Double Header This Weekend: Season Opener for Mens Basketball and the Battle for Floyd

I'll be making the trip back down to Iowa for a fun little double header.

Friday night, Iowa fans will usher in a new era of basketball as Todd Lickliter mans the bench for his first official game as the head coach of the men's squad. While this season isn't projected to be one of the ages in regards to wins, there is a certain buzz back around Carver Hawkeye Arena. Ticket sales are already ahead of where they were last year. There was good article in The Sporting News on Coach Lick, entitled "Lickliter trying to change culture at Iowa." So Tony Freeman is out for 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his 5th metatarsal, which means the Hawks will be without arguably their best player. Worse yet is that it puts the roster size down to a paltry 10 players. Make no mistake, all ten players will have a role on this team. Jeff Peterson is the obvious candidate to step up and fill Tony's shoes. I, for one, am a huge fan of his. The kid is mature beyond his years; I am very excited to see him on the court Friday. Other than that, I would expect a low scoring game (somewhere in the high 50s to mid 60s). I don't think Iowa will blow out the Bengals, but I do see a double-digit win for the Hawks.

I'll get some shuteye and then wake up bright and early to do some tailgating at the Myrtle lot and get ready to see Iowa become bowl eligible. Who would have thought that was possible four weeks ago? Minnesota comes in with one of the worst defenses in the entire nation, and one win on the season (over a MAC team in OT because of a missed FG). Minnesota is hobbling into Kinnick. All three defensive captains - Mike Sherels (linebacker), John Shevlin (linebacker) and Willie Van De Steeg (defensive end) - won't start this week because of injuries. Well, they won't start at least... they are on the depth charts, but they are still nursing injuries. Also, Thomas is doubtful, Bennett is hurting and it looks like Pinnix might not play. Brinkhaus is still loopy from a concussion and is questionable. And if Brinkhaus doesn't play (he is day to day), then MN's line (one of the best in the nation) is going to have a huge hole in it. Iowa should be able to put pressure on Weber, who is closing in on a lot of passing records.. he needs just over 450 passing yards, 3 TDs, 87 total yards, and a few attempts to break them. However, Minny gave up 4 sacks last week to Illinois. Their defense is awful, though... just reeling right now. Very inexperienced and is going to set a record for most yards given up. I know I've been begging Ken O'Keefe to give it to Albert Young, but this week we need to air it out. Minny's defensive backfield is so green, you think it was spring time. I do not want to get overconfident about this game, but I really don't see Iowa losing to the Gophers. On a side note, Albert Young is closing in on 3,000 career rushing yards; here's hoping he hits that plateau this Saturday.


On Iowa! Let's take back Floyd!

OT: The Top 10 Worst Christmas Songs of All-Time

THE TOP TEN WORST CHRISTMAS SONGS OF ALL-TIME

Working in the retail business for all of my college career and a few years thereafter, I had the unfortunate pleasure of being inundated with a playlist of Christmas songs during the holiday season that could drive even the most sane person crazy. By "holiday season", I mean from the beginning of November through the middle of January. Yes, almost three months of the same 20 Christmas songs on repeat. Two weeks into the "holiday season" any full-time employee knew the playlist by heart and could sing every song word for word. Not good. With that in mind, I thought I would offer up my list of Worst Christmas Songs of All-Time. It needs to be done. I like to think of it as a method of therapy for me... I am slowly healed 3 years later. I still get flashbacks whenever I set foot back in any retail store during the "holiday season". I pity those around me when this happens. Without further ado, here's my list.

THE WORST CHRISTMAS SONGS OF ALL-TIME


Carnie & Wendy Wilson - "Hey Santa"



I don't know what is worse, the song or the video.



Paul McCartney - "Wonderful Christmas Time"



I thought I knew how annoying synthesizers were... I was wrong. This song almost single-handedly proves that Paul is Dead.


Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas"



Bono, Boy George, Phil Collins, Paul Young, George Michael, Sting, Duran Duran, Bananarama, among others collaborate to create one of the single worst songs of all-time. Oh yeah, Paul McCartney was in this too... go figure. The chorus is absolutely awful. I would say the lyrics are bad, but I could never understand what they were singing because the damn synthesizers were mixed too loud. Ugh. Awful. One more thing, I forgot Bono used to look like Bobcat Goldthwait back then.


Wham! - "Last Christmas"



I'm not sure which is more ackward, the misplaced jingle bells throughout the song or George Michael with a girl.


Barbara Streisand - "Jingle Bells"



I don't know why I dislike this song so much. It's probably because I don't like Streisand. Oh, and the fact that she butchers this song.


Mariah Carey - "All I Want for Christmas is You"



But it's such a great song... blah blah blah. Mariah Carey sucks and so does this song. However, she was pretty smoking in the Black and White version of the video. My how things have changed. I actually like Olivia Olson's version of the song, though.


NewSong - "Christmas Shoes"



First off, Rob Lowe - nice career move. Wow. Secondly, we've all been affected by someone terminally ill. It can be one of the most gut wrenching experiences you'll ever have to endure in your lifetime. I went through that sort of thing with my grandma. That said, this song was written to prey on the emotions that surround the holidays. It's a crappy song and I don't for once believe it should ever be observed as "Christmas Song", however I had to include it on this list. Crappy ass song. Just crappy.


Celine Dion - Happy Christmas (War is Over)



Leave it up a Canadian to ruin a pretty decent little Christmas song. Lennon is spinning in his grave. Thanks a lot, Celine. You suck. You REALLY suck. Then again, this is the same woman who wanted to take a kayak into New Orleans.


Britney Spears - My Only Wish This Year



Ok, I'll admit it. I liked Britney when she first came onto the scene. She was hot, could dance, and was... uh.. hot. This song, however, is junk. Another teenie bop, popcorn and cotton candy fluff song. It's utter crap.


The Barking Dogs - "Jingle Bells"



It was the cutest thing ever... the first time you heard it.

Well, that's my list. A list full of those songs you hear during the "holiday season" that make you wish it was summer. And seeing as Christmas is a time for joy and giving, I'll offer you a few of the songs that I thoroughly enjoy listening to during that special time of the year. I have to prove I am not a Scrooge.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS SONGS OF ALL-TIME

NAT KING COLE - "THE CHRISTMAS SONG"
Yes, Mel Torme wrote it, but Nat does it best.

BING CROSBY - "MELE KALIKIMAKA"
If you don't like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, you need to be punched in the face.

ELVIS PRESLEY - "BLUE CHRISTMAS"
Personally, I am not a fan of Elvis, but this is a classic.

DAVE MATTHEWS - "CHRISTMAS SONG"
Dave absolutely kills performing this song. It's great.

BING CROSBY - "WHITE CHRISTMAS"
Probably my favorite Christmas song. Crosby is stellar.

BOBBY HELMS - "JINGLE BELL ROCK"
Classic.

BURL IVES - "HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS"
One of kind voice. Terrific tune.

JOHN LENNON - "HAPPY CHRISTMAS (WAR IS OVER)"
This is the only version that is allowed.

PERRY COMO - "HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS"

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER - "GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN"
Love their work, they have some of the best Christmas music.

THE LITTLE STINKERS - "I FARTED ON SANTA'S LAP"
Christmas is about being happy and spreading joy, these kids do just that.

MR. HANKEY'S CHRISTMAS CLASSICS - "MR HANKEY THE CHRISTMAS POO"
He's seen the love inside of you 'cause he's a piece of poo.

JOHN DENVER AND THE MUPPETS - "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS"
R.I.P. John Denver and Jim Hensen, but at least they made one thing that was great.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS - "THE CHRISTMAS SONG"
Every kid's favorite Christmas song. Yeaaa Christmas!!

There Could Be SEVEN 7-5 Big Ten Teams at the End of the Year

Hypothetically, there could be SEVEN different Big Ten football programs with a 7-5 record when it is all said and done. Talk about weird.

