Outback Bowl Preview

Iowa vs. South Carolina
January 1, 10 a.m. ESPN

The upcoming hours are some of the best, if not the best, of a college football fan’s season—the anticipation during the time leading up to the kickoff of your favorite teams bowl game. It’s currently that exciting time of year for both the Iowa Hawkeyes and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

After starting the season 3-3, Iowa enters the game with some momentum, winning 5 of their final 6 games whereas South Carolina came up well short in their final two games, wining only 2 of their final 5 games and getting blown out by Clemson and Florida. Both teams have ties to the Heisman Trophy. South Carolina is coached by a former winner Steve Spurrier and Iowa RB and All-American, Shonn Greene, finished 6^th in this year’s voting.

Both teams’ defenses rank highly in the national NCAA rankings. Iowa ranks 40^th in passing yards allowed, 9^th in rushing yards allowed, 12^th in total yards allowed, and 8^th in the nation in points allowed, surrendering only 13.3 per game.

South Carolina has very similar numbers as the Hawkeyes defensively, even ranking 3^rd in the nation in passing yards allowed and 28^th in points allowed, allowing 20.3 points per game. They do, however, surrender an average of 128 yards rushing per game.

Iowa is favored by 3.5 points and the game should be relatively low scoring thanks to two stout defenses.

Position-by-Position Breakdown
Quarterback
SC: QBs Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley have both been erratic. Garcia is a bigger threat to scramble when nothing is available downfield and he's done a better job of taking care of the football. In fact, Smelly threw four interceptions against Clemson in the regular season finale. However, the redshirt freshman Garcia will start and he's still learning the offense so he has some problems locating the open man.
IA: Rick Stanzi has made vast improvements during a season that began with a quarterback controversy. He averages 182.1 passing yards per game which is good for a team in a strong defensive conference, but when he has to hold on to the ball longer due to his WR’s inability to separate from their defenders he can be inconsistent and turnover prone.

Advantage: Iowa

Running Back
SC: No SEC team averages fewer rushing yards per game than South Carolina (98.3 ypg) and they rank #109 in yards/rush (2.9. SC RB hasn't rushed for 100 yards in a game since the season-opener.
IA: All-American and Doak Walker Award winner, RB Shonn Greene, has rushed for over 100 yards every game this season and averages more than 23 carries per game. The 235-pounder is a powerful between-the-tackles runner who rarely goes down with the first hit.

Advantage: Iowa

Wide Receivers
SC: Iowa is going to have a difficult time matching up with South Carolina WR Kenny McKinley and TE Jared Cook.
IA: WRs Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Andy Brodell don't have the burst coming out of their breaks to consistently separate from CBs Captain Munnerlyn and Stoney Woodson.

Advantage: South Carolina

Offensive Line
SC: Gamecocks have been leaky in pass protection. they rank 114th in sacks allowed, giving up an average of 3.14 sack.game and will have fits with sneaky, undersized DT’s King and Kroul.
IA: Big’s have cleared the way for the nation’s best running back and the unit may be Kirk Ferentz’ best second only to the 2003 offensive line.

Advantage: Iowa

Defensive Line
SC: DTs Nathan Pepper and Ladi Ajiboye have adequate size but the Hawkeyes' interior offensive linemen are capable of getting into position and sustaining their blocks.
IA: One of the stingiest in the FBS (98.3 ypg). DTs Matt Kroul and Mitch King make up for their lack of prototypical size with quickness and effort but haven’t had much success getting to the quarterback.

Advantage: Iowa

Linebackers
SC: Talented LBs Jasper Brinkley and Eric Norwood (nine sacks) make more tackles three-to-four yards downfield than they do at or near the line of scrimmage.
IA: Leading tackler, MLB Pat Angerer, should have a large number of tacklers as DT’s King and Kroul will receive much of the attention of the SC OL.

Advantage: South Carolina

Defensive Backfield
SC: Will be without leading tackler SS Emanuel Cook, who is academically ineligible. Without Cook in the lineup South Carolina's eight-man fronts won't be as effective, but is still extremely talented and ranks third in the FBS in pass defense.
IA: Intercepted 20 passes and have playmakers capable of turning a mistake into a turnover.

Advantage: South Carolina

Special Teams
SC: PK Ryan Succop has shown good range, notching a long of 54 yards against Arkansas earlier in the year, but he hasn't been as consistent and connected on just 19 of his 28 field goal attempts. Look for SC to try to exploit a sometimes fickle Iowa KR coverage team.
IA: PK Daniel Murray has connected on five of his seven field goal attempts. He's also shown adequate range with a long of 45 yards. Punter, Ryan Donahue can be very lethal if given time to get rid of the ball.

Advantage: Iowa

Coach
SC: Spurrier won a National Championship in 1996 at Florida and has taken a bottom-feeder in SC and turned them into a SEC contender. In his career, he is .500 in bowl games.
IA: Iowa went to 4 straight January 1 bowls and won two Big Ten Championships between 2002 and 2005. Ferentz is also .500 in bowl games all-time.

Advantage: Iowa

Striking Statistics

41 three and out's for Iowa this season

46 sacks allowed this season by SC OL. Fired O-line coach after season.

850 yards after 1st contact for Greene this season

30+ points scored by Iowa in the Outback bowl will officially rank this Iowa offense as the 10 best in Iowa football history in terms of points scored per game.

