.

The only other time Iowa has lost that many games at the beginning of the season was the 1917-1918 season. That year the Hawkeyes lost the first six games of the season. Iowa finished 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the Big Ten for ninth place finish. Iowa’s coach was Maury Kent during that season. He suffered the same fate as Ashmore at the end of the season. Kent coached Iowa for five years. His best finish in the Big Ten was seventh place twice. His five year record at Iowa was 42-36 overall and 10-29 in the Big Ten.

Coach Lickliter is also feeling the pressure of finishing the season with a losing record. There was only one other time in history that Iowa had a losing record for three straight seasons. It was under coach Rollie Williams between 1929 and 1932 seasons. This was also Coach Williams first three seasons. He coached Iowa for 14 years and finished second in the Big Ten once. His teams mostly finished on the bottom half of the conference. He also had seven winning seasons in his 14 years with the Hawkeyes.

The bottom line is that this season as well as future seasons will be horrible unless coach Lickliter can change things around. He really needs to have his first winning season be this season. Lickliter has been focusing on the team’s defensive playing. It goes back to defenses will win the game. I believe this in some sports like football and soccer. In basketball, you need to have good scorers on the team if you want a chance to win.

The Butler coaching style is starting to show why it doesn’t work in the Big Ten. The Big Ten is not the Horizon league.

Currently the Big Ten has six top 25 teams in the nation and is a tougher conference than the Horizon. I don’t see Coach Lickliter staying around much more than a few more seasons before he is replaced.

Iowa (5-2, 9-2) loses their second game of the season to Ohio State (6-1, 9-2) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State scored a 39 yard field goal in overtime to beat Iowa 27-24. This was an epic nail biter game for both teams. Both teams played with their hearts.

With this win, Ohio State secures their spot at the Rose Bowl even if they lose against Michigan next week. A loss to Michigan will allow another team (Penn State, Iowa, or Wisconsin) to become Co-Champion of the Big Ten.

Iowa stills have a shot in getting an at-large BCS bid. Currently Ohio State, Iowa, and Penn State are ranked in the top 14 in the BCS poll. By the rules, if a conference has three teams that are ranked in the top 14 in the BCS poll, then the BCS selectors has to take two out of the three teams.

Iowa has the lead over Penn State for three reasons. They are as follows.
• Iowa has beaten Penn State 21 -10.
• Iowa is ranked 13th and Pen State is ranked 14th in the BCS poll.
• Penn State lost last week to Ohio State 24-7 as Iowa lost 27-24 in overtime.

THE GAME

Iowa’s offense gained the most overall yards than any other team against the Ohio State’s defense this season. As well as scoring the third most points against Ohio State. Iowa gave up 229 rushing yards while only allowing 94 passing yards.

Redshirt quarterback James Vandenberg went completed 60 percent of his passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Two of the three interception was from a deflection and a hail mary pass. This was very impressive for being his first start as a college quarterback.

Safety Brett Greenwood and wide receiver Colin Sandeman both played very well in this game for their first game back since injuries. The biggest surprise was having running back Adam Robinson back from his high ankle sprain injury.

THE INJURIES

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi is out for the rest of the season. He is working on returning before the bowl game. His surgery on his ankle was successful.

Running back Brandon Wegher did not play in the Ohio State game. He is battling sore ribs from the Northwestern game.

Linebacker Jeremiha Hunter injured his ankle during the second quarter of Ohio State’s game. He did not play in the second half and is questionable for the Minnesota game this weekend.

NEXT WEEKS GAMES

The Hawkeyes will host Minnesota (3-4, 6-5) on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. This is Iowa’s last chance to try to win 10 games this season as well as keeping their BCS at-large hopes alive. The Hawkeyes are favored to win by 10 points by the odds makers.

Ohio State travels to Michigan (1-6, 5-6) on Saturday. Ohio State will represent the Big ten Conference in the Rose Bowl as Michigan tries to get bowl eligible.

Iowa (5-1, 9-1) loses their first game of the season to Northwestern (3-3, 6-4) at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Northwestern scored the last 17 points of the game to make it 17-10 final score.

This loss ends the Hawkeyes nine game and 13 game winning streaks as well as a chance to play in the BCS championship game.

THE GAME

Ricky Stanzi was injured in the beginning of the second quarter. This was a very costly injury since the offense never recovered from it.
James Vandenberg replaced Stanzi at center and was able to move the ball some towards the end of the game. He had an interception and no touchdowns for the game. He will get his first collegiate start on Saturday in Columbus.

The referees missed several penalties that could cause the game to go a different way. They missed three penalties on the Hawkeyes final drive that would put them in Northwestern territory. The biggest penalty they missed was facemask that Stanzi got when he was injured in the second quarter.

The Big Ten Conference should review the referees in this game and suspend them for the rest of the season for their actions. It is so interesting that no one lists who the referees were.

My opinion is that the line judge that missed the holding of Tony Moeaki should be fired. He was 20 feet from them when this happened. It clearly shows him favoring Northwestern over Iowa. They are not to favor any team in a game.

