why are the iowa hawkeyes the center of attention?
What we learned in the Big Ten: Week 4 September 27, 2009 9:38 AM Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg Five lessons from the week that was in Big Ten football. 1. Iowa is for real — Some Hawkeyes fans might have misinterpreted my postgame commentary. True, Penn State made mistakes Saturday night, but Iowa forced them with terrific defense and special teams. The Hawkeyes put themselves squarely in the Big Ten title mix with Ohio State by stunning the Nittany Lions for the seventh time in eight tries. Defense and special teams are the formula for success on the road, and Iowa executed both areas to perfection in the first of four challenging Big Ten away games. It’s hard to imagine a defensive line in the country playing better than Iowa’s. 2. Scott Tolzien is for real — The quarterback position must improve in the Big Ten this year, and Tolzien has done his part for the 4-0 Badgers. He has validated the coaches’ decision to start him, throwing for 221 yards per game with eight touchdo
Iowa Hawkeyes Won More Than Game: National Attention by Tim Weideman Scribe The Iowa Hawkeyes didn’t just need to win Saturday’s game against Arizona to prove they’re legitimate contendors for a Big Ten title, they needed to win the game to prove to the nation that they don’t like being dismissed and forgotten. After a nail-biter against Northern Iowa that nobody saw coming knocked the Hawkeyes out of the top 25, and the nation’s attention, Iowa responded by visiting Iowa State and delivering a severe dismantling of its other in-state rivals. “But,” said the critics of the nation (namely the fans of Iowa’s Big Ten foes) “That was Iowa State. The win proved nothing.” These comments pissed off Hawkeye fans and most likely lit a fire under Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and his team, whether he would admit it or not. Iowa has once again responded by taking down another opponent, this time the former Hawkeye Mike Stoops’s Arizona Wildcats, 27- 17. Stoops’s team came into the game 2-0 with wins ag
