Hawk and Awe

Staying Classy in Iowa City . . .

Penn State unleashed a hell storm of shock and awe all over the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City.  A final score of 38-14 doesn't even begin to indicate how lopsided this victory was.  And make no mistake about it, even die hard fans like myself couldn't have fantasized about an outcome like this.  Most of us would have been happy, even giddy, with a one point victory.  It's like coming home after a long, hard day at the office and your wife greeting you at the door wearing only a smile.  And she's invited her single friend, the hot girl down the street, over for a threesome--if you don't mind.  And all the way home, all you were hoping for was that dinner would be ready.

Yeah.  It's like that.  Dinner would have been just fine.  In a season that just seems to keep getting better and better, when one could only reasonably expect more misery, these Nittany Lions just keep surprising everyone.  In the annals of recent games, this ranks right up there, and perhaps higher, than Nebraska in 2002 (40-7) , Minnesota in 2005 (44-14), or Wisconsin in 2008, a 48-7 win at Camp Randall.

And for Penn State fans on the Internet, it was especially gratifying to quiet the Iowa trolls that appear each year before this game like a case of recurrent herpes.  Mark Wogenrich of the Morning Call writes that the jawing carried from the Internet into the stadium . . .

The first few rows of stands at Kinnick Stadium practically sit atop the visiting team's bench, making it easy for fans to share their thoughts with players. Credit the Iowa group: They were still jawing in the fourth quarter, even when their team trailed 38-7.

"Hey McGloin," one guy yelled. "You going to call the cops on me again?"

Throwing towels, and jabs about Jerry Sandusky, continued long after the Penn State offense had lapped Iowa in a 24-0 first half designed, in part, to quiet the 70,585 in attendance. Cornerback Stephon Morris called the environment 'hostile" in a sporting way, though he did hear Sandusky's name quite a bit.

"Typical drunk fans," Morris said. "But it was fun, especially at the end."

Apparently McGloin informed the cops that fans were throwing things at the team.  Makes you kind of wish Zwinak hadn't pulled a Michael Vick while fumbling into the end zone for a touch back.  But even 45-14 isn't enough for the childish Sandusky slurs.

The first half was perhaps one of the best altogether first halves of football Penn State has played in a while, racing out to a 24-0 half time lead.  Penn state then opened the second half with their best kick-off return of the year, and two plays later, they upped their dominance to 31-0.  Play got a little sloppy in the fourth quarter, with a special teams breakdown giving up a TD on a kick off, and a blocked field goal.  Another fumble by Zwinak stopped a drive. 

Many will second guess O'Brien's choice to go for it on fourth and one from our own 36 in the third quarter, but quite frankly, I liked the call.  PSU was up 31 to zip, the offense, the Zwinak fumble on the previous possession not withstanding, was really rolling, and McGloin has been gold on the sneak in those situations.  We went to the well one too many times, but Iowa failed to put any points on the board anyway, as the defense rose to the occasion. 

Penn State then followed that stand with a 14 play, 97 yard drive that put them up 38-0 with only fourteen minutes to go.

I would like to think had Penn State been nursing a small lead, been behind, or had problems on offense, O'Brien would not have made that call.  But there was simply no reason on Earth not to go for it as our defense had already shut the Hawkeyes down all night and one score would not put them back into that game, as evidenced by the kick off return which failed to do little more than excite the handful of drunkards still hanging out in Kinnick Stadium.

In the end, it was a gratifying win on a day when the likes of THEM, Ohio State and ND all pulled wins out of their collective asses, further bolstering the appearance that they are better than they really are.

BY THE NUMBERS:

You want some numbers to crunch?  Chew on these right here:  Matt McGloin rushed for 26 yards on five carries.  The entire Hawkeye team rushed for 20 yards on 23 carries.  Silas Redd (USC) rushed for 13 yards on 3 carries.

I'll be the first to admit that I was a wee bit leery about Ted Roof as our new defensive coordinator.  But let's face it, this defense is playing better each week .  If only we had a special teams coach!

PSU outgained the Hawkeyes 504 to 209 yards.  Belton notched a hundred yard game. 

Despite the NASCAR hurry-up offense, PSU still controlled time of possession with 38 minutes of offensive plays.  Holy Paradox, Batman!

Mike Myers, the Iowa kicker, was supposedly having a good year.  He missed two field goals, winning the Ficken Trophy.

INTANGIBLES:

70,585 fans attended the game.

I didn't know corn could do that!

The Nittany Lions have won five games in a row.

Penn State leads the all-time series 13-12.  I don't vacate wins.  Kiss my grits, Emmert.

Penn State won the toss and elected to defer.  This was a little out of character for O'Brien who likes to put points on the board first.  I suspect he respected Iowa's defense, and felt confident that his own D would hold.  Or maybe he just wanted to switch things up.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

The Buckeyes win, but lose, coming from behind to defeat Purdue.  The Boilermakers led until 56 second left in the game, when the Ohio State back-up QB engineered a scoring drive and two-point conversion to send the game into OT.  The Bucks prevailed 29-22, but the status of Braxton Miller is up in the air for next weeks game at Beaver Stadium.

Little brother came from behind to beat Michigan State without scoring a single touchdown in a 12-10 victory that would have made Joe Paterno as happy as a tornado in a trailer park.  The Spartan season continues to free fall.  Even the ancient Greeks weren't this tragic.

Nebraska edged Northwestern 29-28 in a come from behind win.  Indiana lost to Navy 31-30.  Wisconsin badgered the Gophers 38-13.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  West Virginia--another lopsided loss, this one to K-State 55-14
2.  South Carolina -  back to back losses to LSU and Florida.  No shame,  But tough none the same.
3.  Va Tech--  4-4 on the season after loss to Clemson.
4.  Temple lost to Rutgers 35-10 after leading 10-0.
5.  Auburn is 1-6 after losing to Vanderbilt.  Maybe they miss Ted Roof?

LOOKING AHEAD:

BRING ON THE BUCKEYES. 

WHITE OUT GAME IN BEAVER STADIUM.  5:30 PM.  BE THERE.

