Sunday, December 20, 2015
The Iowa Hawkeyes vs. The Drake Bulldogs
On December 19, 2015, the Iowa Hawkeyes faced off against the Drake Bulldogs in the Hy-Vee Classic. Each year, the Iowa Hawkeyes face off against either Drake or UNI in the Big Four Classic while the Iowa State Cyclones play the other team. This year, the Hawks looked to come away with a win, after losing last year to UNI and losing last week in a heartbreaker against the Cyclones. While the Drake Bulldogs are not quite as good as the other three teams from the state of Iowa, they definitely came to play to try and upset the struggling Hawkeyes. They played very well in the first half staying neck-and-neck with the Hawks through the first half. Going into the second half, the game was tied at 30 apiece. Iowa managed to pull off a 6-point win however with a strong 17 point performance from Mike Gesell. The Hawkeyes also managed to block a school-record 14 shots led by the freshman out Bettendorf, Iowa, Nicholas Baer. The Hawks will look to continue this momentum on Tuesday at Iowa City, against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
UNI Upsets ISU
For the second time this season, the University of Northern Iowa Panthers have upset a top five ranked team. Earlier in the season the Panthers hosted the then ranked Number One University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Although they were without their best player, Marcus Paige, who happened to be from the great state of Iowa, the Tar Heels were unable to come away with a victory. This time however, the Panthers played away from their hometown in a neutral arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The Panther led by nine points 46-37 going into halftime, but the Iowa State Cyclone managed to claw their way back trailing by only two points with the ball on the final possession. The Panthers were able to hold on, however, and complete their second upset of a top five team this season, handing Iowa State their first loss. UNI tends to thrive in these situations against other Iowa teams after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes last year in a similar situation.
Baker Bowling Tournament At Lancer Lanes
On December 19, 2015, sixteen different bowling teams from the state of Iowa traveled to Lancer Lanes for a baker bowling tournament hosted by Prairie. Because I am a member of the Kennedy Bowling JV team, I went to watch it to support my varsity teammates. During the first half of the tournament, the sixteen teams were split into two divisions. Each team would play the other seven teams in their division in two baker games, and the top eight teams who scored the most points in their fourteen baker games would advance to bracket. In bracket, the number one seeded team would face the number eight seeded team, the number two team would face the number seven team, and so on. The winners of the first round of bracket would move on to the semi-finals and then the winners would play for the championship while the other semi-finalists who came short would play for third place.
Most people who read this may not know what exactly a baker bowling game is, unless of course they are familiar with bowling. While I was unaware of exactly what it was at the beginning of the season, I have quickly become familiar to what it is and the importance of certain aspects in order to achieve a high score. In the baker bowling format, the coach selects five of six players on their team, and places them in order 1-5. The player in the first spot bowls the first and sixth frame, and this pattern continues with the fifth spot player eventually bowling the fifth and tenth frames.
Order is very important in baker bowling, as some players thrive in certain slots, while they tend to not do as well in others. For the most part, the best player on the team bowls in the fifth position, or the anchor position. This is because they have the opportunity to basically bowl three frames in just the tenth frame if they can strike. It also puts them in a position to seal the game if the scores are close. The next best player in the team usually bowls either in the first spot or the fourth spot, which are both very important and crucial in the game. The first spot is important because the player has the task of setting the tone for the team and getting some much needed early momentum. Momentum is a key in baker bowling because players tend to bowl well if they're team is doing well and they aren't too stressed out. If the first player can gain momentum early, the team has a good shot at bowling a great game. The fourth spot is also very important because it is the set-up spot. Like I mentioned earlier, the tenth frame is very important and many times can be a deciding frame of the game. The player who bowls in the fourth slot needs to set the fifth player up in the best position to win. If the fourth player bowls a spare, the first ball of the fifth player is doubled. Likewise, if the fourth player bowls a strike, the fifth player's next two balls are doubled, which has the potential to add 20 points to a teams score. The second and third spot are also very important in a baker's game because the players in those spots need to either strike or spare to keep momentum going, and any time a spare or strike isn't bowled, the opposing team has a chance to take a big lead, or if they're losing, a chance to come back and cut the lead. Personally for me, I bowl the best in the fourth or fifth position because I like having control of the game, and I tend to do well under a lot of pressure. My worst position would probably be the first position because I don't feel like I have control of the outcome of the game and I'm not as good as starting momentum as I am at continuing it or capitalizing on it.
For Kennedy, the six players that were selected to play on varsity for the tournament were Aaron, Max, Dakota, Bert, Nick, and James. For the most part of the tournament, as well as most of our meets, Bert played in the fifth spot, as he is one of our most reliable players in getting strikes when we need them. Nick usually played in the first position, and was probably the most consistent throughout the day at getting strikes. The rest of the team was jumbled around quite a bit, with Aaron, being a freshman and being a former JV player, sitting out the most of all the Cougars, although he did perform very well when he was called upon.
In the first fourteen games against the seven teams in their division, including Jefferson, Vinton-Shellsburg, Washington, Durant, Marion, Iowa City West, and Louisa-Muscatine the team played very well. They played each team twice, with their total score deciding whether or not they would make bracket. In their first two games against Vinton-Shellsburg, the Cougars won one of the two games, however in total points, they managed to outscore their opponents. Next they played Jefferson, and unfortunately lost both games with Jefferson striking multiple times in a row. They split their next two games with Washington, but outscored the Warriors in total points. After that they won two straight games against Durant, and then won two more against Marion. The Cougs then went on to outscore Iowa City West, but then get outscored by Louisa-Muscatine after splitting the series.
After a long and suspenseful wait, the teams that made bracket were announced. The Cougars ended up celebrating after earning the fifth seed, outscoring 11 of the 16 teams in total points. The bracket games were played in a different format than the first round, with the teams playing in a best of three series. In their quarter-final match up, Kennedy went head-to-head against the fourth-seeded team of West-Delaware. With strong performances from Bert, Nick, James, Dakota, and Max, Kennedy decisively upset their opponents in two games, not even needing a third game to seal the deal. Their semi-final matchup came against the first-seeded team, the North High Wildcats. In the first game, the Cougars started off with five strong frames, but fell apart in the final half of the game dropping a close one to the Wildcats. After switching lanes with the Wildcats and moving closer to Kennedy supporters, the Cougs came back strong winning a decisive match up against the nervous-looking Wildcats. In the third and final game, the Cougars once again started strong leading by more than 20 pins entering the sixth frame. Unfortunately for the Cougs, anchor Bert Goodwin missed a spare in the fifth that could have largely helped Kennedy seal the game. The Wildcats came charging back with a run of strikes, and the Cougs began getting tense. James missed a spare that he had been making all day which ended up hurting the Cougars a lot. Going into the tenth frame, the Cougars had already lost the game. Even if Bert could manage to throw three strikes, which would have been very possible, the Cougars would have lost the game by one point in a heartbreaker. Bert threw a strike on his first ball, knowing that they had already lost, but could not finish the game as he would have liked to. Although the Cougars may not have made it to the finals where they wanted to be against the Linn-Mar Lions, they knew they still had to play in a rematch against Jefferson for third place. After winning the first game, the Cougars lost momentum and looked too down to compete the way they were capable of, and they ended up losing the remaining two games finishing in fourth place.
While the Cougars did not finish the day like they would have preferred, they still had a great day and a lot to be proud of. Going into the tournament with a young team of underdogs, the Cougars managed to upset the fifth-seeded team in the first round, and finished fourth out of sixteen schools throughout the state. This team has a huge amount of potential, and if they can keep working at it, and fix a few mistakes here and there, I have no doubt that they could come back next year and win the whole tournament. This season is still far from over, and the Cougars will just keep on improving.
Most people who read this may not know what exactly a baker bowling game is, unless of course they are familiar with bowling. While I was unaware of exactly what it was at the beginning of the season, I have quickly become familiar to what it is and the importance of certain aspects in order to achieve a high score. In the baker bowling format, the coach selects five of six players on their team, and places them in order 1-5. The player in the first spot bowls the first and sixth frame, and this pattern continues with the fifth spot player eventually bowling the fifth and tenth frames.
Order is very important in baker bowling, as some players thrive in certain slots, while they tend to not do as well in others. For the most part, the best player on the team bowls in the fifth position, or the anchor position. This is because they have the opportunity to basically bowl three frames in just the tenth frame if they can strike. It also puts them in a position to seal the game if the scores are close. The next best player in the team usually bowls either in the first spot or the fourth spot, which are both very important and crucial in the game. The first spot is important because the player has the task of setting the tone for the team and getting some much needed early momentum. Momentum is a key in baker bowling because players tend to bowl well if they're team is doing well and they aren't too stressed out. If the first player can gain momentum early, the team has a good shot at bowling a great game. The fourth spot is also very important because it is the set-up spot. Like I mentioned earlier, the tenth frame is very important and many times can be a deciding frame of the game. The player who bowls in the fourth slot needs to set the fifth player up in the best position to win. If the fourth player bowls a spare, the first ball of the fifth player is doubled. Likewise, if the fourth player bowls a strike, the fifth player's next two balls are doubled, which has the potential to add 20 points to a teams score. The second and third spot are also very important in a baker's game because the players in those spots need to either strike or spare to keep momentum going, and any time a spare or strike isn't bowled, the opposing team has a chance to take a big lead, or if they're losing, a chance to come back and cut the lead. Personally for me, I bowl the best in the fourth or fifth position because I like having control of the game, and I tend to do well under a lot of pressure. My worst position would probably be the first position because I don't feel like I have control of the outcome of the game and I'm not as good as starting momentum as I am at continuing it or capitalizing on it.
For Kennedy, the six players that were selected to play on varsity for the tournament were Aaron, Max, Dakota, Bert, Nick, and James. For the most part of the tournament, as well as most of our meets, Bert played in the fifth spot, as he is one of our most reliable players in getting strikes when we need them. Nick usually played in the first position, and was probably the most consistent throughout the day at getting strikes. The rest of the team was jumbled around quite a bit, with Aaron, being a freshman and being a former JV player, sitting out the most of all the Cougars, although he did perform very well when he was called upon.
In the first fourteen games against the seven teams in their division, including Jefferson, Vinton-Shellsburg, Washington, Durant, Marion, Iowa City West, and Louisa-Muscatine the team played very well. They played each team twice, with their total score deciding whether or not they would make bracket. In their first two games against Vinton-Shellsburg, the Cougars won one of the two games, however in total points, they managed to outscore their opponents. Next they played Jefferson, and unfortunately lost both games with Jefferson striking multiple times in a row. They split their next two games with Washington, but outscored the Warriors in total points. After that they won two straight games against Durant, and then won two more against Marion. The Cougs then went on to outscore Iowa City West, but then get outscored by Louisa-Muscatine after splitting the series.
After a long and suspenseful wait, the teams that made bracket were announced. The Cougars ended up celebrating after earning the fifth seed, outscoring 11 of the 16 teams in total points. The bracket games were played in a different format than the first round, with the teams playing in a best of three series. In their quarter-final match up, Kennedy went head-to-head against the fourth-seeded team of West-Delaware. With strong performances from Bert, Nick, James, Dakota, and Max, Kennedy decisively upset their opponents in two games, not even needing a third game to seal the deal. Their semi-final matchup came against the first-seeded team, the North High Wildcats. In the first game, the Cougars started off with five strong frames, but fell apart in the final half of the game dropping a close one to the Wildcats. After switching lanes with the Wildcats and moving closer to Kennedy supporters, the Cougs came back strong winning a decisive match up against the nervous-looking Wildcats. In the third and final game, the Cougars once again started strong leading by more than 20 pins entering the sixth frame. Unfortunately for the Cougs, anchor Bert Goodwin missed a spare in the fifth that could have largely helped Kennedy seal the game. The Wildcats came charging back with a run of strikes, and the Cougs began getting tense. James missed a spare that he had been making all day which ended up hurting the Cougars a lot. Going into the tenth frame, the Cougars had already lost the game. Even if Bert could manage to throw three strikes, which would have been very possible, the Cougars would have lost the game by one point in a heartbreaker. Bert threw a strike on his first ball, knowing that they had already lost, but could not finish the game as he would have liked to. Although the Cougars may not have made it to the finals where they wanted to be against the Linn-Mar Lions, they knew they still had to play in a rematch against Jefferson for third place. After winning the first game, the Cougars lost momentum and looked too down to compete the way they were capable of, and they ended up losing the remaining two games finishing in fourth place.
While the Cougars did not finish the day like they would have preferred, they still had a great day and a lot to be proud of. Going into the tournament with a young team of underdogs, the Cougars managed to upset the fifth-seeded team in the first round, and finished fourth out of sixteen schools throughout the state. This team has a huge amount of potential, and if they can keep working at it, and fix a few mistakes here and there, I have no doubt that they could come back next year and win the whole tournament. This season is still far from over, and the Cougars will just keep on improving.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
ISU Comes Back Against The Hawks
On Thursday, December 10, 2015, the Iowa Hawkeyes traveled to Ames, Iowa to play the Number Four Ranked Undefeated Iowa State Cyclones. Last year, the Cyclones defeated Iowa decisively with incredible shooting and put on an absolute display from behind the three point line. This year, the Hawks looked to return the favor against their in-state rival. In the first half of the game, the Hawks, behind an incredible 30 point first quarter performance by star player Jarrod Uthoff, did just that outscoring the Cyclones 49-35, making the home fans very nervous. Uthoff was practically unstoppable scoring from the three point line, the foul line, mid-range, and throwing down monstrous dunks.
The second half, however, was a completely different story. The Iowa State Cyclones buckled down on Jarrod Uthoff, only allowing him to score two points. This proved very crucial in the final minutes of the game. Without their key player scoring the ball, the Hawks were forced to turn to Peter Jok for points, but after getting hit in the eye accidentally by a Cyclone, he was unable to continue his momentum. With 9:34 left in the game, the home team Cyclones were able to cut the lead under double-digits 60-69, and the home fans went crazy. Iowa was able to keep them under control for awhile, but with 10 seconds left, Monte Morris hit a jumper to give Iowa State a lead, and the building went wild. Head Coach Fran McCaffery of the Hawkeyes refused to call a timeout and let his team play, and Jarrod Uthoff missed a three pointer after being cold all half, and the Cyclones stole a close one. In my opinion the Hawks kind of lost the game more than the Cyclones winning it, due to Fran refusing to call crucial timeouts, and the Hawkeyes unable to inbound the ball twice in the final minute and a half, but credit to the tough Cyclone team for making a comeback. This continues to be a very exciting rivalry.
