Around college football on this Monday with various articles across the nation with a Big Ten emphasis primarily:
1) Nebraska Turning Point & the new left side of the OL for Nebraska. - Nebraska Rivals
2) Emerging Playoff Contenders with Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.
3) What did we learn with Iowa? Iowa Rivals
4) Jury is out on Michigan and Week 5 Review USA Today
5) Iowa and PSU storylines ahead of their Big Clash Penn Live
Sean Callahan • HuskerOnline
Publisher
@Sean_Callahan
Was Nebraska's win over Northwestern on Saturday a turning point for this 2021 season? We start your Monday off with the Weekly Rundown column, as we hit on that and more.
QB Adrian Martinez: Junior quarterback Adrian Martinez looks like the quarterback we thought we'd see in 2019. He's playing at a different level, and the option element added to the offense has made him that much harder to defend.
Tell me another quarterback in the Big Ten playing at a higher level than Martinez right now?
LB JoJo Domann: It used to be hard to answer the question "who on Nebraska is an All-Big Ten" player on defense. Now it doesn't feel that way.
Senior JoJo Domann is playing like an All-Big Ten level player at linebacker. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald even sought him out and asked Domann "if he was out of eligibility" yet? Domann actually saw 16 snaps of special teams play in a 2016 game vs. the Wildcats. I don't blame Fitzgerald for asking.
It reminds me of back when Dana Altman complained about having to play against Cookie Belcher for five years straight when Danny Nee selectively played him to preserve a medical redshirt - one of those games was Creighton. People forget Domann is the only player on this Husker team that actually took snaps in 2016 - NU's last winning team.
Memorial Stadium at night: I think we almost forgot how special Memorial Stadium can be at night. NU fans have been punished with more 11 am games than a guy can count.
It was nice to see the Cathedral on 10th & Vine back in its full glory. I can't imagine what Saturday is going to bring vs. Michigan.
Left guard Nouri Nouili and left tackle Teddy Prochazka. (Sean Callahan)
RB Jaquez Yant: OK, nobody could have called this one. We saw flashes from Jaquez Yant in the spring and vs. Fordham, but to have a 64-yard run against Northwestern in the first quarter? By the way, NU's previous long run by a back this season was just 21 yards.
I often joke that Nebraska's running back rotation felt like a weekly soup special sometimes. I think the chef may have found one to keep on the regular menu.
Nebraska's new left side of the line: Hello Teddy Prochazka and Nouri Nouili. Give head coach Scott Frost a lot of credit here. He took a gamble and shook up his offensive line in week five with a true freshman and a former German foreign exchange student that's only played football in American for four years. Well, it worked.
That was a $5 million a year head coach going with his gut feel and pushing aside loyalty. Before Saturday, Nouili was seriously considering weighing his options long-term if he didn't get on the field this season. He still remains a walk-on as well. I have to imagine that's going to change very quickly.
How much Northwestern has dropped off: I knew Northwestern was down this season, but they have taken about as big of a step back as you could ever imagine. The Wildcats also don't appear to be built for the transfer portal or NIL era.
It's very hard to transfer into Northwestern because of their academics, and I don't get the sense they are going to have near the organization with their NIL efforts to sway key recruits and players in the future.
Special teams: Nebraska had an 84-yard punt and every punt was fielded cleanly by Oliver Martin. Need I say more?
Running back Jaquez Yant. (Associated Press)
Can this offensive line match up with Michigan?: Matching up with Northwestern is one thing. Going against Michigan is a whole different story.
The Wolverines have two elite defensive ends in Aidan Hutchinson (21 QB pressures) and David Ojabo (11 QB pressures). The duo is responsible for nine of Michigan's 13 sacks on the year, according to PFF. Hutchinson has an overall grade of 92.0, while Ojabo is an 82.6. This is the match-up of the game.
Can the Huskers' young tackles hold up against them, and how will Frost help Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran?
Will the Big Ten have a playoff team?: One thing we still don't know is if the Big Ten Conference truly has a playoff team in 2021? Right now, Iowa would arguably be the best team in the league with their win at Iowa State and their impressive victory at undefeated Maryland last Friday.
Penn State owns wins over Wisconsin and Auburn, but I still feel like they are not a playoff-level type team.
Ohio State intrigues me because I think they have the ability to keep getting better each week and still finish 11-1.
I sure would not want to be on the playoff committee this year, because it's going to be awfully hard to decide on four teams at this point it appears.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. (AP Images)
Michigan vs. mobile quarterbacks: Michigan is 5-0. I totally get that. They are having a great season, but have they seen a quarterback anywhere close to the level of Adrian Martinez?
You can make a case that Noah Vedral was the best quarterback the Wolverines have faced in 2021. They have not seen any quarterback with near the dynamic skill set of Martinez. How much will Michigan go after Martinez with the blitz? Or will they play it safe like everyone else with just a four-man rush?
Jim Harbaugh's first trip to Lincoln: This will just be Michigan's second trip to Lincoln since joining the Big Ten and Jim Harbaugh's first. Think about that. NU is in their 11th season in the Big Ten and they have only seen Michigan once in Lincoln, and that was back when they were in the same division.
This will be their first trip here since the split to the East-West Divisions. The good news is the Huskers will play Michigan for five straight seasons now through 2025. Three of those five games are in Lincoln. They replace Ohio State on the Big Ten's East-West schedule cycle. The Huskers played the Buckeyes for a six-game cycle.
Finding big plays on Michigan: Can this Husker offense find big plays against a defense that doesn't give up very many of them? That is really the storyline of this game.
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Pete Thamel
Sun, October 3, 2021, 2:24 AM·13 min read
BATON ROUGE, La. – After Iowa blasted Maryland, 51-14, on Friday night, the Hawkeyes hauled home halfway across the country and landed in the predawn darkness.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz crawled into bed around 5:15 a.m., tired but at least hitting the pillow knowing the 5-0 Hawkeyes can still dream the biggest dreams in the sport.
Ferentz is in his 23rd season at Iowa, the longest run of any coach at a single school in the sport. And with No. 5 Iowa having won 11 straight games and hosting a top-five matchup against No. 4 Penn State on Saturday, it’s arguable that Ferentz may be amid his finest stretch as Iowa’s coach.
Certainly, no one would expect the consistently understated Ferentz to make a bold proclamation that Iowa is in the thick of the playoff race. But it’s clear that this Iowa team has the capability and trajectory to join the other gold-standard Ferentz teams – Orange Bowl teams in 2002 and 2009 and a Rose Bowl team in 2015. And by staying solid, there appears to be a potential path for a team like Iowa in a year when few programs are spectacular.
“Anything is possible,” Ferentz said by phone on Saturday, calling after he’d slept a few hours and watched the Maryland film. “Certainly, we were close in 2015. With the system the way it is now, we’d have been in the discussion in 2002.
“For us to be in that discussion, things have to fall right and we have to take every game like it’s our last game. That’s the world we live in. We’re used to that.”
And Iowa’s surge into the top five and Iowa City looming as the center of the sport’s universe next week is indicative of a new reality in a college football season that’s unfolding like a giraffe on roller skates.
After Alabama and Georgia, who have solidified themselves atop the sport, a kaleidoscope of possibilities exists. With Oregon losing in overtime at Stanford and falling out of the No. 3 spot and a top-five team guaranteed to lose next week, the sport’s red carpet is getting surrounded by fresh faces.
