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Insight Bowl: Hawkeyes trip No. 14 Missouri 27-24

[ 102 ] December 29, 2010 |

 

Colin Sandeman and Ricky Stanzi celebrate Iowa's 27-24 victory against Missouri in Tuesday night's Insight Bowl. (Christopher Gannon/Register photo)

Tempe, Ariz. — Micah Hyde trusted his instincts late Tuesday and was rewarded with the No. 1 highlight on ESPN’s nightly top 10 countdown.

Blaine Gabbert gambled as well, but ended up regretting it.

They were the central figures in a defining play that helped Iowa’s football team topple 14th-ranked Missouri 27-24 at the Insight Bowl.
Gabbert, the Tigers’ junior quarterback, made an ill-advised pass.

Hyde, the Hawkeyes’ sophomore defensive back, made the interception and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown, with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter.

“I just got greedy,” Gabbert said. “It’s a game of inches. I should have thrown that ball away.”

Hawkeye coaches taught Hyde to run along the nearest sideline after securing a turnover, but nobody was complaining after he raced across the field en route to the winning score.

“He does his own thing,” linebacker Jeff Tarpinian said. “That was pretty impressive. I was freaking out.”

A record crowd of 53,453 watched as Missouri tried to rally – and hand Iowa its sixth fourth-quarter loss of the season – but Gabbert’s final fourth-down attempt was ruled incomplete with 2:15 remaining.

Officials initially ruled Tigers’ receiver T.J. Moe made a diving catch near the Hawkeyes’ 33-yard line, but it was overturned after a video review.

“I thought he caught it, honestly,” defensive end Adrian Clayborn said. “The guys in the sky know more than I do.”

Moe also felt he made the reception.

“I thought I had it,” he said, “but I guess they had some evidence that said I didn’t.”

Iowa, which earned a third straight bowl win for the first time ever, took possession and ran out the clock.

The Hawkeyes finished 8-5 and Hyde was named game’s outstanding defensive player.

“I couldn’t have done it with out (the rest of) the defense,” Hyde said. “All I did was run.”

Marcus Coker was selected as the offensive player of the game after rushing for an Iowa bowl record of 219 yards – eclipsing Bob Jeter’s 194 yards in the 1959 Rose Bowl – and two touchdowns.

The true freshman from Beltsville, Md., averaged 6.6 yards per carry and helped Iowa go ahead 17-3 midway through the second quarter.

“I already knew before the game the offensive line was going to do a great job,” Coker said. “I was pretty comfortable after the first couple plays.”

Gabbert, who was 41-of-57 passing for 434 yards, spearheaded a Missouri comeback.

His 3-yard strike to Michael Egnew gave the Tigers (10-3) a 24-20 advantage with less than a minute left in the third quarter.

“He better be icing his arm,” Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said of Gabbert’s busy night. “He looked good on film. He looks even better in person.”

Gabbert was on the verge of padding Missouri’s lead when he scrambled to his left and tried to squeeze a throw in to receiver Wes Kemp.

“I forced it,” Gabbert said. “I thought Wes got behind the cornerback and I was releasing down the field.”

Hyde stepped in front of Kemp and began looking for running room.

“Our defense turned into an offense,” Hyde said. “They were picking up blocks the whole time.”

It became a moment of redemption for a unit that failed to protect late leads in each of Iowa’s five defeats.

“It feels great to finally close out a game,” Clayborn said. “We kind of focused on that this month, getting back to work and playing every play.”
Ferentz could talk about something other than the off-field distractions that plagued his program throughout December.

“Every year is different,” he said. “Our guys were able to enjoy the bowl and also prepare. And, most importantly, they competed tonight start to finish.”

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Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football

About Andrew Logue: Andrew has been with the Des Moines Register for 15 years, covering everything from preps to Hawkeye and Cyclone sports, as well as the Drake Relays. View author profile.

Comments (102)

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  1. Judge Crater Judge Crater says:

    What a game! Coker, what player. He stepped up. Mizzou fans are all screaming to fire the coach.

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  2. BigDawg BigDawg says:

    Do you think Ferentz’s comment about Coker being a *tremendous young man* was directed at a certain player not at the game ?

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  3. doctedhawk doctedhawk says:

    great game…..I have been a critic of KOK, but great call on 3rd down……..

    Report this comment

    • LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

      I think Iowa fans were as surprised as Mizzouri’s defense with that call. Would love to see a little more of that when defenses stack the box.

      Report this comment

    • Judge Crater Judge Crater says:

      I was wondering if they would have the guts to call a play action pass. I love the play and thought they wouldn’t and then 5 seconds later… great call, great execution.

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    • Alan1147 Alan1147 says:

      doctedhawk says:
      December 29, 2010 at 12:57 am
      “great game…..I have been a critic of KOK……”

      Repeat this to yourself enough times until it finally sinks in:

      KEN O’KEEFE IS AN EMPLOYEE WHO RUNS THE OFFENSE THAT KIRK FERENTZ TELLS HIM TO RUN

      If you want to be critical of the offensive scheme, fine, but be critical of the right person….Kirk Ferentz. He’s calling the shots.

