IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -For much of last season, Iowa often seemed to do just enough to lose. Then the Hawkeyes beat Penn State in the final seconds, and they’ve been masters of the close win ever since.
No. 11 Iowa’s 30-28 win over Michigan on Saturday night was the Hawkeyes’ 10th straight since that 2008 victory over the Nittany Lions. That’s Iowa best stretch since taking 20 straight from 1920-23 – but it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.
The Hawkeyes (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) have won three home games by a total of six points. Though they’re the last unbeaten team in the conference, they’ve had only one truly comfortable victory, a 35-3 blowout at Iowa State.
It’s preferable to last season, when the Hawkeyes lost four games by a total of 12 points.
“You have to have a good team, certainly, and a team that’s willing to fight for the entire game,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I think our guys have – at least they’ve proven they’re going to do that.”
ess is clear. The Hawkeyes have strong special teams and a physical, opportunistic defense that makes life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
Iowa also has a quarterback with a knack for putting points on the board – for the other team.
Junior Ricky Stanzi has had three interceptions returned for touchdowns, including a 40-yarder by Michigan’s Donovan Warren on his first attempt that put Iowa in a quick 7-0 hole. But two of those came in the first quarter, and Stanzi has been resilient following his early mistakes.
Stanzi’s numbers; 10 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 57.4 percent completion percentage, aren’t great, and Iowa’s inability to put teams away has a lot to do with an inconsistent and occasionally sluggish offense. But Ferentz knows how important mental toughness and leadership is for a quarterback – especially in tight games – and he sees plenty of both in Stanzi.
Stanzi threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan.
“That clearly is his best attribute. He’s got a lot of good attributes, I don’t mean that, but it’s tough to rattle him, it really is,” Ferentz said. “He’s got great leadership skills and, we’ve made it harder than we probably have to, but I’ll flip it around, too, then. He led us back to some real good things.”
ch, by the way, hasn’t come close to losing since – and Adrian Clayborn’s blocked punt and subsequent touchdown in a 21-10 win at Penn State was a turning point in the season.
The Hawkeyes have also taken the ball out of opposing quarterbacks hands.
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was the third coach this season to go to his backup in the second half against the Hawkeyes when he yanked an ineffective Tate Forcier in favor of Denard Robinson.
Forcier was 8 of 19 passing for 94 yards and an interception, and the freshman had led fourth-quarter comebacks in three previous games.
Rodriguez insisted after the game that Robinson was put in simply to give the team some life. Though he did just that in leading Michigan on a late scoring drive that cut Iowa’s lead to 30-28 with 3:16 left, his interception with 46 seconds left was Michigan’s fifth and final turnover of the game.
Michigan was also without cornerback Boubacar Cissoko, who did not travel with the team. Rodriguez said Cissoko was suspended indefinitely for breaking team rules.
“At times we played well, but we made a lot of critical errors, some of it was their doing, but some of it was our own doing,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the part that’s really disappointing. Our guys haven’t quit, you know. We’ve got guys that are battling, and it’s a tough environment, and we just got to learn and grow from it.”
any easier, with trips to Wisconsin and Michigan State looming in the next two weeks and a Nov. 14 showdown at Ohio State that could decide the Big Ten title.
But if things get tight in the second half – and given Iowa’s history, they will – it’ll be tough to count the Hawkeyes out.
“It really says a lot about the guys on our team. Their ability to respond and fight through adversity has really been something to marvel at this year,” Stanzi said.
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