THE INJURIES

The Hawkeyes are still battling injuries from the Michigan State and Northwestern games.

Free Safety Brent Greenwood did not play in the Northwestern game. There was no update about his concussion.

Wide Receiver Colin Sandeman did not play in the Northwestern game as well. He is still healing from his concussion and an injury to his shoulder from the same play. He has a small chance to play next week.

Running Back Adam Robinson is out for the rest of the season. He was walking with a limp and without crutches on the sideline during the game.

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi is out for the rest of the season. His surgery was successful.

NEXT WEEKS GAMES

The Hawkeyes will try to rebound this Saturday as they travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1, 8-2). The winner will win be the sole Big Ten champions and have the automatic berth in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes are favored to win by 16 points by the odds makers.

Northwestern travels to Illinois (2-5, 3-6) on Saturday. Northwestern is now bowl eligible and will be facing Illinois team that has won the past two games.

Conference View

The Big Ten conference sent seven teams to the NCAA tournament last year as well as two teams to the NIT tournament. This includes sending Michigan State to the NCAA finals as well as sending Penn State to the NIT finals.

This year the Big Ten is expected to do the same as last year with six teams in the top 25 pre-season AP poll. The conference has a good shot of sending even eight teams to the NCAA tournament.

Hawkeyes Overview

Coach: Todd Lickliter (third season, 28-36 at Iowa, 159-97 overall).
Last season’s record: 15 – 17 overall, 5 – 13 in Big Ten (tenth in league).
Postseason: None.
Last time they made the NCAA field: 2005-2006 season.
Returning starters: 2.

The Hawkeyes are coming off their second consecutive losing season. Last two years, Iowa has a combined 11 – 25 record in Big Ten play and a combined 28 – 36 overall record. Iowa hasn’t had back to back losing seasons since before Tom Davis was head coach of the Hawkeyes.

Todd Lickliter has a lot of rebuilding to do this year after losing four players due to them transferring out of Iowa and going to other schools. They are Jake Kelly (Indiana State), Jeff Peterson (Arkansas), Jermain Davis (Minnesota State) and David Palmer (NKU).

Iowa was well on its way to becoming a Big Ten contender in a couple years, but now the program is in ruins due to all of the transfers. This can be a make or break season for Coach Lickliter as well as Iowa basketball program. Iowa will need to finish with a winning record and out of the conference basement for Todd Lickliter to avoid the hot seat and keep his job safe.

Iowa is picked by everyone to finish in last place in the Big Ten Conference. Rivals have Iowa ranked at No. 134 and CollegeHoops.net has them at a ranking of 123. Iowa is currently ranked 121st in the RPI heading into this season.

Roster Breakdown:

Projected Starting Five:
Matt Gatens, Sophomore, Guard, 10.8 points per game
Anthony Tucker, Sophomore, Guard, 10.4 points per game
Cully Payne, 6-1, Freshman, Guard
Aaron Fuller, Sophomore, Forward, 4.0 points per game
Jarryd Cole, Junior, Forward, 3.7 points per game

Iowa only has six players returning from last year’s team that has any game time experience. With that said, there are a lot of questions that will need to be answered before the start of Big Ten play. Since four players transferred out, there are holes that will need to be filled by existing players or by last year’s recruiting class.

If Iowa can answer most of their questions, then they will have a team that has two inside players that can block shots, rebound, and score as well as having four outside threats that can hit the long ball.
Senior guard Devan Bawinkel and Redshirt Freshmen guard John Lickliter can drain the three point shot as well as Gatens and Tucker. Junior forward Devon Archie could be one of Lickliter’s best recruits last year and could help them in blocking shots as well as scoring and rebounding.

Iowa is also battling the injury bug early this year. Forward Devon Archie injured his shoulder in practice and is out 4 to 7 weeks. He will return before the start of Big Ten play. Freshman Cully Payne is fighting through a sprain ankle that he got during last weekend’s Black and Gold scrimmage. Anthony Tucker is also dealing with a hurt back at the beginning of this season.

List of incoming freshman and JUCO players.
F Devon Archie, 6-9, jr., Indianapolis;
F Brennan Cougill, 6-9, fr., Sioux City, Iowa;
G John Lickliter, 5-11, redshirt fr., Iowa City;
G Eric May, 6-5, fr., Dubuque, Iowa;
G Nick Neari, 6-2, fr., St. Charles, Ill.;
G Cully Payne, 6-1, fr., Schaumburg, Ill.

Schedule Breakdown:

The Hawkeyes have a decent schedule this year. Iowa plays non-conference teams like third ranked Texas and Pittsburgh in the CBE tournament as well as playing at Northern Iowa.

They also play all six pre-season ranked Big Ten Teams this year at home and on the road. They are second ranked Michigan State, seventh ranked Purdue, 15th ranked Michigan, 16th ranked Ohio State, 23rd ranked Illinois, and 25th ranked Minnesota.

Season Outlook:

There will be too many questions for Iowa to answer this year. Iowa will get their first winning season under Coach Lickliter, but they are still going to be in the lower half of the conference standings.

