Iowa - Iowa State 4th quarter

This game is much closer than it should be. Go Hawkeye Momentum!

Field goal attempt hits the upright and bounces the Hawkeye way.

ISU 12 - Iowa 10. Still.

Christensen on the QB keeper for 9. 3rd and 1. Young stuffed for a loss. No first down. Punt goes down to about the 23.

13:23 left, ISU ball. QB keeper and Meyer’s chest meets somebody on Iowa that it isn’t happy to meet, Humpal I think.

3rd and 8, King deflects the pass. Punt team!

Sims catches the screen for 13 or so. Is Young injured? I haven’t seem him since his shoulder got drilled on a play. Christensen scrambles up the middle for a first down.

2nd and 8, Sandeman makes a freak stud catch while getting clobbered. That was the play of the game so far. True freshman.

Christensen sacked, fumbles, recovers. back on the 15. Field goal attempt. Signor. Blocked.

Still ISU 12 - Iowa 10. 7 minutes left.

ISU throws deep to Blythe but well covered. Blythe actually had to almost interfere to keep the ball from Shada. Short pass for nothing. 3rd and 10. Incomplete. Bring out the punt team. And the announcers are absolutely wrong. Shada did not hold Blythe.

Iowa with good field position with 6:35 left.

We need to score right now.

Christensen complete to Moeaki going for about 15. Young gains about 6. He must have just been resting earlier. Young with a nice little juke to gain the 1st down.?

4:40 left. Christensen barely manages to throw the ball out of bounds. Can somebody do something with Bowen please? QB keeper for 7. Nice block by Young.

Cleveland just about makes a nice play but changes his mind at the last second and drops the pass. Time for another fieldgoal. 41 yarder, Signor kicking. Up and GOOD!

Iowa up 13 - 12.

Kickoff to the 20. Stopped at the 32.

ISU ball with 3:34. Meyer complete for 9 to the 41. 3:00 left. ISU plows ahead for about 7. 1st down. I think ISU has all of their time outs left. Meyere sacked by King. 2:22 left.

That should have been offensive interference. No call. Completion way down the field. Why was Klinkenborg covering a WR? ISU on the 17.

I can’t believe that ISU is going to win this. I guess we can still root for an Iwebema blocked field goal kick. 45 seconds. ISU runs up the middle to run the clock. ISU will call the timeout with seconds left, 5 to be exact. 3rd down and ISU will attempt to kick the FG for the win.

Iowa calls a time out to ice the kicker which absolutely never works.

Here comes the kick. Lined up right in the middle 28 yards away. Up and good. ISU will win unless the Hawks run it back.

I am constantly amazed at how bad Iowa is on the road.  One second left.

No seconds left.

ISU 12 - Iowa 10.

Quite a run back, but still a loss.

Oops

If you noticed some strange posts on this page or in the feed, it was just an upgrade of one of my other blogs that went poorly.  I ended up copying the config file from the other blog over to the directories of this blog.  Since they both share the same database server, it was connecting this site to the other database on that server.

No more upgrades while eating lunch and not reading the documentation.

If you are interested, the blog you were seeing was my family and parenting blog.

Haluska Girlfriend

Over the last few days people keep finding this site by using Google to search for “Haluska Girlfriend.” It is a false hit based on one post mentioning Haluska and another mentioning some body else having trouble with their girlfriend.

So, I have no idea why people are searching for “Haluska girlfriend.”

Do any of you know what is so interesting about Haluska’s girlfriend or what happened to make people start looking for information about her?

If you know, could you leave a comment or send me an email using the Contact Me up at the top of the site.

Thanks.

College basketball schedules are stupid

Iowa has 30 regular season games this year. 14 out of conference and 16 in conference.

That means Iowa plays 4 Big 10 teams only once. That is so sad that I can’t believe it. Especially with nearly half of their games being out of conference.