The Buckeyes are undefeated but limp into this matchup after an OT win against the Boilers and possibly losing their starting QB, Toni Braxton Miller.  However, before we get too excited, let's keep in mind that the Buckeye's back-up came in and finished the job, albeit against Purdue.  Bill O'Brien won't have much tape to look at in regards to Kenny Guiton, so that may negate some advantage there.  They also struggled with an MSU team that lost to Iowa and quite frankly, was a bit over-rated.  That there's an understatement!

On the other hand, the Nittany Lions seem to be hitting their stride.  Mauti is playing lights out, and Belton appears healthy and faster than before.  I really can't wait for next Saturday!

Urban Who?

It was only speculation as to whether Urban Meyer was really interested in succeeding Paterno or not, but there is no denying he didn't let the door hit him on the ass on the way out when all hell broke loose in Happy Valley last year.  He's no better than the players who abandoned ship.

And in retrospect, I'm glad Meyer is not our coach.  I'm more than happy with Bill O'Brien and couldn't even name another coach I'd rather have leading our football team.  And I think we will see who the better coach is come Saturday.  And if you need another reason to hate Urban . . . his initials are UM, that team up north.

GO STATE!  BEAT BUCKEYES!

"EYE"-ing up the Hawks

Iowa has inched up to a three point favorite for the upcoming prime time clash in Iowa City Saturday night.  Why?  I have no idea.  So let's explore this thing called the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Here is their season to date. 

They are 4-2 with uninspired losses to teams they probably should have beaten or would normally, in a season not known as 2012, have beaten.  In that respect, they are not unlike the Nittany Lions, although one might be able to spend some quality time arguing whether Ohio and Virginia are higher quality losses than Iowa State and Central Michigan.  Their marquee victory, last weeks double OT tilt over the Spartans, is probably not any more significant than Penn State's come from behind win over Northwestern.  MSU obviously started the season ranked and even made it into the top 10 before watching thie season crash and burn with losses to ND, OSU and Iowa.  Northwestern has a better record, but not the strength of schedule that the Spartans boast.

So let's just call the 4-2 seasons between Penn State and Iowa a tie.  Let's look at some stats, shall we?  I post the NCAA stats for these two teams in table form, with blue indicating an edge for PSU and yellow an advantage for the Hawks.

As you can see, PSU has a slight edge over all.  There are 19 blue categories and 17 yellow ones.  It's like a damned Electoral College map of the US.  Turnover margin remained neutral.

Neither offense is prolific.  Neither defense is oppressive.

The three point spread basically amounts to home field advantage as the odds makers seem to think this is a pretty closely matched game.

In the end, this may come down to intangibles. 

The overall record, not taking into account any vacations, is 12-12.  Penn state won the last meeting in State College last year, 13-3.

Since 2000, the Lions have beaten Iowa only twice (2007, 2011) and have had such monumentally CRapp-tastic(*) efforts as a 6-4 loss in 2004 and an epic fail in 2008 when we were ranked 3rd behind the guidance of Daryll Clark.  With a few exceptions, these match-ups tend to be low scoring, defensive struggles, or more correctly, games where the offenses struggle.

But this is not Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions anymore.  This is O'Brien's Lions, and is a much different creature than Captain Kirk has faced before.

The Lions are on a roll, winning four in a row.  I feel they have shown improvement each week, with the exception of special teams, and it has been a long time since I've been able to say that about a Penn State team.  I have only been blogging since the mid-nineties, and I don't think we've ever seen a team continue to develop game to game like we have seen this season.

And while a new coach like O'Brien adds a degree of uncertainty to the mix (and certainly that is an advantage offensively), given that Ferentz and Co. have to actually look at game tape this year, we must keep in mind that the converse is true as well.  O'Brien has probably never given Iowa a thought before this past week.  Why would he?  He was too busy trying to prepare for the Steelers and the Ravens, although I suspect Hawkeye tastes much like Raven, if prepared properly.  And in a certain light, those Hawkeye uniforms look like Steelers.  I hope he doesn't have bad flashbacks!

In fact, what O'Brien has achieved is phenomenal.  How many teams would be 6-2 with a new coach, new system, NCAA sanctions, and losing 10-11 players before the season starts, especially at key positions such as starting RB, WR and place kicker?  NOT MANY.  At any level of play.

Penn State has not won at Iowa City since 1999.  But this weekend, the Lions are going to party like it's 1999.  I think we will see an inspired game plan that old Ferentz is unaccustomed to.  I think the Iowa D will be exposed just as we exposed the supposedly good front line of the Illini.  Mark Weisman is listed on ESPN as doubtful.  The bye week gives us a chance to nurse some injuries and to continue to innovate on offense.  Have you noticed that we see new plays each game?  I know!  What is up with that!?

That said, it will be a cold October night in Iowa.  Last time, we didn't bring the heaters.  I hope to God we bring the heaters.  No need to give your opponent any more advantage than they might already have.  I don't know if we would have won in 2008 with sideline heaters, but in my little blue and white world, I have convinced myself that we would have prevailed in that game.  But I digress.

It will be cold in Iowa.  At night.  Before a hostile, loud crowd.  Even with my Kool Aid drinking offensive wet dreams, I still think this will be a close, relatively low scoring affair.  That is just the nature of this particular beast.  I just hope it doesn't come down to a field goal!

Need a Blue and White verision of this!

GO STATE!  BEAT HAWKEYES!

(*) CRapp = Cedar Rapids (Iowa) App.

New Uniforms for Iowa

From Black Heart Gold Pants:

The Hawkeyes are going into combat -- Pro Combat, that is. Nike has announced that the company will be producing a version of the hyper-stylized uniforms in connection with the Iowa's "America Needs Farmers" game against Penn State on October 20th.

"When you think of Iowa, you think of farmers," said Nike head designer Christopher Polyblend. "So our challenge was to combine the vaguely futuristic, Tron Legacy-esque look of the Pro Combat brand with the traditional agricultural values of a state where, as I understand it, 99% of the residents spend their days covered in hog shit."

"We think we pretty much nailed it."



Complete with Nike Zoom SHT KKR Cleats!

 BTW:  I plan on posting a MAY DAY STEP Update tonight.   When I stop laughing.   Check back later.

Iowa Card Trick

I know it's just IOWA, but it's still cool.

Iowa Pics

Iowa Fan(s) spotted near out tailgate.

Nice flag! Not.

Almost got the flip.

Blue Band marches by our car as we head out after the game.

