10.23.09 - Hawkeye Links

The Gazette's Marc Morehouse takes a look at what happens behind the locker room door during halftime of a Hawkeye football game. The USA Today has a write-up on the Hawkeyes and their success dating back to the last half of 2008: Iowa has felt pretty good about itself in all but one game after that loss to Michigan State last year. The Hawkeyes rebounded to finish 9-4, including a win against Penn State that knocked the Nittany Lions out of national title contention and a victory against South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. A closer look shows the Hawkeyes might not have been that far from elite status last season. Their four losses were by a total of 12 points. Mike Hlas, of the Gazette and The Hlog, compares this year's Hawkeyes to last year's squad and asks which team is better. The Lansing State Journal features Iowa TE Tony Moeaki and discusses how the Hawkeyes use their Tight Ends as weapons on offense. The blog Fight for Iowa has a nice run down of the numbers and team statistics in their preview of Saturday's game against the Spartans. The Bleacher Report interviews former Hawkeye basketball star Kenyon Murray. Murray will also be working as a commentator for the Big Ten Network this season.

10.22.09 - Hawkeye Links

The Gazette's Marc Morehouse breaks down Saturday's matchup between Iowa and Michigan State in his Big Analysis: The Hawkeyes haven’t won at Spartan Stadium since 1995. Ferentz is 0-for-4 there, including a 49-3 spanking when the Spartans and Hawkeyes were from different planets in 1999. That said, Iowa has found some sort of Zen-like calm on the road this season. Turnovers have been the deal, with taking three interceptions ut of Wisconsin last week and four take-aways at Penn State. Can a team depend on turnovers like this? Probably not, but it’s worked so far. Iowa 21, Michigan State 20 Iowa City Press-Citizen's Andy Hamilton says while fans may be talking BCS, Rose Bowl, and beyond, the Hawkeyes are just taking it one game at a time. ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg has Iowa's continued "quest for perfection" as his #1 thing to watch in the Big Ten this Saturday. Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News believes Iowa is the worst 7-0 team in Big Ten history. His reasoning? It's obvious. Oh, and the Hawkeyes "tackle, pick up loose footballs, and hope the other team misses field goals." Journalism at its finest, folks! The Lansing State Journal chronicles the Iowa-Michigan State series over the years. 15 of the last 21 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less. This year's game should be another tight one. HawkeyeNation.com takes a look at where Vegas would set the odds for mock matchups if Iowa were to face Florida, Alabama, and USC. The Hawkeyes would be at least a touchdown underdog against each of those teams according to the Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

10.20.09 - Hawkeye Links

Black Heart Gold Pants reviews Iowa's 20-10 win over Wisconsin and does a nice job of summing up where the Hawkeyes stand now at 7-0. The Gazette's Mike Hlas is asking on The Hlog whether or not Iowa is getting enough respect nationally? The Hawkeyes' high strength of schedule is noted and BCS chances are discussed by Jon Miller at his new Hawkeye Nation site. Rich Tellshow has been tracking and projecting the BCS Standings for about as long as the BCS has been around. Here is what he predicts the Final BCS Standings would look like if each team wins out: 1 Undef. SEC Champ (UF or Bama) 2 Undef. Texas 3 Undef. Iowa 4 1 loss (reg season) SEC Champ ( UF, Bama, LSU) 5 1 loss Pac 10 Champ USC, Ore (close call with the 4 seed depending) 6 Undef. Boise St 7 1 loss ACC Champ (UM, GT) ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg's Midseason Review on Iowa is up, as well as this review on the Big Ten's BCS tiebreaker rules. In basketball news, The Gazette's Scott Dochterman reports JuCo transfer Devon Archie injured his shoulder in practice and could miss up to two months.