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  4. LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

    BigDawg, I think he was directing it at AR, DJK, and at all the rotten comments hecklers like the ones who come in here have made. I like that he said, “a tremendous young man OFF the field, as well as on it.”

    This was a great effort by a team that was so depleted of depth. They never quit. …and finally, a couple of well timed blitzes. Food for future though, Coach Norm.

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  5. Hawkeyed Hawkeyed says:

    Way to go Micah. You and Marcus saved Stanzi. NP finally blitzed and we get a INT.
    Hey Micah, I nominate you as punt returner.
    You can catch the ball and run. KOK would not be able to figure that out. Way to go HAWKS.

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    • Orlandohawk Orlandohawk says:

      Great comment- yes, the guy would be a tremendous punt/ kick return man. Isn’t that the second pick 6 for him this year with a return over 50 yards??? As for Mizzou- BOOOOO! Saw lots of dirty plays, helmet on helmet and the BS “block” on Stanzi was crap. The Mizzou Tigers just got beat by the 2nd/ 3rd string of an unrated Iowa team. Gabbert is amazing, but without him, what did you really have?

      Finally, the announcers kept talking about how Gabbert ALMOST went to Iowa. Can you imagine? No offense to Manzi, but we would be talking National Championship ’09, ’10???? :-D

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      • Lilguy Lilguy says:

        Sorry, but the hit on Stanzi was legit (& a bad call). The hit came after Mizzou intercepted the pass and was a fair block on an Iowa player (not in the back). And I’m a Hawk fan & UI grad.

        Other calls were not so good, but overall I don’t think either team gained a net advantage.

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  6. LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

    The Hawks really showed grit and heart, right down to the end. Where are all those hecklers who made all lousy remarks? Where are the Hawk haters who said Iowa would lose by 40 points and Missouri would run all over them? We won’t see a post from those creeps till next season.

    I like the team for next year too, with Coker, Rogers and De’Andre Johnson in the backfield and Vandenberg at QB. Hopefully, this nice win against the 12th rated Tigers will convince some of those recruits who are on the borderline to come on over and join the Hawkeyes.

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  7. IsThisHeavenItsIowa IsThisHeavenItsIowa says:

    Awesome! Way to put a win on the end of a rough and disappointing season. That last Tiger drive was beginning to look some-what like previous games this season where Iowa had the lead only to let it slip away in the fourth q. So glad to see the Hawks win. As a native Iowan and a lifelong Hawkeyes fan, a few years living in Missouri is all it took to cheer against Missouri and Cardinals, etc. Absolutely awesome to see Iowa beat them. The replay booth doesn’t always get the calls correct but their overturn of the non-catch on 4th down was right on. Great job coaches getting the team prepared for this game following all the things that have happened this year. Looking forward to cheering Iowa on next season. In heaven there is no beer…

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  8. John14541 John14541 says:

    Congratulations to the Hawkeyes and the Coaching Staff for an Insight Bowl victory.

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  9. we_ta_ke we_ta_ke says:

    Hawks won! Lets all go get arrested. Embarassing to even have the commentators talikng about the Hawkeye woes..

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  10. MichiganHawk MichiganHawk says:

    Nice game Hawkeyes. Can’t wait till next season.

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  11. ardee77 ardee77 says:

    You know what? Nobody gave a **** about this game, except as a Gabbert showcase for his possible entry into the NFL. That’s why MU threw 57 times. Might as well have been a Spring game. And while I am at it, Iowa’s off -the -field problems expose once again the hypocrisy of major college football. You have all these Iowa fans lionizing players from inner-city somewhere else who don’t care one whit about the program. And the University making millions off of it. DJK was the most prolific receiver in Iowa history. Do you think he cared one bit about that? No, he did not. Adam Robinson was even FROM the state, and he does not care. And what about the Ohio State players selling their rings etc? Another example of the disconnect. They don’t give one rip about the tradition or history of OSU football. Why should they? All they know is someone is making millions off of them, and they don’t get squat. Many of these players have no interest in higher education, and are basically hoping to be one of the few to make it to the NFL. Meanwhile the Universities make millions, and they get nothing. It is a joke. And finally, with all the NFL openings coming up, don’t be surprised if KF makes his jump, especially if Mangini gets the hook in Cleveland. He’s probably had enough.

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    • DancingBull DancingBull says:

      You are somewhat right about BCS football in general, but you don’t seem to know much about the game itself. MU did not throw 57 times to showcase Gabbert, his coach does not do his job so that an individual can be a high draft pick. He threw a lot because Iowa gives up a lot of short pass completions. And KF gave up on the NFL a long time ago. If he does change his mind, it will be after his kids are no longer on his team.