Defense Den-eyes Hawks

In a battle that went into the final quarter at 6-3, the Penn State defense shut down the Hawkeye offense as Penn State pulled out a 13-3 victory over the pesky Hawkeyes in front of a crowd of 103,497 appreciative fans.

Oy vey!  I'm starting to sound like the Penn State Football Letter.

The Hawkeye's featured the Big Ten's third best quarterback in the conference and an offense that was averaging 37.75 points per game.  The PSU defense was going to have none of that.

The Lions held the Hawks to just 84 rushing yards and almost 35 points below their average, despite the Hawkeyes coming off a bye week and nearly owning Penn State for the past decade.

Granted, this is somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Hawkeyes, and they really have faced no team of any consequence except possibly ISU to whom they lost (sorry Pitt, but it's true), and this win does not atone for the loss in 2008 when the Hawks upset us when we were ranked third, or the 2009 loss when they duplicated that effort against a 5th ranked PSU team, or even the spanking they gave us last year.  Oy vey again!  Double Oy!  Was that one rambling sentence or what?!  Maybe not full revenge, but it is a start.  A good start.

I was far from confident that we could win this game, but I knew that we could.  We still made mistakes, but our guys played like they wanted to win.  Even Ferentz commented after the game about the intensity of the Penn State players.

In a series where the ball always seems to bounce in Iowa's favor, the opposite rang true on this gorgeous Saturday in Happy Valley.  Passes bounced from one PSU receiver to another.  We dribbled a kick-off return but retained possession.  Silas Redd recovered his own fumble.  And Penn State forced three turnovers, while only throwing one INT, albeit a painful one in the end zone that left points on the field and not on the scoreboard.  It's like a pick six, but it's a pick minus six.  A negative pick six.  Pick Six anti-matter.  You get the idea.

That's McGloin.  He's a gunslinger.  He's going to make big plays.  He's going to make big mistakes.  You've got to take the good with the bad.  I wish we didn't have to but Kerry Collins is long gone and we're scraping the bottom of the quarterback barrel.  Bolden, bless his heart, still looks like a deer in the headlights out there.  The quarterback controversy is slowly turning in favor of McGloin, who played all but two series despite not starting.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From GoPSUsports:

Team Totals	IOWA	PSU
FIRST DOWNS	16	21
Rushing	6	12
Passing	9	9
Penalty	1	0
NET YARDS RUSHING	84	231
Rushing Attempts	30	46
Average Per Rush	2.8	5
Rushing Touchdowns	0	0
Yards Gained Rushing	126	240
Yards Lost Rushing	42	9
NET YARDS PASSING	169	164
Completions-Attempts-Int	17-34-2	15-26-1
Average Per Attempt	5	6.3
Average Per Completion	9.9	10.9
Passing Touchdowns	0	1
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	253	395
Total offense plays	64	72
Average Gain Per Play	4	5.5
Fumbles: Number-Lost	2-1	2-0
Penalties: Number-Yards	3-15	5-50
PUNTS-YARDS	4-158	5-219
Average Yards Per Punt	39.5	43.8
Net Yards Per Punt	39.5	32.6
Inside 20	2	1
50+ Yards	0	1
Touchbacks	0	3
Fair catch	2	1
KICKOFFS-YARDS	2-120	4-277
Average Yards Per Kickoff	60	69.2
Net Yards Per Kickoff	47.5	49.2
Touchbacks	0	2
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	1-4-0	0-0-0
Average Per Return	-4	0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	2-40-0	2-25-0
Average Per Return	20	12.5
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	1-0-0	2-4-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	24:06	35:54
1st Quarter	6:44	8:16
2nd Quarter	6:18	8:42
3rd Quarter	6:03	8:57
4th Quarter	5:01	9:59
Third-Down Conversions	7 of 16	5 of 14
Fourth-Down Conversions	1 of 3	1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	1-1	3-4
Touchdowns	0-1	1-4
Field goals	1-1	2-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards	0-0	5-40
PAT Kicks	0-0	1-1
Field Goals	1-1	2-2

Penn State won time of possession convincingly.  The yards rushing was the key to this game.  Despite not putting a ton of points on the board, the Lions kept the ball moving, kept the clock running, kept Vandenberg off the field, and dominated this game.  I wonder: when was the last time Iowa didn't sack our QB?  I'll have to wait for the AFLAC duck on that one.

INTANGIBLES:

The Drum Major missed the second flip but nailed the important one.

Iowa won the toss and elected to receive, presumably hoping to put points on the board early.  Nice try.

And in what was one of the most classless, high school league moves I have seen in a while, the Hawkeye team waited until Penn State emerged from the tunnel to come out on the field at the same time.  Really lame and bush league, Hawks.  Why don't you just flock in the end zone and peck the 'Penn State' lettering?

Of course, the BEAT IOWA cheer was a little silly.  I don't know about you, but it seemed lame.  Maybe it's because it sounds too much like EAT IOWA.  Too many vowels.  It just doesn't roll off the tongue.  I hope we don't do that again.

The Penn State-Iowa series is now even at 12-12.

Joe Paterno notched win number 406 as the Lions move to 5-1 (2-0).  He only spent one half on the sidelines, apparently suffering a little pain after getting out of the way of a play.  The message boards across Nittany Nation spent most of the week dreaming of Urban Renewal at Penn State.  This was fueled in part by Meyer's presence on the TV crew, but also by Jeff Rapp who wrote about a source claiming that Urban would love the Penn State job.

Even John Eichelberger threw his opinion into the ring by saying that it was time for Joe to move on.  In his blog, the Senator applauded a Mirror article by Cory Giger calling for Paterno's resignation, if not in so many words.

And according to this Scout.com messageboard post, Urban Meyer referred to the Penn State quarterbacks as "our" quarterbacks before correcting himself.  I was at the game and did not hear this.  Those who remembered to DVR this can do their own sleuthing and draw their own conclusions.

While Penn State could do worse than Urban Meyer, I'd really like to see Boise State's head coach come to Penn State.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Denard Robinson beat Northwestern 42-24, scoring 21 unanswered points.

The Cornhuskers notch their first conference victory and set a record for the biggest comeback in school history to defeat the Columbus Cheateyes 34-27, after trailing 27-6.

Illinois took care of business over Indiana, 41-20.