10.16.09 - Hawkeye Links

ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg talks with Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga in this edition of his Big Ten Spotlight. Bulaga will be in charge of blocking Wisconsin DE O'Brien Schofield on Saturday. Quad City Times writer Don Doxsie takes a look at the daunting task facing Iowa's offensive line. Schofield leads the Big Ten in sacks this season and leads the nation in tackles for loss. The Gazette's Marc Morehouse spoke with Wes Bunting of the National Football Post about Iowa TE Tony Moeaki and his NFL chances. Andy Hamilton from the Iowa City Press-Citizen points to high praise given to Moeaki from his coaches and teammates. Coach Ferentz has said Tony "might be the best blocking tight end he's ever been around." The Gazette's Scott Dochterman pens a fun story about the Iowa-Wisconsin rivalry and old traditions involing a Wisconsin border town and Hawkeye bus trips. The Des Moines Register takes a look at ex-Hawkeye Frank Strub, who created the Heartland Trophy that is up for grabs this Saturday.

10.15.09 - Hawkeye Links

The Gazette's Marc Morehouse takes a look at the Iowa-Wisconsin game in his Big Analysis. His prediction: Iowa 20 Wisconsin 17. Marc will also be joining the Gazette's Mike Hlas for a live chat today at noon over at The Hlog. Coach Ferentz has been hinting this week that the flu bug has hit the Iowa football team. Ferentz says the flu this year has been worse than past years. Quad City Times writer Don Doxsie writes about Iowa WR Colin Sandeman's expanded role now that WR and punt returner Paul Chaney Jr is out for the season. ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg has a few Hawkeyes on his midseason awards check-up list. Among them is Kirk Ferentz who has to be the early favorite to win Coach of the Year at this point: Iowa's Kirk Ferentz -- Ferentz has Iowa off to its best start (6-0) since 1985, when the team won the Big Ten title and advanced to the Rose Bowl. Despite losing their best offensive player (Greene) and their two best defenders (tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul), the Hawkeyes are making plays and gaining confidence, especially in close games. TheWizofOdds.com takes a look at how well teams have done against the spread over the past 8 years. Since the 2000 season, Iowa has been 3rd best in the nation against the point spread. Only Boise State and Utah have been better over that timeframe.

Paul Chaney Jr done for season

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed at his Press Conference today that junior WR Paul Chaney Jr suffered an ACL injury in Iowa's victory over Michigan on Saturday. Chaney is out for the remainder of the season. Colin Sandeman will take over on punt returns for the Hawkeyes, and freshman Keenan Davis moves up a spot on the depth chart. Full transcript of Kirk's presser (via ASAP Sports)

10.13.09 - Hawkeye Links

ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg previews Saturday's Iowa-Wisconsin game and says both teams deserve your attention. Kick-off is 11AM on ESPN. Badgers coach Bret Bielema talked Hawkeyes at his Monday Press Conference. The Gazette's Marc Morehouse has his responses to questions about Iowa. The Hlog found the ratings for Saturday night's ABC telecast of the Iowa-Michigan game. To no surprise, CBS' Florida-LSU match-up drew a much larger audience. Rittenberg also has the new Big Ten bowl lineup and believes the matchups will benefit the Big Ten. Starting next season, the conference bowl tie-ins will look like this: 1. Rose/BCS vs. Pac-10/BCS 2. Capital One vs. SEC 3. Outback vs. SEC 4 or 5. Gator vs. SEC 4 or 5. Insight vs. Big 12 6. Texas vs. Big 12 7. New bowl in Dallas vs. Big 12 or Conference USA 8. Little Caesar's Pizza vs. MAC Yesterday was media day for the Iowa Basketball team. The Gazette's Scott Dochterman has video of Freshman Point Guard Cully Payne and some other notes from media day. Rick Brown of the Des Moines Register looks at Iowa's backcourt of Payne and Anthony Tucker, who will likely handle most of the point guard duties for this year's Hawkeyes.

10.12.09 - Hawkeye Links

Iowa is 6-0 for the first time in the Ferentz era and the first time since 1985. The Hawkeyes also moved up in the rankings after Saturday's victory over Michigan. Iowa is #11 in the AP Poll and #12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Gazette's Scott Dochterman reports that reps from the Rose Bowl and Florida Citrus Sports were in attendance Saturday night and were thrilled with Iowa. Senior TE Tony Moeaki was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after catching 6 passes for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, in Iowa's 30-28 win over Michigan. Moeaki had missed the previous three games due to injury. The first BCS Standings of this season will be released after this Saturday's games on October 18th. Rich Tellshow takes the human and computer polls that make up the BCS formula and predicts the BCS Standings each week. Iowa is currently 10th in his BCS Standings prediction. The Hlog has a run down of Iowa's team statistics and where the Hawkeyes rank in the NCAA. The Hawkeyes also picked up 2 more recruits for the 2010 class. Two 3-star defensive line recruits verbally committed to Iowa during their official visits this past weekend reports Andy Hamilton of the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Don't forget to follow HSN on Twitter and stay up to the minute on all Hawkeye Sports News.

