The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Iowa – INSIDE SLANT
The good news for Iowa is that a young football team found a way to pull out an 18-17 neutral-site win over Northern Illinois in the opener for both teams.
The bad news is that the offense, playing its first game under coordinator Greg Davis, was forced to settle for five field goal tries when there could have been a lot more.
“We’ve got to score touchdowns,” quarterback James Vandenberg said after the win. “You’re not going to win very many games scoring your first touchdown with two minutes and six seconds left, or whatever it was.
“We moved the ball well. ? When we get down there, we’ve got to get seven points.”
The Hawkeyes had first down at Northern Illinois’ 16, 23, 17, 3 and 26 and didn’t score a touchdown until Damon Bullock’s game-winning 23-yard run late in the game.
Now, Iowa moves from the opener to the home opener, against in-state rival Iowa State; the Cyclones, 2-11 last year, coming off a 38-23 win over Tulsa in their opener.
The home opener starts a run of four straight home games for the Hawkeyes, who also host Northern Iowa, Central Michigan and Minnesota before the Oct. 13 first true road game of the season, at Michigan State.
“We better improve in a hurry,” coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. “Otherwise, we are not going to be very happy after the game Saturday.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Iowa – NOTES, QUOTES
–Iowa plays the first of four straight home games this week when in-state rival Iowa State visits. These programs first played in 1894, the first series going through 1934. They resumed in 1977 and play for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, Iowa leading the Cy-Hawk series 23-12.
–The Hawkeyes will wear throwback uniforms Saturday, honoring the 1921 and ’22 teams that both went 7-0, 5-0 in the Big Ten. The 1921 team was later awarded a national championship.
–K Mike Meyer, who tied his personal best with four field goals and equaled the school record of five tries in last week’s 18-17 win over Northern Illinois, was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week. It was his second such honor and the first special teams award for the Hawkeyes since he was named Nov. 8, 2010.
–After winning their 12th straight season opener last week, the Hawkeyes go for their 12th home-opening win in a row this week. They are 93-27-2 in all-time home openers.
–Iowa has won four straight home games over Iowa State.
–Coach Kirk Ferentz, in his 14th season at Iowa, needs three wins to reach 100 during his time in Iowa City.
–Ferentz said his team came out of the Northern Illinois game healthy.
–The Hawkeyes are 19-2 against the MAC after the win over Northern Illinois.
SERIES HISTORY: Iowa leads Iowa State 39-20 (last meeting, 2011, 44-41 Iowa State, 3 OTs)
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: QB James Vandenberg was sacked six times in the opening win, as the Iowa offense sputtered in its first game under new coordinator Greg Davis.
“I think I’ve got a long way to go,” Vandenberg said. “I think we do as an offense as a whole. It felt out of sync a lot of times, and that starts with me.”
To the rescue came Damon Bullock, who emerged from the gloom and doom that has attacked the depth chart at running back to run for 150 yards, including the game-winning 23-yard touchdown run, in his first Iowa start.
“We’re going to be all right,” said wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley, who led Iowa with six catches, but for just 31 yards. “There’s a big difference between 0-1 and 1-0. That’s good for our confidence. We can only go up from here.”
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The defense, also playing for a new coordinator, allowed a 73-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jordan Lynch last week but still yielded just 17 points. That?s a number the coaches will take all season.
This week, the Hawkeyes face a quarterback, Steele Jantz, who threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns in an opening win over Tulsa, and a runner, Shontrelle Johnson, who returned from a neck injury with 120 yards and a TD in the opener.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We need to improve in all facets. I don’t know the last time we started a season and looked at the game tape from that first game and said ?everything looks good.’ We have to improve our play on the field each week.” — Coach Kirk Ferentz on his 1-0 team.
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NCAAF Team Report – Iowa – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK’S GAME: Iowa vs Iowa State, Sept. 8 — The Hawkeyes, 18-17 winners over Northern Illinois in Chicago in Week 1, open a four-game homestand with the annual Cy-Hawk Trophy game. Iowa is a 3?-point favorite but anything is possible with a young football team, which should have some confidence after pulling the opener out away from home.
KEYS TO THE GAME: The first thing the Hawkeyes have to do is find a way to keep quarterback James Vandenberg upright. He was sacked six times in the opening win; and this was against a team that allowed 40 points per game last year. The running game was the offensive spark in the opener, with Damon Bullock coming out of nowhere with a big game. Is he the real deal?
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB James Vandenberg — He was 21-for-32 in the opener, but for just 129 yards, with nothing over 20 yards. He was sacked six times but led an offense that didn’t turn the ball over.
RB Damon Bullock — Coach Kirk Ferentz admitted he didn’t know what to expect when the sophomore made a bleak running back forecast shine with a career-best 150 yards on 30 carries, the last one a game-winning 23-yard touchdown run.
K Mike Meyer — The Hawkeyes probably don’t win this game without him equaling his career high with four field goals, one a career-best 50 yarder that cut Northern Illinois’ lead to 17-12 with 9:33 left. He was named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for his work.
ROSTER REPORT
–Freshmen RB Greg Garmon, punter Connor Kornbrath and defensive backs Kevin Buford and Sean Drapers all made their college debuts in Saturday’s win over Northern Illinois.
–CB B.J. Lowery left the game with a shoulder injury but x-rays were negative.
–LB Tom Donatell and defensive end Joe Gaglione both had six tackles and the first forced fumbles of their college careers.
–LBs James Morris and Anthony Hitchens led the Hawkeyes with eight tackles apiece. Both posted four solos.
–QB James Vandenberg has 3,666 career passing yards, putting him ninth on Iowa’s all-time list.
–DE Melvin Spears continues to work his way back from injury. “Hopefully we’ll get him back here again soon,” coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.
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