The second half, however, was a completely different story. The Iowa State Cyclones buckled down on Jarrod Uthoff, only allowing him to score two points. This proved very crucial in the final minutes of the game. Without their key player scoring the ball, the Hawks were forced to turn to Peter Jok for points, but after getting hit in the eye accidentally by a Cyclone, he was unable to continue his momentum. With 9:34 left in the game, the home team Cyclones were able to cut the lead under double-digits 60-69, and the home fans went crazy. Iowa was able to keep them under control for awhile, but with 10 seconds left, Monte Morris hit a jumper to give Iowa State a lead, and the building went wild. Head Coach Fran McCaffery of the Hawkeyes refused to call a timeout and let his team play, and Jarrod Uthoff missed a three pointer after being cold all half, and the Cyclones stole a close one. In my opinion the Hawks kind of lost the game more than the Cyclones winning it, due to Fran refusing to call crucial timeouts, and the Hawkeyes unable to inbound the ball twice in the final minute and a half, but credit to the tough Cyclone team for making a comeback. This continues to be a very exciting rivalry.
Bucks Hand Warriors Shocking First Loss
24 straight games. Last year's champions the Golden State Warriors won 24 straight games. That's pretty unbelievable. Under star player and defending MVP Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors managed to pull off one of the greatest starts in NBA history with 24 straight wins. Since the start of the NBA season, no team has been able to crack the code on how to stop the defending champs' small ball approach, at least until the Warriors faced the Milwaukee Bucks. After a couple weeks of being compared to Michael Jordan's 72-10 Chicago Bulls team, the Golden State Warriors were handed their first loss against a surprising opponent, the currently 10-15 Milwaukee Bucks led by center Greg Monroe.
The game started off close, with both teams playing well. Monroe and O.J. Mayo played well for the Bucks in the first quarter to give them a 30-28 lead going into the second over Steph Curry who had a decent first quarter for the Warriors. In the second, however, the Bucks took complete control over the game, scoring 29 points in the second quarter over the Warriors' 20. With a mixed attack on offense, practically everyone was able to score for the Bucks, while Golden State couldn't find the rhythm they'd been having all season. By halftime break, last year's champs found themselves trailing by 11 points 48-59, and began to worry that their perfect season may come to halt that very night.
In the third quarter, Draymond Green of the Warriors decided that he would not go down without a fight, bringing the Warriors within three before the start of the final quarter. Green is definitely a catalyst for the Warriors' offense and is sort of a spark plug for this team with his electric personality. Going into the final quarter, however, the home team Milwaukee Bucks held an 80-77 lead.
During the first half of the final period, the Bucks went on an 11-2 run, increasing their lead to 12. With 4:43 left in the game, Steph Curry did what he's been doing since he came into the league knocking down a huge three pointer to bring the game within 9, but that was the closest the Warriors were able to come for the rest of the game. The Bucks finished strong outscoring the Warriors by 10 points in the final twelve minutes and ended up shocking the world with a decisive 108-95 victory over a tired Warriors team, who hadn't lost all season and just came out of Boston with a double overtime victory. I don't exactly know how they were able to do it, but congrats Bucks on the victory.
The game started off close, with both teams playing well. Monroe and O.J. Mayo played well for the Bucks in the first quarter to give them a 30-28 lead going into the second over Steph Curry who had a decent first quarter for the Warriors. In the second, however, the Bucks took complete control over the game, scoring 29 points in the second quarter over the Warriors' 20. With a mixed attack on offense, practically everyone was able to score for the Bucks, while Golden State couldn't find the rhythm they'd been having all season. By halftime break, last year's champs found themselves trailing by 11 points 48-59, and began to worry that their perfect season may come to halt that very night.
In the third quarter, Draymond Green of the Warriors decided that he would not go down without a fight, bringing the Warriors within three before the start of the final quarter. Green is definitely a catalyst for the Warriors' offense and is sort of a spark plug for this team with his electric personality. Going into the final quarter, however, the home team Milwaukee Bucks held an 80-77 lead.
During the first half of the final period, the Bucks went on an 11-2 run, increasing their lead to 12. With 4:43 left in the game, Steph Curry did what he's been doing since he came into the league knocking down a huge three pointer to bring the game within 9, but that was the closest the Warriors were able to come for the rest of the game. The Bucks finished strong outscoring the Warriors by 10 points in the final twelve minutes and ended up shocking the world with a decisive 108-95 victory over a tired Warriors team, who hadn't lost all season and just came out of Boston with a double overtime victory. I don't exactly know how they were able to do it, but congrats Bucks on the victory.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
2015-2016 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series
Every year, the Iowa Hawkeyes and their in-state rivals the Iowa State Cyclones compete in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk series. The schools compete against each other in twelve different events throughout the year, with each event worth about two points. At the end of the year, the school with the most points wins the competition. The events in the competition include, Football, Men's and Women's Basketball, and Soccer, along with many other events.
This year, the Hawkeyes have led the competition since its first event of soccer took place in Iowa City. The Cyclones have not been able to catch up and currently trail the Hawks 10-4. After winning in soccer, the Hawks increased their lead on the same day, with a win in a volleyball match up, also held in Iowa City. The next day, the Iowa Hawkeye football team traveled to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, to play the Cyclones in the first event on Iowa State's own turf. Unfortunately for the home team, the Hawkeyes were able to come out with a victory to increase their lead in the Cy-Hawk series 7-0. The next duel between the two schools took place two months later on November 11, when the Hawkeyes once again defeated the Cyclones, this time in an academic competition worth one point. Later on in the day, the Cyclones picked up their first victories with both their Women's and Men's Cross Country team defeating the Hawkeyes to bring the score to 8-4. The two rivals would not meet up for another two weeks, until the Iowa Hawkeyes traveled back to Ames for a wrestling competition in arguably the best state for wrestling. Despite having home advantage, the Cyclones lost once again on their home turf, bringing the score of the series to 10-4, where it currently sits. With just five events remaining in the series, the Cyclones still have a great shot at winning the competition. Their odds are increased even higher due to the fact that all five remaining events will take place in Ames, Iowa. Although the Iowa State Cyclones are 0-2 at Ames, home-court advantage is always a huge factor. However, the Hawkeyes only need to win two of the five remaining events to clinch a victory, and just one event to avoid losing.
The next event in the Cy-Hawk series takes place today, December 10, 2015. The Iowa Hawkeyes, led by senior Jarrod Uthoff, will be traveling to Ames for a tough matchup against senior Georges Niang and his fourth-ranked Iowa Cyclones. Last year, the Cyclones traveled to Carver-Hawkeye arena and completely routed the Hawks 90-75 with a complete barrage of three pointers. The Hawks will look to return the favor tonight and secure at least a tie in the Cy-Hawk series.
Tomorrow, both the Swimming and Diving team and the Women's Basketball team of the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Ames for some more tough competition. The Hawkeyes Women's Basketball team are currently ranked 23rd in the nation and will hope to increase their ranking in a tough match up against the Cyclones who will look for the upset.
After those three events, the remaining of events of softball and gymnastics will take place next year, both in Ames. With Iowa State currently leading in overall series wins 6-5, the Hawkeyes, who currently hold a commanding lead, will hope to take the trophy back to Iowa City and tie the series.
These remaining events look to be very competitive and hopefully very exciting.
This year, the Hawkeyes have led the competition since its first event of soccer took place in Iowa City. The Cyclones have not been able to catch up and currently trail the Hawks 10-4. After winning in soccer, the Hawks increased their lead on the same day, with a win in a volleyball match up, also held in Iowa City. The next day, the Iowa Hawkeye football team traveled to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, to play the Cyclones in the first event on Iowa State's own turf. Unfortunately for the home team, the Hawkeyes were able to come out with a victory to increase their lead in the Cy-Hawk series 7-0. The next duel between the two schools took place two months later on November 11, when the Hawkeyes once again defeated the Cyclones, this time in an academic competition worth one point. Later on in the day, the Cyclones picked up their first victories with both their Women's and Men's Cross Country team defeating the Hawkeyes to bring the score to 8-4. The two rivals would not meet up for another two weeks, until the Iowa Hawkeyes traveled back to Ames for a wrestling competition in arguably the best state for wrestling. Despite having home advantage, the Cyclones lost once again on their home turf, bringing the score of the series to 10-4, where it currently sits. With just five events remaining in the series, the Cyclones still have a great shot at winning the competition. Their odds are increased even higher due to the fact that all five remaining events will take place in Ames, Iowa. Although the Iowa State Cyclones are 0-2 at Ames, home-court advantage is always a huge factor. However, the Hawkeyes only need to win two of the five remaining events to clinch a victory, and just one event to avoid losing.
The next event in the Cy-Hawk series takes place today, December 10, 2015. The Iowa Hawkeyes, led by senior Jarrod Uthoff, will be traveling to Ames for a tough matchup against senior Georges Niang and his fourth-ranked Iowa Cyclones. Last year, the Cyclones traveled to Carver-Hawkeye arena and completely routed the Hawks 90-75 with a complete barrage of three pointers. The Hawks will look to return the favor tonight and secure at least a tie in the Cy-Hawk series.
Tomorrow, both the Swimming and Diving team and the Women's Basketball team of the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Ames for some more tough competition. The Hawkeyes Women's Basketball team are currently ranked 23rd in the nation and will hope to increase their ranking in a tough match up against the Cyclones who will look for the upset.
After those three events, the remaining of events of softball and gymnastics will take place next year, both in Ames. With Iowa State currently leading in overall series wins 6-5, the Hawkeyes, who currently hold a commanding lead, will hope to take the trophy back to Iowa City and tie the series.
These remaining events look to be very competitive and hopefully very exciting.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Who's In?
The regular season and the Conference Championship matchups are over. Each team throughout the nation has done what it could to put together a resume decent enough for the playoff committee to consider them one of the top four teams in all college football. The committee takes into consideration many things when deciding "who's in", including strength of schedule, number of wins against Top 25 teams, and control over the game. Going into the final week of the regular season, Clemson was ranked Number 1, followed by Alabama at Number 2, Oklahoma at Number 3, and the Iowa Hawkeyes ranked Number 4. However, after the conference championship games, things have changed. So Who's In?
Coming in at the Number One Overall Ranking are the Clemson Tigers, which should not be much of a shocker to anyone. After defeating North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game, the Tigers finished with the only undefeated record in all of the FBS, following Iowa's loss to Michigan State. They had held the Number One spot for many weeks, and never seemed lose grasp of it. Clemson boasts key wins over Notre Dame, Florida State University, and, of course, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
At the Number Two Spot are the Alabama Crimson Tide, who secured their spot in the playoffs after a victory in the SEC Championship game against the Florida Gators. Alabama finished the season with an overall record of 12-1, with their only loss coming early in the season against Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide had stood at Number Two for the majority of the season through strong play, but were unable to finish ahead of Clemson after the Tigers never lost a game. Alabama's key wins came against Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, and Florida.
The biggest change in the College Football Playoff rankings came at Number Three with the Michigan State Spartans. After defeating Iowa in a tough-fought matchup that came down to the final minutes, the Spartans secured a spot in the College Football Playoffs. The Spartans finished with a 12-1 overall record, with their only loss coming against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a somewhat controversial finish. The Spartans sat just outside of the College Football Playoff rankings the previous week at Number 5, but after spoiling the Hawkeyes perfect season, the committee had to reward them with the spot. Michigan State's key wins include victories over Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, and the Hawkeyes.
Taking the final spot in the College Football Playoffs at Number Four are the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners finished with an 11-1 record, and didn't even play this week after becoming the undisputed Big 12 Champions. Their only loss came early in the year against the Texas Longhorns. Notable wins for the Sooners came against Tennessee, West Virginia, Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma State.
Number One Clemson will take on Number Four Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in the semifinals. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Cotton Bowl between the Number Two Crimson Tide and the Number Three Spartans.
Coming in at the Number One Overall Ranking are the Clemson Tigers, which should not be much of a shocker to anyone. After defeating North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game, the Tigers finished with the only undefeated record in all of the FBS, following Iowa's loss to Michigan State. They had held the Number One spot for many weeks, and never seemed lose grasp of it. Clemson boasts key wins over Notre Dame, Florida State University, and, of course, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
At the Number Two Spot are the Alabama Crimson Tide, who secured their spot in the playoffs after a victory in the SEC Championship game against the Florida Gators. Alabama finished the season with an overall record of 12-1, with their only loss coming early in the season against Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide had stood at Number Two for the majority of the season through strong play, but were unable to finish ahead of Clemson after the Tigers never lost a game. Alabama's key wins came against Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, and Florida.
The biggest change in the College Football Playoff rankings came at Number Three with the Michigan State Spartans. After defeating Iowa in a tough-fought matchup that came down to the final minutes, the Spartans secured a spot in the College Football Playoffs. The Spartans finished with a 12-1 overall record, with their only loss coming against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a somewhat controversial finish. The Spartans sat just outside of the College Football Playoff rankings the previous week at Number 5, but after spoiling the Hawkeyes perfect season, the committee had to reward them with the spot. Michigan State's key wins include victories over Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, and the Hawkeyes.
Taking the final spot in the College Football Playoffs at Number Four are the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners finished with an 11-1 record, and didn't even play this week after becoming the undisputed Big 12 Champions. Their only loss came early in the year against the Texas Longhorns. Notable wins for the Sooners came against Tennessee, West Virginia, Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma State.
Number One Clemson will take on Number Four Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in the semifinals. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Cotton Bowl between the Number Two Crimson Tide and the Number Three Spartans.
Hawkeyes Headed To The Rose Bowl
After a disappointing last-minute loss against the Michigan State Spartans, the Hawkeyes hopes and morale were down. Although they had accomplished an incredible season, it definitely would have been nice to head to the College Football Playoffs being on of the only two teams with an undefeated record with the other being Clemson. However, the Hawkeyes knew that they would still make a pretty good bowl game. While many people throughout the world believed that the Ohio State Buckeyes would jump ahead of the Hawkeyes and take the Rose Bowl, the committee decided that Iowa had been the better team this year, ranking them at Number 5, and sending them to the Rose Bowl to battle head-to-head against Pac-12 Champion Stanford. This will be the Hawks' first appearance in the Rose Bowl since 1991. The Buckeyes, who fell to Number 7, in turn will go to the Fiesta Bowl to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Big Ten Championship Game
On December 15, 2015, the Number 4 Ranked Iowa Hawkeyes met the Number 5 Ranked Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Hawkeyes were representing the Western division of the Big Ten after an undefeated 12-0 season. The Spartans represented the Eastern division after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes in a crucial matchup, and finishing the regular season with an 11-1 record. Michigan State's only loss came against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a controversial finish. The winner of the game was almost surely going to make it into the College Football Playoffs to represent the Big Ten.