10.09.09 - Hawkeye Links

Former Hawkeye QB Chuck Long is the honorary captain for tomorrow night's Iowa-Michigan game, and the Des Moines Register Andrew Logue caught up with Long to get his thoughts on Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi. ESPN.com's Big Ten Blog has the official Michigan injury report. AnnArbor.com says Wolverines leading rusher Carlos Brown's status is still uncertain for tomorrow night. "Hlastradamus" makes 5 picks each week against the spread at The Hlog. He likes Iowa this week to cover the eight point spread against Michigan. Break out the long underwear! The weather forecast for tomorrow seems to be getting worse the closer we get to gametime. KCRG-TV9's latest forecast says snow flurries are a possibility for Saturday afternoon/evening: Our weather turns complicated going into the weekend and there could very well be flurries around here on Saturday afternoon/evening. If you are planning to go the Hawkeye game, you need to dress smart, and prepare for air temperatures in the 36-39 range with northwest winds of 10-20 MPH. Temperatures will only fall the later in the night you go.

10.08.09 - Hawkeye Links

Check out "The Big Analysis" for Saturday's Iowa-Michigan game by the Gazette's Marc Morehouse at his blog "On Iowa". Morehouse picks Iowa 27 Michigan 17. Also on the Gazette's site, Marc joins Mike Hlas and KCRG-TV's John Campbell for a webcast preview of Saturday's homecoming game. ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg has a great piece on the dominance of the Hawkeye defensive line. Iowa's defense has not allowed a rushing TD for 33 straight quarters. Rittenberg also has his Big Ten picks for Week 6 posted today. He is picking the Hawks in a close one: Iowa 26, Michigan 21 -- Something tells me Iowa's streak of 33 consecutive quarters without a rushing touchdown allowed ends against the Wolverines, but the Hawkeyes' defense still stands strong in the end. Tate Forcier makes some plays for Michigan, but his counterpart Ricky Stanzi turns in a big second half as Iowa stays unbeaten at home. The Hlog has found a 2010 NFL mock-draft board that still has Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga as a top-5 pick despite missing three straight games prior to last Saturday. Don Doxsie of the Quad City Times reports tickets for Saturday's game are going for anywhere between $182.50 to $706 online. The Iowa Athletic Department sent out this notice to those lucky Iowa-Michigan ticket holders. Fans are reminded of the tailgating rules and that there will be no tailgating allowed after the game due to the late 7pm kick-off. Iowa AD Gary Barta wrote a guest opinion piece in yesterday's Daily Iowan expressing his disappointment with drunk fans at previous Hawkeye home games. The Iowa Basketball team will be holding an open scrimmage on October 31st after the Iowa-Indiana football game. The open scrimmage is scheduled to start about 30 minutes after the conclusion of the football game.

10.07.09 - Hawkeye Links

Marc Morehouse's On Iowa has a rundown of all the "Tuesday Talk" following Coach Ferentz's press conference yesterday. A couple of notes: On DJK: “I think he’s going to be fine,” Ferentz said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. He had a bump or two in the road last week, but he’ll be fine.” On Moeaki: “We’ll be smart about where he’s at, where we’ll put him,” Ferentz said. “Our plan is to play him. So, unless something blows up on us this week, our plan is to play him.” Don Doxsie of the Quad City Times has some more tidbits from the press conference in his Iowa notebook. You can read the full transcript of Kirk's Tuesday presser here, courtesy of ASAP Sports. Iowa City Press-Citizen's Pat Harty is reading quite a bit between the lines and believes DJK "needs to get with the program." The Gazette's Mike Hlas reports on the high demand for tickets to this Saturday's homecoming game and some of the problems associated with that. A 22-year old Iowa City woman was arrested for harassing a member of the Iowa football team at last Saturday's game. The Press-Citizen has the details. Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register will be chatting about Iowa football at 12:30pm today on the Register's website. As always, stay up to date 24-7 by checking the "Recent Headlines" to your right.