Come on down, playoff newbies. Cincinnati? BYU? Penn State? Wake Forest? Michigan? Michigan State? Kentucky? Oklahoma State? Coastal Carolina? (Sorry, Arkansas, you were here until about 12:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.)
“It’s early, but we’re talking about a spread of teams,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. “When I look at the future, a 12-team playoff model causes you to talk about a whole lot of teams. I think that’s good for the game. ... I think it’s the kind of dialogue you want, talking about teams all across the nation.”
Here’s a peek at a few newbies who could remain in the conversation for much of the season:
The reality is that Iowa has emerged as a sneaky NFL factory, as it has had nine players leave early for the NFL draft the past three years.
Iowa has another crew of high-end players the NFL is coveting – center Tyler Linderbaum is the best at his position in the country, linebacker Jack Campbell is an elite talent and defensive end Zach VanValkenburg (5 TFLs) is intriguing to the next level.
Iowa also has strong skill – Tyler Goodson is averaging 4.3 yards per carry, tight end Sam LaPorta is the leading receiver (263 yards) and corner Matt Hankins has two interceptions.
“Ironically, our strength and experience was more on the perimeter on both sides,” Ferentz said. “If we were playing 7-on-7 this year, we’d have a chance to be pretty good.”
Will Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes be in the College Football Playoff mix at the end of this season? (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
But the young players in the trenches have grown up around Linderbaum and Vanvalkenburg, and Ferentz has seen the kind of consistency and steady improvement that the program has been built on. “You’re either developing or you’re not developing,” Ferentz said.
Iowa’s defense is shaping up to be one of the country’s best, as it's No. 3 nationally, yielding 11.6 points per game. The Hawkeyes have blended zone coverage and pattern matching, which has minimized big plays and helped Iowa rank No. 2 nationally in turnover margin.
The offense is still a work in progress, as the rushing offense is ranked No. 100 and the passing is No. 99. More important, Iowa has been opportunistic, scoring on 10 of the 12 turnovers it has forced.
Junior Spencer Petras has emerged as a steady presence, a reliable quarterback in a season when much of the Big Ten lacks consistent play at that position. He has completed 62% of his passes, thrown seven touchdown passes and one interception. (He has avoided what happened to Maryland on Friday night when Taulia Tagovailoa unraveled for five interceptions in the loss.)
Iowa is never going to be flashy under Ferentz. But in a year when there’s little brilliance, consistency may be plenty to have Iowa in the Big Ten and CFP conversation.
Ferentz’s voice perked up Saturday when the assumed electricity of Saturday’s game against Penn State came up.
“To be in a stadium with fans,” he said. “That’s how college football is supposed to feel. And there’s nothing better than being in Kinnick Stadium. It’s a great venue anytime, but especially when things are anted up a little bit.”
But the Cougars have been salty so far, overcoming injuries and figuring out ways to beat Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. How’ve they done it?
“It all comes back to Kalani Sitake,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. “He’s like the Ted Lasso of college football coaches. He’s so positive all the time. Our players love playing for him and coming in the building every day. Practice is fun and meetings are fun. He’s created such a fun environment to play and coach in.”
Roderick credits Sitake for building the program so it could sustain the types of injury issues that BYU has endured this year. In BYU’s win against Utah State on Friday, they played without their starting quarterback, fullback and three offensive linemen. They rolled, 34-20.
BYU has built a clear identity on offense in the post-Wilson era, led by center James Empey.
“We have a really physical offensive line,” Roderick said. “Again, we have an NFL running back. I think our physicality allows us to be in the game, no matter how the game is going or how teams defend us. We always have a chance to run the ball and grind out a win."
If there’s one play that epitomized BYU’s spirit this season, it came from tailback Tyler Allgeier, the aforementioned NFL tailback. Allgeier is a former walk-on who started his BYU career as a linebacker.
In the Arizona State game, Allgeier sprinted nearly 50 yards to chase down Arizona State linebacker Merlin Robertson after he’d picked off a Jaren Hall pass. Allgeier didn’t just tackle Robertson, he leapt on his back and punched out the ball in the outsized manner of something from a Marvel comic.
“He’s the kind of guy who would do anything the team needs,” Roderick said. “We have a whole team full of guys like that.”
Opportunity awaits BYU for more showcases – Boise State, at Baylor, Washington State, Virginia and a trip to USC remain on the schedule. Will that be enough for Coach Lasso?
BYU coach Kalani Sitake has his team thinking big. Could the Cougars crash the College Football Playoff picture? (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
They stormed into South Bend, led 17-0 at halftime and won 24-13. They took what head coach Luke Fickell said after the game was a “big step” toward pushing the program into the College Football Playoff conversation. The Bearcats never got higher than No. 7 in the CFP conversation last year. If they are undefeated when the first CFP rankings come out in November, it’s hard to imagine they won’t be in the top five.
Perhaps the best part of Cincinnati’s win for the CFP committee was that they looked the part. The Bearcats handled Notre Dame in the trenches, their defensive backs pushed around Notre Dame’s receivers and held the Irish to 84 rushing yards.
Every underdog needs a hero, and Cincinnati has that in quarterback Desmond Ridder. After shaking off a slow start for the second straight game, Ridder finished the day with 297 passing yards and enough composure to continue to ratchet up his NFL draft stock. He led the Bearcats on a six-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter after Notre Dame pulled within a score. Ridder hit tight end Leonard Taylor on a 36-yard pass and capped the drive with a six-yard run. He entered his press conference by yelling, “How about them Bearcats?”
Cincinnati still has a long way to go. And the best team remaining on the Bearcats' schedule is SMU. But they captured the hearts and minds of the sport today, and it’s a much more difficult task to leave undefeated Cincinnati out of the playoff conversation with this win than it was in 2020.
How good is Wake Forest? They’ve impressed teams with an offense that consistently provides answers for whatever the defense presents. Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne, who faced Wake Forest in the opener, compared the Wake Forest offense to Iowa’s defense, which he faced as Penn State’s offensive coordinator. The scheme isn’t revolutionary, but the details are coached by coordinator Warren Ruggiero in such a way that it’s consistently effective.
“I think they have a legitimate shot of winning the ACC,” Rahne said of Wake Forest. When the quarterback [Sam Hartman] is on, they can be very explosive on offense. The running back [Christian Beal-Smith] and wide receiver [Jaquarii Roberson] are good players. And on defense, the sum of the parts is greater than the individual pieces. They are extremely well coached in all phases, and their experience and ability to develop have closed any talent gap.”
Wake Forest will be favored in its next three games – at Syracuse, at Army and at Duke – before playing at North Carolina on Nov. 6. That game will have huge stakes for Wake’s credibility as a top-tier team. Wake closes the season at Clemson and at Boston College. Wake Forest hasn’t beaten Clemson since 2008 and lost the last three games to the Tigers by a combined 152-19.
Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh watches on during a college football game against Wisconsin Badgers on Oct. 2, 2021. (Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Michigan’s defense has much more versatility and nuance under Mike Macdonald, as opposed to Don Brown. There’s some high-end talent in end Aidan Hutchinson and safety Daxton Hill. Cade McNamara did enough by throwing for 197 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Michigan didn’t run the ball particularly well against the Badger’s stout front – 112 total yards – but it didn’t need to.