Score: Iowa 28, South Carolina 17

Greene joins Kinnick, 14 other Hawkeye greats

Shonn Greene joined an elite Iowa football club on Tuesday as he collected yet another post-season honor when he was named an Associated Press first-team All-American.

Greene joined an elite group of Hawkeye greats and became the first Iowa RB to be named a consensus All-American since Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick did so in 1939.

"If there's a better running back in America, I haven't seen him," said Kirk Ferentz.

The nations leading rusher is only the 16th Hawkeye ever to be named to the AP All-American first team. The last Hawkeyes to do so were Nate Kaeding and Robert Gallery in 2003.

"It's one of the best stories in college football," said Tom Dienhart of Yahoo.com. "He's the ultimate workhorse who almost single-handedly carried a pedestrian Hawkeye offense each week.

"And to think he did all of this after not even playing last year. Just incredible."

Iowa AP first-team All-Americans
1933 Francis Schammil, G
1939 Nile Kinnick, TB
1954 Cal Jones, G
1955 Cal Jones, G
1956 Alex Karras, T
1957 Alex Karras, T
1958 Randy Duncan, QB
1981 Andre Tippett, DE
1981 Reggie Roby, P
1984 Larry Station, LB
1985 Chuck Long, QB
1985 Larry Station, LB
1991 Leroy Smith, DE
1997 Tim Dwight, WR
2002 Dallas Clark, TE
2002 Eric Steinbach, G
2003 Robert Gallery, G
2003 Nate Kaeding, K
2008 Shonn Greene, RB

Quite Greatness

For someone who began the 2008 season as the third string running back, Shonn Greene not only succeeded far beyond expectation, but he has also forever ingrained his name into the long and storied history of Iowa football lore.

And he's made some friends along the way.

Hardware

Shonn Greene can now call Eddie George, Ricky Williams, LaDainian Tomlinson, Reggie Bush, and Darren McFadden his company. On Thursday night Greene was officially named the best running back in the nation when he won the 2008 Doak Walker Award.

The prestigious award is yet another for the Slickerville, NJ native who just one year ago was attending junior college, not playing football and working at a furniture store.

"I guess it's a pretty good story," Iowa's all-America, record-setting running back said this week. "With a little help, anything is possible."

Along with the Doak Walker Award, Greene has collected numerous other awards following a record breaking season in which he became the all-time single season rushing leader at the University of Iowa.

He was named a first-team All-American by the media and the coaches. He was also named first-team all-Big Ten by the coaches and was a unanimous selection by the media.

The Chicago Tribune awarded Greene the Silver Football, voted on by the conference head coaches and given to the most valuable player. Greene won in a landslide, capturing seven first-place votes (coaches can't vote for their own player).

"It's nice to see the recognition come his way," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "He's earned it the old-fashioned way - he worked hard."

If that wasn't enough, the nations only running back to rush for 100+ yards in each game this season was named a first-team all-American on Walter Camp, Football Coaches' Association of America and Football Writers Association of America teams.

"The consistency of how he has played is amazing," Indiana coach Bill Lynch said.

Greene came in sixth place on the final Heisman Trophy ballot and he was named team MVP along with DT Mitch King.

ESPN and the Heisman

If the Heisman Trophy is contended for by the nations best players, then let the nations best players attend the ceremony. The last time I checked (2002, when Brad Banks took second to Carson Plamer) five players attended the ceremony. From what I heard, that wasn't the case in 2008.

I wonder why.

Regardless of whether or not Greene would have been included (he would have), we probably didn't have the privilege of hearing the stories of the 5 greatest players of 2008 for the same reason ESPN spends more time talking about things like how the three candidates get along or Tim Tebow's missionary work, than they do about actual game of football.

I would imagine that their decision to only invite three players to the ceremony this year was made for the same reasons ESPN covers the T.O./Tony Romo soap opera like it's the Super Bowl.

And I would venture to guess that we only saw the three ESPN mistresses, Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy, so that ESPN wouldn't have to bother themselves with anything that isn't perceived as hip or cutting edge. After all, if you aren't a fan of the Gators, Longhorns, Tar Heels, Blue Devils, or Trojans good luck finding an image or hearing a word said, about your favorite team.

The Heisman Trophy presentation should recognize the five greatest players in the NCAA, no matter how close the vote. Their stories should be told and ESPN should equally disperse the air time and attention amongst those five players.

But don't expect that from ESPN. In the next decade or so, each day, you can expect to hear about T.O.'s feelings, LeBron's new head bands, as well as anything you'd like to know about USC, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Duke, or any team on the east coast for that matter.

The Road Less Taken

I don't know that I have ever enjoyed watching a player more that I enjoy watching Shonn Greene.

Although I never had the privilege of watching him play, from the highlights that I have seen, the way Shonn Greene plays football reminds me of the way Magic Johnson played basketball--deceivingly smooth and graceful, with the occasional pop.

"He was the most feared running back in college football," wrote Scoop Jackson of espn.com.

Whether he is running over a player or making them miss, Greene has a very unique style. You wouldn't call him strictly a power back, although he will absolutely bowl a defender over. You wouldn't call him a speedster, however he broke away for a 75 yard TD against Purdue.

"He runs angry," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "And he runs with an attitude."

An attitude, however, is something he has never displayed off the field. The combination of his greatness on the field and his work ethic and humble nature off of it, allows me to say that Shonn Greene will go down, in my book, as one of my all-time favorite Hawkeye's and athletes in general.