The Hawkeyes will need to get an inside person to score and rebound as well as block shots. If this happens then Iowa will become a wildcard in the Big ten Conference with a chance to make it to a post-season tournament. Iowa can score on the outside if they are open, but needs help inside to help win the rebounding game.

A 7-11 finish in conference is my prediction, with a small chance of making any tournament in the post-season, and a 17-15 overall record.

Iowa (5-0 9-0) won their ninth straight game by beating Indiana (1-4 4-5) 42 – 24 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. This is the first time in school history the Hawkeyes won the first nine games in a single season. This victory also makes it 13 in a row dating back to last year. It has been over 365 days since Iowa has lost a game.

THE GAME
The Hawkeyes beat Indiana after scoring four touchdowns in the fourth quarter . This is the first time since 2005 that Iowa score 28 points in a single quarter. This marks the first time since 2005 that Iowa has scored 28 points in a single quarter.
Ricky Stanzi threw two touchdown passes back to back in the fourth quarter. First one was a 92 yard reception to Marvin McNutt and the second one was a 66 yard reception to DJK. The 92 yard reception is the fourth longest in Iowa history. Brandon Wegher ran for two more touchdowns.
This is after Stanzi threw four interceptions in four possessions in the third quarter. This marks the worst quarter Iowa has played in this year. Indiana only scored ten points in the six turnovers Iowa had in the game.
Stanzi threw for a career high 337 yards to go with his career high five picks. Wegher ran for 118 yards in 25 carries with three touchdowns. These are all career highs for Wegher.
Tyler Sash added another interception to his total in the third quarter. He had an 86 yard interception that he returned for a touchdown. Sash has a total of six picks this season. Shawn Prater and A. J. Edds add two more interceptions in the fourth quarter to make the team total 18. Iowa leads the NCAA in this category.

THE INJURIES
The Hawkeyes is also still battling injuries from the physical game against the Spartans two weeks ago.
Free Safety Brent Greenwood tried playing in the Indiana game, but pulled himself out of the game. He is still feeling the effects of the helmet to helmet hit. He is saying it feels like a stinger. He is not listed on the depth chart against Northwestern.
Wide Receiver Colin Sandeman did not play in the Indiana game as well. He was hit helmet to helmet by Michigan State’s Cornerback Ware. He is not listed on the depth chart against Northwestern.
Robinson’s injury is not as bad as everyone first thought. His injury is not same injury that sidelined Tony Moeaki for three games earlier this season.

NEXT WEEKS GAMES
Iowa will try to go for ten straight wins this Saturday as they host the Northwestern Wildcats (2-3 5-4). Northwestern is going to play spoiler this weekend as they try getting bowl eligible. The Hawkeyes are favored to win by 16 ½ points by the odds makers.
Indiana hosts Wisconsin (3-2 6-2) on Saturday. Indiana is still battling to become bowl eligible as Wisconsin is already bowl eligible.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0 Big Ten, 9-0 Overall) are currently setting in the fourth spot in the most recent BCS standings. They also hold the nation’s second longest college football winning streak with 13 wins. The nation’s longest streak goes to Florida with 17 wins. Iowa is the only team in college football to win nine games so far. Winning the first nine games of the season is also a first for the Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes are now in the college football spotlight and everybody is talking about them. Mostly they are talking about is how overrated Iowa is and how they don’t deserve to be in the BCS National Championship Game. This is why Iowa is considered the underdogs of college football.

I have noticed some sports analysts are now coming out defending Iowa’s football team. I have even read articles on sports sites about how Iowa deserves to be ranked fourth in the BCS as well as others writing about the opposite.

Why Iowa is the underdogs of college football? Iowa has squeak by winning games by a small margin of points or even fighting their way back into the game to win it. Teams like this make college football very exciting to watch. One close game is better to watch then several other games were one team is winning by 30 plus points.

This is why they play football games against each other is to prove who is the better team between them. People can compare Iowa against all the other teams in the top ten, but this is only a comparison on paper and is only worth as much as the paper is worth. I’m not saying that the comparison is not right, but it is not 100% correct either. Remember the Ohio State – Purdue game.

I watched an advertisement for College Football a couple weekend’s ago, I saw a statement that sums it all up. I believe it was on my local ABC network. The statement was “Every Underdog is Dangerous”. This is why I believe Iowa is still undefeated.

Now onto another subject that got my attention.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion as long as they don’t go overboard with it and some are going way overboard with the bashing of Iowa. Now I’m seeing people not only bashing Iowa’s football team, but bashing the individual players in Iowa’s history. This is why I’m writing this next paragraph.

LEAVE NILE KINNICK OUT OF THE BASHING. He is a hero as well as an icon in the state of Iowa. He is the Hawkeyes only Heisman winner and a veteran of WW II. In 1972, the stadium was renamed Kinnick Stadium from Iowa Stadium in his honor as a football player as well as a veteran. This was sparked by a Nebraska fan bringing his name up in an article that was bashing Iowa. His article also cause others like to react to it like this article by Tim Weideman.