Here's the scenario (upsets must occur):

This weekend (winners in CAPS, new record following team name) -

Indiana [6-5 (2-5)] vs. NORTHWESTERN [6-5, (3-4)]
MICHIGAN [9-2, (7-0)] vs. Wisconsin [7-4, (3-4)]
MICHIGAN ST [6-5, 2-5)] vs. Purdue [7-4, (3-4)]
Minnesota [1-10, (0-7)] vs. IOWA [6-5, (4-4)]
Illinois [7-4, (4-3)] vs. OHIO STATE [11-0, (7-0)]
PENN STATE [8-3, (4-3)] vs. Temple

Final weekend (winners in CAPS, new record following team name) -

Ohio State [11-1, (7-1)] vs. MICHIGAN [10-2, (8-0)]
Penn State [7-5, (4-4)] vs. MICHIGAN STATE [7-5, (3-5)]
Purdue [7-5, (4-4)] vs. INDIANA [7-5, (3-5)]
NORTHWESTERN [7-5, (4-4)] vs. Illinois [7-5, (4-4)]
Wisconsin [7-5, (3-5)] vs. MINNESOTA [2-10, (1-7)]
W. Michigan vs. IOWA [7-5, (4-4)]

I realize that some big upsets would have to occur for this to happen, but can you imagine seven teams at 7-5? Crazy. That would be one muddy Bowl picture.

Standings would look like this:

1.)  Michigan     8-0   10-2
2.)  Ohio State   7-1   11-1
3.)  Penn State   4-4   8-4
4.)  Purdue       4-4   7-5
5.)  Iowa         4-4   7-5
6.)  Illinois     4-4   7-5
7.)  Northwestern 4-4   7-5
8.)  Wisconsin    3-5   7-5
9.)  Indiana      3-5   7-5
10.) Mich State   3-5   7-5
11.) Minnesota    1-7   2-10

Not that it's going to happen, but it would be interesting... If Temple somehow beat Penn State, there would be 8 teams with a 7-5 record.

A refresher for the current Bowl selection order:
* ROSE BOWL
* BCS
* CAPITAL ONE
* OUTBACK
* ALAMO
* CHAMPS SPORTS
* INSIGHT
* MOTOR CITY

Albert Young - 3rd on Iowa's All-Time Rushing List

During the victory today vs. Northwestern, Albert Young passed Tavian Banks on Iowa's All-Time Rusher list. He sits behind Sedrick Shaw and Ladell Betts in Iowa's record book.

He is now 14 Yards away from hitting the 3,000 yard plateau

Congrats, AY!

With the win, Iowa moves to 1 win from being bowl eligible. Two games at home to get to 7-5 and a possible berth in the Champs or Insight Bowl... quite an accomplishment all things considered.

HigbyforHeisman.com is Gone

Sorry to those who frequented that site... unfortunately the domain name expired and I forgot to renew, so HigbyforHeisman.com is parked by another company. I didn't released it was only a 1 year deal on it, my bad. Sorry.

Why Iowa is Losing Ballgames: COMPLETELY STAT BASED

FIRST DOWNS G Rush Pass Pen Total
-----------------------------------------------
1. Purdue.............. 8 67 117 17 201
2. Northwestern........ 8 54 116 20 190
3. Michigan............ 8 83 88 15 186
4. Minnesota........... 8 87 89 8 184
5. Penn State.......... 8 87 85 6 178
6. Wisconsin........... 8 78 86 9 173
7. Ohio State.......... 8 81 77 14 172
8. Indiana............. 8 65 84 22 171
9. Michigan State...... 8 86 74 5 165
10.Illinois............ 8 91 57 10 158
11.Iowa................ 8 61 68 7 136