They need to get rid of some non conference games and/or some bye weeks during conference so that everybody plays each other twice. After all, I would much prefer to watch Iowa struggle against OSU, Michigan, Purdue and even Northwestern who keeps beating Iowa year after year than play another game against Coppin State, Georgia State, Texas Southern, or Texas Pan American.

I don’t want to hear any arguments about needing to wait until after finals to start the conference play. If finals are that disrupting than nobody should be playing anybody during that time. Enough with scheduling easy, non conference teams during that period. Either start the season earlier or end it later and get the good conference games in instead of having half the games be non conference games that nobody cares about.

Alamo Bowl - Live Updates

Time for the pregame. I was expecting to pick Iowa to cover the spread because I expected the spread to be about 13-14 points. I read that the spread is just 9. So, I’ll pick Texas to cover 38-28. But, I have my Hawkeye shirt on and have started rooting for a miracle.

Time to get some coffee and get ready for kickoff.

What do you want to bet Iowa gets the ball first?

First Quarter
I knew we would get the ball first. I’m not sure why we still do that. We have had trouble getting even a first down most of the time, much less scoring. And, then we give the other team good field position. I do like seeing us run on 1st down. We don’t do that nearly enough and I can’t figure out why with the running backs that we have. Hey, a first down. Good start. 0-12 scoring on our opening drives this year. I told you that was a problem. We’re across the midfield because of that goofy Tate spin move that nobody seems to be able to figure out. Go Hawks. Touchdown…oh…down at the one. I’ve been saying all year that we need to run much much more. Time out. Touchdown. Just like we knew how to play football. 7-0 with 11:05 to go in the 1st. I remember playing USC in the bowl game a few years back and running back the opening kick off. I don’t think I have ever been that excited in my life. It didn’t last long. I’ll stay calm to see if we can keep it going.

Is it too early to complain that it seems like the Big Ten teams are always playing about a block from their opponents home stadium in the bolw games. I want the next bowl game to be at Kinnick Stadium…or how about Soldier Field.

I didn’t know Iwebema was playing today. That’s good. And Shada, too. Too bad Klinkenborg got hurt. Punt team! And a stupid penalty on top of it. Give us the ball. 9:07 to go in the 1st.

There was a commercial before Texas got the ball. They go three and out and punt. And, then another time out. Can we all just promise to buy a few things today and get rid of all the commercial breaks.

Holy cow. I didn’t know we had anybody on Iowa fast enough to break a big play like Brodell just did. 63 yard TD with almost all of the yards after the catch. Amazing. 14-0 with 8:30 to go. Wonder if we’ll get another TV timeout.

Covering kickoffs used to be a strength of Iowa over the last few seasons. I wonder why we have so much trouble with that this year. Texas just ran the kickoff passed midfield.

Godfrey has made a couple nice tackles on the corner already. Iwebema with a stupid personal foul. We cannot afford personal fouls. They just showed the replay and it was a officially a stupid personal foul especially since it keeps a drive going that would have ended otherwise. The defense holds them out of the end zone anyway. Nice job. 14-3 with 4:32 left in the first.

Injuries have been reported for both Young and Busch. Hopefully they will both be back today. Busch in particular. The team really feeds off of his energy. He is a crazy man.

Wow. Moeacki got killed on that 3rd and 8. He still should have caught the ball, though. He dropped it before the guy nailed him. 3 and out. 2:52 to go. Nice 49 yard punt out of bounds by Fenstermaker.

Godfrey was right with the receiver on the deep pass/ He’s looking pretty good today. And then Gabelmann stands his receiver up right at the 1st down marker and somehow got the ball out of his hands. Incomplete. 4th down. Give me the ball. Good job jumping on the loose ball after it hit the Hawkeye on the punt Shada. 1:27 left in the 1st.

And Young is officially back and gets 4 on the 1st down. So, far Tate seems to be getting the ball to the receivers and they are catching the ball. That was the most frustrating thing for me to watch all year. They never both wanted to do their job on the same play. End of the 1st. 14-3. Iowa has the ball.