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    • LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

      Ardee 77: Go back to Ames, lunkhead. Or to Columbia and lick your wounds. If you’re an Iowa fan, get a sign and go march out front of all the college presidents’ offices. The reality is, college is what it is and isn’t about to change. I think they should pay the players and tell them that if they want, a perk is that they can also attend our fine university… but the NCAA rules the roost.

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      • ardee77 ardee77 says:

        “Reality is reality and it’s not going to change”. That’s what they said about the civil rights movement in the 60′s. Major college football is the last great bastion of slavery in Amerika, and the Universities, ‘these institutions of enlightenment’, are profiting from the fraud. Shame, shame, shame on them…I don’t care if it is ISU, Iowa or MU. It is wrong….
        The NFL should just franchise a minor league to cultivate talent, instead of using colleges for the same purpose. It is a sham by any yardstick. Want to have true college football? Do away with scholarships. A horrible sham.

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  12. bleedsblckngold bleedsblckngold says:

    Ok, so the Minnesota game was a devistating loss… not just because they lost the game but because, in so doing, they lost heart. I’d never seen a Kirk coached team lay down the way Iowa did in that game. My greatest fear was that Iowa wouldn’t be able to muster the “will,” let alone the “skill” to be competitive with Big MO. But the Hawks quickly put my fears to rest with one of there rare “fast starts.” They played with the kind of urgency we hadn’t seen in months. Even when they suffered setbacks, turnovers, weak red-zone defense, and bad calls, they never laid down. The drug devistated offense didn’t miss a beat, indeed, they didn’t miss their star receiver or running back. Clearly, Coach Kirk worked his perennial post season magic turning around a clearly “down” team in the weeks running up to the bowl. The Hawks may have been “under manned” but they were not “under prepared.” The “O” gashed the vaunted MO defense with a nicely balanced attack. Even the “bend and then break” defense finally bucked up in the forth quarter to win the game. And why could they succeed against a 12th ranked team where they had failed so miserably against a 1 win big ten team? One word “HEART.” They found the heart they had misplaced somewhere along the line. Personally, I was greatly heartened by their effort, and have taken heart at the prospect of next year’s team. Can’t wait! Good show and well done Hawks! Our hearts swell with pride at your clutch curtain call to the 2010 season.

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  13. theone theone says:

    Are you kidding me, you people are celebrating this win? Let’s get this into perspective, 1) the refs gave Iowa the game with the BS calls all game long, especially the last one on 4th and forever; it was a catch, 2) it was reported that 20 or so Iowa players failed drug tests for ILLEGAL drugs and still got to play. Iowa fans should be embarrassed. If you are not, then it says a lot about your character.

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    • colohawkeye colohawkeye says:

      Whats great is beating the Black and YELLOW. If not for the non calls on McNutts muggings this is not even a game and Coker runs for 400. Stay in the big 12/10 whatever and you can play undersized defenders week end week out with your pop warner offense.

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      • theone theone says:

        Well, you will get to see the Pop Warner offense up close next fall when the hawkies come to Lincoln to get schooled. Better start calling Iowa’The Husker State’ now, and get used to it for years to come.

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        • khawk khawk says:

          Your not playing in the big 2 anymore and I mean Texas Oklahoma

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        • kchawks kchawks says:

          Really, Once again you cant find the right message board to be on or maybe you have. I would be on here too if I were a Nebraska fan because it’s pure GOLD being a Hawkeye fan,What is your character appearing on a Iowa Hawkey Board. Man what does it take for you to find the red, 219 yards on that defense isn’t a BS call, and conclusive evidence is what is! Now go hit somebody helmet to helmet and have a good day! Dirty mfs. Character is certainly not Nebraska or your coach. Show me the conclusive evidence on the 20 failed drug reports.

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        • LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

          theone: speaking of drugs, are you smoking something funny or did you just forget to take your meds this morning? Go to Vegas and bet it big that way and we won’t hear from you anymore because you’ll have to hock your computer to get home.

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        • colohawkeye colohawkeye says:

          If it was 1975 maybe we’d care but its not, and regards to getting schooled I’m trying to figure it if your one NCAA basketball berth in the last 60 years will scare me more or watching 50-0 wrestling matches……welcome to a new conference and a mediocrity just like Joe Pa.

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        • LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

          You mean the team that got walked on by Washington…ha ha ha ha. Yeah, right.

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    • key0606 key0606 says:

      when u say, “it was reported…” and leave no citation, you sound like the mainstream media.

      maybe it is true, but “authorities say”, you should always leave a citation for such an extreme accusation.

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    • sehawkeye sehawkeye says:

      You sir are an idiot! That was our fourth string RB, we were without our all time Iowa record holding receiver, we played true freshmen at linebacker and safety, were unranked, with a three game losing streak, and we still found a way to beat “Misery”. It wasn’t a catch on 4th and forever, and that catch doesn’t win the game any way. You still have to score. The little twelve is a joke. Lets see the final outcome of the bowls and see which conference does better. Nebraska didn’t leave the little 12 because it was a great conference, they opted to move to a great conference with a sh#%%y logo.