10.06.09 - Hawkeye Links

Black Heart Gold Pants analyzes Iowa's 24-21 win over Arkansas State in 'The Takeaway', and answers the question 'What does it all mean?' ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg defends Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and his high salary and points out how important it has been for Iowa to maintain stability within the program during Kirk's tenure. The Northwest Herald talks with Crystal Lake, IL native Bryan Bulaga about the thyroid issue that held him out of three games this season. Bulaga will not have to take medication to regulate his thyroid but will get regular blood tests this year as a precaution. Storminspank takes a look at the defenses Michigan QB Tate Forcier has faced so far this season and concludes the Hawkeyes will handle young T. Forcier. Set the DVR for some classic Hayden vs. Bo. The Big Ten Network will air two classic Iowa-Michigan battles this afternoon as part of their series "Big Ten's Greatest Games": 5PM (Central): 1990 - Iowa at Michigan - Coming off a loss a Michigan State, #10 Michigan went home to take on #22 Iowa. In the end, Michigan fails on a 2-point conversion, giving Iowa the win and ultimately a share of the conference crown. 7PM (Central): 1983 - Iowa at Michigan Iowa wrestler Joe Slaton was charged with shoplifting Sunday morning. Slaton reportedly was charged with stealing two packages of ear plugs from Paul's Discount in Iowa City.

10.05.09 - Hawkeye Links

Two deeps for Saturday's Iowa-Michigan game are out. Bulaga, Prater, and DJK are all listed. TE Tony Moeaki is not on the two-deep, but that doesn't mean he won't be by Saturday. The Gazette's Marc Morehouse elaborates on why Coach Ferentz sees similarities between this year's team and the 2004 Hawkeyes, and previews the Iowa-Michigan homecoming tilt this Saturday. Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register has notes from Rich Rodriquez's press conference today. Rich Rod said nothing but good things about Iowa's defense. ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg keeps the Hawkeyes at #2 in his Big Ten Power Rankings this week, behind only Ohio State: 2. Iowa (5-0, 2-0) -- A letdown against Arkansas State wasn't a huge surprise, though Iowa actually started strong before a shaky second half. The next two weeks will tell a lot, as Iowa hosts Michigan before visiting Wisconsin. Iowa has a BCS bowl-worthy defense, but how much longer can the Hawkeyes survive major mistakes and inconsistency on offense? The Hawkeyes fell to 9th in Jeff Sagarin's latest college football ratings. Iowa is #3 in his "ELO-CHESS" ratings which are used as part of the BCS formula, the Hawkeyes were #1 in "ELO-CHESS" last week. Speaking of Sagarin, ESPN released the ESPN/Sagarin All-Time Ratings for college basketball, and Iowa is ranked as the 10th best program in college basketball history (from 1937-current). The ratings are also broken down by decade. And the only decade which Iowa isn't ranked in the Top 40? The 2000s.

10.04.09 - Hawkeye Links

The Hawkeyes defeated Arkansas State 24-21 yesterday to improved to 5-0 for the first time under Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes haven't started 5-0 since 1995. Iowa finished 8-4 that season. Player of the Game honors go to WR Marvin McNutt who caught 4 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. McNutt, a former quarterback, has definitely adjusted to his new role as a wide receiver. College football's Top 25 polls were released this afternoon. Iowa moves up one spot in the AP Top 25 to #12, and the Hawkeyes jump 3 spots to #14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Iowa vs Michigan this Saturday will be televised nationally on ABC at 7pm. It is also a "Blackout Saturday", so those coming to Kinnick be sure to wear black. Mike Humes, publicist for ESPN College Sports, reported this morning that ESPN's College GameDay would not be coming to Iowa City this weekend. GameDay will be in Baton Rouge on Saturday for Florida vs LSU. Stay up to date 24-7 by checking the "Recent Headlines" to your right. Also, follow HSN on Twitter and get Hawkeye news as it breaks.

