Brian Heinemann, who covers Iowa football for the Herald, previews this week's game.
IOWA CITY ––––– This is a totally different Iowa Hawkeyes football team than the one that fell flat on its face the last time it traveled to Arizona.
Not one current player was on the roster back in 2004, when the Hawkeyes received a 44-7 whipping at the hands of Arizona State. It doesn’t matter that this is a new opponent or a new Hawkeyes team – the lessons of that game haven’t been lost on head coach Kirk Ferentz.
“We had beaten Arizona State the year before at home,” Ferentz said. “And, I think we probably underestimated what the game was going to be. Boy, that’s a bad thing to do in sports.
“If we do that this week we’ll be beaten by 60. It will be ugly.”
It’s the same scenario. The No. 9 Hawkeyes (2-0) rarely travel west, and they are coming off a 27-17 home win against Arizona last year. Like Iowa, Arizona missed out on the Rose Bowl in 2009 only by an overtime loss.
Like Iowa, No. 24 Arizona (2-0) has started strong, beating Toledo 41-2 and The Citadel 52-6.
“They’re going to be tough this year; it’s going to be tough at their place,” Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi said after beating Iowa State. “To be 3-0, we have to work very hard. It’s not going to be easy. They’re a great football team. If we want to even give ourselves a chance to win the ball game over there in their place, we have to have a great week of practice.”
Neither team has faced competition anywhere near the level that they’ll see tomorrow night. Both have been impressive against inferior teams, racking up numbers offensively and stifling their opponents with stingy, overpowering defense.
But this is the first true test for either team, a battle of ranked foes that will shed a whole lot of light on the identity of each.
“None of us really know how good we are at this point,” Ferentz said. “It’s going to be a heck of a test. Regardless of who we played the last two weeks or who they played, they’re an excellent football team. We hope to be a good team. And we certainly are going to learn a lot about our football team this week.”
A lot has been made of the fact that this isn’t just a regular road game for the Hawkeyes. Concerns about the weather and about the late start time – 9:30 p.m. Iowa time – have swayed some of the experts to the side of the Wildcats and have left Iowa a miniscule 1-point favorite despite being the higher ranked team.
The Hawkeyes don’t really buy into any of that talk, though. They know what they have to do, and they are treating this like any other road trip.
“I think that’s just something else to talk about,” right tackle Marcus Zusevics said. “It doesn’t matter. We’re still going to be playing football, we’re still going to be ready to go and prepared.”
The one area Iowa has been focusing on, preparing for, is special teams. The offense and the defense have been fine through two games, albeit not completely mistake-free. But special teams was a sore spot for Iowa after last week’s win.
If they have the same kind of lackluster performance again in any facet of special teams, they could be in trouble quick. Arizona has fantastic return units, and the Hawkeyes know it. They are considering putting starters back on their kick coverage team – a few part-time starters have already been shifted back to that role.
“It was pretty pathetic the other day. It was really bad,” Ferentz said of the special teams’ play a week ago. “And I’m not discrediting (Iowa State) – they did a nice job. They did what they’re supposed to do. And we certainly let them get some big plays and that’s not good.
“We better be the Monsters of the Midway on defense. If we try that on Saturday, too, we’ll be down by about 28 points in the first half.”
Who: No. 9 Iowa (2-0) at No. 24 Arizona (2-0)
When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.
The series: Tied at 6-6
Last meeting: Iowa won 27-17 last year at Kinnick Stadium
This week's challenge: Keeping composure if things don’t go right. Iowa imposed its will on Eastern Illinois and Iowa State, but this stands to be a different kind of game. If Iowa struggles on either side of the ball, the key will be how well they maintain composure and stick to their game plan against one of the better opponents on their schedule.
To pull off an upset: Iowa is favored in this game, but barely. For Arizona to pull off the “upset” at home, they’ll need Nic Grigsby to escape the Hawkeyes defense and have a big game, while their defense contains Iowa’s rush attack, forcing Ricky Stanzi to beat them through the air. Stanzi can do that, so disguising coverages and forcing him into mistakes will be crucial in slowing down the Hawkeyes’ efficient offense.
Players to watch: If you don’t know Arizona’s Juron Criner yet, you probably will Saturday night. The junior receiver poses big match up problems with the Hawkeyes corners. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Criner has emerged as the Wildcats’ big-play threat, with the speed and hands to make life miserable for a secondary. For the Hawkeyes, center James Ferentz will be the key. Ferentz makes all the adjustments on the offensive line, and this is his first true test against a stout defense and on the road, so much of the Iowa offense’s success will rest on how he responds.
Gettin' down with Brian (four keys for Saturday):
First down — Keeping Arizona running back Nic Grigsby bottled up. Kirk Ferentz said this week that he secretly hoped Grigsby would turn pro after last season so the Hawkeyes wouldn’t have to face him again, and there’s a reason for it. He rushed 11 times for 75 yards last year against Iowa – not mind-blowing numbers – but his speed and shiftiness make him a threat every time he touches the ball.
Second down — Converting third downs. Iowa’s offense has been incredibly efficient to start the season, sustaining drives and keeping the defense off the field. With Arizona’s explosive offense, Iowa will want to do the same to help out their defense.
Third down — Discipline from the back end. Nick Foles is one of the best quarterbacks Iowa will see this year, and with solid receivers and a strong running game, Iowa’s safeties will need to keep to their assignments and not lose focus. Staying over the top of Juron Criner is essential, but quick reaction to running plays to help keep the ground game in check will also be crucial.
Fourth down — Ricky Stanzi’s decision-making. In the spring and throughout camp, Stanzi constantly talked about how he’s learned from his mistakes last year, and knows he doesn’t have to go for a big play all the time. He’s backed up his words through two games. Even if it means dumping off to a back and coming up short on third, Stanzi would be better suited living to fight another day than risking a turnover against the Wildcats.
Trivial tidbit: Iowa is the only Division 1 program in the entire nation that will play two regular season games that feature an opposing head coach coaching against his alma mater. The first is this game, against Mike Stoops. The second is the Wisconsin game, against Bret Bielema.
Did you hear?: Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker hasn’t been with the team since last Friday and won’t be making the trip to Arizona. Parker has been hospitalized for complications from diabetes, and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said he hopes Parker can get out of the hospital some time next week.
Bottom line: Despite impressive wins to open the season, there is still a lot of doubt about the 2010 Iowa Hawkeyes. Tomorrow night, they’ll lay that doubt to rest. A year ago, Iowa’s chances traveling to Arizona may have been significantly worse. But with this team, with how they’ve come together and played two nearly complete, dominant games, it’s a different story. The offense may get slowed down a bit against the better competition, but the defense, despite missing Parker, should be fired up to face such talent on the opposite side of the ball. Both Adam Robinson and Jewel Hampton will find running room against the relatively inexperienced Wildcats defense, and the Iowa defense should put a massive dent in Arizona’s 46.5 point-per-game average en route to a 3-0 start for Iowa and their first marquee win of the year.
Final score: Iowa 24, Arizona 13
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