If you happen to be reading this, could you say hi in the comments and feel free to tell me I got something wrong, right, sound stupid, that you love the Hawks or the Longhorns, or your kids. Whatever you want to say.

Second Quarter
The 63 yard TD catch/pass by Brodell/Tate is the longest in Iowa bowl history. How can that be with the teams we had back in the 80s.

Time for another Hawkeye punt. It looks like Texas defense is settling in. Man, Fenstermaker is kicking pretty well today. We’re probably going to end up missing him next year. 13:50 left in the second.

Colt threw the first down pass about 3 yards behind the receiver on a short pass. That was ugly. But, then on 2nd down they get a big broken play after good initial coverage by the Hawks. And, it’s Godfrey that got burnt. Texas is across midfield. Merrick just made a pretty incredible pass deflection to break up the touchdown pass. Merrick with a great another great play to knock the 3rd down pass loose and make Texas have to bunt. Nice D. Great punt for Texas. Out at the 2 with 12:18 to go in the second. Let’s go get a 98 yard touchdown drive.

Awesome. 1st down and no matter what we won’t have a crappy punting position. Nice run by Tate. He’s looking pretty sharp so far. Simms just got another nice gain and then on the next play on 3rd down got the 1st down. The running game is looking sharp, too. I love that jail break play. Brodell just got a ton of yards off of it (42). The play always looks like it is going to get negative yards and I am always tense until they get the big block to spring it free. Injury timeout with just over 7 minutes until half. We’re back and lose a couple on the 1st down run. Wow. 2nd down was ugly too. The offensive line must have fallen asleep during that injury timeout. Illegal touching penalty on Yanda. What a stupid sounding name for a penalty in a game like football. 3rd and 13. Chandler with the nice catch for a 1st down around the 7 yard line. Texas is getting a much better defensive line push against the running game. We can probably get a nice play action play now or early in the next drive. Timeout Hawks about 5 minutes til half. 2nd and goal and we have had the ball over 7 minutes on this drive. WIDE OPEN TOUCHDOWN! But there is penalty that is on Iowa. Inelligible receiver downfield. Bummer. Ferentz is mad. 2nd and goal from the 15. Interception in the end zone. Stupid play. There were a ton of defenders around the ball.

Texas has the ball. That was the longest play ever without a penalty. Well, there was a penalty but they waived it off. McCoy rand around back there for about 30 seconds. That must have been some really good coverage downfield. And, Ferentz is still yelling at the ref. 3rd down and Texas makes an easy play to pick up the first down. Three defenders around the receiver but nobody in position to make a play. On 1st down, McCoy had to throw the ball away because of pressure. 2nd down the tight end dropped a pass he definitely should have caught that would have been about 7 yards. 3d down and they throw the ball about 1 yard but the Texas receiver still gets the 1st down. I hate Iowa’s 3rd down defense. Now, we’re back to 3rd and 5. And yet another easy first down to the 31 with 2:21 in the half. It is crazy how bad we are against 3rd down. Texas has trouble with the snap and looses a few yards on 1st down. Oh, McCoy wasn’t looking at the ball. 2nd and 15 and they pick up just over 10. Less than a minute, Texas has another 1st down at the 20. We need a stop since Texas gets the ball to start the second half. Instead, Texas throws for a TD. Godfrey was the burnt Hawkeye. 6 foot (I would say probably a couple inches shorter) versus somebody a lot taller. And the receiver is injured on the play. It looks like he got hurt by somebody in the band when he tried to run back onto the field from behind the end zone. 45 seconds until half Iowa 14 - Texas 10. TV Timeout since 45 seconds is such a long time to wait before the halftime commercials.

Bowman couldn’t figure out if he was in the end zone or not on the kickoff and just stood there for a second before taking off. Iowa ball on the 10. Tate knees the ball and it is time for halftime. See you in about 20 minutes.