When he wasn't piled on to by his teammates or greeted by his offensive lineman, Greene celebrated each time he got to the end zone by handing the ball to the referee--all but one time.

In the biggest game of his career and in what will go down as one of the Top 3 Hawkeye games ever to be played, Greene reached the end zone after just two offensive plays (both carries by Greene, nonetheless) and celebrated by running towards and pointing to, a student section decked out in the color green in honor of him.

"What the public has seen of Shonn is what we see too," Ferentz said. "He's very soft-spoken and humble."

And honest.

"I really don't like school now," Greene said. "I shouldn't be saying this, but it's the truth."

And sometimes the truth hurts. In this case, it hurts especially bad for the black and gold faithful. But Hawkeye fans have been preparing for the truth for quite sometime now--Greene will be playing on the weekends next year, it just wont be on Saturdays.

Unfortunately for us, players like Greene are few and far between.

From the naked eye, it was plaint to see that Greene had a lot of potential when he first stepped foot on the Iowa City campus. And he may have made some mistakes early on, but he got himself back on track. I'm just thankful he was able to do it at Iowa.

"Sometimes a mistake is a good lesson," said Reginald Greene, Shonn's father. "Sometimes you don't miss things until they're gone."

And sometimes you miss things before they're gone.

2009 Outback Bowl

Iowa vs. South Carolina
January 1, 10 a.m. ESPN

The Outback Bowl ended a two-week span of speculation on Sunday when they choose to invite the Hawkeyes to Tampa, FL for the third time in the last five years.

Although another trip to sunny Florida was almost of a foregone conclusion, the official announcement was actually delayed exactly one hour because the Capitol One Bowl had yet to make their official selection.

Rumor has it that the officials at the Capitol One bowl came very close to choosing the Hawkeyes over eventual invitee, Michigan State, and that the delay was because of the difficult decision.

But as it stands, the Hawkeyes are set to square off against the Gamecocks of South Carolina for the first time ever, in what will be the first NCAA football game played in the new year.

Among other things, like a hot finish (winners of 5/6 final games), an All-American and Big Ten MVP running back, and big, BCS-busting victory over a top three team in November, the Hawkeyes have their fans to thank for the bid.

"Having our fan support, I don't think, I know, that is a real plus for us," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Sunday. "It's a great benefit. And we are very unique in that regard. We appreciate it, and we certainly don't take it for granted.

With a better record of 9-3, the Outback committee could have selected Northwestern over the Hawkeyes, but instead the committee choose the 8-4 Hawkeyes, much in part due to their dedicated following of die-hard fans who have twice flooded the city, markedly boosting economic activity in past Outback bowls.

To say the very least, the Hawkeyes have one of the most devoted, fanatical fan bases in all of college sports and there is no better evidence than a bid to the 2009 Outback Bowl.

The Wildcats, who lost to a 3-9 Indiana team this year, have had trouble this season garnering the support of 30,000 fans for home games. So it’s no surprise that the committee choose Iowa, who in 2006 helped sellout Raymond James Stadium for only the fourth time in what was the bowls 18 year history.

South Carolina has a history at the Outback Bowl also; making consecutive appearances after the 2000 and 2001 season, both times defeating Ohio State. In the 2004 Outback Bowl, Iowa whipped Florida, 37-17. Iowa went back to the Outback Bowl in 2006 and lost to the Gators, 31-24.

South Carolina, who comes into this game sputtering, winning only two of their last five games, will be lead by redshirt freshman and Tampa native Stephen Garcia. Among other struggles, former Heisman Trophy winning QB and head coach Steve Spurrier has started three different players this season at the position he once mastered. Garcia, who has only attempted 104 passes this season, was named the starter for the bowl game following a 31-14 beat down at the hands of the Clemson Tigers.

“At times, (he) does a lot of good things and at times doesn't understand things as well as he will later on," Spurrier said.

"We're going to coach Stephen Garcia as hard as we can and hopefully he'll be ready to lead us in the Outback Bowl."

Furthermore, the Gamecocks average just 21.7 points per game. They have thrown 19 touchdowns, but also 20 interceptions. They rank 54^th in passing offense, 109^th in rushing offense, 97^th in total offense, and 92^nd in scoring offense. Not a good sign if you’re the ‘Ol Ball Coach. Iowa ranks 40^th in passing yards allowed, 9^th in rushing yards allowed, 12^th in total yards allowed, and 8^th in the nation in points allowed, surrendering only 13.3 per game.

However, South Carolina has very similar numbers as the Hawkeyes defensively, even ranking 3^rd in the nation in passing yards allowed and 28^th in points allowed, allowing 20.3 points per game. They do, however, surrender an average of 128 yards rushing per game.

Lick your chops Greeney!

At a glance, this looks like an epic defensive battle between a much improved Big Ten team with a lot of potential and a good SEC team that’s looking to get back on a winning track.

*Full Outback Bowl analysis, position-by-position breakdown and detailed predictions still to come in the pre-game special!

**Basketball game-by-game posts coming soon. It’s still football season!

Iowa 55, Minnesota 0

From the 'eye in the South End Zone

The story…will be the last one ever told from the HHH Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. Words like domination, blowout, mauling, shutout and record-setting will be used to describe it.

In route to retaining the Floyd of Rosedale for the seventh time in the last eight years, the Hawkeyes racked up nearly 500 yards in total offense, held the Gophers to merely 7 yards rushing, defeated them at home by more than any other Big Ten team ever has, and recorded their most lopsided victory in the 102 year history of the series.

