Sunday, October 16, 2011

Cyclone Meltdown, Hawkeye Redemption

(Chris)

That was as bad as I've seen Iowa State look under Paul Rhoads. Yes, they've had some lopsided losses, but not against a team as mediocre as Missouri. The Tigers entered the game with a losing record, not Iowa State. This was an absolute beat down. Next week, the Cyclones host Texas A&M on national tv. If Rhoads holds true to his pattern, the Cyclones will come to play and make a game of it. This is one of the toughest schedules Iowa State has ever had, but it's still going to be tough when they're home for the holidays after starting 3-0.

Hawkeye fans can't get over how bad Iowa State has looked since beating their beloved Hawkeyes, 44-41 in triple overtime. The fact is, Iowa allowed Steele Jantz to run roughshod over them. Every other team  has pressured Jantz, and forced him into mistakes. Iowa's whole philosophy is to wait for its opponents to make its own mistakes.

I've been very critical of Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeye football team, this season...but I must give credit where credit is due. Yes, the Hawks blew a 17-0 lead, but they stood tall when most people thought they would fall flat. A loss to Northwestern would've been a death-blow for the Hawkeyes, this season. They stepped up when they needed to, and now they have a chance to be relevant in the Legends Division race. Iowa should win its next two games against Indiana, and Minnesota. That would make them 3-1 heading into a pair of Kinnick showdowns with Michigan and Michigan State. There's still a chance the game in Lincoln on the final weekend of the year will be for the divisional title.

Iowa and Northwestern combined for 38 points in the 4th quarter. Maybe these two teams should be in the
Big 12.

Marcus Coker finally looked like the Marcus Coker of old. He runs like he's blindfolded, but the guy runs hard. Can't fault him for that.

I hate Wisconsin, but I feel bad for them. The Badgers haven't won by fewer than 30 points all season, and they might not get an opportunity to play for the national title. If OU runs the table, they'll play the LSU/Bama winner, and Wisconsin will get the short straw. College football is my favorite sport of all, but it drives me absolutely nuts.The Badgers will get their first real test of the season at Michigan State, next Saturday. The Spartans have a defense, unlike Nebraska.

How can anyone like Bo Pelini? If he's not yelling, he's standing there looking like a fool.

At a high school game, on Friday night, I overheard something I still can't wrap my head around. A kid that couldn't have been more than 6 years old hit what I believe is his mother, and called her the "b" word. His Mom looked at him and said "Don't f---ing hit me!" Can't make it up.

Props to Waukee High School for the best pregame atmosphere in the CIML. It almost feels like I'm at a college game when the Warriors take the field. Valley wasn't concerned with the pregame excitement...the Tigers were more concerned with the game. Valley won BIG. 'V' is back.

1 comment:

Oprah Winfrey said...

Christopher, my hearts breaks to hear about the mother with a potty mouth. If that's the example she sets for her son, it's no wonder he's hitting her and cussing too. I would like to get that family in touch with my good friend, Dr. Phil. I think he could help them work through some of their issues.