Michigan had long built a reputation for turtling in big games under Harbaugh, flinching when the lights got bright. On Saturday, they let Wisconsin self-destruct and waltzed out of Madison with a breezy 38-17 victory. They lost 35-14 the last trip to Madison in 2019 in a game that felt more lopsided.
Michigan State is another surprise October undefeated that retains an aura of skepticism about the program’s ceiling. Mel Tucker’s Spartans (5-0) have won at Northwestern and Miami, and they’ll be heavy favorites to be 7-0 heading into the Michigan game in East Lansing on Oct. 30.
The winner of that game could well end up with a loud playoff case, provided that neither slips up prior. (Michigan’s trip to Nebraska looks tougher.)
The other undefeated SEC team is Kentucky. While the Wildcats weren’t even ranked in the Associated Press poll last week, that changed after another signature victory for Mark Stoops. Kentucky beat Florida, 20-13, for the first win in Lexington over the Gators since 1986. (Red Sox fan Dan Mullen will remember that as the Bill Buckner year.) They earned a No. 16 ranking in the AP Top 25, which was released Sunday.
How good are the Wildcats? That’s hard to say. They muddled past Missouri, Chattanooga and South Carolina, which isn't exactly a murderers’ row.
But Kentucky has a top-10 defense and a showcase game next week with flailing LSU coming to Lexington. Kentucky will likely be favored, and a win would set up the Oct. 16 game at Georgia to have similar stakes as the Arkansas game did in Athens on Saturday. There’s little to project that Kentucky’s trip to Athens would be much different, but today Kentucky can dare to dream.
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Spencer Petras and the Iowa offense had their best game of the year at Maryland.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport
Publisher
@hawkeyereport
There have been plenty of big games over the years.
However, when it comes to the weekly rankings that we all follow each and every week, only one game will have a better head to head battle and that was the #1 vs. #2 battle between Iowa and Michigan.
This Saturday it will be #3 Iowa vs. #4 Penn State.
What’s remarkable is both schools are riding long winning streaks heading into this contest. After dropping their first two games of the disjointed 2020 season, the Hawkeyes have now won 11 games in a row. Meanwhile in Happy Valley, Penn State lost their first five games of the 2020 season and looked all out of sorts when Iowa dominated them on their home field, 41-21. Since then the Nittany Lions have run off nine victories in a row.
It’s interesting that both programs had to deal with issues beyond Covid-19 protocols last year. For Penn State it was several injuries at running back and a potential All American in Micah Parsons opting not to play football last year. For Iowa it was dealing with issues of racial inequality within their program and moving forward from a deeply trying time for players and coaches.
Yet here we are.
One of the streaks will come to an end early on Saturday evening. Penn State has certainly broken Iowa’s heart more than once in recent years in Kinnick Stadium and with the exception of last year, James Franklin has had the Hawkeyes number. But, Kirk Ferentz, who grew up in Pennsylvania, has had some of his best and most memorable wins over the Nittany Lions.
Now, can we just get to Saturday….
What else did we learn this week when it comes to the Hawkeyes and the Big Ten? As always plenty of ground to cover.
1. ESPN College GameDay decided to go to the Oklahoma vs Texas game this weekend in Dallas instead of coming to Iowa City. Had they come this weekend it would have been the first time since 2006 that the Saturday morning staple was in town. But, it wasn’t meant to be. And really it came down to the fact that ESPN is putting their top crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call of the Sooners and the Longhorns and that game is kicking off just after the GameDay Show ends.
A reminder, the less popular, but always good Big Noon Kickoff Show will be on the Pentacrest in Iowa City for their show on Saturday morning. The cast includes former Hawkeye Bob Stoops and he’s always good for a few “Go Hawks” during the broadcast and you can bet he will be saying it quite a bit on Saturday morning.
2. Why do I think Kirk Ferentz quietly gave a fist pump when he learned that College GameDay wasn’t coming to town?
One major show in town is a distraction. Two of them is asking for trouble. It’s twice as many interviews. Its more meetings with TV people. Its more phone calls with on-air talent for players and coaches. I know fans love the attention and that’s great, but coaches want their players focused on the task at hand for what could be the biggest game in the lives of many of the Hawkeye players.
Sure there will be plenty of hype and that’s expected, but less is more when it comes to media obligations.
3. Now to the game on Friday night. Wow. The second quarter was just stunning. In the first quarter it felt like this was going to be a battle that went deep into the fourth quarter with both teams trading blows. Instead, Maryland got their lights turned out by halftime. 31 points later and the game was essentially over at the half. If this were a high school game they would have had a running clock in the second half.
4. Are we seeing a quarterback mature and develop right before our very eyes? Maybe. In fact, I think we are. With each week we are seeing a more composed and confident Spencer Petras. He’s more confident in his throws and the accuracy continues to climb. Is he going to have moments where he struggles? Yep. Every quarterback does. But, he might have had his best game as a Hawkeye completing 21 of 30 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. He also pulled a Nate Stanley and did the QB sneak over the goal line twice.
5. This might have been the best overall game for the Iowa offensive line. I know they are still trying to figure out the best five for the rest of the season and that might not happen until after the bye week, but the run blocking in particular was very good. Perhaps it’s the fact that Kyler Schott is starting to round into form and get more snaps, but he looked good and I thought Justin Britt had his best game as a Hawkeye.
6. What else is there to say about Phil Parker and the Iowa defense? The Hawkeyes are now tied for the lead in the country in turnovers created and lead the nation in turnover margin. You are going to win a lot of games if you are leading the country in both those stats. To me the most remarkable thing about Friday night’s parade of interceptions was that there were no repeat customers. It was all single interceptions in the game and when you have six in a game that’s pretty remarkable, especially when you consider all of them were by defensive backs.
One other note, Iowa sent another starting quarterback to the sidelines early. That makes four quarterbacks who have been dismissed by the coach before the end of the game. The only one to survive the entire game against the Iowa defense was Colorado State’s Todd Centeio.
7. Last week it was the breakout game for Keagan Johnson. On Thursday in my 3-2-1 column I wrote that I thought fellow freshman Arland Bruce would get into the end zone for the first time. The blind squirrel found the acorn on that bold prediction. Moving forward it’s very clear that Johnson and Bruce are going to be a big part of the Iowa offense and it’s no surprise that as their impact grows so too do the positive plays on that side of the ball.
8. By the way, this coming weekend will be big on the field, but it will also be a huge one for football recruiting. Over 80 prospects are expected to be at Kinnick Stadium including five stars Xavier Nwankpa and Kadyn Proctor from SE Polk. They will get the full treatment of the black and gold striping of Kinnick, and electric packed house, and a massive game that will impact the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff. Iowa couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to show recruits what the program is all about.
9. Iowa basketball practice is underway. The Hawkeyes got underway on September 29th and so far so good for the intriguing group of Hawkeyes. Last year we all kind of knew what type of team Iowa would be with Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp leading the way. This year might lack of known star power, but the pieces are interesting. So far we have heard good things about how Keegan Murray has asserted himself as the go to guy on offense. We have heard that Tony Perkins continues to play well after drawing rave reviews this summer, and keep an eye on sharp shooting Peyton Sandfort. With Iowa lacking the type of shooting that they had last season, he could find a significant role off the bench.