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    • turtlehawk17 turtlehawk17 says:

      Troll alert! Troll alert!

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    • LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

      theone. You’re obviously Mizzou whiner and apologist, or maybe a Cyclown. If you really watched the game, Mizzou DB’s clearly and blantantly interred with Iowa receivers 4 times in the red zone (twice in the end zone against McNutt) when Iowa ended up with field goals instead of the TD’s they might have gotten, and then the game might never have been close.

      I have watched the replay in slow-mo, digitally enhanced, of what you call the “BS” call, and the ball hit the ground, twice, not just once. If you would learn the rules, that’s an incomplete pass. It was the right call, as the announcers knew.

      And by the way, it was never “reported” that any Iowa players failed drug tests. “It was reported” perhaps by two old ladies in the laundromat at Ames.

      You’re a sour grapes heckler and Iowa hater with an inferiority complex. We have nothing to be ashamed about as Iowa fans. Students get in trouble all the time and KF can’t babysit these kids. Show me a program where players haven’t gotten busted for something in the past few years and I’ll show you a program that is hiding things.

      Please, kindly go soak your head.

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    • pappas pappas says:

      theone, what you are saying borders on libel. There is no way anyone in the public can know that ’20 players failed a drug test’ because drug testing is strictly protected through the HIPAA law. This law is very strict, and if someone were to reveal the drug test results of any player(s), they would be in serious legal trouble. For someone to come up with this statement is based strictly on what they want to be rumored and based on absolutely NO evidence. It’s these kinds of statements that spread totally false rumors and rumors very often hurt innocent people, so you need to stop. It’s obvious that you are just angry that the Hawks won, so take your hatred and frustrations somewhere else.

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    • mesahawk mesahawk says:

      Enjoy your quality bowl match up in San Diego theone. Make sure you are around next year, cause based on your exceptional knowledge of the game, your Cornhuskers should never lose a game again since they are joining such a watered down conference. Big 12 North? Give me a break. Really?

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    • LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

      Hey, Nebraska lover….nice game againts unranked, 6-6 Washington. A real butt kicking. I’m embarrassed that they are coming to the Big Ten. We should have invited a better team.

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  14. Lilguy Lilguy says:

    Maybe not quite REDEMPTION for an otherwise disappointing season on & off the field, but close enough.

    Sets the Hawkeyes up for a great start next season, although they will lose many great players. If the replacements step up like Coker did, Iowa could be back in a BCS bowl next year.

    Thank you, Hawkeyes!

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  15. BuckFan BuckFan says:

    I’m a Buckeye fan that ALWAYS roots for Big Ten teams during pre-season and the bowl games so I’d just like to say congrats Hawkeye fans for a great game! To pull it off against a top 15 team with a roster so depleted by injuries really says a lot. You really deserved a better season so I’m happy to see it end on a positive note.

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  16. david297 david297 says:

    To all the fair-weather Hawks who constantly call for the head of the Hawkeye coaching staff when things don’t go well, I hope you learn what every coach in the country knows: Ferentz and staff are one of finest coaching units in the country. Who else could engineer a win over #12 without ANY original running backs, short on receivers, and a depleted linebacker group? Go Hawks! Congratulations Coach Ferentz and staff!

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  17. kchawks kchawks says:

    Great GAME! Great way to end the season on high note! Wonderful job COKER and the O line.. Defense was shelled by a wonderful QB in Blaine Gabbert he is a player. Stanzi probably not his best game but managed the game and the opening drive. Hey this is Hawkeye Football! Always a emotional rollercoaster but I wouldn’t give it up for any other team or way of winning! Well, OK the Michigan State game was awesome! In heaven there is no beer! I heard being played on ESPN.. What A game.. Im hearing sportsradio in KC and not hearing such pleasantries about the GAMe. LETS GO HAWKS! BIG TEN FOOTBAL in big12 country love it!

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  18. Chancy Chancy says:

    Great way to end a season. Tough year in a lot of ways. Its easy to be critical of young men who are 18 to 20 years old when they have off the field problems. We should hold them accountable when they screw up and I think Ferentz and the coaches do a good job of this. I doubt that anyone is more disappointed than Coach Ferentz that some of the players made such terrible choices. Instead of beating on athletes who have issues, better to focus on the great young men who fought through the disappointments of the year to end on a good note.

