Des Moines Register On Iowa

[Iceland12]

They ALWAYS sell-out right? The must have been at an NFL or MLB game huh?

Sounds a lot like what we're reading here. Thousands of empty seats, soft Non-Conference schedule, wait until the Big Ten Season opens etc. Why the last couple of years they've even had many voices crying out to fire the Head Coach. We had some of that when Mason was here and a nearly unanimous outcry during the end of Brewster's tenure. Brewster was 15-30 with two Insight Bowl losses. Mason was 64-57 here with 7 December Bowl games. Captain Kirk has been 14-15 over the last 3 years, with a single Insight Bowl stop. Overall he's 103-75, going 6-4 in those games, with 2 Orange Bowls and 3 Outback Bowls in there.

"Standards" or "Delusions". Take your pick.

There were 3,699 empty seats at Kinnick Stadium, mostly in the student section. The mood on Internet message boards remains upbeat, but a little cautious.

This was Western Michigan, after all..

Some of you still feel a little jilted, unwilling to re-invest emotionally until the Hawkeyes prove their worthiness in the Big Ten Conference.

That’s understandable.

Iowa’s three wins have come against opponents with a combined record of 0-10 (Missouri State 0-4, Iowa State 0-2, Western Michigan 0-4).

It’s easy to be seduced by a favorable nonconference schedule.

A win this Saturday in the Big Ten opener at Minnesota would be reassuring.

It would give the Hawkeyes their first four-game winning streak since 2009.

It would also keep the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy in Iowa City.

You want devotion? Bring home the bacon.

http://hawkcentral.com/2013/09/22/andrew-logue-time-is-now-for-hawkeye-football-to-win-back-fans/

 

[Iceland12]

Hawkeyes Ride Wave of Momentum to Minnesota

News and Notes from Quad Cities:

1. Just how unusual was Kevonte Martin-Manley’s feat on Saturday when he returned punts 83 and 63 yards for second-quarter touchdowns in Iowa’s 59-3 rout of Western Michigan?

The Hawkeye junior is just the third Big Ten player to ever accomplish that and the first since Garcia Lane of Ohio State reached the end zone on two returns in a 1983 game against Purdue. The only other time it happened was in 1947 when Wisconsin’s Jug Girard returned two punts for scores in a game against Iowa.

3. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz did not mind that Kevonte Martin-Manley finished 17 yards shy of Nile Kinnick’s Iowa single-game record of 201 punt returns, referring to as one of the most special records that Iowa has.

Ferentz said he was unaware of how close Martin-Manley was until some point in the fourth quarter.

“With all due respect to Kevonte, I love the guy, he’s a great young man, I think it’s OK if that (record) stayed right where it’s at,’’ Ferentz said. “Not that we would have held him back, but maybe we would have thought about it, actually. That’s one that needs to stay. I hope we press it again, though.’’

Martin-Manley collected his 184 yards on four punt returns, all in the first half. The sun led to fair catches being called on a pair of potential returns in the third quarter and Riley McCarron replaced Martin-Manley for the final return of the day.

Kinnick recorded his 201 yards against Indiana during his Heisman Trophy season in 1939.

4. Minnesota played last weekend without starting quarterback Philip Nelson and starting running back Donnell Kirkwood and that will likely be the case again this week, Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill told reporters on Sunday.

Nelson suffered a hamstring injury two weeks ago against Western Illinois, while Kirkwood has been sidelined with an ankle injury.

Mitch Leidner started in place of Nelson in Saturday’s 43-24 win over San Jose State and responded by rushing for 151 yards and four touchdowns while David Cobb has been carrying the load running back in Kirkwood’s two-week absence.

“A hundred percent out of Mitch is better than 80 percent out of Philip and a hundred percent out of David Cobb is better than 90 percent out of Donnell,’’ Kill said. “If you get 100 percent out of Philip and 100 percent out of Donnell, it’s a different deal.’’

10. Saturday remains nearly a week away, but the long-range weather forecast for Minneapolis on game day is a wet one.

The National Weather Service is currently calling for a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms with a high of 67 degrees in the Twin-Cities on the day the Hawkeyes and Gophers will battle for ownership of Floyd of Rosedale.

http://qctimes.com/sports/football/...cle_1759e2dc-2458-11e3-bac8-0019bb2963f4.html

 

[highwayman]

Overall he's 186-103, going 6-5 in those games, with 2 Orange Bowls and 4 Outback Bowls in there.

He's 103-75 as coach at Iowa, 59-52 in Big Ten.

It's a simple case of "what have you done for me lately?". Since winning the Orange Bowl, he's 22-20 (that includes this season's 3-1), 10-14 in the B1G. Yeah, we'd probably take it at this point, but this is the pinnacle of sport in Iowa. I guess they expect more for what he is paid...

 

[Iceland12]

He's 103-75 as coach at Iowa, 59-52 in Big Ten.

It's a simple case of "what have you done for me lately?". Since winning the Orange Bowl, he's 22-20 (that includes this season's 3-1), 10-14 in the B1G. Yeah, we'd probably take it at this point, but this is the pinnacle of sport in Iowa. I guess they expect more for what he is paid...

Thanks, read "Games" column by mistake.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/kirk-ferentz-1.html

Oh and they're paying him about $2 million per year through 2020. Wonder who's gonna pick that up for them?