Game Summary (Associated Press): Shonn Greene set Iowa's single-season rushing record, Ricky Stanzi's arm was in rhythm, and the Hawkeyes defense battered the Gophers in a 55-0 victory on Saturday night to sour Minnesota's last game at the Metrodome and retain possession of Floyd of Rosedale.

The Gophers, who move into a new stadium back on campus next season after 27 years playing indoors and downtown, absorbed the second-worst home loss in their history behind an 84-13 defeat by Nebraska here in 1983. This was their most lopsided Big Ten loss ever.

Greene, all 235 pounds of him, plunged through the line for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries to propel Iowa (8-4, 5-3) into to a fourth-place tie in the conference with Northwestern.

The Hawkeyes and their faithful fans, thousands of whom hooted, hollered and taunted the home crowd with spirited chants of "I-o-w-a," could be headed for a New Year's Day bowl game with the Outback still a possibility.

The Gophers (7-5, 3-5) closed the regular season with four straight losses after cracking the national polls in October and fell to their border rivals for the seventh time in the last eight years.

Adam Weber had, arguably, his worst game in two years as quarterback, throwing two interceptions and finishing 14-of-28 for 127 yards. The Gophers were held to 7 yards rushing.

Almost all of the Minnesota fans were gone by the beginning of the fourth quarter, leaving the building for all the black-and-gold-clad folks to revel in a resounding ending to what Kirk Ferentz called earlier this week one of his most satisfying seasons as Iowa's coach. Unlike in 2002, when a win here sent the Hawkeyes to the Orange Bowl, the goal posts stayed upright.

The crew of yellow-coated security guards standing along the end zone wall was nearly doubled in the third quarter, and nobody made it on the field to help the players celebrate with the bronze pig these teams have played for since 1935.

Greene's 1,729 yards rushing this season broke Tavian Banks' record set in 1997. Stanzi rolled out of the pocket with ease in the first half, avoiding several sacks and completing 15 of his 28 attempts for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

Minnesota's Eric Decker returned from a sprained ankle that hampered him the last two games, keeping him from playing at all against Wisconsin and in the second half of Michigan, and had two receptions for 33 yards.

The Gophers will still go to a bowl game, because the Big Ten has only seven eligible teams, but this sure wasn't the way they wanted to finish their final month at the Metrodome.

Game Commentary: As low as the lows have been throughout this bumpy season--Pittsburgh, Northwester, Michigan State, and Illinois--the highs have sure been pretty darn high. Who would have predicted this type of a finish to the 2008 season back in October?

Surely not myself or anyone else who watched the Hawkeyes in their first 9 games. The same can be said for Vegas as they only had Iowa beating Minnesota by 5.5 points. The Hawkeyes won by ten times that and they took their foot off of the accelerator with 1 minute left in the third quarter.

They could have easily broken a school record for most points scored in a single-game—70.

Null and void were any pre-game theories that because the Hawkeyes were playing in their first night game of the season they would have a lackadaisical performance. Gone were the fears of the effect of the playing surface and it’s similarities to the Fighting Illini’s. And vanished were the concerns regarding the noise level inside the dome.

Kirk Ferentz not only had this team ready to play on Saturday, but he had them firing on all cylinders—something that Hawkeye Nation had been waiting for all season long.

Rick Stanzi played one of his best games yet, throwing all three touchdowns to three different receivers. He showed poise in the pocket, a keen ability to escape when necessary, even throwing on the run with composure; and the accuracy of his deep ball on more than one occasion. If this kid improves during the 7 month off-season as much as he has improved during the 3 month season, look out. He will go down as one of the best QB’s to ever play at Iowa.

Sticking with the theme of the future, true freshman RB Jewel Hampton rushed for 50 yards on 10 carries and scored a late-game touchdown on Saturday. For as young as this kid is, he has done an absolutely remarkable job as a back-up to a Heisman candidate. He has spent the entire season in his shadow, a shadow that has loomed in every single game and for more than 100 yards each time. Yet somehow he has rushed for 409 yards and 7 touchdowns. Albert Young rushed for 6 touchdowns last year as the starting running back.

The offensive line played well again. Giving up just one sack, which Stanzi could have avoided, the offensive line was a key reason the Hawkeyes were able to go 12-18 on third downs and hold a 15 minute advantage in time of possession. They were also essential in defying the odds in this game. Minnesota came into the game ranked number one in the country in takeaways. For a team that, at times, seemingly hands the ball to opposing defenses, the Hawkeyes did not commit a single turnover. The line seems to be improving at a similar rate as Stanzi. Three starting offensive linemen will return next year.

The wide receivers and tight ends may have posted their best performance of this season as well. In a break-out game that he badly needed, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos caught 7 balls for 181 yards and 1 TD. He masterfully created separation from his defender while avoiding a push off penalty on a 50 yard TD pass from Rick Stanzi, on third down and 10 from near the 30 yard line nonetheless.

Andy Brodell had only one catch for four yards Saturday, but it was one of the best catches this season. On third down in the third quarter, Stanzi essentially threw the ball into the turf, but before it hit the ground Brodell turned around, slid, and scooped it up. The play was ruled a catch, challenged by Tim Brewster and upheld after the review. Brodell also had some key catches on punt return, one where he absolutely got lit up but some how held onto the ball.