Purdue rolled over the pathetic gophers, 45-17.  Will Minnesota even win a game in the Big Ten?  Do they play Indiana?  No they don't.  Doesn't look good for the golden varmints.

Wisconsin and Michigan State took the week off.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  Dick Faust--Sleepless in Columbus Troy, OH.
2.  Pitt--chopped down by Buttgers.
3.  The Service Academies--all three lost yesterday
4.  F$U--lost to Wake Forest
5.  The Longhorns, crushed by Oklahoma 55-17.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Homecoming.  Noon kick-off.  Drink a boilermaker or two.  Roast some Perdue Purdue chicken.  Does it get any better than this?

Here's the Boiler's season to date:

W  Middle Tennessee State 27-24
L   Rice 22-24
W Southeast Missouri State 59-0
L  Notre Dame 10-38
W Minnesota 45-17

To keep the pattern going, the next game has to be a loss for them.

Basically, any team with a pulse has beaten Purdue.  That Southeast Missouri State victory was impressive, though.  Not.

PSU is 65-21-5 in Homecoming games, 39-6 under Paterno.  Look for #66 next week, which will put Paterno one behind Eddie Robinson's record of 408.

More Angry Birds

Statistically Speaking: Hawkeye Pierce Edition

Here are the NCAA stats for Penn State and Iowa:

NCAA Stats Comparison
Category:	Penn St.	Iowa
Rushing	61	69
Passing Offense	66	28
Total Offense	80	45
Scoring Offense	92	21
Rushing Defense	24	52
Turnovers Gained	21	57
Passes Had Intercepted	52	2
Pass Defense	6	89
Net Punting	94	4
Punt Returns	83	56
Kickoff Returns	73	48
Turnover Margin	51	16
Fumbles Recovered	25	42
Passes Intercepted	22	55
Fumbles Lost	96	28
Turnovers Lost	94	8
Passing Efficiency	103	29
Pass Efficiency Defense	8	87
Total Defense	5	73
Scoring Defense	7	53
Fewest Penalties Per Game	35	17
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	33	10
Punt Return Yardage Defense	75	33
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	58	101
Offense Third-down Efficiency	72	45
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	7	22
Defense Third-down Efficiency	24	104
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	116	77
Tackles for Loss	13	83
Offense Tackles for Loss	11	3
Pass Sacks	78	53
Pass Sacks Allowed	20	37
Time of Possession	50	63
First Downs	73	24
First Downs Allowed	8	89
Red Zone Efficiency	95	12
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	115	15
Average NCAA Rank:	52.59	44.59
Weighted Avg. Rank:	49.75	47.17

Despite being a 4-point underdog, the Hawkeyes are slightly better than PSU with probably a slightly worse schedule, since they haven't faced a team like Alabama, and they lost to unranked Iowa State.  They are a better passing team, but our pass defense probably negates that advantage.

Defensively, the Hawkeyes had better hope that we continue to put the ball on the ground or throw interceptions.  This is shaping up to be a low scoring affair, but if the Lions can stop shooting themselves in the paws and figure out how to score points in the red zone, this game might not be that close. 

Am I drinking the Kool Aid again?  You bet.  Seriously--this Hawkeye team is not as good as the team that has given us fits recently.  We may actually have more talent, particularly defensively--than Iowa.  But Ferentz seems to have our number, so until I actually see the win, I'm not betting anything on this game.

Let's revisit my preseason prediction:

Prediction: For the sake of my sanity and all that is holy, PENN STATE MUST WIN THIS GAME. This Iowa team will probably be no weaker in the near future than they are this season. We must strike while the oven is hot and pop the corn while we can. The game will be close because for the life of me, there isn't enough Kool Aid in the world to make me think we could defeat these guys. I know how the Buffalo Bills feel about Super Bowls. It defies all explanation. I'd rather have corn stuck in my teeth for the next year than lose another game to Iowa.

Hmm.  Not very confident was I?  Still am not.  Not much has changed in old Happy Valley.  But if the oddsmakers think we got a chance, then I can Haz Win.
 
Penn State 17-Iowa 9. 
 
You might as well mark it down because there is no way in hell I could be right on this.  You can laugh about it afterwards.  It's okay.  I'm used to it.
 

Stephen Hawk-ing

How Far Are We From Iowa?

Always a favorite this time of year . . . thank you Jeff Dunham!

Pre-Season Countdown: #5

At this point, things change dramatically.  The last seven games (#12 thru #6) are very winnable games.  Penn State should win them.  That doesn't mean they will, but on paper, that should be seven wins.  As such, we would be bowl eligible.  Toilet Bowl eligible.

But these next five games . . . these will separate the wheat from the chaff.  The contenders from the pretenders. 

Our nominees for #5 include:  Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.  This is a formidable group, and if the 2011 Penn State team doesn't show some major improvement over the 2010 version, we will be staring down the barrel of five losses here.  All but Iowa are ranked in various pre-season polls.

So is it any surprise that the #5 honor goes to . . . .

IOWA.

It's a four-letter word.  So is Ohio.  And Bama.  And Corn.  Wisk?

What can you say about Iowa?  It's the cornfield that separates Minnesota from Missouri.

For whatever reasons, there are just some coaches that Paterno cannot figure out.  Bear Bryant.  John Cooper.  Lloyd Carr.  And among the worst . . . Pennsylvania native Kirk Ferentz.

Seriously, in the annuls of college football, Iowa shouldn't be in the same chapter as Alabama, Ohio State or THEM.  No offense, Iowa.  You are what you are.  There's the Iowa Caucuses, so you've got that going for you.

Yet, this is a team that despite not being able to win anything significant, always seems to be able to beat Penn State.  This is a team that can stumble its way to a loss against the Pittsburgh Panthers, but then play like the freaking Pittsburgh Steelers when they face us.  (They did that in 2008 and have a chance to repeat that feat this season, although I doubt we will be ranked 3rd when we play them.)  Perhaps we should be honored that they save their best game for us.  Perhaps they should be honored that we always find a way to lose this game.

Iowa will return only 11 starters from a squad that went 8-5 last season, beating Missouri in a bowl.  They only lost to the Badgers by a point, to the Buckeyes by 3, but then lost to Minnesota.  Michigan State pwned them, much the same way Iowa has pwned this series.