10. The #1 Iowa field hockey team continued their winning ways this past weekend, this time on the road. Iowa went to Rutgers and Maryland and beat both ranked opponents 2-1. The Hawkeyes should continue to hold on to the #1 spot in the country for a while. Up next, more road work at Michigan State and Central Michigan.
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/what-did-we-learn--159
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USA TODAY
There were questions about the future of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan after a 2-4 season last year and a contract extension that made it much easier for the school to part with its coach.
Five wins in five weeks is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Wolverines, including Saturday's win at Wisconsin, where they had lost the last five meetings.
The formula this season is working. The running game has been consistent and taken pressure off quarterback Cade McNamara to carry the offense. The defense hasn't allowed more than 17 points.
Now here's some reality. The jury is still out on how good this Michigan team is and we won't know much more until the end of the month. Wisconsin was the best team it has faced and the lead was just three until the Badgers lost quarterback Graham Mertz on the first drive of the second half.
That winning formula hasn't been tested by a complete team that can slow Michigan's running game and has the offensive firepower to test its defense. Those tests are coming later, however. Michigan State will be the first on Oct. 30. Penn State and Ohio State will follow in November.
There's still reason for optimism as Michigan has developed an identity and confidence. The possibility of a first trip to the Big Ten title game is a realistic goal. But the story of this season is still yet to be told.
Here's three more observations from college football's Week 5:
And truth be told, the early results were encouraging. Mississippi shut down Louisville and Malik Cunningham in the opener. Tulane, which scored 35 points against Oklahoma, only managed 21 against the Rebels in a tune-up before this week's trip to Alabama.
The results were different Saturday. Mississippi got pushed around by the Crimson Tide and allowed touchdowns on its first two defensive possessions. Kiffin and the Rebels offense didn't help much as decisions to go on fourth down put the defense in bad field position, leading to short drives for scores. The game was 28-0 at halftime and any chance of an upset was over.
Winners and losers from Week 5: Alabama and Georgia show they're nation's best; No. 3 Oregon falters
Heisman Trophy race:Bryce Young's performance against Ole Miss, Matt Corral puts him in driver's seat
So where does Mississippi go from here? There's still a chance to have a great season. Next week looks like a crossroads. Arkansas and its physical running offense comes to town. It's a test the Rebels can handle, but they have to handle it.
After knocking off Southern California on the road last week, the Beavers took down Washington on a late field goal, giving them sole possession of first place in the division after two weeks of conference play. The defeat of the Huskies came with quarterback Chance Nolan having an off game after nine touchdown passes in the past three games. B.J. Baylor picked up the slack with his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game and the defense got a crucial fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter that set up the winning field goal on the final play.
Much credit for the start should be given to Jonathan Smith, a former quarterback at the school who has slowly built up the program after being hired as coach before the 2018 season. Oregon State hasn't been to a bowl game since 2013, but is now two wins from eligibility and a manageable schedule ahead could have the Beavers thinking about bigger goals.
Tough times continue at Miami
There are only so many times you can change coaches with the hope that you are going to find the one that will return your program to its former elite status.
Manny Diaz is just the latest in the line of Miami coaches that have been burdened with outsized expectations. Since Larry Coker was fired in 2006, there has been Randy Shannon, Al Golden and Mark Richt before Diaz. Only Richt managed to produce a 10-win season and he left after the following campaign.
This week's loss to Virginia sank the Hurricanes to 2-3. A season of promise that began with the return of quarterback D'Eriq King has been a major disappointment. King has missed the last two games and the lack of experience at the position hurt the Hurricanes against the Cavaliers. It will take all of Diaz's coaching acumen to keep this team together after most of its goals are already out the window.
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Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith tackles Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. during the third quarter on Oct. 2, 2021. Penix was injured on the play and did not return. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
By Bob Flounders | bflounders@pennlive.com
It does not figure to be a great day for offensive play next Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa hosts Penn State in a battle of 5-0 teams and both sides feature elite defenses. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions are the nation’s No. 2 and No. 3 scoring defenses, respectively. Iowa is allowing an average of just 11.6 points, Penn State 12 points.
Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes are coming off a 51-14 thumping of previously unbeaten Maryland in College Park.
James Franklin’s defense stifled Indiana and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 24-0 Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.
Let’s look at some early storylines for the biggest game to date in the 2021 Big Ten season.
One team’s winning streak has gotta go.
Iowa has won 11 consecutive games, dating back to the early stages of the 2020 season. The Hawkeyes have outscored their foes 380-141 during that stretch.
One of the victims during the streak was Penn State, a 41-21 loser to Iowa last season at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State is on quite a roll of its own. After starting 0-5 last season, the Lions won their final four games. Add in the 5-0 start this season, and PSU is looking at nine consecutive wins.
You have to go back to a stretch between 2007 and 2008 to find the last time Penn State won 10 games in a row. The Lions concluded their 2007 season with a 24-17 victory over Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl and then reeled off nine consecutive victories to start the 2008 campaign.
Iowa players leave the field after their 24-14 win over the Colorado State in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)AP
Iowa’s incredible turnover margin is a major reason for the Hawkeyes’ start.
Iowa forced seven turnovers against Maryland last Friday and the Hawkeyes have forced 16 turnovers in 2021 – 12 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. Iowa is ranked No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin, checking in at plus-12.
Penn State’s turnover margin is also impressive. The Lions sit at plus-6 after five games. Penn State has intercepted seven passes and recovered two fumbles while turning it over just three times.
Few defensive tandems are more disruptive than Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie and Brandon Smith.
Ebiketie, a defensive end who played at Temple in 2020, is third on the Lions in tackles with 22. He has a team-high 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, a team-high four quarterback hits and Ebiketie blocked a kick in Penn State’s 16-10 win at Wisconsin.
Smith, the Lions’ third-year linebacker, leads the Lions in tackles with 32. He has five tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and two quarterback hits. Smith blocked a field goal against Indiana and his third-quarter sack of Penix forced the quarterback to leave the game.
The Lions’ play defense in the red zone better than anyone in the Big Ten.
PSU is ranked No. 2 in the country in red zone defense and Indiana was 0-for-2 in the red zone on Saturday night. Penn State has staged goal-line stands in its victories over Wisconsin, Auburn and Indiana.
Opponents have scored just five touchdowns on 15 red zone possessions vs. the Lions. PSU has also forced seven empty red zone possessions.
1) Nebraska Turning Point & the new left side of the OL for Nebraska. - Nebraska Rivals
2) Emerging Playoff Contenders with Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.
3) What did we learn with Iowa? Iowa Rivals
4) Jury is out on Michigan and Week 5 Review USA Today
5) Iowa and PSU storylines ahead of their Big Clash Penn Live
The Weekly Rundown: Was the Northwestern game a turning point?
Sean Callahan • HuskerOnline
Publisher
@Sean_Callahan
Was Nebraska's win over Northwestern on Saturday a turning point for this 2021 season? We start your Monday off with the Weekly Rundown column, as we hit on that and more.
Sure bets
You have to feel pretty good about these things right now:QB Adrian Martinez: Junior quarterback Adrian Martinez looks like the quarterback we thought we'd see in 2019. He's playing at a different level, and the option element added to the offense has made him that much harder to defend.
Tell me another quarterback in the Big Ten playing at a higher level than Martinez right now?
LB JoJo Domann: It used to be hard to answer the question "who on Nebraska is an All-Big Ten" player on defense. Now it doesn't feel that way.