Brandon Myers and Tony Moeaki combined for 6 catches, 65 yards and 2 TD’s. It was great to finally see an injury-plagued Moeaki enter the playing field and survive to see the end of the game. He should be granted a fifth year due to his medical struggles. As for his cohort, Brandon Myers will play in the NFL next year. His blocking has improved tremendously, he is very athletic, and he has the hands. Talk about improvement. He stepped up big time for this team this year when the TE position looked bleak due to Moeaki’s injuries.

For as much as I have ragged on these receivers for not creating enough separation this season and in seasons past, they sure made Rick Stanzi look pretty good on Saturday. Numerous balls were thrown behind or too low and the receivers adjusted masterfully, they made some things happen, and even after the catch were able to gain yards like never before this season. For a group that had trouble just catching the ball last season, they have shown much improvement. Sure, most of that was probably because of the passer, but I give some credit to new WR coach Erik Campbell.

“We’ve matured as a football team,” Ferentz said. “We’re hardly there yet, and that’s been the positive for me—our best football is still ahead of us. But we’ve had some tremendous efforts from some older guys, and we’ve seen younger players get better.”

And then there was the defense—one of the best defensive crews in the nation. They shut Minnesota down, forcing three turnovers and holding them to just 134 yards total offense—the fewest for a conference opponent in the Ferentz era. They’ve been about as consistent this season as their RB on offense. Each and every game they have put pressure on the QB, created turnovers, contained the deep ball and most of all, kept the end zone trips for opponents to a minimum.

On Saturday they really limited their opponent’s trips—they didn’t allow one. Not even one single point, in fact.

What a testament to a hard nosed, reliable unit.

Pat Angerer again led the team in tackles, like he leads the league in interceptions, racking up 9 hits on the weak Minnesota offense. Adam Weber looked a lot like Jake Christiansen last year. The only difference? Weber seemingly couldn’t keep his balls down—a problem #6 never had. But a lot of the credit in this game goes to King, Kroul, Clayborn, and Ballard. They did a great job pressuring Weber out of the pocket, even sacking him twice.

Amari Spievey can be credited with opening the flood gates on the Gophers. His second quarter interception return for a touchdown put the Hawkeyes in the drivers seat for good, as they accelerated their lead to a commanding 27 points. Spievey too will play in the NFL some day, in my opinion. As a sophomore, he alone makes the defensive secondary looks pretty solid next year and in the years to come. Oh and maybe next year can we get this guy on special teams? As the starting RB, Jewel Hampton will probably need to be replaced, as will senior Andy Brodell. Spievey looked pretty darn good on that INT return.

And I guess there's probably one more guy we should mention...

Shonn Greene broke Iowa’s single-season all-time rushing record as he eclipsed Tavian Banks on a 15 yard touchdown carry in the third quarter. The new record total currently stands at 1,727 yards.

“It’s an honor—a really big honor,” said Greene, who received a phone call from Banks after the game. “I feel privileged to have gotten the record. I’m kind of at a loss for words.”

I can imagine. The humble monster said more about himself in those three sentences than he had all year.

“Tavian was a great back, and I’m honored to be considered in the same category.”

On the night, Greene carried the ball 22 times for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.

It should have been three.

On his last carry of the record-breaking game, Greene broke into the secondary and three defenders stood in the way of the end zone—two wearing maroon jerseys, one white. Deciding that the defender in white was closest, he lowered his shoulder and cut into him, knocking him helplessly to the Metrodome turf like a bull would a matador.

“I thought somebody shot me with a shotgun out of nowhere,” Johnson-Koulianos said after being accidentally run over by Shonn Greene. “I couldn’t imagine what just hit me because I didn’t see it until I got up and found out it was Shonn. It knocked the wind out of me

The matador—DJK—couldn’t get out of the way of the bull—Greene—and the two maroon defenders were able to trip up the bull. Had DJK gotten out of his way, Greene surely would have been able to get to the outside, eluding the defenders in route to what would have been his third trip to the end zone on the record setting evening.

Greene knew it would have been number three too, and he wanted it badly. He was visibly disappointed afterwards, but only for a few minutes.

“I thought (DJK) was hurt at first,” Greene said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I hope I didn’t hurt him.’”

On Saturday, Shonn Greene cemented himself as the best single-season RB in Iowa football history and he is definitely, without a doubt one of the greatest RB’s to ever touch a football at the University of Iowa.

If this guy doesn’t win the Doak Walker Award given to the nation’s best running back (he will), if he isn’t a finalist for the Maxwell award given to the nation’s best player (he very likely will be), and if he doesn’t receive a plane ticket to New York to attend the Heisman Trophy presentation (he very likely will), then one of the biggest NCAA injustices of all time has been committed.

Bar none the best running back in the nation, Shonn Greene, is playing on the best 8-4 team in the nation, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Herk’s Hero…was Shonn Greene. 22 carries 144 yards 2TD’s 6.5 yards/carry

And the crowd...was pro-Hawkeye. Kinnick North was adorned with black and a lot of gold. However, midway through the third quarter only a little less than half of the gold remained as the I-O-W-A cheers became almost as imminent as Shonn Greene 100-yard rushing games.

Say what!?…“Let me tell you something about (Georgia running back) Knowshown Marino, he’s no Shawn Green,” said the Big Ten Network color analyst during the broadcast of the game.

Mother Nature…was about as irrelevant as the Gopher defense. The HHH Metordome provided a tepid, controlled atmosphere in which Stanzi and Donahue flourished.