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  19. Georgia Hawkeye Georgia Hawkeye says:

    Great game!!! I was getting a little nervous in the 4th quarter, but our defense did step up! Loved KOK last play of the game, and I have seen the fair-weather fans calling for his removal. Interesting they have all be quiet. :O
    Saw a bunch of calls that were not made, but the booth refs did a good job calling an incomplete pass on MO when they went for it on the 4th down. Even the commentators said they got it right. Too bad all they could talk about was Gabbert. :(

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  20. mthawkeye mthawkeye says:

    You should thank the “fair-weather” fans for demanding more from the coaches. The coaches answered the critics buy making the right calls. The “fair-weather” fans pointed out that the Hawkeyes were not blitzing enough and that the play calling was to predictable. They called a crucial blitz at the end and Morris was able to get to the QB and hit him hard. The great unpredictable call on 3rd down sealed the game. We need to see more of it. This is a great opportunity for Ferentz to clean up the house and build a winning mentality. Moral victories don’t count. The coaches and the players delivered last night and hats off to them. Lets go for the Rose Bowl next year. Go Hawks!

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  21. hawkfantilldeath hawkfantilldeath says:

    Congrats to a lot of veteran players for hanging tough and getting a third straight bowl win!

    But come on folks, let’s get real. We got bailed out down the stretch. The pattern hadn’t really changed in terms of the overall approach vs. the other late game woes. KOK waited until the very end to make a keep ‘em off balance call.

    Earlier in the fourth it was 3 straight runs and a dropped pick six on a Stanzi toss. How many times did the O not mix things up to move the chains to get the D some rest?

    The D scheme still didn’t adjust all that well to the spread. We were getting sliced apart and were VERY fortunate to have the replay officials actually reverse the call on the field on the Missou fourth down diving catch.

    Many will say you make your luck or the ball bounces both ways. But I think that’s hiding the root cause of a really great program that’s held back by the approach used by the O and D coordinators.

    With all due respect for the great Coach Norm, we need fresh, engaged, energetic top assistants on the sidelines. We need to be unpredictable all four quarters on D.

    As to KOK the great players we develop deserve a more varied, creative, game aware approach on O.

    My only fear is that the bowl win ensures complete status quo, which I think keeps the overall program at least a notch below where this program deserves to be given all the many positives and all the hard work of so many. The talent and player development we have is terrific. The Hawks and their great fans deserve the very best.

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    • mthawkeye mthawkeye says:

      I agree with you 100% hawkfantilldeath. But your comment makes too much sense. Your constructive criticism is confusing the sheep!

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      • Umpire BoM6715 says:

        *Thumbs up*

        You’re spot on. The “wonderful” play at the end of the game is the same bootleg we’ve been running for years. In the Orange Bowl Moeaki took that same play 54 yards, almost identical to what Reisner did last night. We also usually run it 5-6 times a game but last night? Once.

        My question is, where was that call on our first drive of the second half when we were on Mizzou’s three yard line? Instead it was two runs to the short side and a dump pass over the middle into traffic.

        And why a straight cover two against the spread instead of a nickel or dime package? The LBs couldn’t keep up and the DL was gassed. Gabbert gave us a gift with that INT, I’m just glad we made the most of it.

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        • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

          When teams run a No Huddle Spread offense, it forces defensive teams to stay in their base package. If we started the possession with a Nickel or Dime defense, Mizzou’s offense would just try and run the ball more. On defense, you don’t want your Dbacks trying to shed blocks against Olineman and fullbacks.

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          • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

            Our defense relies on linebackers who can stop the run and play in space. Greenway, Edds, etc. were very good. Troy Johnson is not going to be drafted. If Iowa was able to get every Defensive player that they wanted, we would be pretty good.

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          • sehawkeye sehawkeye says:

            Also true. Our defense’s effectiveness declined when our first line backers went down. Anyone that wanted to could throw the short underneath routes at will. How did we ever beat Cousins and Michigan State?

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          • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

            sehawkeye

            Michigan State receivers were struggling to get open underneath. Kirk Cousins got greedy. I think the 3-4 defense threw MSU off guard.

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    • DieHardHawk DieHardHawk says:

      There’s no doubt that Norm’s defense struggles against spread offenses, but the scheme has worked more often than it hasn’t.

      It becomes somewhat of a slippery slope: As soon as you start tweaking the scheme you leave yourself exposed in other areas. You’re also more likely to see execution errors, especially at the college level where you don’t have the same starters year after year.

      His system is predicated on having athletic linebackers that can make plays in space (Greenway, Edds, etc.). This year we were basically left with guys who normally wouldn’t see the field except for special teams. Troy Johnson, for example, was used and abused, and was personally responsible for several big plays last night, but, again, he normally wouldn’t even be out there. I’m all for the occasional change-up or blitz, but we have to pick our spots.

      We’ll have healthier linebackers next year so things will look up. Morris plays very well in space, so I’d like to see him get a look at OLB, and Nielsen, who’s more of a downhill player, moved inside. It may not matter, though, if we can’t replace the losses on the DL. Daniels is the only proven commodity returning (Binns doesn’t count. He’s regressed to the point where he’s a non-factor).

