By Brian Heinemann
For the Herald
IOWA CITY ––– Resiliency.
The word just won’t go away when talking about the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Saturday was another chapter in an improbable season for Iowa, who came from 14 down to shock Indiana, 42-24, behind the strength of a 28-point fourth quarter.
Resiliency is something the Hawkeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) have shown repeatedly this season. They’ve trailed in all but one of their games. They needed an unbelievable two consecutive blocked field goals to escape with a win over UNI. They survived a pesky Arkansas State. They beat Michigan State with a touchdown as time expired.
Then, they overcame turnovers – five interceptions by quarterback Ricky Stanzi and a fumbled punt return – and exploded in the fourth quarter to beat an Indiana team that looked to have things well in hand.
“The good news is our guys don’t buckle,” said Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz. “If they’re ever going to buckle, I think today would have been the day.”
No matter how they play, the Hawkeyes don’t know how to do anything but win. They have no quit in them.
“A lot of times we probably could have gone out there and quit, and we didn’t,” said linebacker Pat Angerer.
Not even when things looked their bleakest, like when Stanzi went 4-for-11 for 48 yards and four interceptions in the third quarter against Indiana, did the Hawkeyes quit.
“There’s no trick to it and it’s not like a magic saying,” Stanzi said of fighting off the mistakes. “You keep the same demeanor even if you throw a touchdown pass or throw a pick. It’s the same thing when you come on the sideline. You just get ready for the next opportunity.”
Stanzi bounced back with a spectacular fourth quarter, completing all three of his passes for 177 yards and two long touchdowns.
That’s the thing about Stanzi. He’s thrown three pick-sixes this season and 13 interceptions total. He threw four in one quarter against Indiana. Yet he never lets it get him down and is always able to move on and look forward.
That, as Ferentz said, is mental toughness.
His teammates constantly praise Stanzi for his leadership, but possibly the most important thing he gives his team is his demeanor. It’s trickling down to the entire team, and that never-say-die, there’s-always-time-to-come-back attitude has directed the Hawkeyes to the thick of the national championship hunt.
“We go to 9-0, and we’re never going to quit. We’re going to keep fighting,” said left tackle Bryan Bulaga. “Every game of ours has gone 60 minutes, so that’s the kind of team we are. We’re going to keep fighting for 60 minutes.”
While Ferentz readily admits that he doesn’t particularly pay attention to the BCS rankings, that doesn’t mean they don’t matter to the Hawkeyes. Iowa sits atop the Big Ten, one game ahead of both Ohio State and Penn State, and control their own destiny in a way.
A win this weekend against Northwestern would set up a showdown for the Big Ten title in Columbus, Ohio, against the Buckeyes in two weeks.
But, believe it or not, that’s not on the minds of the Hawkeyes.
“All we can try to do is win the game we’ve got in front of us,” said Ferentz. “That’s about as simple as it is.”
The Northwestern team coming to town this weekend beat Iowa last year at Kinnick, 22-17. The Hawkeyes blew a 14-point lead in that game, the polar opposite of what they’ve been doing this year.
The way things have gone this season, it’s unlikely the Hawkeyes will look ahead to the Buckeyes and take Northwestern lightly.
Fighting through all but one game – the 35-3 lambasting of rival Iowa State – means focus shouldn’t be a problem for the Hawkeyes.
Regardless of how things go against the Wildcats, the Hawkeyes will believe. They believe in their coaches, they believe in their quarterback, they believe in each other. And they believe that there is always enough time left to make a difference.
“Bottom line, the guys are just finding a way to get it done,” said Ferentz. “I’m just really proud of their effort.”
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