Next up…TBD

The ‘eye see’s…a long wait for an Outback Bowl bid. Or an Alamo Bowl bid. Or maybe even a Capitol One Bowl bid. But any invitation will be worth the wait. Just one invitation this year will be one more than the Hawkeyes received last year at this time.

"It will be an easy wait," Ferentz said. "The long wait was last year knowing pretty much that nothing was going to happen. This one's going to be... no problems there, no complaints."

I tried to hold off as long as I could with the bowl speculation, but with no game to talk about next week, here we go.

I believe with an Oregon State loss on Saturday, Ohio State will receive a BCS bid. That leaves Michigan State, Iowa, and Northwester up for Capitol One’s consideration. The Capitol One bowl will likely take MSU (chance they instead take Iowa: 40%), leaving the Outback Bowl representative with their desired team—Iowa. Northwester would fall to the Alamo, if not lower.

If Oregon State wins on Saturday, Ohio State will not receive a BCS bid. That leaves OSU, MSU, Iowa and Northwester for up for Capitol One’s consideration. The Capitol One bowl will take OSU (100% sure), leaving the Outback Bowl representative with a choice—MSU or Iowa. I believe they will choose the hottest team in the Big Ten and the team that would trounce MSU if they played Saturday—Iowa (70% sure) and match them up against South Carolina, Ole Miss, or Georgia depending on how the SEC shakes out.

If they do not choose Iowa, the Alamo Bowl will (100% sure). And Iowa will be facing, most likely, Missouri (how sweet it would be) or Nebraska (oh, and you though it couldn’t get any better). Lick your chops Hawk fans. I’d like nothing more than to beat either one of those schools.

The options for the Hawkeyes look warm and very appealing.

Side Notes: The victory over Minnesota was Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz’s most lopsided Big Ten victory in 10 seasons… Trent Mossbrucker set a freshman record, scoring 65 points in a season…Punter Ryan Donahue was named Big Ten special teams player of the week…Shonn Greene is the sixth Iowa standout to be named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, joining a group that includes Chuck Long (1985), Nick Bell (1990), Matt Rodgers (1990), Tavian Banks (1997) and Brad Banks (2002)….He was only one of two first selections by the media but he was NOT a unanimous first team selection by the coaches. That means that a Big Ten coach (probably Ron Zook) did not thing Shonn Greene, the imminent Doak Walker Award recipient given to the nation’s best running back, was one the top TWO best running backs in the conference… If Greene tops the 100 yard mark in Iowa’s bowl game, that would be 13 for 13 this year, a mark that would probably never be topped at Iowa, and might never be duplicated… Mitch King became the first Hawkeye to nab Defensive Lineman of the Year laurels from the coaches since Jared Devries was honored in 1997. He also only one of two unanimous first team selections by the coaches…Hawkeye’s on the first team all-conference: Greene, Olsen, Myers, and King. Hawkeyes on the second team all-conference: Bruggeman, Bulaga, Calloway, Angerer, Kroul, Spievy, and Donahue. Hawkeyes in the honorable mention category: Edds, Fletcher and Greenwood.

Iowa 22, Purdue 17

From the 'eye in the South End Zone

The story…ended on a Hail Mary pass from Purdue QB Curtis Painter. Luckily the pass sailed out of the end zone and Iowa chartered their first Senior Day win since a 2005 drubbing of Minnesota, the Hawkeyes next opponent.

Game Summary (Press Citizen): Shonn Greene ran for 211 yards and two scores for Iowa, and Purdue's Hail Mary pass with 5 seconds remaining was long to preserve the Hawkeyes' 22-17 victory on Saturday.

The Boilermakers could not find a way to stop Greene's slashing runs, including a 75-yard dash in the second quarter.

After Iowa (7-4, 4-3 Big Ten) tried to ground out the clock on its last drive, Purdue (3-8, 1-6) got the ball back at its own 20 with 1:09 remaining.

Quarterback Curtis Painter drove the Boilermakers to near midfield before he was sacked by defensive tackle Mitch King and Purdue was forced to use its last timeout. Painter then found his favorite target, wide receiver Desmond Tardy, near the sideline to put the Boilermakers at the Iowa 27.

With 5 seconds on the clock, Purdue split three receivers right, but Painter's pass went out of the end zone and Iowa claimed victory.

Minutes earlier, Painter led the Boilermakers on an eight-play, 45-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Greg Orton that narrowed Iowa's lead to 22-17.

Purdue coach Joe Tiller seesawed between senior substitute Painter -- the sole bright spot for the offense -- and struggling sophomore starter Joe Siller.

In the fourth quarter, Painter reappeared and so did Purdue's offense, as one drive that included a conversion on fourth-and-6 took the Boilermakers inside the Iowa 10. But Iowa safety Pat Angerer's interception at the 5 ended that threat.

Greene wouldn't be brought down on an early fourth-quarter drive, leveling safety Frank Duong with his right shoulder en route to a 14-yard score to increase Iowa's lead to 22-10.

With temperatures in the 30s and winds gusting to more than 20 mph, both teams relied on the run. That proved to be the difference, as Iowa rolled up 248 yards rushing while Purdue only managed 86.

Both offenses ground to a halt in the third quarter, putting up 88 yards combined while Tiller shuffled Painter and Siller.

A 64-yard return by Aaron Valentin early in the third quarter again put Purdue within striking distance at the Iowa 36, but Siller was unable to match Painter's play, overthrowing receivers on consecutive plays.

Crucial penalties cost the Boilermakers, especially on one second-quarter drive in which two touchdowns were called back on penalties.