      As for the whining about the calls above, the hit on Stanzi would normally be legal, yes, but it occured after the whistle had blown. That’s why the flag was thrown. If the player didn’t hear the whistle, well, tough-luck. If you’re going to nit-pick, what about Stanzi’s first INT where the DB bit on the double-move then gave McNutt a forearm shiver as he turned up-field. That’s classic illegal contact and allowed for the interception.

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      • turtlehawk17 turtlehawk17 says:

        Careful. Your well thought out commentary may confuse the whiners. Totally agree about the linebackers. They were pretty thin to begin with and then had several injuries. Additionally, the front four really didn’t get consistent pressure which is what the cover two relies on. Didn’t have enough negative plays/sacks to get teams “behind schedule.” It’s easy to demand more blitzes and press coverage until you’re watching the opponent score on long bombs. As for all the criticism of the coordinators…in college sports more than anywhere else the head man controls everything. If you must criticize, then it should be KF that takes the heat. In reality I think the Hawks were just a couple of players short this year.

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        • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

          The Cover 2 also needs to take away the QB’s first read more often. I think the Linebackers will be better next year. I don’t think of the oppossing quarterbacks next year, will be as strong as it was this year.

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    • key0606 key0606 says:

      Like!

      Every time i think of the games this year against Northwestern and Indiana, I just shake my head. I think we were fortunate to prevail this time and may have been b/c of soul/heart factor, or whatever u want to call it. This was left behind against NW and IND and several other games as well.

      Especially the NW game…I just remember the camera shots of the defense panting with their hands their hips, like continuously. To beat Iowa, run the spread and do not huddle. That guy tore us up so bad. I assume he will be drafted, that NW quarterback that is. Did i hear correctly that Stanzi is making himself eligible for the draft? I mean please. Brad Banks was really good, but not good enough. there are at least five quarterbacks better than stanzi in the big ten. he did a good job, but he is playing amongst some studs.

      Really. What would it take to defend a good spread offense effectively? Wisc. vs. TCU is going to be a fun game. I mean Wisc. beat the hell out of everybody except us and MSU, go figure.

      how did we even hang with them? i really think that was the turning point in the season. how did MSU beat them? wisc is nasty and by that i mean really good. I want to see wisc. and those tanks they call an offensive line and running backs lose, if it is possible. I want to see them play oregon. they scored 80 on indiana and iowa should have lost, my god, puke.

      How does a average/above average former Iowa player get to be their head coach? He must skilled in politics. I am sure someone reading this know the real answer to that.

      anyway. done ranting. glad we won last night though:)

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    • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

      Unless millions of people start moving to Iowa and the Midwest, Iowa is never going to be a really great program like Ohio State, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. It’s difficult to get a kid out of Florida, who gets scholarship offers from Florida, Florida State, or Miami.

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      • mthawkeye mthawkeye says:

        Unless millions of people start moving to Idaho, Oregon, and Nebraska they are never going to be really great programs either, ey? Population size doesn’t matter. It’s the recruiting that matters. Look at Boise and Oregon now and where they were 5-10 years ago. Iowa has much stronger history and record than both of them. Winning will get you all the recruits that you need.

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        • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

          What Iowa accomplished in the 1980′s, doesn’t matter to recruits.

          Boise State has done a good job, but they are playing in the WAC, and they have the best facilities in the conference. Idaho’s stadium looks like the UNI Dome. Why do you think Peterson doesn’t want to leave? Dan Hawkins tried to rebuild Colorado and couldn’t do it. He said building a program in the Big 12 was a lot harder than doing it in the WAC. Oregon has Nike, Autzen Stadium, fancy uniforms, and Chip Kelly’s new offense that’s terrorizing the PAC 10. Nebraska has the benefit of being the only FBS program in the state.

          Winning is only a small part of the recruiting battle. Other programs are winning too. Auburn and Oregon are playing for the National Title and they are still losing battles on the recruiting trail.

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        • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

          Population is a part of Iowa and Iowa State’s recruiting obstacles. The Top 25 states have a lot more FBS tradition rich programs than the lower 25. Mack Brown says that Texas HS football produces at least 10 QB’s a class, that he says can play at Texas. Iowa would be lucky to have one quarterback that can play for the Hawks.

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          • mthawkeye mthawkeye says:

            Saying that past accomplishments don’t count when recruiting simply is not true; it’s a selling tool. Auburn got this guy called CAM NEWTON and Oregon is ranked 10th in the nation in recruiting. Oregon also got a 4 star recruit Christian French from Cedar Rapids. It is not true that they are loosing recruiting battles. Iowa has great facilities too. What you are saying is that in order to be great you have to be in the south and recruit in the south. Which again is not true. And then you talk about the “Top 25″ states which I believe you meant Top 25 recruiting programs and Iowa is curently ranked #24. You need to think and research before you comment. ok. It took me 10 min to decipher what you wrote. You make no sense and most of what you write isn’t true.

            P.S. Boise St. is located in Boise,Idaho, btw.