Senior JoJo Domann is playing like an All-Big Ten level player at linebacker. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald even sought him out and asked Domann "if he was out of eligibility" yet? Domann actually saw 16 snaps of special teams play in a 2016 game vs. the Wildcats. I don't blame Fitzgerald for asking.
It reminds me of back when Dana Altman complained about having to play against Cookie Belcher for five years straight when Danny Nee selectively played him to preserve a medical redshirt - one of those games was Creighton. People forget Domann is the only player on this Husker team that actually took snaps in 2016 - NU's last winning team.
Memorial Stadium at night: I think we almost forgot how special Memorial Stadium can be at night. NU fans have been punished with more 11 am games than a guy can count.
It was nice to see the Cathedral on 10th & Vine back in its full glory. I can't imagine what Saturday is going to bring vs. Michigan.
Left guard Nouri Nouili and left tackle Teddy Prochazka. (Sean Callahan)
Surprises
These were my surprises of the week:RB Jaquez Yant: OK, nobody could have called this one. We saw flashes from Jaquez Yant in the spring and vs. Fordham, but to have a 64-yard run against Northwestern in the first quarter? By the way, NU's previous long run by a back this season was just 21 yards.
I often joke that Nebraska's running back rotation felt like a weekly soup special sometimes. I think the chef may have found one to keep on the regular menu.
Nebraska's new left side of the line: Hello Teddy Prochazka and Nouri Nouili. Give head coach Scott Frost a lot of credit here. He took a gamble and shook up his offensive line in week five with a true freshman and a former German foreign exchange student that's only played football in American for four years. Well, it worked.
That was a $5 million a year head coach going with his gut feel and pushing aside loyalty. Before Saturday, Nouili was seriously considering weighing his options long-term if he didn't get on the field this season. He still remains a walk-on as well. I have to imagine that's going to change very quickly.
How much Northwestern has dropped off: I knew Northwestern was down this season, but they have taken about as big of a step back as you could ever imagine. The Wildcats also don't appear to be built for the transfer portal or NIL era.
It's very hard to transfer into Northwestern because of their academics, and I don't get the sense they are going to have near the organization with their NIL efforts to sway key recruits and players in the future.
Special teams: Nebraska had an 84-yard punt and every punt was fielded cleanly by Oliver Martin. Need I say more?
Running back Jaquez Yant. (Associated Press)
The jury is still out
Questions still surround these things:Can this offensive line match up with Michigan?: Matching up with Northwestern is one thing. Going against Michigan is a whole different story.
The Wolverines have two elite defensive ends in Aidan Hutchinson (21 QB pressures) and David Ojabo (11 QB pressures). The duo is responsible for nine of Michigan's 13 sacks on the year, according to PFF. Hutchinson has an overall grade of 92.0, while Ojabo is an 82.6. This is the match-up of the game.
Can the Huskers' young tackles hold up against them, and how will Frost help Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran?
Will the Big Ten have a playoff team?: One thing we still don't know is if the Big Ten Conference truly has a playoff team in 2021? Right now, Iowa would arguably be the best team in the league with their win at Iowa State and their impressive victory at undefeated Maryland last Friday.
Penn State owns wins over Wisconsin and Auburn, but I still feel like they are not a playoff-level type team.
Ohio State intrigues me because I think they have the ability to keep getting better each week and still finish 11-1.
I sure would not want to be on the playoff committee this year, because it's going to be awfully hard to decide on four teams at this point it appears.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. (AP Images)
This has my attention
Moving forward, this has my attention:Michigan vs. mobile quarterbacks: Michigan is 5-0. I totally get that. They are having a great season, but have they seen a quarterback anywhere close to the level of Adrian Martinez?
You can make a case that Noah Vedral was the best quarterback the Wolverines have faced in 2021. They have not seen any quarterback with near the dynamic skill set of Martinez. How much will Michigan go after Martinez with the blitz? Or will they play it safe like everyone else with just a four-man rush?
Jim Harbaugh's first trip to Lincoln: This will just be Michigan's second trip to Lincoln since joining the Big Ten and Jim Harbaugh's first. Think about that. NU is in their 11th season in the Big Ten and they have only seen Michigan once in Lincoln, and that was back when they were in the same division.
This will be their first trip here since the split to the East-West Divisions. The good news is the Huskers will play Michigan for five straight seasons now through 2025. Three of those five games are in Lincoln. They replace Ohio State on the Big Ten's East-West schedule cycle. The Huskers played the Buckeyes for a six-game cycle.
Finding big plays on Michigan: Can this Husker offense find big plays against a defense that doesn't give up very many of them? That is really the storyline of this game.
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'Anything is possible' — Which new faces could emerge as playoff contenders?
Pete Thamel
Sun, October 3, 2021, 2:24 AM·13 min read
BATON ROUGE, La. – After Iowa blasted Maryland, 51-14, on Friday night, the Hawkeyes hauled home halfway across the country and landed in the predawn darkness.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz crawled into bed around 5:15 a.m., tired but at least hitting the pillow knowing the 5-0 Hawkeyes can still dream the biggest dreams in the sport.
Ferentz is in his 23rd season at Iowa, the longest run of any coach at a single school in the sport. And with No. 5 Iowa having won 11 straight games and hosting a top-five matchup against No. 4 Penn State on Saturday, it’s arguable that Ferentz may be amid his finest stretch as Iowa’s coach.
Certainly, no one would expect the consistently understated Ferentz to make a bold proclamation that Iowa is in the thick of the playoff race. But it’s clear that this Iowa team has the capability and trajectory to join the other gold-standard Ferentz teams – Orange Bowl teams in 2002 and 2009 and a Rose Bowl team in 2015. And by staying solid, there appears to be a potential path for a team like Iowa in a year when few programs are spectacular.
“Anything is possible,” Ferentz said by phone on Saturday, calling after he’d slept a few hours and watched the Maryland film. “Certainly, we were close in 2015. With the system the way it is now, we’d have been in the discussion in 2002.
“For us to be in that discussion, things have to fall right and we have to take every game like it’s our last game. That’s the world we live in. We’re used to that.”
And Iowa’s surge into the top five and Iowa City looming as the center of the sport’s universe next week is indicative of a new reality in a college football season that’s unfolding like a giraffe on roller skates.
After Alabama and Georgia, who have solidified themselves atop the sport, a kaleidoscope of possibilities exists. With Oregon losing in overtime at Stanford and falling out of the No. 3 spot and a top-five team guaranteed to lose next week, the sport’s red carpet is getting surrounded by fresh faces.
Come on down, playoff newbies. Cincinnati? BYU? Penn State? Wake Forest? Michigan? Michigan State? Kentucky? Oklahoma State? Coastal Carolina? (Sorry, Arkansas, you were here until about 12:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.)
“It’s early, but we’re talking about a spread of teams,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. “When I look at the future, a 12-team playoff model causes you to talk about a whole lot of teams. I think that’s good for the game. ... I think it’s the kind of dialogue you want, talking about teams all across the nation.”
Here’s a peek at a few newbies who could remain in the conversation for much of the season:
Iowa Hawkeyes
It’s always tempting to stereotype Iowa by filling in the roster with the familiar Mad Libs from Ferentz’s generation in charge. Iowa redshirted players, developed them and took great high school wrestlers and molded them into great college football players.The reality is that Iowa has emerged as a sneaky NFL factory, as it has had nine players leave early for the NFL draft the past three years.