Painter took the reins from Siller in his first appearance since separating a shoulder against Minnesota on Oct. 25.

With the ball on Purdue's 45 with 1:59 left in the half, Painter marched the Boilermakers 55 yards for a score, finishing with a 12-yard fade route to Tardy that cut Iowa's lead to 12-10.

With Iowa at midfield and driving late in the first quarter, receiver Andy Brodell coughed up the ball and Purdue took advantage. The Boilermakers converted two fourth-downs and finally got some momentum on offense. But deep in Hawkeyes territory, Purdue had two would-be touchdowns called back because of penalties -- a holding call and a flag for illegal formation -- and had to settle for a field goal to make it 6-3.

Seconds later, Greene took over, sprinting left and bouncing off Duong's attempt at an open-field tackle before racing 75 yards up the sideline and breaking inside for the score. Freshman Trent Mossbrucker missed his second extra-point attempt, and Iowa led 12-3.

Game Commentary: In a game in which Iowa needed a win to cement its spot in a 13th game this season Iowa started strong, scoring on its opening possession thanks to a 22 yard Jewel Hampton TD run.

Greene carried much of the load both on that drive, rushing six times for 43 yards, and in the game, rushing 30 times for 211 yards and 2 TDs.

However, as a result of some special teams errors and a couple wide receiver fumbles, Purdue was able to keep the game within reach, early and throughout.

Curtis Painter, the once heralded pre-season, Heisman-hyped senior, did not start but came into the game for the final first-half drive as well as the entire fourth quarter. Purdue coach Joe Tiller said that Painter was playing at about 80% capacity after sustaining an injury earlier in the season.

He finished the day 24-30 with 190 yards and 2 TDs and consistently found holes in the Iowa defensive secondary, leading his team down the field for TDs late in the first half and late in the fourth quarter.

The Iowa defense was unable to stop Painter and his last-place Boilermakers, but was able to contain him, batting down a last ditch effort to win the game on a last second pass.

As for the Hawkeyes rush defense, Korey Sheets was held to his lowest total all season, rushing for just 53 yards on 16 carries.

In contrast, the Purdue defense, and in particular SS Frank Duong, had a little bit more trouble containing Shonn Greene as he racked up his second highest rushing total all season.

Duong was in Greene’s way in route to a 75 yard TD scamper in the second quarter, so he spun and made Duong miss.

Again Duong was in Greene’s way, this time early in the fourth quarter in route to a 14 yard TD run, so he lowered his shoulder and with the force of a bull and the power of a horse, Greene literally ran Duong over.

Duong weighs 178 pounds.

"I feel bad for the guy," said Pat Angerer. "But I wouldn't go up and hit Shonn like that. I'd get out of his way."

Although the numbers may not have supported it up until Saturday, Shonn Greene is the best RB in the country.

Greene officially became the nation’s leading rusher on Saturday, surpassing Michigan States Javon Ringer. In 11 games Ringer has carried the ball 353 times for 1548 yards while Greene has carried it nearly 100 times less, 256, for 1585 yards.

In other words, had Iowa given Greene the ball as many times as Ringer so far this season, according to his average per carry, he would currently have upwards of 2,186 yards.

That would put him among some elite company. With two games still left to play, he would be ahead of leading, all-time, single season rushers Larry Johnson (2,087), Rickey Williams (2,124), and LaDainian Tomlinson’s (2,158).

He would be less than 160 yards from Marcus Allen (2,342), who is second on the list of single season rushing yards. And he would be less than 500 yards from someone you may have heard of, the NCAA’s all-time single season rushing leader, Barry Sanders (2,628).

Unless Greene rushes for more than 200 yards in each of the remaining two games, he won’t even crack the top ten on that list. But it puts Greene's memorable season into perspective. With a few more carries, Greene’s season could have risen to historic NCAA proportions.

Regardless, Greene is a phenomenal player. Let’s focus on what he has done.

As the nation’s leading rusher, Greene is the only RB in the country to rush for 100 plus yards in all 11 games, also a school record. In contrast, Ringer has failed to reach 100 against Iowa (91), Ohio State (67), and Wisconsin (54)—a team Greene racked up 217 yards and 4 TDs on.

“Eleven straight,” defensive tackle Mitch King said. “That says something about the guy.”

“He’s done some things out there that I’m not so sure I’ve seen anyone do at this school,” said Ed Podolak, whose 937 yards in 1968 stood as Iowa’s rushing standard until Dennis Mosley’s 1,267-yard season in 1979.

Don’t think Greene has the speed? Greene broke away for a 75 yard TD run on Saturday--yes, more yards on one run than Iowa passed for the entire game (71). The number 2-4 leading rushers in the county, Ringer, Donald Brown, and Kendal Hunter, their longest runs on the year—64, 63, and 68.

“The balance and the low center of gravity he maintains while he runs — I haven’t seen that from anyone," said Podalak.

It goes without saying, Shonn Greene is hard to tackle. The bruise cruise that he is putting on this season compares to non-other.

"I'm scared of Shonn," said Angerer . "I don't really talk to him that much. Every time I see him, he tries to run me over."

With 107 yards against Minnesota, Greene will become Iowa’s single season rushing leader surpassing Tavian Banks total of 1691 yards in 1997, with a 13^th game still left to be played. Banks had 19 TD’s that year. Greene currently has 15.

“I held it proudly for 11 years,” said Tavian Banks. “I will be proud if he can break my record."