Before the game, Michigan State won the toss, and deferred the opening kickoff to Iowa in order to receive the ball at the start of the second half. On Iowa's opening drive, Henry Krieger Coble, who has some of the best hands on the Hawkeyes team, fumbled the ball to Michigan State, giving the Spartans excellent field-positioning on Iowa's 27 yard-line. Luckily for Iowa, their defense was able to stand strong, and the Spartans were forced to settle for a field goal. The Spartans then kicked off to the Hawkeyes, who were unable to answer the Spartans score, and were forced to punt the ball back to Michigan State. On the fourth play of the Spartans next drive, quarterback Connor Cook threw the ball off his own player to avoid a sack, and Josey Jewell of the Hawkeyes intercepted the ricochet to give the Hawkeyes good field positioning. In response to Iowa's tough defense, Michigan State was able to stand strong and hold the Hawks to a field goal to tie the game at 3 apiece. After some tough penalties against the Spartans, Iowa was able to get a nice three and out to get the ball back. After getting the ball back, Iowa made some nice plays before something tragic happened. During a Jordan Canzeri run, a Michigan State defender fell on the back of Canzeri's ankle, and he was unable to return for the rest of the game. This was a big blow to the Hawkeyes who had just gotten Canzeri back to 100% after a great game for him against the Cornhuskers last week. Fortunately for the Hawks, they still had three good running backs and were able to get a field goal to take the lead 6-3. The Spartans were unable to answer after they missed a field goal, and Iowa once again had the ball. Iowa took the ball all the way down to the Michigan State 5 yard-line to once again threaten to score. In an incredibly lucky turn of events for the Spartans, C.J. Beathard's pass was not caught by Krieger Coble and landed on a Michigan State defender's back and Demetrious Cox was able to pick it up for an interception in the in-zone. For the remainder of the first half, both teams were unable to score, and Iowa went into the halftime break leading 6-3, despite everyone's doubts.
Michigan State started the second half with the ball, and in a series very similar to the first half, the defense stood tall. Fortunately for the Spartans, Iowa was also unable to score, and Michigan State regained the ball. The Spartans were able to score on their next possession with a field goal to tie the game. After an Iowa Hawkeye punt, Michigan State was once again able to make a field goal to take the lead 9-6. On the second play of Iowa's next drive, C.J. Beathard was able to throw an incredible 85-yard pass to Tevaun Smith for his most explosive play of the season and also score a touchdown for the Hawkeyes to retake the lead 13-9. Both teams then traded punts until MSU got the ball back with 9:31 left in the game. On an incredibly long drive for the Spartans, which took 9:04, the they finally got the ball in the in-zone to take the lead 16-13 with only 27 seconds for the Hawkeyes to do something. On the first play of Iowa's drive, the Michigan State front line stood strong and sacked C.J. Beathard forcing Iowa to have to spike the ball to stop the clock with no timeouts. Iowa was unable to make a miracle happen after Tevaun Smith fumbled the ball back to the Spartans with no time left ending the game in a heartbreaker for the Hawkeyes. This game was Iowa's first loss this season and C.J. Beathard's first loss as a starter. However, while they were defeated, the Hawkeyes proved that they accomplished a great season after staying close to the Spartans until the final minutes after many said that the game would end in a rout for the Spartans. This was a nice end to a great season for both teams.
Before the game, Michigan State won the toss, and deferred the opening kickoff to Iowa in order to receive the ball at the start of the second half. On Iowa's opening drive, Henry Krieger Coble, who has some of the best hands on the Hawkeyes team, fumbled the ball to Michigan State, giving the Spartans excellent field-positioning on Iowa's 27 yard-line. Luckily for Iowa, their defense was able to stand strong, and the Spartans were forced to settle for a field goal. The Spartans then kicked off to the Hawkeyes, who were unable to answer the Spartans score, and were forced to punt the ball back to Michigan State. On the fourth play of the Spartans next drive, quarterback Connor Cook threw the ball off his own player to avoid a sack, and Josey Jewell of the Hawkeyes intercepted the ricochet to give the Hawkeyes good field positioning. In response to Iowa's tough defense, Michigan State was able to stand strong and hold the Hawks to a field goal to tie the game at 3 apiece. After some tough penalties against the Spartans, Iowa was able to get a nice three and out to get the ball back. After getting the ball back, Iowa made some nice plays before something tragic happened. During a Jordan Canzeri run, a Michigan State defender fell on the back of Canzeri's ankle, and he was unable to return for the rest of the game. This was a big blow to the Hawkeyes who had just gotten Canzeri back to 100% after a great game for him against the Cornhuskers last week. Fortunately for the Hawks, they still had three good running backs and were able to get a field goal to take the lead 6-3. The Spartans were unable to answer after they missed a field goal, and Iowa once again had the ball. Iowa took the ball all the way down to the Michigan State 5 yard-line to once again threaten to score. In an incredibly lucky turn of events for the Spartans, C.J. Beathard's pass was not caught by Krieger Coble and landed on a Michigan State defender's back and Demetrious Cox was able to pick it up for an interception in the in-zone. For the remainder of the first half, both teams were unable to score, and Iowa went into the halftime break leading 6-3, despite everyone's doubts.
Michigan State started the second half with the ball, and in a series very similar to the first half, the defense stood tall. Fortunately for the Spartans, Iowa was also unable to score, and Michigan State regained the ball. The Spartans were able to score on their next possession with a field goal to tie the game. After an Iowa Hawkeye punt, Michigan State was once again able to make a field goal to take the lead 9-6. On the second play of Iowa's next drive, C.J. Beathard was able to throw an incredible 85-yard pass to Tevaun Smith for his most explosive play of the season and also score a touchdown for the Hawkeyes to retake the lead 13-9. Both teams then traded punts until MSU got the ball back with 9:31 left in the game. On an incredibly long drive for the Spartans, which took 9:04, the they finally got the ball in the in-zone to take the lead 16-13 with only 27 seconds for the Hawkeyes to do something. On the first play of Iowa's drive, the Michigan State front line stood strong and sacked C.J. Beathard forcing Iowa to have to spike the ball to stop the clock with no timeouts. Iowa was unable to make a miracle happen after Tevaun Smith fumbled the ball back to the Spartans with no time left ending the game in a heartbreaker for the Hawkeyes. This game was Iowa's first loss this season and C.J. Beathard's first loss as a starter. However, while they were defeated, the Hawkeyes proved that they accomplished a great season after staying close to the Spartans until the final minutes after many said that the game would end in a rout for the Spartans. This was a nice end to a great season for both teams.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
The Golden State Warriors Make NBA History
With a 118-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets, the reigning champion Golden State Warriors have made NBA history by tying the NBA record of a 15-0 start. The only other teams to have ever done this are the 1948-1949 Capitols team and the 1993-1994 Houston Rockets. With the best shooting duo the NBA has ever seen in Klay Thompson and defending MVP Stephen Curry, the Warriors have been red hot since the season started after winning the NBA Finals last year against the injured Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors look very hungry to repeat last year's season, and no team has been able to slow them down. Golden State has pretty much demolished every team that's been put in front of them, with their only close games coming against the Raptors and both games against their rivals the Los Angeles Clippers. The defending champs are also favored to win 65 of their remaining 67 games. The only time they aren't favored to win games this season are the two games they play on the road against the San Antonio Spurs. If the experts are right, which is highly unlikely but not impossible, the Warriors would finish the season 80-2 which is an incredibly remarkable record. While I'm not quite sure that can happen, anything looks possible with this team. It will be interesting to see which team can finally end this incredible streak, if anyone actually can.
The Iowa Hawkeyes Are The Big Ten West Champions!
On Saturday, November 21, 2015, the Iowa Hawkeyes clinched the Big Ten West Title by defeating the Purdue Boilermakers on senior day for the Hawks who played their final game of the year at their home field Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes had been the front runner in the Big Ten West after defeating both Northwestern and Wisconsin, their biggest competition in the Western division of the Big Ten. After achieving a 6-0 conference record, the Hawkeyes needed either a win or a Wisconsin loss to clinch the title. The Wisconsin Badgers were 5-1 in conference play, and needed two Iowa losses to win the title due to the Hawkeyes holding the tiebreaker after a win in Madison, Wisconsin. Unfortunately for the Badgers, everything went wrong for them as Iowa won and they were also unable to win in a tough matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats. With just one week remaining in the regular season, the Hawkeyes will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers, in what looks to be the toughest challenge for the Hawkeyes since routing the Wildcats in week seven. ESPN experts are still predicting the matchup to be in Iowa's favor, but only by .2%. And yes, the "." is actually there, it's not just some dot on your screen. The experts are currently giving the Hawkeyes a slight 50.2% edge to the Hawkeyes with the Cornhuskers having a 49.8% chance of pulling off the upset. Nebraska is very capable, however, of doing that very feat. Earlier in the season, the Cornhuskers pulled off an albeit controversial win against a then undefeated Michigan State team, and they'll look to do the same to the Hawkeyes in a rival meeting for the Heroes Trophy. Nebraska will be coming off a bye week after two straight wins, so the Hawkeyes would be very wise not to underestimate them. They will need to continue to do what they've done through eleven straight games if they want to end the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record. Speaking of an undefeated record, after a very exciting weekend of football, Iowa is now one of only two remaining teams still with an unblemished record with the only other team being Number One ranked Clemson. Both Ohio State and Oklahoma State lost this weekend, bumping the Hawkeyes to Number Three in both the AP Top 25 rankings and the coaches poll. If Iowa can beat Nebraska next weekend and win a tough Big Ten Championship game against either Ohio State, Michigan State, or Michigan, they are a lock for getting into the College Football Playoffs, regardless of what other fans might say. For the Big Ten East, Michigan State controls their own destiny. If they win next weekend against Penn State, they clinch the title. If they lose, the winner of the Michigan vs. Ohio State game is the Big Ten East Champion. Regardless, it should be a very exciting matchup. Iowa has had a remarkable and historic season. While some continue to argue and dismiss the accomplishments of this tough Hawkeye team, they should be very proud of their achievements. This has been an amazing year, and hopefully for this Hawkeye team, it will end on a high note.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans Round 1
On November 18, 2015, the Oklahoma City Thunder played the New Orleans Pelicans in the first of three games this regular season. The game was scheduled to be played at 7:00 Central Time, and was televised nationally on ESPN. It was played in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. These two teams are two that many expect to make it to the Western Conference playoffs, and are two teams with bright young talent who have the ability to take their teams all the way to the NBA Finals. However, this game was not expected to be as exciting as their next two meetings could potentially be, as both teams are struggling with poor play and injuries to their star players. Regardless of the circumstances, this was a pretty enjoyable match up, with both teams playing well, and it was a nice glimpse of what the rest of this series has in store.
Coming into the game, the Thunder had a 7-4 record on the season. They had lost their last two games since recently losing arguably the best player on their team, and the second best player in the world Kevin Durant. Durant had missed three straight games after suffering a minor hamstring injury against the Washington Wizards in a win for the Thunder. Before the injury Durant had been averaging about 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in about 34 minutes of playing time. These were pretty good numbers for the star out of the University of Texas after missing almost all of last season due to a Jones' fracture in his foot. Fortunately for Thunder fans, such as myself, rookie head coach Billy Donovan has already commented that Durant's injury is not very serious and shouldn't be a major concern for the team or Durant.
The Pelicans did not have it any easier, though. They came into the game against the Thunder with an awful record of 1-10, and they hadn't even won a single game on the road. They had also been playing recently either without star player Anthony Davis, or with very restricted minutes from the young power forward from the University of Kentucky. Davis was listed day-to-day and had recently played 40 minutes in a losing effort against the New York Knicks, but he was restricted to just 6 minutes against the Denver Nuggets due to a shoulder injury. Davis had only played 9 games this season, in which he averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 33 minutes, but he was not expected to play against the Thunder.
In the first quarter, the Thunder developed an early lead and showed their dominance throughout the first seven and a half minutes. However, the Pelicans would not be defeated that easily, and after a three-point basket by Eric Gordon, New Orleans took their first lead of the game. With some strong play by Gordon and teammate Ryan Anderson, the Pelicans ended the quarter on a 14-6 run and took a 27-21 lead heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Enes Kanter got it going for the Thunder, as they took the lead back with 7:07 remaining in the first half, prompting the Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry to call a timeout to settle down his team. The timeout, however, did not really help New Orleans, as they were still outscored 19-12 during the remainder of the first half. Going into the break, the Pelicans would trail the home team 53-45.
To start out the third quarter, Russell Westbrook brought the home fans to their feet by stealing the ball and breaking away for a huge slam dunk to push the Thunder's lead to double digits. The Pelicans responded with a quick 8-0 run to cut the lead to just two points, settling down the rowdy crowd. Out of a Thunder timeout, Oklahoma City knocked down two big threes to bring their lead back up to eight points, but Alexis Ajinca halted their run with an 11-foot jumper. The home team responded with another 6-0 run to give the Oklahoma City Thunder their largest lead so far of 12 points, causing Alvin Gentry to burn another timeout. For the remainder of the third period, the Pelicans kept chasing the Thunder, and were only able to cut the lead to six points, with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
The Pelicans opened up the final quarter with a 6-3 run cutting the lead to three points, but the Thunder responded with a 7-2 run to bring their lead back up to eight. The Pelicans came out of a timeout with a layup, but the Thunder kept on making shots, and with 5:30 left in the game, the home team led by 11 points. New Orleans would not be put away, however, and went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead back to just three points, but that's as close as they were able to get for the rest of the game. The Thunder outscored the Pelicans 13-9 throughout the rest of the quarter, and when the final buzzer sounded, the home team had won the game 110-103.
Overall, it was a nice game, showing a brief preview of how this rivalry will go this season. Their next matchup is not until February 11, again at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Hopefully for the next game, both Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis will be fully healthy for their teams in what should be an exciting matchup. The Pelicans will look to avoid losing the best of three series with a win in OKC to go into their final matchup just two weeks later in New Orleans. The Thunder will hope to capitalize by taking care of their home court. This looks to be like a great series.