10.02.09 - Hawkeye Links

A.J. Derby has made up his mind and will announce his college choice at a 4pm Press Conference today at Iowa City High School. Iowa City Press-Citizen's Andy Hamilton says Derby is expected to choose Iowa and explains how a brassy move this summer appears to have paid off for the Hawkeyes. Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register has this piece on the Derby presser with Rival.com's Jeremy Crabtree calling it "one of the worst kept secrets." All that's left now is for A.J. to put on the Hawkeye cap at 4pm today. The Gazette's Marc Morehouse continues to pump out amazing stuff at his "On Iowa" blog. He's got features on each of Iowa's defensive front four as well as this piece on RB Adam Robinson. If it isn't already, "On Iowa" needs to be one of the websites you visit daily. The Iowa City Press-Citizen points out the high demand of tickets for next week's homecoming tilt with Michigan: Tickets for the game are running from $140 up to a staggering $818 each on online auction sites like StubHub.com, TicketCity.com, and TickCo.com. Oh yeah, there's a game tomorrow! Morehouse's analysis of the Iowa-Arkansas State game can be found at The Gazette's site. His prediction: Iowa 38 Arkansas State 13. It could be chilly for the tailgaters with a 30% chance of rain in the forecast for tomorrow morning. Good news came yesterday for a former Hawkeye basketball player, as the NCAA decided Jake Kelly will be able to play this year for Indiana State. The NCAA waived its requirement for Kelly to sit out 1-year after his transfer within Division 1 “due to his extraordinary personal circumstances.”

Iowa City High QB A.J. Derby commits to Iowa

The Gazette's Marc Morehouse has "multiple sources" saying Iowa City High senior QB A.J. Derby has verbally committed to the Iowa football program. The official announcement will be made at a Press Conference tomorrow. Derby chose the Hawkeyes over a number of different major programs that had extended offers to the highly-touted recruit. Florida, Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Alabama are just a portion of the list of schools that had offered scholarships to the 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback. Derby has led Iowa City High to 5-straight wins to start this season. The Little Hawks are currently ranked #1 in the Class 4A Iowa Football Poll. Last year, Derby finished his junior season with 1,200 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns. Update 4:39pm : A.J. Derby spoke with the Gazette's Scott Dochterman this afternoon. Press conference set for tomorrow. Update 6:55pm : ESPN.com's Bill Hodge is reporting A.J. Derby is expected to choose Iowa and make that announcement tomorrow. Update 7:06pm : Morehouse now has a story posted to his blog "On Iowa" citing his sources who say Derby is expected to commit to Iowa at a Press Conference tomorrow. Derby, nor his High School coach Dan Sabers, would confirm or deny the reports. Update 9:05pm : HSN has learned that the presser is set for 4pm Friday where A.J. Derby will officially announce his college choice.

10.01.09 - Hawkeye Links

ESPN.com's Big Ten Blog has Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi as something to Watch for this weekend against Arkansas State: Stanzi hunts for Wolves -- Iowa will eventually need Ricky Stanzi to win a tough game or two, and this must be the week that the junior quarterback and his wide receivers get on track. Stanzi's first-half struggles are well documented, but he should be able to get comfortable against an Arkansas State defense that ranks 102nd nationally against the pass (256.7 ypg). Wideout Derrell Johnson-Koulianos seemed to move well at Penn State and could have a big day against the Red Wolves. Left tackle Bryan Bulaga has been medically cleared and could provide a big boost up front. Rittenberg also posted his Big Ten picks for Week 5 today. He's got Iowa over Arkansas State, 30-10. The Daily Iowan notes that Saturday's matchup would have never happened if Arkansas State hadn't changed their nickname from the "Indians" to the "Red Wolves" before last season. The Gazette's Marc Morehouse caught up with Iowa football's two newest recruits who bring the Hawkeyes' total to 16 commits for the 2010 class. Morehouse will also be chatting about the Hawks with fellow Gazette scribes Mike Hlas and Scott Dochterman at 11:30 this morning over at The Gazette's website. Black Heart Gold Pants has got a clip of Christian Ballard's block/demolition of a Penn State O-Lineman from Saturday during Pat Angerer's interception return. Iowa City Press-Citizen's Pat Harty talks with former Hawkeye QB Brad Banks about his CFL future, Iowa's win over Penn State, and this weekend's game with Arkansas State.