RED ZONE OFFENSE G RedZone Percent TDs R/P FG-AT Fumb/Int/Downs/Other
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Purdue.............. 8 34-37 91.9 26 10/16 8-8 2/ 0/ 1/ 0
2. Ohio State.......... 8 27-30 90.0 20 10/10 7-9 1/ 0/ 0/ 0
3. Penn State.......... 8 37-42 88.1 24 16/8 13-14 1/ 2/ 1/ 0
4. Michigan State...... 8 30-36 83.3 24 16/8 6-9 1/ 1/ 1/ 0
5. Wisconsin........... 8 29-35 82.9 21 14/7 8-9 2/ 0/ 0/ 3
Indiana............. 8 29-35 82.9 19 10/9 10-11 1/ 3/ 1/ 0
7. Illinois............ 8 18-22 81.8 15 12/3 3-3 1/ 2/ 0/ 1
8. Minnesota........... 8 25-31 80.6 22 11/11 3-3 2/ 1/ 3/ 0
9. Northwestern........ 8 29-37 78.4 22 12/10 7-10 1/ 0/ 4/ 0
10.Michigan............ 8 29-38 76.3 22 12/10 7-12 0/ 1/ 1/ 2
11.Iowa................ 8 16-23 69.6 10 3/7 6-10 1/ 1/ 0/ 1

3RD-DN CONVERSIONS G Conv Att Pct
-------------------------------------------
1. Wisconsin........... 8 58 118 49.2
2. Minnesota........... 8 59 126 46.8
3. Michigan............ 8 60 129 46.5
4. Ohio State.......... 8 50 109 45.9
5. Penn State.......... 8 55 121 45.5
6. Northwestern........ 8 59 132 44.7
7. Indiana............. 8 50 116 43.1
8. Michigan State...... 8 49 116 42.2
9. Purdue.............. 8 51 126 40.5
10.Illinois............ 8 44 111 39.6
11.Iowa................ 8 41 129 31.8

OPP 3RD-DN CONVERT G Conv Att Pct
-------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State.......... 8 36 128 28.1
2. Purdue.............. 8 39 129 30.2
3. Penn State.......... 8 41 129 31.8
4. Wisconsin........... 8 41 113 36.3
5. Illinois............ 8 48 131 36.6
6. Indiana............. 8 49 129 38.0
7. Michigan State...... 8 46 120 38.3
8. Michigan............ 8 46 119 38.7
9. Iowa................ 8 52 128 40.6
10.Northwestern........ 8 46 108 42.6
11.Minnesota........... 8 56 129 43.4

SACKS AGAINST G Sacks Yards
---------------------------------------
1. Minnesota........... 8 6 45
2. Illinois............ 8 9 70
Ohio State.......... 8 9 69
4. Purdue.............. 8 11 88
5. Michigan............ 8 14 102
6. Penn State.......... 8 16 109
7. Wisconsin........... 8 17 117
8. Northwestern........ 8 19 126
9. Michigan State...... 8 21 126
10.Indiana............. 8 22 171
11.Iowa................ 8 32 186

PENALTIES G No Yds Avg/G
------------------------------------------
1. Penn State.......... 8 33 273 34.1
2. Minnesota........... 8 42 315 39.4
3. Purdue.............. 8 43 320 40.0
4. Ohio State.......... 8 49 330 41.2
5. Michigan............ 8 41 341 42.6
6. Wisconsin........... 8 47 353 44.1
7. Michigan State...... 8 40 373 46.6
8. Northwestern........ 8 41 392 49.0
9. Iowa................ 8 47 401 50.1
10.Indiana............. 8 41 411 51.4
11.Illinois............ 8 44 425 53.1


ALL RESULT IN THIS:

SCORING OFFENSE G TD XP 2XP DXP FG Saf Pts Avg
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. Purdue.............. 8 37 37 0 0 9 0 286 35.8
2. Indiana............. 8 34 34 0 0 15 0 283 35.4
3. Michigan State...... 8 36 35 0 0 8 0 275 34.4
4. Ohio State.......... 8 34 31 0 0 13 0 274 34.2
5. Penn State.......... 8 32 31 0 0 14 0 265 33.1
6. Minnesota........... 8 33 29 1 0 3 0 238 29.8
Wisconsin........... 8 29 26 1 0 12 0 238 29.8
8. Michigan............ 8 29 26 0 0 9 0 227 28.4
9. Northwestern........ 8 28 26 0 0 9 1 223 27.9
10.Illinois............ 8 25 24 0 0 10 0 204 25.5
11.Iowa................ 8 14 12 0 0 8 0 120 15.0