Gone forever is the Stanzi Scheme.  I'm doing jazz hands just thinking about it.  The offensive line will largely be intact and solid.  But will there be anything to protect? Coker looked good at RB in the Insight Bowl (219 yards + MVP), and with a veteran line, should take some pressure off new quarterback, junior James Vandenberg, who threw only 8 passes last year.  WR McNutt is 5 receptions away from tying Iowa's career record holder, so there's someone to throw to.

But there is a lot of rebuilding on the defensive line, and to make matters worse, special teams have been less than special.  They cost the Hawks a couple of games last year.

All in all, they are a team on par with Penn State.  I think Penn State is better on paper, and paper beats rock, but I have no idea how that means anything here.  Questions at QB. A couple good skill players here and there.  Offensive line is their strength.  Defensive line may be ours.

Given this is a home game for PSU, that ought to amount for something.  Well forget that.  White Out was a fizz out.  We play Iowa no better at home than any other damned place in the world.  I still can't get the nightmare of 6-4 out of my mind.

Prediction:  For the sake of my sanity and all that is holy, PENN STATE MUST WIN THIS GAME.  This Iowa team will probably be no weaker in the near future than they are this season.  We must strike while the oven is hot and pop the corn while we can.  The game will be close because for the life of me, there isn't enough Kool Aid in the world to make me think we could defeat these guys.  I know how the Buffalo Bills feel about Super Bowls.  It defies all explanation.  I'd rather have corn stuck in my teeth for the next year than lose another game to Iowa.

Cpl. Radar O'Ferentz of Ottumwa, Iowa

Trophy Tragedy Comes Up Short

Those crazy folks from the Corn Belt have tried to one-up the famous Land-Grant Trophy.  They have made a good effort, but they have failed.

Here is the unveiling of the new and improved Cy-Hawk Trophy:

Which bird will crap on it first?

The guy on the left is Corn Man (known as Maize Man in Michigan.)

Here is how the new trophy compares to the old one:

Is that an ear of corn, or are you just happy to see me?

At least the old trophy had a football on it.

The new Cy-Hawk trophy barely edged out its competition:

But no one can hold a candle to the Land Grant Tragedy Trophy when it comes to sheer ugly:

Complete with its own furniture dolly!

Nature Channel

Here's a documentary . . .

De Ja Blue All Over Again

It's 6 a.m.  The alarm goes off, playing "I got you Babe."  The DJ comes on, "Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today."

It's coooold out there every day. . . when you lose.

And then, we Penn State fans get out of bed and we relive the same game over and over again, trapped in a never ending cycle of dropped passes, missed opportunities, slow starts, bad coaching decisions, clock mismanagement, youthful inexperience, and excuses.

_____ was a great team.  We were licked.  We got our ears kicked in.  Maybe we were outcoached.  The whole bit.

It's Groundhog Day without the humor of Bill Murray.

No one really expected us to win against Iowa.  Or Alabama.  But most Penn State fans would like to have seen our team be competitive.  At least for more than the pregame ceremonies and coin toss.  Wouldn't it be nice to make the other team sweat a little?  Maybe go into the fourth quarter only down by one score, rather than losing by three?  Is an upset every now and then too much to ask for?  Hell, we get upset more often than we beat teams who were favored.

Wouldn't it be nice to actually score a touchdown in a big game?

I read recently that as a team since 2000, Penn State is 3-17 versus ranked teams on the road.  In 13 of those games we didn't score a touchdown.

Ponder that for a moment.  I'll wait.  It's not like I've got anything to celebrate.  Even the Steelers lost today.  My life pretty much sucks.  But I digress.

Even in our best seasons of late, the spectre of football shortcomings appears.  Kicking off to Breaston in 2005.  A late INT and PI against Iowa in 2008.  A blocked punt versus Iowa in 2009.

It is certainly not Paterno's fault that punt was blocked.  But there was a breakdown in protection and it cost us the game.  Almost everyone squib kicks with seconds remaining on the clock--yet we kicked away to Breaston.  We frittered time away on the last possession of the first half this week, only to come up one play short and have to settle for a field goal.  Maybe that was karma--had we tried to score 6 and failed, we might have been shut out.

But when does the blame for the general sideline confusion and clock mismanagement not fall on the head coach?

Greg Couch wrote a telling article--and in it he concluded that Paterno should continue coaching as long as he wants.  But, he also said these things:

Oh, what a mess. This was something I hoped I would never see, a picture of Paterno that I don't want to be left with.
"We call plays and we've got to stick with the plays," Penn State receiver Devon Smith said. "Players come in and players run out."

Where is the problem?

"Kind of upstairs."

Theoretically, he wasn't talking about God, but rather the assistant coaches in the press box.

Fourth down: The offense lines up, but is about to be called for delay of game. Timeout. Then, Bolden tries to run the ball in, but is stopped.
"They came out in that play before they (called timeout)," Iowa linebacker Jeremiha Hunter said. "Then they came out in the same play."

So Iowa knew what to do.

What team doesn't know what to do against Penn State/Paterno?  This game alone was a study in frustration--just like the Alabama game earlier.  Even the final score was the same.

Penn State got off to a slow start, falling behind early.  The defense tightened up--or the opposing coach left his foot off the gas--you decide.  The offense had flashes of brilliance surrounded by ineptness that resembled an episode of the Keystone Kops.  This is the fifth game of the season--clock management issues should not still be a problem--especially multiple issues.  Dropped passes happen, but they are killing us.

And then down by 2 scores with four minutes to play, we punt the ball from midfield.  I should have turned the TV off then and went to bed.  The staff gave up--why should we fans not give up as well?  Any nightmare I might have had would not compare with the rest of the game at this point. 

After pinning them deep at their 22 yard line with an amazing 32 yard punt (amazing considering he had a 12 yard punt earlier in the game that set up a short scoring drive) our defense managed to let them run nearly three minutes off the clock before forcing another punt.  Too bad they didn't run out the clock, as Bolden threw a pick-six on the next play that dumped salt into an already festering wound.

Am I down on Fera?  Not really.  No more so than any other aspect of our pathetic game at this point.  Is it really his fault?  This is his first year punting.  Apparently, we haven't recruited anyone else to punt.  This is clearly a problem that lies with coaching--recruiting punters, getting them ready to play, teaching them how to pin an opponent INSIDE the 20, etc.  Same thing with the offensive line. 