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          • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

            mthawkeye

            I don’t think Kelly was selling kids on what the previous Ducks Offensive Coordinator did. Just like I don’t think Malzahn was selling Newton on what Auburn’s previous OCoordinator did. Coaches use their own experience as a recruiting tool. I know for a fact that Oregon didn’t get every kid that they wanted. As for French good for him. Iowa has good facilities, but other programs like Oregon’s has better facilities. If Boise State entered an AQ conf. in 1996, it would be a lot harder to build the program. Population and resources do matter. Your never going to see Iowa State be the class of the Big 12. Your never going to see Ohio State be a bottom feeder. Vandy is never going to be the class of the SEC.

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        • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

          mthawkeye

          The Top 25 Population states have more traditional Power Football programs than the lower 25. There are high schools in other states that get more kids to the FBS level than the entire state of Iowa. Look at Jake Rudocks high school team. That team is stacked with FBS talent!

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  22. LettermanHawk LettermanHawk says:

    Just one last thought before all the Hawk-haters awaken and post more idiotic comments in here trying to low-rate what the Hawks did last night.

    Jordan Bernstine has become a forgotten man at Iowa. He’s the “other” kid from DM Lincoln. Without his key block last night after Hyde’s interception, Hyde likely would have gottten tackled and maybe we wouldn’t have won the game.

    I hope Jordan gets to play next season and show his stuff. He has great speed. Go Hawks. Over and out, thanks for a great win.

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    • Umpire BoM6715 says:

      He brought a good change to CB too. Did you see him lay out that Mizzou WR that had to leave the game after the hit? JB read the route, attacked and met the WR at the line with a smack. That’s how CBs are supposed to play in a cover 2 but Prater and Hyde tend to stay back and let the play come to then. I like JB, a lot. He might get a shot at safety with (at least) Greenwood leaving.

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      • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

        That’s what Spievey brought last year. Prater and Hyde play soft, because they tend to get beat on the deep ball. I don’t know why JB doesn’t play more, but then again I’m not at practice.

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  23. duckhawk duckhawk says:

    Couple things. First, fantastic to see the Hawks come out and play with fire. That’s been missing. You could see from the outset the awesome hits the Hawks were throwing. Tyler Sash in particular threw down some huge hits. You could see from the beginning they were ready to go. Great to see the heart. The Tigers woke up generally but couldn’t establish any kind of a running game. Great job by the D line. I knew Gabbert would toss some picks throwing as often as he was. Hyde is a true talent. Nice effort, coaches and players!

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  24. westsidebilly westsidebilly says:

    Anyone who DIDN’T think Iowa wasn’t going to throw a rollout/boot pass on 3rd down at the end hasn’t watched any Iowa football since KF took over. Any TRUE Hawkeye fan knew what was coming and just hoped that Stanzi didn’t freeze, take a sack, and fumble the ball while he decided whether to throw or run.

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    • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

      Missouri had to sell out on the run, because they were getting pounded all night.

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    • mthawkeye mthawkeye says:

      It’s great to see that your superior intellect combined with countless hours of Ferentz football studying has allowed you to make such an obvious observation westsidehillbilly. The rest of us fake fans are going to take notes next time around. Stop the nonsense guy!

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      • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

        mthawkeye

        If it was so obvious, then why did the Defensive End try to stop Coker and not go after Stanzi?

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      • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

        mthawkeye

        Your the type of guy who loves to do a lot of Monday Morning quarterbacking. You probably liked Coker’s 50 some yard touchdown yard. But if someone missed a block and he had lost yardage, you would be like,”What kind of call is that! KOK! FIre all the Coaches!”

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        • turtlehawk17 turtlehawk17 says:

          Couldn’t agree more! To those like mthawkeye if a play doesn’t work, it must have been a bad call by the offensive coordinator. Couldn’t ever be bad execution by players or good execution by the defense. As far as the recruiting comments, I love Iowa and the University of Iowa and the midwest, but it will always be harder to recruit a player to come here than to a place in the sun, on the coast, on the beach, or in the mountains.

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      • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

        mthawkeye

        Have you ever been a playcaller in football? If you have, your going to call plays that don’t work. It happens to every coach.

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        • mthawkeye mthawkeye says:

          This is my partial comment from above: “They called a crucial blitz at the end and Morris was able to get to the QB and hit him hard. The great UPREDICTABLE call on 3rd down sealed the game. We need to see more of it. This is a great opportunity for Ferentz to clean up the house and build a winning mentality. Moral victories don’t count. The coaches and the players delivered last night and hats off to them. Lets go for the Rose Bowl next year. Go Hawks!”
          I was praising the coaches and the players.