Additionally, Iowa almost has as many punts as Ohio State and Wisconsin... COMBINED.
Almost every team in the Big Ten has more Red Zone ATTEMPTS than Iowa has CONVERSIONS!
Iowa has taken more sacks than Minnesota (passing team), Purdue (passing team), and Ohio State... COMBINED!

Iowa's QB play hasn't help out much either:

PASSING AVG/GAME Team Cl G Att Cmp Int Pct. Yds TD Avg/G
------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Bacher, C.J......... NU JR 8 346 216 8 62.4 2598 14 324.8
2. Painter,Curtis...... PUR SR 8 339 213 6 62.8 2238 22 279.8
3. Weber, Adam......... MINN FR 8 310 181 15 58.4 2046 19 255.8
4. Lewis, Kellen....... IND SO 8 265 163 6 61.5 1952 19 244.0
5. Morelli, Anthony.... PSU SR 8 247 147 7 59.5 1739 13 217.4
6. Donovan,Tyler....... WIS SR 8 219 130 8 59.4 1711 12 213.9
7. Henne, Chad......... MICH SR 6 167 105 5 62.9 1258 10 209.7
8. Hoyer, Brian........ MSU JR 8 211 127 4 60.2 1602 11 200.2
9. Boeckman, Todd...... OSU JR 8 182 119 7 65.4 1539 18 192.4
10.Christensen, Jake... IOWA SO 8 257 138 3 53.7 1511 11 188.9

TOTAL OFFENSE Team Cl G Rush Pass Plays Total Yds/G
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. Bacher, C.J......... NU JR 8 57 2598 405 2655 331.9
2. Weber, Adam......... MINN FR 8 401 2046 408 2447 305.9
3. Lewis, Kellen....... IND SO 8 476 1952 354 2428 303.5
4. Painter,Curtis...... PUR SR 8 -44 2238 363 2194 274.2
5. Donovan,Tyler....... WIS SR 8 142 1711 284 1853 231.6
6. Morelli, Anthony.... PSU SR 8 -64 1739 276 1675 209.4
7. Henne, Chad......... MICH SR 6 -68 1258 181 1190 198.3
8. Hoyer, Brian........ MSU JR 8 -79 1602 240 1523 190.4
9. Boeckman, Todd...... OSU JR 8 -22 1539 202 1517 189.6
10.Christensen, Jake... IOWA SO 8 -23 1511 322 1488 186.0

PASS EFFICIENCY Team Cl G Att Cmp Int Pct. Yds TD Eff.
------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Boeckman, Todd...... OSU JR 8 182 119 7 65.4 1539 18 161.4
2. Lewis, Kellen....... IND SO 8 265 163 6 61.5 1952 19 142.5
3. Henne, Chad......... MICH SR 6 167 105 5 62.9 1258 10 139.9
4. Hoyer, Brian........ MSU JR 8 211 127 4 60.2 1602 11 137.4
5. Painter,Curtis...... PUR SR 8 339 213 6 62.8 2238 22 136.2
6. Donovan,Tyler....... WIS SR 8 219 130 8 59.4 1711 12 135.8
7. Bacher, C.J......... NU JR 8 346 216 8 62.4 2598 14 134.2
8. Morelli, Anthony.... PSU SR 8 247 147 7 59.5 1739 13 130.4
9. Weber, Adam......... MINN FR 8 310 181 15 58.4 2046 19 124.4
10.Christensen, Jake... IOWA SO 8 257 138 3 53.7 1511 11 114.9

Hawks beat Illinois: Ferentz is emotional, Zook shoves a cameraman.

Huge win for Iowa.