Coming into the game, the Thunder had a 7-4 record on the season. They had lost their last two games since recently losing arguably the best player on their team, and the second best player in the world Kevin Durant. Durant had missed three straight games after suffering a minor hamstring injury against the Washington Wizards in a win for the Thunder. Before the injury Durant had been averaging about 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in about 34 minutes of playing time. These were pretty good numbers for the star out of the University of Texas after missing almost all of last season due to a Jones' fracture in his foot. Fortunately for Thunder fans, such as myself, rookie head coach Billy Donovan has already commented that Durant's injury is not very serious and shouldn't be a major concern for the team or Durant.
The Pelicans did not have it any easier, though. They came into the game against the Thunder with an awful record of 1-10, and they hadn't even won a single game on the road. They had also been playing recently either without star player Anthony Davis, or with very restricted minutes from the young power forward from the University of Kentucky. Davis was listed day-to-day and had recently played 40 minutes in a losing effort against the New York Knicks, but he was restricted to just 6 minutes against the Denver Nuggets due to a shoulder injury. Davis had only played 9 games this season, in which he averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 33 minutes, but he was not expected to play against the Thunder.
In the first quarter, the Thunder developed an early lead and showed their dominance throughout the first seven and a half minutes. However, the Pelicans would not be defeated that easily, and after a three-point basket by Eric Gordon, New Orleans took their first lead of the game. With some strong play by Gordon and teammate Ryan Anderson, the Pelicans ended the quarter on a 14-6 run and took a 27-21 lead heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Enes Kanter got it going for the Thunder, as they took the lead back with 7:07 remaining in the first half, prompting the Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry to call a timeout to settle down his team. The timeout, however, did not really help New Orleans, as they were still outscored 19-12 during the remainder of the first half. Going into the break, the Pelicans would trail the home team 53-45.
To start out the third quarter, Russell Westbrook brought the home fans to their feet by stealing the ball and breaking away for a huge slam dunk to push the Thunder's lead to double digits. The Pelicans responded with a quick 8-0 run to cut the lead to just two points, settling down the rowdy crowd. Out of a Thunder timeout, Oklahoma City knocked down two big threes to bring their lead back up to eight points, but Alexis Ajinca halted their run with an 11-foot jumper. The home team responded with another 6-0 run to give the Oklahoma City Thunder their largest lead so far of 12 points, causing Alvin Gentry to burn another timeout. For the remainder of the third period, the Pelicans kept chasing the Thunder, and were only able to cut the lead to six points, with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
The Pelicans opened up the final quarter with a 6-3 run cutting the lead to three points, but the Thunder responded with a 7-2 run to bring their lead back up to eight. The Pelicans came out of a timeout with a layup, but the Thunder kept on making shots, and with 5:30 left in the game, the home team led by 11 points. New Orleans would not be put away, however, and went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead back to just three points, but that's as close as they were able to get for the rest of the game. The Thunder outscored the Pelicans 13-9 throughout the rest of the quarter, and when the final buzzer sounded, the home team had won the game 110-103.
Overall, it was a nice game, showing a brief preview of how this rivalry will go this season. Their next matchup is not until February 11, again at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Hopefully for the next game, both Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis will be fully healthy for their teams in what should be an exciting matchup. The Pelicans will look to avoid losing the best of three series with a win in OKC to go into their final matchup just two weeks later in New Orleans. The Thunder will hope to capitalize by taking care of their home court. This looks to be like a great series.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
A Decent Start To The Iowa Hawkeye Men's Basketball Season
This week, the Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball team started their season. After making it to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year under Hawkeye star Aaron White, the Hawkeyes looked to have another great season under new key player Jarrod Uthoff after Aaron White's graduation.
Their first game of the season was Friday in Carver Hawkeye Arena against Gardner Webb. In the first half, Iowa was able to outscore the Bulldogs 41-37 through Uthoff who was able to score all of his career-high 21 points in the first half after scoring 8 of the Hawkeyes first 9 points. The Hawkeyes began the second half with a quick 8-0 run to take a double-digit lead which they maintained for the rest of the game. The Hawkeyes ended up beating the Bulldogs 76-59 after a great game from Uthoff who finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks for Iowa. Other players who had notable games for the Hawkeyes include Adam Woodbury, who scored 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Mike Gesell who finished with 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a career-high 9 assists. On a sad note for the Hawks, three-point scorer Peter Jok was forced to leave the game early in the second half with an injury.
Iowa played their second game on Sunday at Carver Hawkeye Arena against the Coppin State Eagles. The Hawkeyes completely demolished the Eagles in the first half outscoring them by 30 points to go into halftime up 52-22. The second half was a little closer after Fran McCaffery, Iowa's head coach, pulled most of his starters early in the second period. The Eagles were able to score 46 points in the second half, but were still outscored by Iowa who scored 51 points. The Hawkeyes ended the game winning 103-68, accomplishing their first 100 point game since 2013. Notable performers for the Hawkeyes include new addition to the starting lineup Dom Uhl who scored a career-high 18 points, and freshman Brady Ellingson who scored a game-high 20 points.
While the Hawkeyes have not yet played real competition yet this season, these two games have been a great chance for the Hawkeyes to gain some confidence and get a nice feel for what strategies work for them. This looks to be an interesting season for the Hawkeyes.
Their first game of the season was Friday in Carver Hawkeye Arena against Gardner Webb. In the first half, Iowa was able to outscore the Bulldogs 41-37 through Uthoff who was able to score all of his career-high 21 points in the first half after scoring 8 of the Hawkeyes first 9 points. The Hawkeyes began the second half with a quick 8-0 run to take a double-digit lead which they maintained for the rest of the game. The Hawkeyes ended up beating the Bulldogs 76-59 after a great game from Uthoff who finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks for Iowa. Other players who had notable games for the Hawkeyes include Adam Woodbury, who scored 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Mike Gesell who finished with 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a career-high 9 assists. On a sad note for the Hawks, three-point scorer Peter Jok was forced to leave the game early in the second half with an injury.
Iowa played their second game on Sunday at Carver Hawkeye Arena against the Coppin State Eagles. The Hawkeyes completely demolished the Eagles in the first half outscoring them by 30 points to go into halftime up 52-22. The second half was a little closer after Fran McCaffery, Iowa's head coach, pulled most of his starters early in the second period. The Eagles were able to score 46 points in the second half, but were still outscored by Iowa who scored 51 points. The Hawkeyes ended the game winning 103-68, accomplishing their first 100 point game since 2013. Notable performers for the Hawkeyes include new addition to the starting lineup Dom Uhl who scored a career-high 18 points, and freshman Brady Ellingson who scored a game-high 20 points.
While the Hawkeyes have not yet played real competition yet this season, these two games have been a great chance for the Hawkeyes to gain some confidence and get a nice feel for what strategies work for them. This looks to be an interesting season for the Hawkeyes.
Hawkeye History Has Been Made
For the first time in Iowa History, the Iowa Hawkeye Football team is 10-0. The closest the Hawkeyes had ever come to 10-0 previously was in the 2009 Hawkeye season where Iowa started 9-0, but unfortunately lost their tenth game at Kinnick Stadium after star quarterback Ricky Stanzi was injured in a game against the Northwestern Wildcats. This season, under newly named quarterback C.J. Beathard, the Hawkeyes have had an absolute historic season. Even with injuries, the Hawks have found a way to win game-after-game week-after-week to start the season 9-0. After a tough game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Iowa made Hawkeye history in the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale by pushing that win total to 10-0 to remain perfect on the season and break the record for the greatest start in program history.
The game was set to kickoff at 7:00 Central time, and would be played at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. It was televised nationally on the Big Ten Network. Iowa knew this would be an important game, especially since it was a rivalry game with the Floyd of Rosedale as the trophy. Last year, the Golden Gophers absolutely demolished the Hawkeyes 51-14 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Overall in the series, the Golden Gophers led the rivalry against the Hawkeyes 62 games to 45 with two ties.
Minnesota won the toss, and elected to receive the opening kickoff, sending a message to the Hawkeyes, who generally like to start the game with their offense on the field with the ball. The Golden Gophers took the ball all the way from their own 25 yard-line to the Iowa 47, but failed to convert on a third-and-four, and were forced to punt the ball to the home team. The Hawkeyes started their first possession pinned down at their own 9 yard-line. After a long 8:38 possession, the Hawks punched in a touchdown after a 3-yard run from first-string running back LeShun Daniels Jr., who would be playing his first game with sufficient minutes since the beginning of the season before he was injured. On the Golden Gophers' ensuing possession, Minnesota marched down the field very quickly under quarterback Mitch Leidner scoring a touchdown in 2:29 going 75 yards down the field in only six plays ending with a two-yard run by the quarterback himself. The Hawkeyes then took the ball 75 yards in 2:30 ending with a 1-yard bootleg touchdown run by C.J. Beathard in a possession that almost mimicked what the Golden Gophers had just done. Minnesota responded with a quick touchdown after a 40-yard pass from Leidner to Brandon Lingen. The touchdown shootout ended after the Hawkeyes failed to score a touchdown on their next possession. However, Iowa did manage to score three points on a 47-yard field goal by Marshall Koehn to give the Hawkeyes a 17-14 lead over the Golden Gophers. Minnesota was unable to answer the Hawkeye score and was forced to punt the ball back to the home team with 3:52 remaining in the first half. Knowing that they would receive the ball to start off the second half, the Hawkeyes knew that a score here could be very crucial in deciding the outcome of the game. In a good sign for the Hawks, C.J. Beathard, who had been struggling with a right groin injury for a majority of the season limiting his mobility, ran 26 yards to the Minnesota 14 yard-line for a first down forcing the Golden Gophers to call a timeout with only 1:00 remaining to halt the Hawkeyes' momentum. After a pass interference called on Minnesota, Iowa was set up with a first and goal at the Minnesota 2 yard-line, and LeShun Daniels Jr. drove the ball past the goal line to give the Hawkeyes a nice 24-14 lead with only 44 seconds remaining in the first half. The Golden Gophers decided to be conservative and just let the clock run out after a 5-yard run from Shannon Brooks.
To start the second half, both teams finally decided to play some defense keeping the opposing offenses to a three and out with neither team allowing even one first down. On Iowa's next possession, they started with great field positioning after a ten-yard punt return by Desmond King to the 50 yard-line. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, they were unable to capitalize on King's nice return and only came away with three points after a 38-yard field goal from Koehn. Minnesota responded to Koehn's field goal with a touchdown capped off by a Leidner 1-yard run to cut Iowa's lead to 27-21. The Hawks were fortunate to start another possession with great field positioning after a 58-yard kickoff return from Desmond King to the Minnesota 37 yard-line. To begin the fourth and final quarter, the Hawks finished their drive with another 1-yard touchdown run from C.J. Beathard, but failed to convert on a two-point conversion that would've potentially put the Hawks up by two full touchdowns, thus the score was 33-21 Iowa. The Golden Gophers were unable to do anything against the Hawks tough defense, but were fortunate that the Hawks could not increase their lead on the next possession after Marshall Koehn just barely missed a 48-yard field goal. The teams then traded punts until Minnesota was able to score a touchdown on a nice trick play pass from Shannon Brooks to Drew Wolitarsky. With their lead cut to just five points, the Iowa Hawkeyes knew their perfect season could be in danger. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, they had a running back named LeShun Daniels Jr. who had a career night for his team capped off with a 51-yard touchdown run to put the Hawkeyes up 28-40. With only 2:01 left in the game, and with the Golden Gophers needing to score two touchdowns to take the lead, almost everyone thought the game was out of reach, including the commentators who had already congratulated the Hawkeyes on a 10-0 start. However, the Golden Gophers were not at all ready to give up, scoring a very quick touchdown in only 45 seconds to bring the game to 35-40 in favor of the home team.
With only 1:16 seconds left in the game, everyone knew that an onside kick would decide the game. If the Hawks recovered the kick, they could run out the clock and end the game. However, if the Golden Gophers were able to miraculously recover the ball, they would have enough time to potentially score a touchdown, and stun the fifth ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and end their perfect season and playoff hopes. In probably the biggest play of the game, Minnesota kicker Ryan Santoso kicked the ball out of bounds after it only traveled eight yards, breaking the hearts of the Golden Gophers and pretty much destroying any chance they had for an upset. With the ball back and with no timeouts left from the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Iowa Hawkeyes were able to get into victory formation and take two quarterback kneels to run out the clock, bring Floyd back to Iowa City, and make Hawkeye history with their best start ever with a record of 10-0.
The game was set to kickoff at 7:00 Central time, and would be played at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. It was televised nationally on the Big Ten Network. Iowa knew this would be an important game, especially since it was a rivalry game with the Floyd of Rosedale as the trophy. Last year, the Golden Gophers absolutely demolished the Hawkeyes 51-14 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Overall in the series, the Golden Gophers led the rivalry against the Hawkeyes 62 games to 45 with two ties.
Minnesota won the toss, and elected to receive the opening kickoff, sending a message to the Hawkeyes, who generally like to start the game with their offense on the field with the ball. The Golden Gophers took the ball all the way from their own 25 yard-line to the Iowa 47, but failed to convert on a third-and-four, and were forced to punt the ball to the home team. The Hawkeyes started their first possession pinned down at their own 9 yard-line. After a long 8:38 possession, the Hawks punched in a touchdown after a 3-yard run from first-string running back LeShun Daniels Jr., who would be playing his first game with sufficient minutes since the beginning of the season before he was injured. On the Golden Gophers' ensuing possession, Minnesota marched down the field very quickly under quarterback Mitch Leidner scoring a touchdown in 2:29 going 75 yards down the field in only six plays ending with a two-yard run by the quarterback himself. The Hawkeyes then took the ball 75 yards in 2:30 ending with a 1-yard bootleg touchdown run by C.J. Beathard in a possession that almost mimicked what the Golden Gophers had just done. Minnesota responded with a quick touchdown after a 40-yard pass from Leidner to Brandon Lingen. The touchdown shootout ended after the Hawkeyes failed to score a touchdown on their next possession. However, Iowa did manage to score three points on a 47-yard field goal by Marshall Koehn to give the Hawkeyes a 17-14 lead over the Golden Gophers. Minnesota was unable to answer the Hawkeye score and was forced to punt the ball back to the home team with 3:52 remaining in the first half. Knowing that they would receive the ball to start off the second half, the Hawkeyes knew that a score here could be very crucial in deciding the outcome of the game. In a good sign for the Hawks, C.J. Beathard, who had been struggling with a right groin injury for a majority of the season limiting his mobility, ran 26 yards to the Minnesota 14 yard-line for a first down forcing the Golden Gophers to call a timeout with only 1:00 remaining to halt the Hawkeyes' momentum. After a pass interference called on Minnesota, Iowa was set up with a first and goal at the Minnesota 2 yard-line, and LeShun Daniels Jr. drove the ball past the goal line to give the Hawkeyes a nice 24-14 lead with only 44 seconds remaining in the first half. The Golden Gophers decided to be conservative and just let the clock run out after a 5-yard run from Shannon Brooks.