Iowa has another crew of high-end players the NFL is coveting – center Tyler Linderbaum is the best at his position in the country, linebacker Jack Campbell is an elite talent and defensive end Zach VanValkenburg (5 TFLs) is intriguing to the next level.
Iowa also has strong skill – Tyler Goodson is averaging 4.3 yards per carry, tight end Sam LaPorta is the leading receiver (263 yards) and corner Matt Hankins has two interceptions.
“Ironically, our strength and experience was more on the perimeter on both sides,” Ferentz said. “If we were playing 7-on-7 this year, we’d have a chance to be pretty good.”
Will Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes be in the College Football Playoff mix at the end of this season? (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
But the young players in the trenches have grown up around Linderbaum and Vanvalkenburg, and Ferentz has seen the kind of consistency and steady improvement that the program has been built on. “You’re either developing or you’re not developing,” Ferentz said.
Iowa’s defense is shaping up to be one of the country’s best, as it's No. 3 nationally, yielding 11.6 points per game. The Hawkeyes have blended zone coverage and pattern matching, which has minimized big plays and helped Iowa rank No. 2 nationally in turnover margin.
The offense is still a work in progress, as the rushing offense is ranked No. 100 and the passing is No. 99. More important, Iowa has been opportunistic, scoring on 10 of the 12 turnovers it has forced.
Junior Spencer Petras has emerged as a steady presence, a reliable quarterback in a season when much of the Big Ten lacks consistent play at that position. He has completed 62% of his passes, thrown seven touchdown passes and one interception. (He has avoided what happened to Maryland on Friday night when Taulia Tagovailoa unraveled for five interceptions in the loss.)
Iowa is never going to be flashy under Ferentz. But in a year when there’s little brilliance, consistency may be plenty to have Iowa in the Big Ten and CFP conversation.
Ferentz’s voice perked up Saturday when the assumed electricity of Saturday’s game against Penn State came up.
“To be in a stadium with fans,” he said. “That’s how college football is supposed to feel. And there’s nothing better than being in Kinnick Stadium. It’s a great venue anytime, but especially when things are anted up a little bit.”
BYU Cougars
The Western team with the best shot to reach the College Football Playoff is BYU. After the departure of Zach Wilson and a swath of talent on the offensive line, few figured that reconfigured BYU could again establish itself as a top team. Especially with a schedule filled with seven Power Five teams.But the Cougars have been salty so far, overcoming injuries and figuring out ways to beat Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. How’ve they done it?
“It all comes back to Kalani Sitake,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. “He’s like the Ted Lasso of college football coaches. He’s so positive all the time. Our players love playing for him and coming in the building every day. Practice is fun and meetings are fun. He’s created such a fun environment to play and coach in.”
Roderick credits Sitake for building the program so it could sustain the types of injury issues that BYU has endured this year. In BYU’s win against Utah State on Friday, they played without their starting quarterback, fullback and three offensive linemen. They rolled, 34-20.
BYU has built a clear identity on offense in the post-Wilson era, led by center James Empey.
“We have a really physical offensive line,” Roderick said. “Again, we have an NFL running back. I think our physicality allows us to be in the game, no matter how the game is going or how teams defend us. We always have a chance to run the ball and grind out a win."
If there’s one play that epitomized BYU’s spirit this season, it came from tailback Tyler Allgeier, the aforementioned NFL tailback. Allgeier is a former walk-on who started his BYU career as a linebacker.
In the Arizona State game, Allgeier sprinted nearly 50 yards to chase down Arizona State linebacker Merlin Robertson after he’d picked off a Jaren Hall pass. Allgeier didn’t just tackle Robertson, he leapt on his back and punched out the ball in the outsized manner of something from a Marvel comic.
“He’s the kind of guy who would do anything the team needs,” Roderick said. “We have a whole team full of guys like that.”
Opportunity awaits BYU for more showcases – Boise State, at Baylor, Washington State, Virginia and a trip to USC remain on the schedule. Will that be enough for Coach Lasso?
BYU coach Kalani Sitake has his team thinking big. Could the Cougars crash the College Football Playoff picture? (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats officially have the best chance to reach the College Football Playoff of any team from outside the Power Five.They stormed into South Bend, led 17-0 at halftime and won 24-13. They took what head coach Luke Fickell said after the game was a “big step” toward pushing the program into the College Football Playoff conversation. The Bearcats never got higher than No. 7 in the CFP conversation last year. If they are undefeated when the first CFP rankings come out in November, it’s hard to imagine they won’t be in the top five.
Perhaps the best part of Cincinnati’s win for the CFP committee was that they looked the part. The Bearcats handled Notre Dame in the trenches, their defensive backs pushed around Notre Dame’s receivers and held the Irish to 84 rushing yards.
Every underdog needs a hero, and Cincinnati has that in quarterback Desmond Ridder. After shaking off a slow start for the second straight game, Ridder finished the day with 297 passing yards and enough composure to continue to ratchet up his NFL draft stock. He led the Bearcats on a six-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter after Notre Dame pulled within a score. Ridder hit tight end Leonard Taylor on a 36-yard pass and capped the drive with a six-yard run. He entered his press conference by yelling, “How about them Bearcats?”
Cincinnati still has a long way to go. And the best team remaining on the Bearcats' schedule is SMU. But they captured the hearts and minds of the sport today, and it’s a much more difficult task to leave undefeated Cincinnati out of the playoff conversation with this win than it was in 2020.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Your current ACC favorite as we enter October is Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons held off Louisville on Saturday, 37-34, on a last-second field goal to improve to 5-0. They are the ACC’s only undefeated team, and one that’s operating with coach Dave Clawson’s trademark precision.How good is Wake Forest? They’ve impressed teams with an offense that consistently provides answers for whatever the defense presents. Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne, who faced Wake Forest in the opener, compared the Wake Forest offense to Iowa’s defense, which he faced as Penn State’s offensive coordinator. The scheme isn’t revolutionary, but the details are coached by coordinator Warren Ruggiero in such a way that it’s consistently effective.
“I think they have a legitimate shot of winning the ACC,” Rahne said of Wake Forest. When the quarterback [Sam Hartman] is on, they can be very explosive on offense. The running back [Christian Beal-Smith] and wide receiver [Jaquarii Roberson] are good players. And on defense, the sum of the parts is greater than the individual pieces. They are extremely well coached in all phases, and their experience and ability to develop have closed any talent gap.”
Wake Forest will be favored in its next three games – at Syracuse, at Army and at Duke – before playing at North Carolina on Nov. 6. That game will have huge stakes for Wake’s credibility as a top-tier team. Wake closes the season at Clemson and at Boston College. Wake Forest hasn’t beaten Clemson since 2008 and lost the last three games to the Tigers by a combined 152-19.
Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh watches on during a college football game against Wisconsin Badgers on Oct. 2, 2021. (Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans
While it’s too early to declare Jim Harbaugh’s regime completely overhauled and revived, it’s fair to say Michigan is trending back to where it was earlier in his tenure. Michigan is back to winning the games it’s supposed to win, as the Wolverines went to Wisconsin and dominated the listless Badgers to nudge the program to a 5-0 record and likely top-10 ranking this week.Michigan’s defense has much more versatility and nuance under Mike Macdonald, as opposed to Don Brown. There’s some high-end talent in end Aidan Hutchinson and safety Daxton Hill. Cade McNamara did enough by throwing for 197 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Michigan didn’t run the ball particularly well against the Badger’s stout front – 112 total yards – but it didn’t need to.