I had been waiting to put out a video of Kirk Ferentz for a while. After the Illinois game, it seems as appropriate as ever to release it.

Check out "The Captain"



The Ol' Zooker still cannot figure out how to beat Ferentz. Perhaps he took his frustrations out on a cameraman. I uploaded this video to YouTube. So it wasn't vicious, but come on, it's Zook.

Check it out as Ron Zook gives a camera guy a shove after his very brief handshake with Kirk.



On Iowa!

PS - Thank you Ken O'Keefe for giving Albert Young the ball. You gave it to him 25 times. He rushed for about 100 yards. The Hawks won. It really is that simple. Seriously.

OFF TOPIC: The Infamous Craigslist - Pers-431649184 Post (Beautiful Woman Looking for Guy Who Makes at Least a Half a Million Dollars)

This has been going around the Net and E-mail boxes, so it's only fair it gets on here. Good stuff, actually.

Here's is the post from Craigslist:

THE ORIGINAL POST/QUESTION

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy.
I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 432279810



THE ANSWER

Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful”
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.
Classic “pump and dump.”
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

And Further More... In Regards to Ken O'Keefe vs. Indiana

Once Indiana started to load the box, it would have been time to go to the air.
The thing is, it never came to that.

IOWA'S FIRST FIVE POSSESSIONS:

Base package by Indiana - first series:
AY for 6 yard, 2nd and 4. What does KOK do? Pass. Sack. Loss of 6. Back to 3rd and long. 3 and out. Punt.

Next series, great field position. 1st and 10. Run? Nope. Pass. Sack. Run by AY for 9 yards (would have been 2nd and 1 had we ran on 1st down). , but illegal formation called. First down on the slant. Try the toss to DJK (good idea, as good as a run). AY for 3, 3rd and 2. Pass. Incomplete. Missed FG.

Next series, Backed up deep in the endzone. Run? Nope. Pass. Incomplete. 2nd down Sims is stopped and now we're forced to pass with 3rd and long again. 3 and out. Bad punt. Great FP for Indy. TD Indy.

Next series, Sims gets the ball on first down (THANK YOU KOK!). 17 yards, but penalty brings it back. 18 yard pass to Cleveland. Sims loses 2 on 2nd and 2. Draw play (I actually loved this call) falls 1 yard short. 3 and out. Punt.

Next series, decent PF. Run? Nope. Pass. 25 yards to TE. First down. Run? Nope. Pass. Sack. Loss of 9. 2nd and forever. Screen pass. 3rd and long. Incomplete. 3 and out. Punt.

So now at this point Iowa is down 21-0.
Albert Young rushes? 3 for 18 yards. So you are telling me that through a quarter and a half of football vs. an awful rush D, Albert Young carried the ball 3 times. 3 times. That's just amazing to me.

Alright, Iowa gets the ball back down 21 to zip and finally KOK "gets it" or so I thought he did.

First down - AY up the gut for 4 yards. Second down - AY up the gut for 21 yards. First down - AY up the gut for 3 yards. Hey, this is working pretty good, huh? Let's keep running... 2nd down and 7. Pass. Sack. 3rd and 9 - forced to pass, Chaney with the 7 yard gain. Go for it on 4th, Jake with the 2 yard rush. First down. We should run, right?! WE DO! AY off left tackle for 3 yards. 2nd down - AY off right tackle for 11 yards. First down! Great job line! Great job AY! Keep feeding him!! First Down on the 10 yard line - run it right? Nope. Pass. Incomplete. 2nd down - screen to Sims for 3. 3rd down - pass to Chaney. Incomplete. 25 yd FG missed.

Am I missing something here? Until Indiana was able to stop our run, there is NO REASON to go away from it. FORCE them to stack the box. Iowa didn't do this, though.

Frustration, to say the least.

Give Albert Young the Damn Ball Already!

What should Team A do offensively against Team B?