To start the second half, both teams finally decided to play some defense keeping the opposing offenses to a three and out with neither team allowing even one first down. On Iowa's next possession, they started with great field positioning after a ten-yard punt return by Desmond King to the 50 yard-line. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, they were unable to capitalize on King's nice return and only came away with three points after a 38-yard field goal from Koehn. Minnesota responded to Koehn's field goal with a touchdown capped off by a Leidner 1-yard run to cut Iowa's lead to 27-21. The Hawks were fortunate to start another possession with great field positioning after a 58-yard kickoff return from Desmond King to the Minnesota 37 yard-line. To begin the fourth and final quarter, the Hawks finished their drive with another 1-yard touchdown run from C.J. Beathard, but failed to convert on a two-point conversion that would've potentially put the Hawks up by two full touchdowns, thus the score was 33-21 Iowa. The Golden Gophers were unable to do anything against the Hawks tough defense, but were fortunate that the Hawks could not increase their lead on the next possession after Marshall Koehn just barely missed a 48-yard field goal. The teams then traded punts until Minnesota was able to score a touchdown on a nice trick play pass from Shannon Brooks to Drew Wolitarsky. With their lead cut to just five points, the Iowa Hawkeyes knew their perfect season could be in danger. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, they had a running back named LeShun Daniels Jr. who had a career night for his team capped off with a 51-yard touchdown run to put the Hawkeyes up 28-40. With only 2:01 left in the game, and with the Golden Gophers needing to score two touchdowns to take the lead, almost everyone thought the game was out of reach, including the commentators who had already congratulated the Hawkeyes on a 10-0 start. However, the Golden Gophers were not at all ready to give up, scoring a very quick touchdown in only 45 seconds to bring the game to 35-40 in favor of the home team.
With only 1:16 seconds left in the game, everyone knew that an onside kick would decide the game. If the Hawks recovered the kick, they could run out the clock and end the game. However, if the Golden Gophers were able to miraculously recover the ball, they would have enough time to potentially score a touchdown, and stun the fifth ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and end their perfect season and playoff hopes. In probably the biggest play of the game, Minnesota kicker Ryan Santoso kicked the ball out of bounds after it only traveled eight yards, breaking the hearts of the Golden Gophers and pretty much destroying any chance they had for an upset. With the ball back and with no timeouts left from the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Iowa Hawkeyes were able to get into victory formation and take two quarterback kneels to run out the clock, bring Floyd back to Iowa City, and make Hawkeye history with their best start ever with a record of 10-0.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
LaMarcus Aldridge's Return To Portland
On Wednesday, November 11, 2015, LaMarcus Aldridge made his first visit back to Portland, Oregon after leaving the Trail Blazers to sign with the San Antonio Spurs. Aldridge had spent his last nine seasons with the Trail Blazers, but after a disappointing last season, he decided to sign with the Spurs during free agency. This was the first time he would play in the Moda Center against his former teammates since he left. The game was scheduled to be played at 9:30 Central Time and was televised nationally on ESPN. When Aldridge's name was announced in the Spurs starting lineup, he received a mixed reaction from the home crowd with about half booing him and half cheering him in gratitude of what he accomplished during his time there. He shook off all the emotion and just got ready to play.
Aldridge scored the second basket of the game for the Spurs off a nice assist from point guard Tony Parker. With his first shot made, LaMarcus was able to get into game mode and completely stopped thinking about the emotion of his return and focused solely on winning the game. The first quarter was pretty much neck and neck, with both teams holding the lead for a substantial amount of time. By the end of the first 12 minutes, the Spurs led the game 28-24.
In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers looked to regain the lead and get their home fans back in the game, but they were unsuccessful. With a big quarter from Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs were able to outscore the Trail Blazers 30-22 in the second quarter to maintain a 58-46 lead over the home team going into half time.
After a disappointing first half from the home team from Portland, Damian Lillard, the star point guard of the Trail Blazers, knew he needed to step up. With his team down by twelve points, Lillard knocked down a three point basket on a Portland fast break. After Tim Duncan, of the Spurs, answered Lillard's three with two free throws, Damian took the ball down to the other side of the court and hit another big three point shot. Throughout the rest of the quarter, both teams kept exchanging baskets. By the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers had outscored the San Antonio Spurs 29-23 to start the second half. The home team would be going into the fourth and final quarter down by 6 with a score of 75-81 in favor of the Spurs.
The fourth quarter looked to be a nice and exciting finish with the Portland Trail Blazers within striking distance of the San Antonio Spurs, and after outscoring the Spurs in the previous quarter, the home team had all the momentum as well as an electric crowd. With back-to-back buckets from Gerald Henderson and Ed Davis, the home team got within two of the Spurs lead. Unfortunately for the home fans, Danny Green, of the Spurs, knocked down a big three to stun the crowd. After allowing the Trail Blazers to get within two, San Antonio never let them come that close again. The Spurs completely dominated the rest of the game, and ended up winning 113-101.
Overall, the Spurs played very well against the struggling Trail Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge had a dominant game against his former team. He ended up leading the game in points with 23 in 35 minutes playing his former teammates and close friends. While the home team fans went home unhappy, LaMarcus Aldridge had a very nice return to Portland.
Aldridge scored the second basket of the game for the Spurs off a nice assist from point guard Tony Parker. With his first shot made, LaMarcus was able to get into game mode and completely stopped thinking about the emotion of his return and focused solely on winning the game. The first quarter was pretty much neck and neck, with both teams holding the lead for a substantial amount of time. By the end of the first 12 minutes, the Spurs led the game 28-24.
In the second quarter, the Trail Blazers looked to regain the lead and get their home fans back in the game, but they were unsuccessful. With a big quarter from Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs were able to outscore the Trail Blazers 30-22 in the second quarter to maintain a 58-46 lead over the home team going into half time.
After a disappointing first half from the home team from Portland, Damian Lillard, the star point guard of the Trail Blazers, knew he needed to step up. With his team down by twelve points, Lillard knocked down a three point basket on a Portland fast break. After Tim Duncan, of the Spurs, answered Lillard's three with two free throws, Damian took the ball down to the other side of the court and hit another big three point shot. Throughout the rest of the quarter, both teams kept exchanging baskets. By the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers had outscored the San Antonio Spurs 29-23 to start the second half. The home team would be going into the fourth and final quarter down by 6 with a score of 75-81 in favor of the Spurs.
The fourth quarter looked to be a nice and exciting finish with the Portland Trail Blazers within striking distance of the San Antonio Spurs, and after outscoring the Spurs in the previous quarter, the home team had all the momentum as well as an electric crowd. With back-to-back buckets from Gerald Henderson and Ed Davis, the home team got within two of the Spurs lead. Unfortunately for the home fans, Danny Green, of the Spurs, knocked down a big three to stun the crowd. After allowing the Trail Blazers to get within two, San Antonio never let them come that close again. The Spurs completely dominated the rest of the game, and ended up winning 113-101.
Overall, the Spurs played very well against the struggling Trail Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge had a dominant game against his former team. He ended up leading the game in points with 23 in 35 minutes playing his former teammates and close friends. While the home team fans went home unhappy, LaMarcus Aldridge had a very nice return to Portland.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
The Upsets Of The Unbeatens
On Saturday, November 7, four of the ten remaining undefeated FBS teams lost their first games of the season. Number 13 Memphis got routed at home against Navy 45-20 to let their dreams of an undefeated season die. Later, Number 8 TCU got steam-rolled by Number 14 Oklahoma State 49-29. In a controversial loss, the Number 7 Michigan State Spartan got upset by the Nebraska Cornhuskers after they scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the game to win 39-38 at Nebraska. Shortly after the Spartans game ended, Number 2 LSU lost a tough game against Number 4 Alabama on the road 30-16. These losses could very well put all of these teams out of the playoff picture unless the other undefeated teams lose one of their remaining games.
Currently there are only six undefeated teams remaining in the FBS: Houston, Baylor, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, and the team everybody is betting against the Iowa Hawkeyes. As the season is close to its end, many of these teams could fall, but that is yet to be determined. With the playoffs approaching, it will be exciting to see which teams can keep their dream seasons alive to get into the playoffs.
Currently there are only six undefeated teams remaining in the FBS: Houston, Baylor, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, and the team everybody is betting against the Iowa Hawkeyes. As the season is close to its end, many of these teams could fall, but that is yet to be determined. With the playoffs approaching, it will be exciting to see which teams can keep their dream seasons alive to get into the playoffs.
This Looks A Little Familiar...
In 2009, the Iowa Hawkeyes had a season to remember starting the year with a school record 9-0 season. Led by starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, the Hawks found a way to win game after game reaching the Number 4 ranking in the AP polls. They remained unbeaten until November 7, in a game against the Northwestern Wildcats where they lost 17-10 after Ricky Stanzi had to leave the game after getting injured. He was replaced by backup quarterback James Vandenberg, who could not keep the Hawkeye's dreams of an undefeated season alive. That team would go on to finish 10-2 on the season, and win the FedEx Orange Bowl against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Ever since 2009, Hawkeye fans haven't had a whole lot to cheer about when it came to their football team, until of course, now.
This season, the Hawkeyes have done incredible, despite what the rest of the country would like to believe, and have battled week after week to achieve an unbeaten record of 9-0, tying their school record. This team shows many similarities to the 2009 team. For example, both teams started 9-0, had a quarterback who was a junior, had to replace many starters due to injuries throughout the season, and won their ninth game against the Indiana Hoosiers. The Hawkeyes were able to continue their dream season on November 7, after defeating the Hoosiers 35-27 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
The game started at 2:30 Central Time and was televised nationally on ESPN. The Hawkeyes received the opening kickoff and Desmond King returned the ball 30 yards to their own 34 yard-line. On the second play of their drive, Akrum Wadley broke through a hole and ran 65 yards for a touchdown. On Indiana's possession, Nate Sudfeld, the Hoosiers' quarterback, marched Indiana down the field, but after the Hawkeyes' defense stood tall at their own 15, the home team was forced to kick a field goal to bring the game closer 7-3. On the next two possessions, the defenses of both teams halted their opposing team's offenses to force a punt. On Iowa's third possession of the game, the Hawkeyes marched 95 yards down the field and scored a touchdown off of a 4 yard run by power running back LeShun Daniels Jr. The two teams then traded punts until Indiana started their possession with good field positioning at their own 43 yard-line. After two big plays, the Hoosiers got in the in-zone and the score became 14-10. On the Hawkeyes' ensuing possession, the refs called some questionable holding calls on big plays for the Hawkeyes, and they were forced to punt. The Hoosiers then marched the ball down the field was again and took their first lead of the game 17-14. The Hawks then finally got their offense back together and scored a touchdown after a surprising 7 yard run by C.J. Beathard, who had been struggling with a right groin injury for the last few weeks. Indiana was able to get the ball back, but could not score before the half ended.
In the second half, the score remained stagnant for a while as both teams struggled to put points on the board. Near the end of the third quarter, the Hoosiers brought the ball all the way down to the Iowa 10 yard-line, but were only able to score a field goal. The score was 21-20 in favor of the Iowa Hawkeyes with 13:22 left to play in the game. With the momentum on the side of the home team and the home fans rowdy, the Hawks knew they needed to score. Beathard completed pass after pass until it was first and goal Iowa at the Indiana 3 yard-line. After two plays, Daniels was able to bring the ball across the goal line to put the Hawks up 28-20. On Indiana's next possession, they were unable to get anywhere and was forced to punt the ball back to the Hawkeyes. The Hawks were then able to score again after a touchdown pass from Beathard to George Kittle. Indiana knew they needed a touchdown here to have a chance to win the game, but on the third play of their drive, Nate Sudfeld threw an interception to none other than Desmond King, who now leads the entire nation in interceptions this year. With the ball back, Iowa was unable to score again and put away the game, but they were able to take some much needed time off the clock. When the Hoosiers got the ball back, they were able to score a touchdown, but could not recover an onside kick to get the ball back with 2:24 left. After Indiana's failed onside kick, the Hawkeyes erased the remaining time on the clock to finally win the game 35-27.
The Hawkeyes have been having a great season, and if they can win their next game at home against the Minnesota Gophers, they will break their school record, and Iowa can finally boast a 10-0 record for the first time.
This season, the Hawkeyes have done incredible, despite what the rest of the country would like to believe, and have battled week after week to achieve an unbeaten record of 9-0, tying their school record. This team shows many similarities to the 2009 team. For example, both teams started 9-0, had a quarterback who was a junior, had to replace many starters due to injuries throughout the season, and won their ninth game against the Indiana Hoosiers. The Hawkeyes were able to continue their dream season on November 7, after defeating the Hoosiers 35-27 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
The game started at 2:30 Central Time and was televised nationally on ESPN. The Hawkeyes received the opening kickoff and Desmond King returned the ball 30 yards to their own 34 yard-line. On the second play of their drive, Akrum Wadley broke through a hole and ran 65 yards for a touchdown. On Indiana's possession, Nate Sudfeld, the Hoosiers' quarterback, marched Indiana down the field, but after the Hawkeyes' defense stood tall at their own 15, the home team was forced to kick a field goal to bring the game closer 7-3. On the next two possessions, the defenses of both teams halted their opposing team's offenses to force a punt. On Iowa's third possession of the game, the Hawkeyes marched 95 yards down the field and scored a touchdown off of a 4 yard run by power running back LeShun Daniels Jr. The two teams then traded punts until Indiana started their possession with good field positioning at their own 43 yard-line. After two big plays, the Hoosiers got in the in-zone and the score became 14-10. On the Hawkeyes' ensuing possession, the refs called some questionable holding calls on big plays for the Hawkeyes, and they were forced to punt. The Hoosiers then marched the ball down the field was again and took their first lead of the game 17-14. The Hawks then finally got their offense back together and scored a touchdown after a surprising 7 yard run by C.J. Beathard, who had been struggling with a right groin injury for the last few weeks. Indiana was able to get the ball back, but could not score before the half ended.