Michigan had long built a reputation for turtling in big games under Harbaugh, flinching when the lights got bright. On Saturday, they let Wisconsin self-destruct and waltzed out of Madison with a breezy 38-17 victory. They lost 35-14 the last trip to Madison in 2019 in a game that felt more lopsided.
Michigan State is another surprise October undefeated that retains an aura of skepticism about the program’s ceiling. Mel Tucker’s Spartans (5-0) have won at Northwestern and Miami, and they’ll be heavy favorites to be 7-0 heading into the Michigan game in East Lansing on Oct. 30.
The winner of that game could well end up with a loud playoff case, provided that neither slips up prior. (Michigan’s trip to Nebraska looks tougher.)
Kentucky Wildcats
There are three undefeated teams remaining in the SEC. Two are the sport’s clear bellwethers – Alabama (5-0) and Georgia (5-0). Each of them took any suspense immediately into the wood chipper after a week of hyped-up games against Ole Miss and Arkansas.The other undefeated SEC team is Kentucky. While the Wildcats weren’t even ranked in the Associated Press poll last week, that changed after another signature victory for Mark Stoops. Kentucky beat Florida, 20-13, for the first win in Lexington over the Gators since 1986. (Red Sox fan Dan Mullen will remember that as the Bill Buckner year.) They earned a No. 16 ranking in the AP Top 25, which was released Sunday.
How good are the Wildcats? That’s hard to say. They muddled past Missouri, Chattanooga and South Carolina, which isn't exactly a murderers’ row.
But Kentucky has a top-10 defense and a showcase game next week with flailing LSU coming to Lexington. Kentucky will likely be favored, and a win would set up the Oct. 16 game at Georgia to have similar stakes as the Arkansas game did in Athens on Saturday. There’s little to project that Kentucky’s trip to Athens would be much different, but today Kentucky can dare to dream.
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What did we learn?
Spencer Petras and the Iowa offense had their best game of the year at Maryland.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport
Publisher
@hawkeyereport
There have been plenty of big games over the years.
However, when it comes to the weekly rankings that we all follow each and every week, only one game will have a better head to head battle and that was the #1 vs. #2 battle between Iowa and Michigan.
This Saturday it will be #3 Iowa vs. #4 Penn State.
What’s remarkable is both schools are riding long winning streaks heading into this contest. After dropping their first two games of the disjointed 2020 season, the Hawkeyes have now won 11 games in a row. Meanwhile in Happy Valley, Penn State lost their first five games of the 2020 season and looked all out of sorts when Iowa dominated them on their home field, 41-21. Since then the Nittany Lions have run off nine victories in a row.
It’s interesting that both programs had to deal with issues beyond Covid-19 protocols last year. For Penn State it was several injuries at running back and a potential All American in Micah Parsons opting not to play football last year. For Iowa it was dealing with issues of racial inequality within their program and moving forward from a deeply trying time for players and coaches.
Yet here we are.
One of the streaks will come to an end early on Saturday evening. Penn State has certainly broken Iowa’s heart more than once in recent years in Kinnick Stadium and with the exception of last year, James Franklin has had the Hawkeyes number. But, Kirk Ferentz, who grew up in Pennsylvania, has had some of his best and most memorable wins over the Nittany Lions.
Now, can we just get to Saturday….
What else did we learn this week when it comes to the Hawkeyes and the Big Ten? As always plenty of ground to cover.
1. ESPN College GameDay decided to go to the Oklahoma vs Texas game this weekend in Dallas instead of coming to Iowa City. Had they come this weekend it would have been the first time since 2006 that the Saturday morning staple was in town. But, it wasn’t meant to be. And really it came down to the fact that ESPN is putting their top crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call of the Sooners and the Longhorns and that game is kicking off just after the GameDay Show ends.
A reminder, the less popular, but always good Big Noon Kickoff Show will be on the Pentacrest in Iowa City for their show on Saturday morning. The cast includes former Hawkeye Bob Stoops and he’s always good for a few “Go Hawks” during the broadcast and you can bet he will be saying it quite a bit on Saturday morning.
2. Why do I think Kirk Ferentz quietly gave a fist pump when he learned that College GameDay wasn’t coming to town?
One major show in town is a distraction. Two of them is asking for trouble. It’s twice as many interviews. Its more meetings with TV people. Its more phone calls with on-air talent for players and coaches. I know fans love the attention and that’s great, but coaches want their players focused on the task at hand for what could be the biggest game in the lives of many of the Hawkeye players.
Sure there will be plenty of hype and that’s expected, but less is more when it comes to media obligations.
3. Now to the game on Friday night. Wow. The second quarter was just stunning. In the first quarter it felt like this was going to be a battle that went deep into the fourth quarter with both teams trading blows. Instead, Maryland got their lights turned out by halftime. 31 points later and the game was essentially over at the half. If this were a high school game they would have had a running clock in the second half.
4. Are we seeing a quarterback mature and develop right before our very eyes? Maybe. In fact, I think we are. With each week we are seeing a more composed and confident Spencer Petras. He’s more confident in his throws and the accuracy continues to climb. Is he going to have moments where he struggles? Yep. Every quarterback does. But, he might have had his best game as a Hawkeye completing 21 of 30 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. He also pulled a Nate Stanley and did the QB sneak over the goal line twice.
5. This might have been the best overall game for the Iowa offensive line. I know they are still trying to figure out the best five for the rest of the season and that might not happen until after the bye week, but the run blocking in particular was very good. Perhaps it’s the fact that Kyler Schott is starting to round into form and get more snaps, but he looked good and I thought Justin Britt had his best game as a Hawkeye.
6. What else is there to say about Phil Parker and the Iowa defense? The Hawkeyes are now tied for the lead in the country in turnovers created and lead the nation in turnover margin. You are going to win a lot of games if you are leading the country in both those stats. To me the most remarkable thing about Friday night’s parade of interceptions was that there were no repeat customers. It was all single interceptions in the game and when you have six in a game that’s pretty remarkable, especially when you consider all of them were by defensive backs.
One other note, Iowa sent another starting quarterback to the sidelines early. That makes four quarterbacks who have been dismissed by the coach before the end of the game. The only one to survive the entire game against the Iowa defense was Colorado State’s Todd Centeio.
7. Last week it was the breakout game for Keagan Johnson. On Thursday in my 3-2-1 column I wrote that I thought fellow freshman Arland Bruce would get into the end zone for the first time. The blind squirrel found the acorn on that bold prediction. Moving forward it’s very clear that Johnson and Bruce are going to be a big part of the Iowa offense and it’s no surprise that as their impact grows so too do the positive plays on that side of the ball.
8. By the way, this coming weekend will be big on the field, but it will also be a huge one for football recruiting. Over 80 prospects are expected to be at Kinnick Stadium including five stars Xavier Nwankpa and Kadyn Proctor from SE Polk. They will get the full treatment of the black and gold striping of Kinnick, and electric packed house, and a massive game that will impact the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff. Iowa couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to show recruits what the program is all about.