Iowa is not that good a team.  Arizona showed the world that.  They somehow managed to get PSU, OSU, and Wisconsin all at home.  They'll win most of the rest of their games and be ranked.

Losing horribly to the number one team in the country isn't shameful.  Losing 8 of the last 9 to Iowa is.  No offense, Iowa.  Not being competitive anymore in big games--or being competitive once or twice in the last decade--is shameful for a school like Penn State which has so much to offer in terms of tradition and facilities.

Yeah, our graduation rate rocks.  So does our fencing team.  Is it too much to ask that our football program--which pays all the bills supposedly--not get a championship too?

IT HAS BEEN 24 YEARS SINCE PSU FINISHED A SEASON #1.  And still counting.

sleepy11hollow writes:

Look at what has happened for the past 23 years since that unbelievable 86' Fiesta day victory over the Canes.
*16 different teams have been declared college football champions (Miami, 4 titles, Nebraska (3 titles), Florida (3), Florida State (2), USC (2), Alabama (2), LSU (2), Michigan (1), Ohio State (1), Notre Dame (1), Oklahoma (1), Texas (1), Tenneesee (1), Colorado (1), Georgia Tech (1) and Washington (1).
*7 teams have won multiple titles (look above).

*19 different teams have played for the national title with those teams losing and not winning a title including West Virginia (1), Washington State (1) and Virginia Tech (1)

But we will never return to that level until we can figure out how to "not lose" to teams like Iowa.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Penn State on paper looked much better than they did on the field.  We had two less first downs (15 to 17), slightly less than 3 minutes in time of possession disparity favoring Iowa, and 48 fewer total offensive yards (301 to 349.)

But we had only 54 yards rushing!

We were 1 for 3 in the red zone--and that was a field goal.

We held Iowa to 2 of 10 on third down conversions; but we went 3 for 13. 

We punted 9 times.  We kicked off only once to start the game.

INTANGIBLES:
 
Iowa won the toss and elected to recieve.
 
Attendance was 70,585.  I thought the alternating GOLD and BLACK stadium sections looked great.  The vertical stripes made the stadium look less fat.
 
We were Iowa's Homecoming Patsy--and played the part well.
 
THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:
 
The Buckeyes survived a trip to Illinois 24-13.
Denard Robinson beat Indiana 42-35.
The Spartans, sans their coach Dantonio who was re-admitted with a blood clot in his leg, beat the Badgers 34-24.
Northwestern outlasted Minnesota 29-28.
 
SHEDDING TEARS:
 
1.  Tennessee--lost because they had 12 men on the field on the last play.  Gave LSU a chance to run one more play and win.
2.  Florida--lost 31-6 to Bama.  Makes us look better, huh?
3.  Stanford--quacked 52-31 by the Ducks.
4.  Indiana--Who's yer Daddy?  Denard Robinson.
5.  Rutgers--lost 17-14 to Tulane
6.  Boise State--beat New Mexico State 59-0.  Still dropped a spot to Oregon.  Been there.  Done that.
 
LOOKING AHEAD:
 
Illinois comes to Beaver Stadium October 9.  Homecoming.
 
The Illini hosted the Buckeyes this past weekend and didn't make it easy for them.  Pryor missed a series or two due to a quadriceps injury, but he did return to play.
 
So far for Illinois:
 
L  Missouri 13-23
W Southern Illinois 35-3
W Northwen Illinois 28-22
L Ohio State 24-13
 
Penn State still has not played four quarters of football.  We are making too many mistakes.  I still think we win this game, but this team needs to show us that it can handle coming off this loss.  After Bama, we were fortunate enough to host Kent State.  Illinois may not be near the top in the Big Ten, but they are a league above Kent State.  No offense, Golden Flashes.
 
I just want to see us come out blazing.  Hit them hard and fast and don't let up until the final seconds tick off the clock.  Play with some enthusiasm.  No matter what the crowd yells, guys, each of you players--this team--YOU ARE PENN STATE!
 
GO STATE!  BEAT ILLINI!

The Wrath of Joe

They are . . . Penn State

Thus is the conclusion from Jon Linder in the Daily Iowan, regarding PSU fans:

As the predominant chant in Beaver Stadium transitioned from “We Are … Penn State” to “We Own … Penn State,” I couldn’t help but direct my jeers at a man who was probably the poorest sport in Happy Valley.

In retrospect, I couldn’t be more ashamed.

My brother and I sat on the border of Iowa’s designated cheering section and, consequently, had the pleasure of meeting who I surmised was the saddest representation of an otherwise stellar fan base in State College, Pa.

This white-wearing Nittany Lion fan spent more time in the first half taunting the Iowa faithful around him than he did watching the game. But he was nowhere to be found as my man Adam Robinson scampered into the end zone with 8:32 to play, putting Iowa ahead by a touchdown.

That idiot’s exit was the last I saw of poor sportsmanship in Happy Valley.

Although the atmosphere was rain-soaked and somber, I was treated with more respect after the game than I have anywhere outside Iowa City as a visiting fan.

Whenever the Hawkeyes win in Ames, you can expect a certain four-letter word followed by a three-letter word. The same is true for fans in State College, but it’s a
considerably less crude — “Good job.”

I couldn’t count how many times a Penn State fan walked up to my group of Iowa fans after the game and said, “Congrats” or “the best team won.” One guy even gave us an entire box of still-hot leftover pizza. . .

With these and a myriad of other instances in mind, I firmly believe the Big Ten is composed of the classiest fans, coaches, and players in the country. Who is the trendsetter of the group?

They are … Penn State.

Thank you.
(You're Welcome!)

PS(u): For the record, the idiot mentioned above was NOT me.

Perspectives

Same game. Different fans. Different perspectives. But somewhat surprising nonetheless.

Per the Daily Collegian:

From an Iowa Fan:

I felt compelled to write this letter to show my appreciation for the way my friend and I were treated with respect and friendship by the Penn State fans and residents of the state.

The beauty of the state, the campus and the town combined with the hospitality and the great football atmosphere you have in State College was worth coming the distance to the game.

I plan to return again in the future. I only hope that Penn State fans making the trip to Iowa City next year will receive the many "good luck at the game" wishes and the other friendly overtures we received (directions, advice on not to drink on the street, friendly conversation, etc).

You Are ... Penn State and well deserving of that pride.