In the second half, the score remained stagnant for a while as both teams struggled to put points on the board. Near the end of the third quarter, the Hoosiers brought the ball all the way down to the Iowa 10 yard-line, but were only able to score a field goal. The score was 21-20 in favor of the Iowa Hawkeyes with 13:22 left to play in the game. With the momentum on the side of the home team and the home fans rowdy, the Hawks knew they needed to score. Beathard completed pass after pass until it was first and goal Iowa at the Indiana 3 yard-line. After two plays, Daniels was able to bring the ball across the goal line to put the Hawks up 28-20. On Indiana's next possession, they were unable to get anywhere and was forced to punt the ball back to the Hawkeyes. The Hawks were then able to score again after a touchdown pass from Beathard to George Kittle. Indiana knew they needed a touchdown here to have a chance to win the game, but on the third play of their drive, Nate Sudfeld threw an interception to none other than Desmond King, who now leads the entire nation in interceptions this year. With the ball back, Iowa was unable to score again and put away the game, but they were able to take some much needed time off the clock. When the Hoosiers got the ball back, they were able to score a touchdown, but could not recover an onside kick to get the ball back with 2:24 left. After Indiana's failed onside kick, the Hawkeyes erased the remaining time on the clock to finally win the game 35-27.
The Hawkeyes have been having a great season, and if they can win their next game at home against the Minnesota Gophers, they will break their school record, and Iowa can finally boast a 10-0 record for the first time.
Are Westbrook And Durant The Best Scoring Duo In NBA History?
Throughout the years, the NBA has seen some great duos: Jordan and Pippen, Shaq and Kobe, The Twin Towers, Lebron and D-Wade, The Splash Brothers, and of course Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. All of these duos, as well as many more throughout the league are incredible. Each has their own unique quality that puts them ahead of others, but, in my OPINION, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are the best scoring duo to ever play in the NBA. While every other duo listed above was able to make to the Finals and get a ring, Westbrook and Durant have still accomplished great feats. One might argue that the reason Westbrook and Durant haven't yet won a ring is due to the fact that they haven't really had a supporting cast to score points while they are either injured or resting on the bench. In 2012, the Thunder had probably their best chance at winning the championship after making it to the NBA Finals with James Harden coming off the bench, but because former head coach Scott Brooks refused to give Harden a chance to start, the Thunder were unable to beat the Miami Heat. Since then, Westbrook, Durant, and Harden have all improved marginally. Durant won the MVP in the 2013-2014 season, and both Westbrook and Harden had the best seasons of their career last year. Until OKC can sign some actual scorers who can perform well even when Durant and Westbrook are out, I am sad to say their chances of actually winning a title are very small. Regardless of their current championship status, I still believe that KD and Russ are the best scoring duo to ever play the game. In all of NBA History, two NBA teammates have both scored 40 points in the same game only ten times since the NBA-ABA merger. This is quite an accomplishing feat, and because of this, no duo has ever done it more than once...except for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. To accomplish this amazing task twice is unbelievable, except that they haven't done it twice, they've done it three times. After putting up a combined 91 points in a double-overtime win over the Magic in Orlando, Westbrook and Durant provided further evidence of just how dominant these two are. Further proof of how great these two are at scoring is that in the last six years, either Durant or Westbrook won the scoring title in five of the six years, with Durant winning four and Westbrook winning last year's. These two are exceptional performers who can both shoot the ball well, and make clutch plays when their team needs it. I honestly believe that no other duo in NBA history has ever been better at scoring than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and I really don't think there will ever be a duo that can score as well as these two.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
An 8-0 Hawkeye Team Again!?
America is in shock. No one could have possibly predicted this at the beginning of the season. How could this possibly happen? Are the Iowa Hawkeyes really 8-0? Could it possibly be true that no one has bested them yet? Is this an actual legit team? Yes, America, it's true. While the rest of the nation is either in doubt or just in pure shock, the Hawkeye Nation is absolutely ecstatic about their team's season thus far. After beating the Maryland Terrapins 31-15 at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes moved to 8-0, and continue to keep their undefeated dream season alive. Iowa has played remarkable so far this season, despite the rest of America's doubts, and has continued to win game after game. Starting quarterback C.J. Beathard is also still undefeated when he starts a game with an Iowa record of 9 straight wins. On Saturday's game, he threw for 183 yards completing 12 passes out of 23 attempts. While his groin injury is still limiting his rushing ability, and may continue to inhibit his versatility throughout the remainder of the season, Beathard is still making smart plays for the Hawkeyes and getting them the W. Akrum Wadley also played very well for the Hawks on Saturday, after his incredible game last time out against the Northwestern Wildcats earning him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for over 200 yards as a third string running back after Canzeri got injured. Wadley ran for 67 yards in 19 carries and one touchdown sharing the load with fourth string back Derrick Mitchell Jr. and first string back LeShun Daniels Jr. who had recently returned from an injury earlier in the season. Both Mitchell and Daniels also scored a touchdown for the Hawks in a nice game. Desmond King also played exquisitely for the Hawkeyes getting a pick six for Iowa to tie for the most interceptions from any player in the nation. For the Terrapins, turnover continued to be an issue as they coughed the ball up multiple times during the game, which eventually led to their loss. Maryland attempted a final run near the end of the game to come back, but could not do enough to move the chains, and failed twice trying to recover onside kicks. The Hawkeyes look to continue their hot streak next week at Indiana, and have a pretty manageable schedule the rest of the way, with their most difficult game being against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the road in their final game of the regular season. The Cornhuskers are currently 3-6, but could provide trouble for the Hawkeyes at home in the last game for both teams. If Iowa can remain undefeated until then, it should be a good game with ESPN experts giving both teams about a 50% chance at winning with the Hawks having a slight advantage. All this blogger can say about this season so far though is GO HAWKS!
NBA Double-Header On ESPN
On October 28, 2015, ESPN nationally televised two NBA games on the second night of the NBA season. All four teams that played came from the Western Conference of the NBA, which is the conference most believe to be the stronger of the two. The first game of the night saw 2013-2014 MVP Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder go head-to-head against the 2013-2014 NBA Champions the San Antonio Spurs at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City at 7:00 PM Central Time. The second game of the night saw the "Black Mamba" Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers go to battle against the Number One Overall Pick in the NBA Draft Karl Anthony-Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Staples Center in Los Angeles at 9:30 PM Central Time.
In the first game, fans were able to witness the return of Kevin Durant, who played only 27 games last season due to multiple injuries. San Antonio fans also go to take a look at LaMarcus Aldridge and David West in their season debuts with the Spurs. Throughout the first three quarters, the game went back and forth a few times, but the Spurs were in control of the game for the most part. During these three quarters for the Spurs, both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were struggling offensively, not being able to find a rhythm under the noise of the rowdy Thunder fans. Luckily for San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard was having a monstrous game on both the offensive and defensive sides as no one could stop him from scoring, and he was effectively stopping Durant from scoring as much as he is used to and even blocking the former MVP. For the Thunder, Kevin Durant was not playing to his capabilities after being a little rusty in his return to the regular season as well as being bothered by Leonard's feisty defense. Fortunately for OKC, KD's partner-in-crime Russell Westbrook was having a fantastic game, driving past just about anyone who the Spurs tried putting in front of him. Westbrook helped the Thunder put together a nice run near the end of the third quarter to bring the game to 83-81 in favor of San Antonio. The final quarter of the game was basically a cat and mouse game, as every time the Thunder tied the game or came close to the Spurs, they quickly increased the lead. Leonard looked unstoppable scoring for the Spurs almost every time he touched the ball. When Westbrook re-entered the game with 7:20 left to go in the final quarter, he made some nice plays to keep his team in the game. With just 4:16 left in the game, Durant finally pulled everything together with a key three point basket to put the Thunder up 99-97. After finally regaining the lead, the Thunder were determined not to let it go again, scoring every time they needed to. With just 54 seconds left in the game, Russell Westbrook hit a dagger three-pointer to put Oklahoma City up 108-103. The fans were going crazy when none other than Kawhi Leonard hit a nice and-one basket on a questionable foul called on Durant where there was minimal contact. However, the foul was still called an Leonard hit the free throw for a career high 32 points to bring the game to just 108-106 Thunder with just 42 seconds remaining. The Spurs knew all they needed was a stop, and they would have a chance to either tie the game or potentially win it with a three pointer. Thunder rookie coach Billy Donovan drew up a nice play for the Thunder and Westbrook had a wide open jumper that could most-likely end the game. Unfortunately for the home crowd, Westbrook's shot clanged off the backboard and Spurs hero Kawhi Leonard corralled the rebound with just 21 seconds left. This meant that if Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich wanted it, San Antonio would have the last shot of the game potentially either ending it, or sending it to overtime. In a frantic play for the Spurs, Danny Green ended up taking a contested three with 12 seconds left that missed and went out of bounds after Aldridge was unable to hang on to the rebound. The Thunder had posession and needed just two free throws to end the game unless there was a Spurs miracle. Although he was struggling, Durant was the obvious choice for the Thunder to take the free throws, and Leonard was unable to keep Durant from getting his hands on the ball. After KD made two clutch free throws, Aldridge was unable to knock down a three in a designed play for him drawn up by Coach Pop. Russell Westbrook got hold of the ball and was fouled, and he knocked down two more free throws for the Thunder to seal the victory on opening night 112-106 in an exciting ending.
The second game of the night was played in L.A. as the hometown Lakers played the visiting Timberwolves. Before tip-off, everyone in Staples Center joined in a moment of silence to honor long-time Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, who had recently died after a battle with cancer. Many of the players on both teams knew Flip, and were very saddened by his unexpected sudden death, including Kevin Garnett, who had played for Flip and learned from him during his rookie seasons. During shootaround, the players even wore shirts with the name Flip on them to commemorate his life. I did not watch all of the game, due to how late is was being played, but I was able to catch the first half. In the first half, Kobe Bryant lit up the floor taking shot after shot, but it was a good sign for L.A. fans who have seen him go out to injury in the past few seasons. At the end of the game, the Timberwolves came out on top 112-111 in a disappointing ending to fans at the Staples Center. Number One Overall Pick Karl Anthony-Towns, who scored 14 points and snagged 12 rebounds, credited the win to the "Sixth Man on the floor", paying homage to Flip. Garnett only scored 4 points for the Timberwolves in 13 minutes, but it didn't seem to affect the Wolves who fought there way to the top. For the Lakers, Kobe ended up with 24 points and Number Two Overall Pick D'Angelo Russell out of Ohio State only scored 4.
These were two great games, that continued the great start to this new NBA season. It was nice to see the Spurs and Thunder go at it for me because those are two of my favorite teams. I cannot wait to see how the rest of this season unfolds.
In the first game, fans were able to witness the return of Kevin Durant, who played only 27 games last season due to multiple injuries. San Antonio fans also go to take a look at LaMarcus Aldridge and David West in their season debuts with the Spurs. Throughout the first three quarters, the game went back and forth a few times, but the Spurs were in control of the game for the most part. During these three quarters for the Spurs, both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were struggling offensively, not being able to find a rhythm under the noise of the rowdy Thunder fans. Luckily for San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard was having a monstrous game on both the offensive and defensive sides as no one could stop him from scoring, and he was effectively stopping Durant from scoring as much as he is used to and even blocking the former MVP. For the Thunder, Kevin Durant was not playing to his capabilities after being a little rusty in his return to the regular season as well as being bothered by Leonard's feisty defense. Fortunately for OKC, KD's partner-in-crime Russell Westbrook was having a fantastic game, driving past just about anyone who the Spurs tried putting in front of him. Westbrook helped the Thunder put together a nice run near the end of the third quarter to bring the game to 83-81 in favor of San Antonio. The final quarter of the game was basically a cat and mouse game, as every time the Thunder tied the game or came close to the Spurs, they quickly increased the lead. Leonard looked unstoppable scoring for the Spurs almost every time he touched the ball. When Westbrook re-entered the game with 7:20 left to go in the final quarter, he made some nice plays to keep his team in the game. With just 4:16 left in the game, Durant finally pulled everything together with a key three point basket to put the Thunder up 99-97. After finally regaining the lead, the Thunder were determined not to let it go again, scoring every time they needed to. With just 54 seconds left in the game, Russell Westbrook hit a dagger three-pointer to put Oklahoma City up 108-103. The fans were going crazy when none other than Kawhi Leonard hit a nice and-one basket on a questionable foul called on Durant where there was minimal contact. However, the foul was still called an Leonard hit the free throw for a career high 32 points to bring the game to just 108-106 Thunder with just 42 seconds remaining. The Spurs knew all they needed was a stop, and they would have a chance to either tie the game or potentially win it with a three pointer. Thunder rookie coach Billy Donovan drew up a nice play for the Thunder and Westbrook had a wide open jumper that could most-likely end the game. Unfortunately for the home crowd, Westbrook's shot clanged off the backboard and Spurs hero Kawhi Leonard corralled the rebound with just 21 seconds left. This meant that if Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich wanted it, San Antonio would have the last shot of the game potentially either ending it, or sending it to overtime. In a frantic play for the Spurs, Danny Green ended up taking a contested three with 12 seconds left that missed and went out of bounds after Aldridge was unable to hang on to the rebound. The Thunder had posession and needed just two free throws to end the game unless there was a Spurs miracle. Although he was struggling, Durant was the obvious choice for the Thunder to take the free throws, and Leonard was unable to keep Durant from getting his hands on the ball. After KD made two clutch free throws, Aldridge was unable to knock down a three in a designed play for him drawn up by Coach Pop. Russell Westbrook got hold of the ball and was fouled, and he knocked down two more free throws for the Thunder to seal the victory on opening night 112-106 in an exciting ending.