Team A has at its disposal a 3rd year starting senior running back who, by the time he leaves the program, will most likely rank in the Top 5 (and possibly Top 3) on that said school's all-time rushing list. Team A is matched up against Team B, which has one of the worst rushing defense in all of college football, at home. Team A is starting an inexperienced, 1st year redshirt sophomore QB who will be throwing the ball to four freshman receivers.

What's the answer? Here's the incorrect answer (one that played out this past Saturday):
15 rushes by the senior running back, and 7 rushes by his backup (each rush averaging over 6 yards per carry for both backs), for a total of 22 rushes. On the other side of things, 42 passes from the green QB. Negative rushes by the #1 running back? ZERO. Number of sacks taken by the QB? NINE.

Team A, the Iowa Hawkeyes. Team B, the Indiana Hoosiers.

A look at the rushes by Albert Young and Damian Sims vs. the Indiana Hoosiers this past Saturday:

1st-10, Iowa40	14:54	A. Young rushed to the left for 7 yard gain
2nd-12, Iowa48	10:43	A. Young rushed up the middle for 9 yard gain
2nd-6, Ind27	8:24	A. Young rushed to the left for 3 yard gain
2nd-10, Iowa2	5:38	D. Sims rushed to the left for 1 yard gain
1st-10, Iowa14	3:12	D. Sims rushed up the middle for 17 yard gain
2nd-2, Iowa39	1:38	D. Sims rushed to the right for 2 yard loss
1st-10, Iowa41	8:24	A. Young rushed up the middle for 4 yard gain
2nd-6, Iowa45	7:46	A. Young rushed up the middle for 21 yard gain
1st-10, Ind34	7:21	A. Young rushed up the middle for 3 yard gain
1st-10, Ind24	4:55	A. Young rushed up the middle for 3 yard gain
2nd-7, Ind21	4:10	A. Young rushed to the right for 11 yard gain
1st-10, Iowa17	13:18	A. Young rushed up the middle for 1 yard gain
1st-10, Iowa35	10:41	A. Young rushed up the middle for 9 yard gain
2nd-1, Iowa44	10:07	A. Young rushed up the middle for 2 yard gain
1st-10, Iowa46	9:44	A. Young rushed to the left for 13 yard gain
2nd-10, Ind41	9:10	D. Sims rushed to the right for 12 yard gain. D. Sims fumbled. D. Sims recovered fumble
1st-10, Ind16	8:36	D. Sims rushed up the middle for 4 yard gain
2nd-6, Ind12	8:00	A. Young rushed to the left for 2 yard gain
2nd-10, Iowa23	1:41	D. Sims rushed to the left for 2 yard gain
1st-10, Iowa25	14:43	A. Young rushed to the left for 1 yard gain
1st-10, Ind41	12:26	D. Sims rushed to the right for 4 yard gain
4th-2, Ind33	10:36	A. Young rushed to the right for 6 yard gain

ALBERT YOUNG WAS NEVER STOPPED ON CONSECUTIVE RUNS.

Look, I know that you have to run to open up the pass... and you have to pass to open up the run. But the fact is this; Indiana was not loading the box. Indiana did not consistently put 7 or 8 in the box to stop the run. Iowa was running at will on Indiana. The Hoosiers could not stop the Iowa running game. So what does Iowa's offensive coordinator, Ken O'Keefe, decide to do? Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass. Pass.

Give me a break.

You have a guy in your backfield who is on the verge of becoming one of the Top 3 rushers all-time at the University of Iowa and you don't have the common sense to give him the ball 25-30 times in this game?? Iowa wasn't up against USC's front 7 or Ohio State's front 7. No... They were up against INDIANA'S FRONT SEVEN! Run the damn ball. Give the ball to Albert Young. When you are averaging 6 yards a rush, it doesn't take a mathematician to realize how that calculates into first downs, and ultimately TDs. Yes, Iowa was down in the ballgame, but not down enough to completely abandon the ONLY THING that was working against one of the nation's worst rush defenses in the entire nation.

KEN O'KEEFE, GIVE THE DAMN BALL TO ALBERT YOUNG. ENOUGH OF THIS ALREADY.