But a Penn State Alum had a different experience:

During Saturday's game against Iowa, university police were repeatedly brought into our section to put a stop to the unfathomable lawlessness of ... standing and cheering for our team.

I have no issue with the police. It's the stodgy, crotchety "fans" who were appalled when some of us in sections EG/EGU dared to show some enthusiasm. I think it's more than coincidental that all of those who were admonished for the unthinkable act of standing at a football game were wearing white while the ones doing the complaining were wearing a rainbow of colors at the White Out game.

If you don't want to actually have fun at Beaver Stadium, stay at home, open a nice bottle of wine and watch the game from the comfort of your living room.

FWIW: Our section--SK--stood the entire first quarter, which is rather unusual. As the team started to sputter more and more, the impetus to remain standing waned. To me, it's more a matter of seeing the game. I think I yell just as loud sitting as standing, but if you can't see the field, you have to stand. Unless you have a disability, is it really that big of an issue to stand up? I don't know. Ask me again in 20 or 30 years when I'm more crotchety and stodgy.

Wet Out

A steady rain turned Penn State’s White Out into a Wet Out, but it was the !*w@ Hawkeyes that drowned the Lion’s season, beating them 21-10. What was most painful was the way it happened. Last year, the Lion’s took a #3 ranking and a 9 point lead into the final quarter, only to leave with a loss. Yesterday, Penn State clung to a 5 point lead with a #4 ranking, only to see the Hawks paste 16 points in the final quarter, keyed by a blocked punt that put !*w@ in the lead to stay.

The crowd of 109,316 were ready for blood and pumped. The stadium video warned !*w@ to "bundle up" for the WHITE OUT. Penn State opened the game in dominating fashion, forcing the Hawks to a three and out and then putting seven points on the board in one 79 yard pass strike to Chaz Powell. On the next series, Iowa ran four plays before Sukay intercepted Stanzi on the PSU 21 yard line. The Lions next drive was a 68 yard, 10 play drive that consumed 10:17 but resulted in only a field goal. But the we were moving the ball, and !*w@ was getting stuffed. It looked like the rout was on.

But then a funny thing happened. Penn State reverted back to the same formula that we saw in the first three games. A crisp team takes the field, takes the lead early, and then fumbles and stumbles its way through the next three quarters. Penn State did not put another point on the board, and aside from a missed field goal from 48 yards, the Lions did not get close enough to even sniff the red zone let alone score.

Personally, while the blocked punt was the game changing play, this stalled drive was where the momentum shifted. Penn State never got their groove back. I hate kicking field goals after a long drive like that—it’s a moral victory for the opposing team’s defense. We let them off the hook. We left them hang around. We gift wrapped this upset for them in pretty white wrapping paper.

It’s not like we couldn’t see this coming. I just said in my last post that this game was eerily reminiscent to last year’s contest—throw in some poor weather and the final outcome, and voila—déjà blue all over again.

We knew the offensive line had issues. Protection for Clark was again poor, and even the unveiling of the QB draw did not impress anyone. Clark looked particularly uncomfortable in the pocket and his throws were erratic, having three INTs on the day. He couldn’t even pass gas without being intercepted.

We knew the running game was shaky. Royster, normally solid, fumbled in the fourth quarter on a promising drive that might have tied the game with a two-point conversion, but those things happen. It just sucks that it had to happen in this game at this time against this team. But fumble aside, he had only 69 yards on 17 carries, and the Hawkeyes outgained us on the ground 163 to 109.

The gut response is to credit !*w@ for a great game. But the Hawks had two interceptions and were several dropped passes away from making the score look even worse. They played better than we did, but we played awful on offense. At times, Clark couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, and these barn boys happened to be in the right place at the right time. I haven’t reviewed the DVR, and quite frankly I don’t think I can stomach that pain, but I think all the INTs were tipped or errant passes, rather than some defender making a great play on the ball—i.e. a QB having a better day would probably have pulled out a win. I can’t say honestly that this is a great !*w@ team. Good. But not great. I don’t think they will win the Big Ten but I won’t be surprised if the bastards prove me wrong. Children of the Corn are like that, you know.

All in all, the day was a dismal, dreary, sloppy wet disaster.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From GoPSUsports.com:

Team Totals	IOWA	PSU
FIRST DOWNS	17	15
Rushing	10	6
Passing	6	8
Penalty	1	1
NET YARDS RUSHING	163	109
Rushing Attempts	37	33
Average Per Rush	4.4	3.3
Rushing Touchdowns	1	0
Yards Gained Rushing	188	125
Yards Lost Rushing	25	16
NET YARDS PASSING	135	198
Completions-Attempts-Int	11-26-2	12-32-3
Average Per Attempt	5.2	6.2
Average Per Completion	12.3	16.5
Passing Touchdowns	0	1
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	298	307
Total offense plays	63	65
Average Gain Per Play	4.7	4.7
Fumbles: Number-Lost	0-0	2-1
Penalties: Number-Yards	4-35	4-21
PUNTS-YARDS	5-178	3-107
Average Yards Per Punt	35.6	35.7
Net Yards Per Punt	31.8	18.0
Inside 20	2	0
50+ Yards	0	2
Touchbacks	0	0
Fair catch	1	0
KICKOFFS-YARDS	5-277	4-247
Average Yards Per Kickoff	55.4	61.8
Net Yards Per Kickoff	38.2	38.2
Touchbacks	0	0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	1-53-1	2-19-0
Average Per Return	53.0	9.5
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	4-94-0	5-86-0
Average Per Return	23.5	17.2
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	3-40-0	2-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	31:17	28:43
1st Quarter	4:32	10:28
2nd Quarter	10:06	4:54
3rd Quarter	7:37	7:23
4th Quarter	9:02	5:58
Third-Down Conversions	4 of 14	9 of 19
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 0	1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	2-2	1-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards	2-7	2-15
PAT Kicks	1-1	1-1
Field Goals	2-3	1-2

It may be cliched, but PSU did not deserve to win this game. Total first downs were close, but the return yardage and turnovers are insurmountable. Despite holding the Hawks to under 300 yards and 4 of 14 on third down, we still could not win.

Can we take up a collection to buy a special teams coach?

INTANGIBLES:

Penn State won the coin toss for the first time all season, a harbinger of doom apparently.