The second game of the night was played in L.A. as the hometown Lakers played the visiting Timberwolves. Before tip-off, everyone in Staples Center joined in a moment of silence to honor long-time Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, who had recently died after a battle with cancer. Many of the players on both teams knew Flip, and were very saddened by his unexpected sudden death, including Kevin Garnett, who had played for Flip and learned from him during his rookie seasons. During shootaround, the players even wore shirts with the name Flip on them to commemorate his life. I did not watch all of the game, due to how late is was being played, but I was able to catch the first half. In the first half, Kobe Bryant lit up the floor taking shot after shot, but it was a good sign for L.A. fans who have seen him go out to injury in the past few seasons. At the end of the game, the Timberwolves came out on top 112-111 in a disappointing ending to fans at the Staples Center. Number One Overall Pick Karl Anthony-Towns, who scored 14 points and snagged 12 rebounds, credited the win to the "Sixth Man on the floor", paying homage to Flip. Garnett only scored 4 points for the Timberwolves in 13 minutes, but it didn't seem to affect the Wolves who fought there way to the top. For the Lakers, Kobe ended up with 24 points and Number Two Overall Pick D'Angelo Russell out of Ohio State only scored 4.
These were two great games, that continued the great start to this new NBA season. It was nice to see the Spurs and Thunder go at it for me because those are two of my favorite teams. I cannot wait to see how the rest of this season unfolds.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Start Of The NBA Regular Season
Yesterday, October 27, the 2015-2016 NBA regular season began. To start the season, only six teams were scheduled to play. The games scheduled were the Chicago Bulls vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Atlanta Hawks vs. the Detroit Pistons, and the Golden State Warriors vs. the New Orleans Pelicans.
At 7:00 pm Central Time, the Chicago Bulls faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a match up that many believe could possibly be the two teams battling for the Eastern Conference Championship. The game was played at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois and was televised nationally on TNT. Many were in attendance to witness an exciting game to kickoff the season along with the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, who was hoping for the Bulls to put on a show, and come out on top against last year's Eastern Conference Champs. Both teams' starters looked a lot different from the last time they were seen, as Kevin Love made a return for the Cavs after being injured before the Finals last year and Chicago changed both its starting lineup and its head coach. After a disappointing exit from the playoffs last year against this Cleveland team, the Bulls fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, who had been the head coach in Chicago since 2010. They decided to replace him with the then head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, Fred Hoiberg. Chicago also decided to make major changes to its starting lineup, with Tony Snell making an appearance as a starter, and Joakim Noah deciding to come off the bench instead of well-known scorer Nikola Mirotic. Throughout the majority of the game, Chicago led the Cavs, who played sub-par for most of the game. However, as each quarter progressed, Cleveland slowly clawed away at the Bulls' lead until they eventually tied the game at 71 all off of a three-pointer by Cavs point guard Mo Williams. As soon as the Bulls saw the fire in the eyes of the Cavaliers, they knew they would have to step up their game. After the game was tied, the Bulls went on a quick 6-0 run to gain some separation, but with each run the Bulls made, the Cavs kept fighting their way back. With just over a minute left to play in the final quarter, Kevin Love drilled a three-point bomb to bring the game to 95-97 in favor of the Bulls. Chicago knew if they could drain some clock and make a basket, the game would be over. Unfortunately for the home team, Derrick Rose could not hit a 20-foot jumper with 10 seconds to go after a frantic play in which Hoiberg neglected to call a timeout to settle his team. On the final possession of the game, the Cavs decided to give the ball to the player most believe to be the best in the NBA, LeBron James. With just three seconds left to play LeBron took the ball all the way to the paint for a layup, but was blocked by Bulls' power forward Pau Gasol, who had been struggling throughout the majority of the game, but came up big when his team needed him most. Fortunately for the Cavs, the ball went out of bounds, and they would have one more chance to score a basket with three seconds left, which does not seem like a lot of time, but can actually be like an eternity for a defense to hold off a basket. On the final play of the game, Mo Williams took the ball out of bounds and threw it to LeBron, but Jimmy Butler, known for his defense, tipped the pass and batted it away from LeBron and the Cavs to end the game in exciting fashion.
The Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons also played at 7:00 pm Central Time. The game was not televised nationally, but it was played in Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The Pistons led the game most of the way, outscoring the Hawks in both the second and third quarter. The best performers for each team were Dennis Schroder for the Hawks who scored 20 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and was a thief stealing the ball twice from his opponent, for the Pistons, Andre Drummond came up big with 18 points, 19 huge rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and two big blocks for his team. In the end, the home fans went home disappointed as Detroit came out on top 106-94.
The third, and final, game of the night featured the Defending Champions, the Golden State Warriors, as they went to battle against the New Orleans Pelicans. The game was nationally televised on TNT, and tipped off around 9:30. To begin the night, the fans in Oracle Arena got to witness their team's ring ceremony as each player and coaching staff member as well as the general managers of the Warriors received their Championship Rings after a hard fought series against the Cavs in the 2015 NBA Finals. They also saw the team finally reveal another championship banner, the first since 1975. A tribute video to the team and the hometown Oakland fans was shown as well to celebrate the spectacular season Golden State was able to put together last year. While most players don't perform as well the night they receive their championship ring, that was not the case for last year's MVP Stephen Curry. Curry exploded for 25 points in the first quarter alone, finishing the night with a total of 40 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals in just 36 minutes. It was just an incredible performance for Steph that just summarized what he was able to accomplish in last year's dream season for the Warriors. His efforts ended up leading his team to a nice 111-95 victory for his team over his fellow NBA 2K16 cover athlete Anthony Davis' Pelicans.
Overall, these were three great games to kick off the start to a brand new NBA season. I am super excited to see what this upcoming season has in store for all of the fans. It will be nice to see how all of the free agents affect their new teams, and which teams will play well enough to make it to the playoffs for a chance at the NBA Finals.
At 7:00 pm Central Time, the Chicago Bulls faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a match up that many believe could possibly be the two teams battling for the Eastern Conference Championship. The game was played at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois and was televised nationally on TNT. Many were in attendance to witness an exciting game to kickoff the season along with the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, who was hoping for the Bulls to put on a show, and come out on top against last year's Eastern Conference Champs. Both teams' starters looked a lot different from the last time they were seen, as Kevin Love made a return for the Cavs after being injured before the Finals last year and Chicago changed both its starting lineup and its head coach. After a disappointing exit from the playoffs last year against this Cleveland team, the Bulls fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, who had been the head coach in Chicago since 2010. They decided to replace him with the then head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, Fred Hoiberg. Chicago also decided to make major changes to its starting lineup, with Tony Snell making an appearance as a starter, and Joakim Noah deciding to come off the bench instead of well-known scorer Nikola Mirotic. Throughout the majority of the game, Chicago led the Cavs, who played sub-par for most of the game. However, as each quarter progressed, Cleveland slowly clawed away at the Bulls' lead until they eventually tied the game at 71 all off of a three-pointer by Cavs point guard Mo Williams. As soon as the Bulls saw the fire in the eyes of the Cavaliers, they knew they would have to step up their game. After the game was tied, the Bulls went on a quick 6-0 run to gain some separation, but with each run the Bulls made, the Cavs kept fighting their way back. With just over a minute left to play in the final quarter, Kevin Love drilled a three-point bomb to bring the game to 95-97 in favor of the Bulls. Chicago knew if they could drain some clock and make a basket, the game would be over. Unfortunately for the home team, Derrick Rose could not hit a 20-foot jumper with 10 seconds to go after a frantic play in which Hoiberg neglected to call a timeout to settle his team. On the final possession of the game, the Cavs decided to give the ball to the player most believe to be the best in the NBA, LeBron James. With just three seconds left to play LeBron took the ball all the way to the paint for a layup, but was blocked by Bulls' power forward Pau Gasol, who had been struggling throughout the majority of the game, but came up big when his team needed him most. Fortunately for the Cavs, the ball went out of bounds, and they would have one more chance to score a basket with three seconds left, which does not seem like a lot of time, but can actually be like an eternity for a defense to hold off a basket. On the final play of the game, Mo Williams took the ball out of bounds and threw it to LeBron, but Jimmy Butler, known for his defense, tipped the pass and batted it away from LeBron and the Cavs to end the game in exciting fashion.
The Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons also played at 7:00 pm Central Time. The game was not televised nationally, but it was played in Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The Pistons led the game most of the way, outscoring the Hawks in both the second and third quarter. The best performers for each team were Dennis Schroder for the Hawks who scored 20 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and was a thief stealing the ball twice from his opponent, for the Pistons, Andre Drummond came up big with 18 points, 19 huge rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and two big blocks for his team. In the end, the home fans went home disappointed as Detroit came out on top 106-94.
The third, and final, game of the night featured the Defending Champions, the Golden State Warriors, as they went to battle against the New Orleans Pelicans. The game was nationally televised on TNT, and tipped off around 9:30. To begin the night, the fans in Oracle Arena got to witness their team's ring ceremony as each player and coaching staff member as well as the general managers of the Warriors received their Championship Rings after a hard fought series against the Cavs in the 2015 NBA Finals. They also saw the team finally reveal another championship banner, the first since 1975. A tribute video to the team and the hometown Oakland fans was shown as well to celebrate the spectacular season Golden State was able to put together last year. While most players don't perform as well the night they receive their championship ring, that was not the case for last year's MVP Stephen Curry. Curry exploded for 25 points in the first quarter alone, finishing the night with a total of 40 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals in just 36 minutes. It was just an incredible performance for Steph that just summarized what he was able to accomplish in last year's dream season for the Warriors. His efforts ended up leading his team to a nice 111-95 victory for his team over his fellow NBA 2K16 cover athlete Anthony Davis' Pelicans.
Overall, these were three great games to kick off the start to a brand new NBA season. I am super excited to see what this upcoming season has in store for all of the fans. It will be nice to see how all of the free agents affect their new teams, and which teams will play well enough to make it to the playoffs for a chance at the NBA Finals.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
NBA 2KTV
If you have read previous posts in my blog, you might be aware that I am pretty passionate about the video game NBA 2K16. I feel as though it is a nice escape from the real world in times in which I am feeling stressed. It has many great features that allow NBA fans and gamers such as myself to get an inside look at what it might be like to be an actual NBA player (I actually blogged about everything NBA 2K16 has to offer here: http://n8hn6bd.blogspot.com/2015/09/is-nba-2k16-worth-buying.html). One of the interesting features 2K has added in the last two editions of NBA 2K is NBA 2KTV. This feature is basically a small TV segment in which the host, Rachel A. Demita, discusses many topics about both the game, and any news in the actual NBA. In the show, Demita has many interviews with important people in the NBA 2K community, including the gameplay designers, who give helpful tips for gamers to increase their level of play, actors of the "Livin' Da Dream" storyline of the MyCareer mode, and even actual NBA players, such as last year's MVP, Stephen Curry, who give advice for actual basketball players to improve their skill level. Demita also talks with people in the NBA 2K community who actually play NBA 2K16 to ask their opinions of the aspects of the game, and she addresses what's going on in the MyPark feature of the game where players can compete with other players online for bragging rights. While many believe Demita may have only been chosen because she is an attractive person, she also has experience in basketball. Demita played Division One basketball when she was in college, but eventually decided to quit. Luckily for her, although she quit playing basketball, she can continue to be involved in the sport she loves as the hostess for NBA 2KTV. While honestly, I never watched NBA 2KTV when I played NBA 2K15 due to the fact that it had no in-game benefits, and it seemed like a waste of my time, 2K has improved NBA 2KTV by making it interactive. Now, while players watch an episode of NBA 2KTV, the game asks them trivia questions or survey questions, and based on their answer, they can earn a certain amount of VC to purchase in-game rewards. They call this 2K Interactive. I think that this was a great improvement because people have much more incentive to watch the show if they want a quick simple way to earn VC for their game. For example, if you answered all of the trivia questions right in Episode Five, last week's episode, you could earn 1250 VC, which is a very decent amount. I am very happy that 2K added this feature because I am one of the gamers who will do almost anything to earn as much VC as possible, except of course buy VC with actual money because I sort of consider it cheating to just buy upgrades for your MyCareer player rather than actually playing the game a lot to improve your player. Overall, I really enjoy 2KTV now that I have decided to watch it. It has very interesting segments, and it is a nice way to earn a good amount of VC while not actually playing the game.
I Firmly Agree With Jon Miller
On October 18, Jon Miller, a writer for HawkeyeNation, wrote an article titled, "Dear America: Iowa Doesn't Care What You Think". The article addresses the Iowa Hawkeye Football Team's success so far this season, and how many people throughout America dismiss the Hawks' accomplishments this season due to their "weak" schedule. Miller explains that the reason many Americans have misconceptions about the Hawkeyes' season is because some ESPN commentators talk a lot about how the only reason Iowa is undefeated is because they haven't really played any teams that were real competition, and if the Hawkeyes were placed against an "actual" tough opponent, like they might be if they can continue their streak and win the Big Ten West and compete in the Big Ten Championship, they would be in for a rude awakening and get blown out. As many other Iowans and Jon Miller, I was a little offended by this assertion because a lot of the people who assume the Hawkeyes are not an impressive team don't even take the time to look at who Iowa has beaten or actually watched how well the Hawkeyes are playing. In the article, Miller argues that many of these people are wrong, and Iowa does, in fact, have a pretty strong resume thus far in the season. Miller points out how Iowa is one of the only two teams in the country who have two road wins over ranked opponents, along with Alabama. He also talked about how Iowa has actually played a schedule so far that is tougher than many teams that are ranked higher than the Hawkeyes, including the Number One Ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, Number Two Baylor, Number Three Clemson, Number Five TCU, Number Six Michigan State, and many other Top 25 teams. He argues that while some people don't think Iowa has played anyone decent, they had defeated both Wisconsin and Northwestern on the road, and had also defeated Pittsburgh earlier in the season, who has now since moved up to 23 in the Associated Press Top 25. While many argue that Iowa's win over the Wisconsin Badgers was lucky, I disagree. Yes, I understand that the Badgers had unfortunate luck due to the many turnovers of their quarterback. However, it was not completely the quarterback's fault, the Hawkeyes' defense played very well that day, and had a big part in causing Wisconsin to turnover the ball either by making great plays, or just making the Badger's offense nervous and forcing them to make a crucial mistake. People also argue how Northwestern wasn't real competition because they were in a slump, but that is not Iowa's fault. Regardless of whether or not the Wildcats were feeling super confident in their homecoming game against the Hawkeyes, they were still a ranked team that had played well previously in the season. The Wildcats, before playing Iowa, had one of the best defenses in the nation holding current Number Eight Stanford to only six points. Stanford had over 40 points against USC and over 50 points against UCLA, so their offense is not to be questioned. However, while Stanford was only able to score six against the Northwestern Wildcats, the Hawkeyes were able to score 40 in their rout over Northwestern. As far as Pittsburgh goes, many thought they were just a "cupcake" team that Iowa had just scheduled for a real easy win. However, Pittsburgh has played very well this season to become ranked, and have only one loss this whole season... against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Miller also makes a great point that although some of Iowa's other wins against teams such as North Texas or Iowa State are not very impressive, other Top 25 teams have also played either the Mean Green or the Cyclones. Maybe the Hawkeyes' schedule for the rest of the regular season won't be incredibly difficult for the Hawkeyes, but that isn't really their fault. They didn't have much input in when they would play the weaker Big Ten Teams, and they didn't have the option to choose which team from the Big Ten East to play against. Regardless of the strength of Iowa's remaining schedule, it would be pretty ignorant to ignore the fact that the Iowa Hawkeyes have had an incredible season, and it seems a little bit conceited for fans of other teams to diminish what the Hawks have accomplished this season. Iowa has competed very hard this to get where they are in the rankings, and for many games, the Hawks have had to play with players whom they didn't even plan to start at the beginning of the season due to injuries. Week after week, the Hawkeyes have lost key players to both their offense and defense, such as Jordan Canzeri or Drew Ott, and week after week, the "Next Man Up" has come in and played excellent for the Hawkeyes to pull off yet another win. Miller writes a very compelling argument about how the Hawkeyes' season thus far is something for true Iowa fans to be proud of, and how they should not be discouraged by spiteful fans of other teams who feel like knocking another team down to either make themselves feel better about their team's unsuccessful season or to argue that the Hawkeyes will never be as "elite" as their team's program. He does a great job at providing evidence to support his argument, and I firmly agree with just about everything he had to say. So America, from Jon Miller, this writer, and many other Hawkeye fans throughout the world, we don't really care if you don't think the Hawkeyes are accomplishing anything because we know the truth: It's great to be a Hawkeye!