          Then I read westsidehillbilly’s comment: ” Anyone who DIDN’T think Iowa wasn’t going to throw a rollout/boot pass on 3rd down at the end hasn’t watched any Iowa football since KF took over. Any TRUE Hawkeye fan knew what was coming and just hoped that Stanzi didn’t freeze, take a sack, and fumble the ball while he decided whether to throw or run.”
          Then I replied sarcastically: “It’s great to see that your superior intellect combined with countless hours of Ferentz football studying has allowed you to make such an obvious observation westsidehillbilly. The rest of us fake fans are going to take notes next time around. Stop the nonsense guy!”

          Do you get it or do I have to draw you a picture?

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          • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

            mthawkeye

            Did you realize that Missouri scored two touchdowns against Iowa blitzes?
            Why aren’t you Coaching Football? You seem to know all the answers.

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          • mthawkeye mthawkeye says:

            aamorri12

            Seriously, are you high or just incredibly stupid? I reposted my comment to show you that I agree with you that the call on 3rd down was unpredictable. I praised the coaches and players for the win. The last blitz in the game was crucial because the QB was hit hard which affected his ability to throw in the end. I am not claiming to be a genius coach just sharing my opinions. I am not going to entertain your moronic comments. Arguing with you is like talking to a kitchen table. Please do not reply to my comments anymore. Thanks.

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          • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

            mthawkeye

            Okay, I messed up on that one. Moronic comments? Your only happy about a play call when it works. What if the DEnd didn’t bite on the fake and had blown it up? You’d be like what are you doing KOK! Fire All the Coaches!

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  25. cygrad cygrad says:

    Why do people always assume its an ISU fan making negative comments vs a MIZZOU fan? Anyways, congrats to the Hawkeyes! As an ISU alum, I enjoyed watching you take down the arrogant Pinkel machine and the Gabbert NFL preview. I’ll alwasy be rooting for you except one game each year. Great game Hawks, and go Cyclones!

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  26. [...] signed off on his post-game radio show from the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., at 1:30 a.m. Iowa time Wednesday, and headed straight for the airport. He got on a [...]

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  27. GVGiant44 GVGiant44 says:

    I noticed several things last night. While the game spent way too much of the 2nd half feeling like most of the November “L’s” did, I noticed that the timing seemed off. By the end of the 3rd quarter is when we seemed to be beat. I did consider that for once we might have time to catch a 2nd wind and do something about it, and for once we did. But I wonder how many went to bed and missed it.

    As for the win, did you notice that FINALLY the opposing team actually made a couple of mistakes down the stretch, while the Hawkeye ‘D’ finally made some plays? In our losses, it seemed the other team could do no wrong. I was shocked that the 4th-down pass actually went incomplete. And by the way, nice call to blitz Morris, Norm.

    Finally, having watched college football for years, I noticed that: A) Rarely does a team win throwing the ball as often as Missouri did last night; and B) Rarely does a team beat Iowa woofing as much as Missouri did all night. They got what they deserved.

    GREAT WIN HAWKS!

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  28. HawkInWI HawkInWI says:

    It was nice to end the season on a high. Not only a win, but a win over a quality opponent. Gabbert was the best QB they saw all year. A lot of good young players on the roster and that bodes well for the future. But, what I was most pleased with was the adjustments made during the course of the game. Finally going to some Nickle and Dime packages was huge. Iowa’s base D is ok when playing against 3 receiver sets but it is a disater against 4 & 5 receiver sets – too many LB’s on WR’s. Like Northwestern has done over the years, Missouri matched up their best WR in the slot and killed us. Hopefully, we see more of that next year.

    Kenny dialing up the bootleg was huge. I had visions of Chuck Long versus Michigan State circa 1985. I thought they would just have Stanzi run for the first down and take a dive in bounds but the pass worked out just fine. It’s the little things that still drive me crazy with Kenny, though. Not to excuse Stanzi’s throw because the first interception was left too far inside. But, I was amazed that the throw came off a straight 5-step drop instead of a play action. Coker gashed them the whole first half and was coming off a 10 yard gain on the previous play on 1st down. Wouldn’t it make sense to use play action to get everyone to bite down if you are going to take a shot over the top – especially on 1st down. I think it could have helped McNutt shake his guy a little a bit and get a step to make the throw easier – the CB was right in McNutt’s back pocket. Missouri was ripe for play action. I think the play action on 1st down inside the 10 would help them with their red zone woes too. After all, isn’t this what you are setting up with a good power run game? As good as the 3rd down call was, these are the things that still make me suspect of Ken’s game management. I can only hope he figures it out by next year but I have my doubts.

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    • aamorri12 aamorri12 says:

      HawkInWI

      Dude, playcalling is the most Over Rated thing in Football. It’s important, but coaches shouldn’t be blamed for every call that doesn’t work out. You win some battles, you lose some. If you look at Coker’s 62 yard touchdown run. He should’ve been tackled. Two unblocked defenders overpursued on the play.

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  29. [...] I taught “American Foreign Policy” (30:061) at the University of Iowa (Go Hawkeyes!) students would occasionally ask me which American policymaker I most admired.  I never knew [...]

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