The Blue Band did not perform on the field due to weather conditions.

!*w@ has now won 7 of the last eight games, and tied the all-time series record at 11 apiece.

JoePa missed an opportunity to go another one up as Bowden’s team fell to USF. He has also failed in his quest to have an undefeated team in every decade he has coached.

Penn State snapped an 11-game home winning streak, and is now 7-10 in Big Ten openers, but only 2-8 since 2000.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

The Buckyes pasted the Illini 30-0. They face Indiana next week on the road.
THEM narrowly defeated Indiana 36-33. I did not see the game, but folks that did agree that the referines were in A-game form and helped the Wolverines cinch the win. I am not surprised. Is anyone? The Wolverines travel to East Lansing to hose the Spartans next week.
Jesus Christ Jimmy Clausen completed a pass with 24 seconds left to beat Purdue 24-21. The Boilers host Northwestern next week.
Michigan State lost to the Badgers 38-30. Wisconsin heads to Minnesota next.
Minnesota beat the Wildcats 35-24.


SHEDDING TEARS:

1. For the wet and weary Penn State faithful
2. For Ole Miss
3. For California
4. For Miami
5. Enough tears in the top ten already

LOOKING AHEAD:

Yeah, whatever. Sure, the Lions could rebound and still make a run at the conference title, but who really cares about that. I certainly can see !*w@ losing a couple of games and if we can improve and beat the Buckeyes—hey, we can share another title. Woo Freaking Hoo!

The Lions travel to Illinois to face a team that is not doing well this season. The Illini opened with a 37-9 loss to Missouri, beat Illinois State 45-17 and were shutout 30-0 by the Buckeyes.

How Penn State rebounds from this loss will depend on what kind of leadership and heart this team has. I still think a one-or two loss season is possible, but not likely if we can’t solve these offensive problems. Remember the dark years of 2003-4—pretty good defense but an offense that couldn’t score. This loss is not that far removed from that.

Revenge?

As I read through the hype leading up to this week, I was surprised by the number of fans veiwing this game as a revenge game. I'm not sure I agree.

The 2008 Hawkeyes were a team that couldn't even manage to beat Pitt, yet somehow came up with enough emotion and lucky breaks to knock off the #3 team in the country and deny Paterno a chance at a third national championship . . . chances that are few and far between and considerably more rare and valuable when you are 82 years of age.

How will a win tonight atone for that disaster? If anything, the stage is set for a repeat performance. We are #4 instead of #3, still dreaming of national title hopes, and Iowa is . . . .

UNRANKED.

Will this game spoil their season? Possibly. But I don't think anyone outside the corny state of Iowa is seriously penciling in the Hawkeyes for a BCS title game appearance. Maybe not to many folks are doing that for PSU--yet--but some are. And after tonight, more will be.

I was going to wax philosophical over this game, but then I read a post by demlion that pretty much said everything I could say about this game and probably better than I could in my rambling, stream of unconsciousness kind of way.

Penn State fans far and wide, if you are coming to the game, you are going to get a wet a$$. There is no escaping it. Your feet are going to be muddy, your car interior is going to be trashed, you may get sick for a week, and all of that is quite distressing until you think of this:

Our university has assembled a game day program, the whiteout, which actually can make a difference in the game. Some of you may recall that I am a longtime skeptic of the notion that what the fans think makes any difference. Whether I root for UM to beat Indiana today will make zero difference, so strategic or tactical cheering of that remote sort is a waste of time. I go with a gut level analysis of who I hate the most--in this case Michigan; Go Hoosiers!--but I know it makes no difference.

But today in the rain and slop and the stink of cowshit from the dairy barns, my usual rule is void. When Iowa has the ball and their QB feels his femurs hum because 110,000 fools are screaming at him to fumble, slip, throw a pick, or in some extreme cases, die (I am not recommending this), the fans can and will make a difference in this football game. We can escape the usual ironclad rules, and make Iowa seek out a way to have their next game with us at Fedex Field or some other neutral site. The word will go out--you do not want to come to the Beaver.

What was once mythology will become a self-fulfilling prophecy--a prophecy of DOOM for the Outsider.I want Iowa to have prepared to go on some sort of hand-signal snap count because one set of human vocal cords will not make itself heard from the QB to the tackle a few yards away. Our D goes on the movement of the ball, their O has to figure out a way to act in unison without verbal communication. Every time it does not work and they either false start or get run over because one of their lineman is crouching in his stance after the ball is snapped, we break the rules of the game and the fans hand our defense an advantage. They get more frustrated. They forget assignments or make other mistakes. The advantage grows.

Haul your rain gear into the ballpark with you and sit there for so long as there is any doubt. You paid good money for these tickets and drove long hours to get there. You will not sleep worth a damn in your hotel room or RV if we lose, anyway. If we lose a close game and you can speak above a whisper by Tuesday, then unfortunately this loss gets chalked up to YOU.

I sat in the stands for Nebraska 2002 when Gardner picked off Lord and coasted 75 untouched to drive the final nail in the coffin of the Cornhuskers. The guttural, raging roar of the crowd was one of the loudest things I have ever heard. I had reverb in my ears like when you are standing in the open air at a jet show. On that day I saw the power of this-- an intimidating, brutal, merciless assault on consciousness. It disturbs one's equilibrium. That game was O-V-E-R.

WE DECIDE WHETHER YOU HEAR THE SNAP COUNT.

Amen.

The Nebraska game was a sort of revenge game. We didn't actually play the Huskers in 1994, but they stole our crown nonetheless. One of the best teams in college football EVER went uncrowned because we didn't play them. In 2002, the Huskers were ranked 8th I believe, although they wouldn't end the season ranked if memory serves me. But we took out 8 years of what ifs and could have beens on that team that had no resemblance to the 1994 squad.

I don't think a single season removed from Iowa is in the same category ("revenge is dish best served cold"), but I must admit, I will be more than ecstatic if our team pounds them tonight and defeats them soundly. There will be a sense of redemption. But for what they did last season, it would only be a downpayment on any revenge. Maybe someday we will race onto the field screaming and celbrating as we knock off the Top Ranked Hawkeyes in a game they should have won, but watched slip away like a withered leaf blowing in the cold November wind. That would be revenge. Till then . . .

GO STATE! CRUSH HAWKS!