9. Iowa basketball practice is underway. The Hawkeyes got underway on September 29th and so far so good for the intriguing group of Hawkeyes. Last year we all kind of knew what type of team Iowa would be with Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp leading the way. This year might lack of known star power, but the pieces are interesting. So far we have heard good things about how Keegan Murray has asserted himself as the go to guy on offense. We have heard that Tony Perkins continues to play well after drawing rave reviews this summer, and keep an eye on sharp shooting Peyton Sandfort. With Iowa lacking the type of shooting that they had last season, he could find a significant role off the bench.
10. The #1 Iowa field hockey team continued their winning ways this past weekend, this time on the road. Iowa went to Rutgers and Maryland and beat both ranked opponents 2-1. The Hawkeyes should continue to hold on to the #1 spot in the country for a while. Up next, more road work at Michigan State and Central Michigan.
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/what-did-we-learn--159
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Jury is still out on Michigan and other Week 5 observations in college football
Erick SmithUSA TODAY
There were questions about the future of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan after a 2-4 season last year and a contract extension that made it much easier for the school to part with its coach.
Five wins in five weeks is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Wolverines, including Saturday's win at Wisconsin, where they had lost the last five meetings.
The formula this season is working. The running game has been consistent and taken pressure off quarterback Cade McNamara to carry the offense. The defense hasn't allowed more than 17 points.
Now here's some reality. The jury is still out on how good this Michigan team is and we won't know much more until the end of the month. Wisconsin was the best team it has faced and the lead was just three until the Badgers lost quarterback Graham Mertz on the first drive of the second half.
That winning formula hasn't been tested by a complete team that can slow Michigan's running game and has the offensive firepower to test its defense. Those tests are coming later, however. Michigan State will be the first on Oct. 30. Penn State and Ohio State will follow in November.
There's still reason for optimism as Michigan has developed an identity and confidence. The possibility of a first trip to the Big Ten title game is a realistic goal. But the story of this season is still yet to be told.
Here's three more observations from college football's Week 5:
Mississippi's defense still not ready for prime time
The Rebels won games last year by outscoring people. The hope was that in Lane Kiffin's second season and with defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin having the opportunity to fully implement his scheme that this year would be different.And truth be told, the early results were encouraging. Mississippi shut down Louisville and Malik Cunningham in the opener. Tulane, which scored 35 points against Oklahoma, only managed 21 against the Rebels in a tune-up before this week's trip to Alabama.
The results were different Saturday. Mississippi got pushed around by the Crimson Tide and allowed touchdowns on its first two defensive possessions. Kiffin and the Rebels offense didn't help much as decisions to go on fourth down put the defense in bad field position, leading to short drives for scores. The game was 28-0 at halftime and any chance of an upset was over.
Winners and losers from Week 5: Alabama and Georgia show they're nation's best; No. 3 Oregon falters
Heisman Trophy race:Bryce Young's performance against Ole Miss, Matt Corral puts him in driver's seat
So where does Mississippi go from here? There's still a chance to have a great season. Next week looks like a crossroads. Arkansas and its physical running offense comes to town. It's a test the Rebels can handle, but they have to handle it.
The best Pac-12 North team is in Oregon
It's just not the Ducks. It's Oregon State.After knocking off Southern California on the road last week, the Beavers took down Washington on a late field goal, giving them sole possession of first place in the division after two weeks of conference play. The defeat of the Huskies came with quarterback Chance Nolan having an off game after nine touchdown passes in the past three games. B.J. Baylor picked up the slack with his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game and the defense got a crucial fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter that set up the winning field goal on the final play.
Much credit for the start should be given to Jonathan Smith, a former quarterback at the school who has slowly built up the program after being hired as coach before the 2018 season. Oregon State hasn't been to a bowl game since 2013, but is now two wins from eligibility and a manageable schedule ahead could have the Beavers thinking about bigger goals.
Tough times continue at Miami
There are only so many times you can change coaches with the hope that you are going to find the one that will return your program to its former elite status.
Manny Diaz is just the latest in the line of Miami coaches that have been burdened with outsized expectations. Since Larry Coker was fired in 2006, there has been Randy Shannon, Al Golden and Mark Richt before Diaz. Only Richt managed to produce a 10-win season and he left after the following campaign.
This week's loss to Virginia sank the Hurricanes to 2-3. A season of promise that began with the return of quarterback D'Eriq King has been a major disappointment. King has missed the last two games and the lack of experience at the position hurt the Hurricanes against the Cavaliers. It will take all of Diaz's coaching acumen to keep this team together after most of its goals are already out the window.
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Penn State-Iowa storylines to start the week: The Hawkeyes’ amazing turnover margin, the Lions’ tenacious duo, more
Published: 6:00 a.m.
Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith tackles Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. during the third quarter on Oct. 2, 2021. Penix was injured on the play and did not return. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
By Bob Flounders | bflounders@pennlive.com
It does not figure to be a great day for offensive play next Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa hosts Penn State in a battle of 5-0 teams and both sides feature elite defenses. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions are the nation’s No. 2 and No. 3 scoring defenses, respectively. Iowa is allowing an average of just 11.6 points, Penn State 12 points.
Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes are coming off a 51-14 thumping of previously unbeaten Maryland in College Park.
James Franklin’s defense stifled Indiana and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 24-0 Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.
Let’s look at some early storylines for the biggest game to date in the 2021 Big Ten season.
One team’s winning streak has gotta go.
Iowa has won 11 consecutive games, dating back to the early stages of the 2020 season. The Hawkeyes have outscored their foes 380-141 during that stretch.
One of the victims during the streak was Penn State, a 41-21 loser to Iowa last season at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State is on quite a roll of its own. After starting 0-5 last season, the Lions won their final four games. Add in the 5-0 start this season, and PSU is looking at nine consecutive wins.
You have to go back to a stretch between 2007 and 2008 to find the last time Penn State won 10 games in a row. The Lions concluded their 2007 season with a 24-17 victory over Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl and then reeled off nine consecutive victories to start the 2008 campaign.
Iowa players leave the field after their 24-14 win over the Colorado State in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)AP
Iowa’s incredible turnover margin is a major reason for the Hawkeyes’ start.
Iowa forced seven turnovers against Maryland last Friday and the Hawkeyes have forced 16 turnovers in 2021 – 12 interceptions and four fumble recoveries. Iowa is ranked No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin, checking in at plus-12.
Penn State’s turnover margin is also impressive. The Lions sit at plus-6 after five games. Penn State has intercepted seven passes and recovered two fumbles while turning it over just three times.
Few defensive tandems are more disruptive than Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie and Brandon Smith.
Ebiketie, a defensive end who played at Temple in 2020, is third on the Lions in tackles with 22. He has a team-high 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, a team-high four quarterback hits and Ebiketie blocked a kick in Penn State’s 16-10 win at Wisconsin.
Smith, the Lions’ third-year linebacker, leads the Lions in tackles with 32. He has five tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and two quarterback hits. Smith blocked a field goal against Indiana and his third-quarter sack of Penix forced the quarterback to leave the game.
The Lions’ play defense in the red zone better than anyone in the Big Ten.
PSU is ranked No. 2 in the country in red zone defense and Indiana was 0-for-2 in the red zone on Saturday night. Penn State has staged goal-line stands in its victories over Wisconsin, Auburn and Indiana.
Opponents have scored just five touchdowns on 15 red zone possessions vs. the Lions. PSU has also forced seven empty red zone possessions.