I’m going to start a new post for the 2nd half because this one is just getting too long. The 2nd half of the Alamo Bowl will be here.

Drake?

I am a huge Tom Davis fan. But, there is no way that Iowa should lose to Drake.

Okay, fine. Once every 15 years or so is okay but when Iowa loses it should definitely not be a blow out. Exactly what is Alford doing to earn his paycheck these days?

We are officially off to the worst start since before I was born. We lose to good teams and average teams. We lose at home, on the road, and on neutral courts.

I’m ready for a change.

Going to a Hawkeye Basketball Game

My dad picked up two tickets to four Hawkeye basketball games.  I have not looked into the dates yet, but I think the games are Minnesota, Ohio State, MSU, and Wisconsin.  That is a pretty good package.

Ignoring the dates, which game sounds the most interesting?

Minnesota definitely is in a different interest class than the others.

Ohio State seems to be the logical pick for the top of the Big 10 according to the preseason polls.  Wisconsin is apparently going to be pretty good to and Iowa frequently gets up big on them in the first half only to fall apart int he second half.  But, there’s something special about the recent success and physical nastiness of Michigan State.

I will have to look at the dates, but it looks like I can not go wrong with any of them.  I can not even remember the last game I watched at Iowa.  One of my greatest memories of Carver-Hawkeye is playing in the All Star game during a summer basketball camp.  I also received one of the four camp MVPs that year in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Good memories.

Damien Sims - The Good and the Ugly

Iowa finally dominated a game.  They finally got the blocks, the passes, the catches, and finally found the running game.  That was a fun game to watch.
Poor Albert Young had to miss this game where Iowa’s O-line totally dominated Purdue’s D-line.  But, Damien Sims stepped in quite well getting 150+ yards.  Sims is a much more entertaining runner than Young.  He’s quicker and appears to be much faster.  He has that ability to sneak through a hole and turn it into a touchdown from anywhere on the field.

But, lost in the 150+ yards were two fumbles.  And that is one of the reasons why Young is the starter.  If Sims wants to keep the spot when Young gets back, he has to learn to hold on to the ball.  150 yards would be amazing to come by against Michigan, but if we lose two fumbles, we will lose the game.

Fortunately, we have a game against Indiana before the Michigan game.  I haven’t heard much about how long Young is supposed to be out, but maybe Sims will be able to get enough snaps next week to work on holding on to the ball.

If I were Sims, I would start this week by carrying a football everywhere all week and telling his friends that when they see him they are supposed to sneak up and try to knock the ball away.  Sims needs to get very conscious that somebody is always around ready to cause a fumble.

A good stiff kick to the head

Haynesworth is a very big man. 6′6″, 320 pounds big.  He was at work the other day and got mad at a competitor.  Things weren’t going well and he was frustrated.

The competitor was down momentarily and defenseless.  Haynesworth vented his frustration by kicking him…in the head…with cleats…causing 30 stitches.

His employer has suspended him from 5 weeks of pay and threatened to fine him some more.  The team he actually works for has said they might do more if they are not happy with those penalties directly from the above.

Only in the NFL.  If I walked into work and kicked somebody in the head causing 30 stitches, I would lose my job.  No questions asked.  I would also be in jail.  No questions asked.

The local police have said that they are willing to pursue legal action if the victim is willing to press charges.  We’ll see what happens in the long run.

The NFL should have sent the message that intentionally kicking somebody in the face who had lost their helmet is unacceptable.  Losing a little over a months pay is a slap in the wrist for somebody that should be worrying about whether he will ever be able to play again.  They should have suspended him at least 1 year.  At least.

People are not allowed to spike other people’s face at work.  This did not happen in the middle of the play.  This was while everybody was standing up to head back to the huddle.  Unacceptable.

Don’t give me the argument that these people are all testosteroned up and enraged by the intensity of the sport.  If the athletes cannot handle the situation better than that, then they do not need to be playing football on national TV making the money that first round draft picks make in the NFL.