You are watching the best single season that a running back has ever had for the University of Iowa.

"I like Albert and I like Damian, but I thought Shonn was our best running back (in 2005)," Angerer said. "I'm not the coach or anything, and I don't want to dog on those guys, but he's unbelievable.”

“If this guy’s not an all-American, I don’t know what it takes,” Ferentz said. “This guy’s playing as well as anyone in the country at his position.”

In my limited spectrum of Hawkeye football, names like Brad Banks, Bob Sanders, and Matt Roth come to mind when I think about the player I most enjoyed watching.

But I can’t think of a player that has been more fun to watch than Shonn Greene.

And he is by far my favorite.

In a day and age where doing the best touchdown celebration dance, trying to wear the biggest sunglasses to the post game press conference, or undertaking a Heisman Trophy campaign complete with DVD’s and public relations events gets you more attention than your actual performance on the field, the humble nature of this guy blows me away.

"I never see the stats; I get it from you guys," the junior running back told reporters after another afternoon's work at Kinnick Stadium. "Somebody in the media tells me or something. I never look at the stat sheet. I don't even know where the stat sheet is around here."

I think it’d be harder to get him to actually say something about himself than it would be to tackle him.

I plan on soaking up every last carry that carry that he gets in these last two games because he will be gone next year. No doubt about it. And for good reason.

“He’s already done more than enough to guarantee a meteoric rise up the NFL draft board,” Mel Kiper wrote on a recent Internet posting.

Herk’s Hero…was Shonn Greene. 30 carries 211 yards 2 TDs 7.0 avg./carry

Play of the Day…was a 75 yard TD run by Shonn Greene early in the second quarter. On the run, which included an elusive spin move followed by dead sprint and a slight cut back, Greene surpassed 100 yards in a game for the 11th consecutive time this season. It was the longest run by a Hawkeye since 1997 when Tavian Banks went 82 yards against Iowa State.

And the crowd goes wild…or as wild as they could. For the first time in 37 games, historic Kinnick Stadium was not sold out. Only 67,676 fans made it out for the 2008 senior finale. The student section again looked desolate, completing a home streak this season of uninhabited, unintimidating student sections—a black eye upon a stadium, according to some, which is the most feared in the Big Ten.

Say what!?… Asked afterward if he said anything to Purdue SS Frank Duong after making him miss in route to a 75 yard TD run and then later, literally running over him in route to a 12 yard TD run, Greene said: "I didn't say anything. I never say anything on the field."

Mother Nature…was cold and windy, again. 35 degrees and a 20-25 mph wind gusts.

Next up…Minnesota (7-4, 3-4)

The ‘eye see’s…a one game season.

Wipe the slate clean. The Hawkeyes are 0-0 and it’s a one game season.

Minnesota is a tough, tough football team. They are coming off of a self-implosion up in Madison, WI, as they squandered a 21-7 lead. They were without their Mr. Everything, Eric Decker due to an ankle injury. He is to Minnesota what Shonn Greene is to Iowa and he should be ready to go against the Hawkeyes.

Add to that the fact that this will be the final college game in the H.H. Metrodome as well as the fact that with a little help from Ohio State and Penn State, the winner of this game has a pretty good chance of going to the January 1, Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay, Florida and you’ve got yourself a real big game with a lot at stake on Saturday, November 22, 6 p.m.

The Hawkeyes are going to have to find a way to stop the bleeding in the secondary as Purdue exposed a great weakness of Iowa’s. Adam Weber, the Gophers dual-threat QB, will be able to find his favorite target, Decker, all night in the middle of that Iowa, bend-don’t-break, defense of Norm Parker’s.

Offensively, Minnesota resembles Illinois, somewhat. If Iowa has any hope of containing the Gopher passing game, they'll need to pressure Weber. Like they did against Illinois, expected King and Kroul to provide some consistent pressure up the middle. This will force Weber to get rid of the ball in a hurry, which is when the Hawkeye's defense thrives. Just ask Juice Williams.

Big surprise, Shonn Greene will most likely carry the Hawkeyes on offense all evening. But look for Rick Stanzi to rebound from a quiet performance against the Boilermakers, and emerge as more of the Stanzi we saw on ‘The Drive.’

For that to happen however, Brodell and DJK are going to have to hold on to the football. They each fumbled against Purdue. They are also going to have to get better separation from their defenders, something they have struggled with all season.

The 2008 season, one filled with numerous highs like a victory over #3 Penn St. and it's fair share lows like the four losses by a combined 12 points, could end with a fourth consecutive win on Saturday. Expect a large contingent of Iowa fans at Kinnick North, and expect them to make sure their presence is felt by a team that is much deserving of a rousing culmination to a hard-fought regular season.

It’ll be a great weekend to be a Hawkeye!

Game Notes: Shonn Greene has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season…Not since Sept. 6, 2003, against Buffalo, have the Hawkeyes not played in front of a sold out Kinnick Stadium...54,471 fans attended the game against Buffalo…Watching the Hawkeyes take on Purdue on Saturday were representatives from the Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports and Insight bowls. It marked the third consecutive Iowa game that the Outback Bowl has attended. That streak will swell to four next Saturday at Minnesota…Iron Man, Matt Kroul, matched a school record Saturday when he started for the 48th straight game...Daniel Murray is listed as #1 in the two-deeps released on Tuesday...The walk-on kicker is NOT currently on scholarship...He will be next year...Please return the 'O' flag...Let's fill the DOME for the last time!