If you would like to read Jon Miller's article for an insightful look on Iowa's season thus far, click the following link: http://hawkeyenation.com/2015/dear-america-iowa-doesnt-care-what-you-think.
If you would like to read Jon Miller's article for an insightful look on Iowa's season thus far, click the following link: http://hawkeyenation.com/2015/dear-america-iowa-doesnt-care-what-you-think.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
NBA Preseason
On October 2, the 2015-2016 got underway, and fans were able to get a first look at how their team would compete after the busy off season. After last season ended with the Golden State Warriors 4-2 NBA Finals victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, teams all throughout the league began speaking with the multitude of free agents that had become available. Throughout the majority of the summer, teams met with both their current players whose contracts had expired to resign them and free agents they believed could help lead their team closer to a championship. Some notable off season negotiations include both Lebron James and Kawhi Leonard resigning with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs respectively. Some key free agents that signed with new teams include LaMarcus Aldridge, who left his longtime team of the Portland Trail Blazers to sign with the Spurs, Roy Hibbert, who was traded by the Indiana Pacers to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jeremy Lin, former star of the New York Knicks during the "Linsanity" era who left the Lakers to join the Charlotte Hornets. With all of these off season transactions, along with the many more that occurred this summer, the teams look very different than they did a season ago. The preseason allows the teams throughout the league to begin learning how to play together, and also allows coaches to test out different strategies and plays before the regular season begins.
After twenty days of preseason games, the Charlotte Hornets lead the Eastern conference with an undefeated record of 7-0. At the bottom of the Eastern Conference is a team that most NBA fans would not expect to be anywhere near the bottom, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who made it all the way to the NBA Finals after defeating their competition in the East during the playoffs. They currently have a preseason record of 1-6. In the Western Conference, the team leading the way is the Memphis Grizzlies, who kept a majority of their players during the off season, with a record of 6-0. The Dallas Mavericks currently sit in dead last of not just the Western Conference, but of the entire league with an abysmal record of 0-6. The Mavericks lost a key player during the off season in Monta Ellis after he declined his option to resign for the 2015-2016 season, but they did sign some guards to replace Ellis in Deron Williams and Wes Matthews. They also signed JaVale McGee from the Philadelphia 76ers. While these standings aren't usually a very accurate representation of the final standings of the NBA regular season due to teams resting their stars and coaches trying out plays they may not in the regular season, it is interesting to see which teams are struggling and which teams are thriving with their new rosters. This looks to be like a nice preview of what will hopefully be an exciting NBA regular season.
After twenty days of preseason games, the Charlotte Hornets lead the Eastern conference with an undefeated record of 7-0. At the bottom of the Eastern Conference is a team that most NBA fans would not expect to be anywhere near the bottom, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who made it all the way to the NBA Finals after defeating their competition in the East during the playoffs. They currently have a preseason record of 1-6. In the Western Conference, the team leading the way is the Memphis Grizzlies, who kept a majority of their players during the off season, with a record of 6-0. The Dallas Mavericks currently sit in dead last of not just the Western Conference, but of the entire league with an abysmal record of 0-6. The Mavericks lost a key player during the off season in Monta Ellis after he declined his option to resign for the 2015-2016 season, but they did sign some guards to replace Ellis in Deron Williams and Wes Matthews. They also signed JaVale McGee from the Philadelphia 76ers. While these standings aren't usually a very accurate representation of the final standings of the NBA regular season due to teams resting their stars and coaches trying out plays they may not in the regular season, it is interesting to see which teams are struggling and which teams are thriving with their new rosters. This looks to be like a nice preview of what will hopefully be an exciting NBA regular season.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
The Wolverines Shocking Loss To The Spartans
On October 17, 2015, the Michigan Wolverines had arguably one of their most heart-breaking losses ever against their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. The game was held at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor Michigan, and the Wolverines were in a good position. They had a 23-21 lead over the Spartans with possession of the ball, all they needed to do to secure a victory was hold on to the ball for the remaining 1:47 seconds on the clock. If it came to it, they would need to punt the ball with little time left for the Spartans to have to bring the ball all the way down the field for either a field goal or a touchdown for the win. The Wolverines started with the ball at their own 45 yard-line, which is pretty decent field-positioning. On the first play of the drive, De'Veon Smith ran the ball 5 yards for Michigan to the 50-yard line. Michigan State quickly called a timeout to stop the clock at 1:42. On their next play, Smith ran two yards to the Michigan State 48 yard-line forcing the Spartans to burn another timeout to stop the clock with only 56 seconds left to go in the game. On a 3rd and 3, Smith knew that another first down would secure the victory for the Wolverines, but he was unable to make it, running only one yard to the Michigan state 47 yard-line forcing a 4th and 2 and a big decision. Head coach Jim Harbaugh knew that the smartest play would be to send the punting team out, and give the Spartans only 10 seconds to march the ball down the field and make a play. All punter Blake O'Neill had to do was kick the ball far, and hopefully out of bounds so the Spartans would have no chance to return the ball. Then, they would be forced to make a play down the field with less than ten seconds and hope for either a touchdown or good enough field-positioning for a field goal. In shocking fashion, on the final play of the game, O'Neill dropped the snap and tried to make a play for the Wolverines, but ended up fumbling the ball. Michigan State Spartan Jalen Watts-Jackson recovered the fumble and took the ball 38 yards to cross the goal-line, win the game for the Spartans, and crush the hearts of every Wolverine fan in attendance that day, as well as any fan watching at home on television. The fans were shocked and crushed. Many blame this game on Blake O'Neill, and have done something about it. Michigan has even been forced to write letters to upset fans who have sent threats to O'Neill. Hopefully for the Wolverines they will be able to bounce back after this disappointing loss, but it appears as if they have lost any hope in competing for the Big Ten East championship, barring big mistakes from the Spartans and the Buckeyes.
A Record For Beathard
On Saturday, October 17, 2015, C.J. Beathard set a school record for the Iowa Hawkeyes. After a convincing 40-10 win against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, "Sunshine" C.J. became the first quarterback in Hawkeye history to win his first eight career starts as the starting quarterback. The Hawkeyes traveled to their Big Ten West rivals, the Northwestern Wildcats, to play their arguably last tough opponent for the season. The Hawks had battled past six opponents, and looked to beat the Wildcats in Evanston to become the favorite in the Big Ten West to compete for the Big Ten Championship. After this win, the Hawkeyes look to have one of the easiest remaining schedules of all the unbeaten teams. The game against the Wildcats looked very impressive for the Hawkeyes who were forced to play without key player Drew Ott. The game started at 11:00 AM Central Time, and was televised on ABC. The Iowa Hawkeyes received the opening kickoff to start the game, and after six plays for a total of 38-yards, Hawkeye punter Dillon Kidd was forced to give the ball back to the Wildcats at their own 12 yard line. Fortunately for the Hawkeyes, quarterback Clayton Thorson and the Wildcats were unable to do anything, and Thorson continued to struggle after last week's blowout loss for the Wildcats against Michigan. On a third and eight, Thorson threw an interception to none other than defensive back Desmond King, who leads the Big Ten in interceptions with six on the year. With good field positioning the Hawks were unable to score a touchdown, but they settled for a 36-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. After Iowa's field goal, the two teams were unable to put any points on the board, and traded punts for the rest of the first quarter. However, on Iowa's fourth possession of the game, the Hawkeyes were able to finally move the chains. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, leading running back Jordan Canzeri was squashed by two Northwestern players, and badly injured his left ankle. He was unable to return for the Hawkeyes who were already playing without many key players (more information on Hawkeye injuries here: http://n8hn6bd.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-much-more-can-hawkeyes-take.html). The Iowa Hawkeyes were forced to turn to third string running back Akrum Wadley and fourth string Derrick Mitchell Jr. for the rest of the game. The Hawks knew that Wadley was very talented, and very quick on his feet, but they were concerned with whether or not he would be able to hold on to the ball. That did not seem to be a problem for him, however, as he ran for 35-yards and a touchdown on his third carry of the game. It was an impressive run that put the Hawks up 10-0 against the Wildcats, to the home team's fans' disappointment, at least it should have been 10-0. For the third time this year, Iowa kicker, and hero of Iowa's win against Pittsburgh, Marshall Koehn missed a PAT for the Hawkeyes. This put the Hawkeyes up only 9-0, and Koehn became worried that his luck against the Illini had worn out. In last week's game against the Illinois Fighting Illini, Koehn also missed a PAT early in the game that could have potentially cost Iowa the game if they hadn't forced a fumble on the Illini's potential game-winning drive. Luckily for Koehn, the Hawkeyes did once again what they did last week and pulled off another victory. The teams once again began trading punts after Koehn's PAT miss until Wadley scored another touchdown on a 4-yard run. This time Koehn punched the ball right through the uprights to put the Hawks up 16-0. With the fans at Ryan Field booing their home team, the Wildcats knew they needed to score on their next drive. They quickly marched the ball 76 yards down the field and scored on a touchdown pass from Thorson to Christian Jones with Jack Mitchell making the PAT to bring the game closer to a 16-7 score. After seeing their home team finally scoring again after a shutout loss to the Wolverines, the fans became loud and rowdy. On Iowa's first play of their next possession C.J. Beathard threw a pass into heavy traffic and was intercepted by Traveon Henry who took the ball 20-yards to the Iowa 25 yard-line. The Cats took the ball all the way down into the red-zone, but were unable to score a touchdown against Iowa's tough defense, and were forced to settle for a field goal. However, this brought the game to 16-10 Iowa. If the Wildcats could manage another touchdown, they could take the lead. For the rest of the half, the two teams' defenses played well, and no points were added to the board, and halftime came with the score 16-10 in favor of the Hawkeyes. The second half was less exciting for the Wildcats as the Hawkeyes' defense held them scoreless possession after possession. Even worse for the Cats, they had to continue watching third-string running back Akrum Wadley run the ball into the in-zone again and again to tie a school record of four touchdowns in a game, held by both Jordan Canzeri and Shonn Greene. The game ended with a final score of Iowa 40 and Northwester 10. The home fans left Ryan Field very disappointed in their team, and the Hawkeye fans left very proud of theirs. With this win Iowa is a heavy favorite to compete for the Big Ten Title against the champions of the Big Ten East. The champion will likely be between the Michigan State Spartans or the number one ranked, and defending champion, Ohio State Buckeyes after the Michigan Wolverines shocking loss in the final seconds of their in-state rivalry game against the Spartans in Ann Arbor. The Hawks are looking to close out the season strong with a very manageable remaining schedule.
How Much More Can The Hawkeyes Take?
This incredible 7-0 season for the Hawkeyes has been amazing, but it has also been plagued with injuries. Week after week the Iowa Hawkeyes have battled past whatever team they've come across, but they continue to have to fight without being at full strength and without a healthy roster. At the beginning of the season, the Hawkeyes lost their first string running back, LeShun Daniels Jr. Because of this injury, they went to their next running back Jordan Canzeri, who has played very well for the Hawkeyes. Another key injury to the Hawks was Drew Ott's torn ACL that took him out for the season (more information on his injury here: http://n8hn6bd.blogspot.com/2015/10/heartbreaking-news-for-hawkeyes.html). Ott was arguably Iowa's best pass rusher and one of the Hawks' best leaders on the defensive squad. The Hawkeyes also have been forced to play without their deep threat wide receiver Tevaun Smith. Smith is the receiver of Iowa's longest passing play, scoring a touchdown on an 81-yard pass from C.J. Beathard. Despite these injuries to three key players in the Hawkeyes' roster, Iowa has continued to pull of miraculous, and sometimes lucky, wins against many opponents. However, the Hawks have still been hurt by the injury bug in recent weeks. On Saturday morning's game against the Northwestern Wildcats, leading rusher Jordan Canzeri, who had just come off a record-breaking game against the Fighting Illini, was injured, and it doesn't look good. During a play, Canzeri got sandwiched between two Wildcat players and one of them fell on his left leg. Canzeri, in serious pain, was unable to get up for several minutes and had to be helped off the field without putting any pressure on his left ankle. Canzeri exited the game, and did not play for the rest of the day. However, he later came back on the sidelines with a boot on his leg. The injury looks to be a serious ankle sprain, but there has been no word as of yet that explains what Canzeri is dealing with. Iowa had to turn to third string running back Akrum Wadley and fourth string Derrick Mitchell Jr. to win against their Big Ten West foes. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, Wadley played very well for the Hawkeyes scoring a school record-tying four touchdowns in what looks to be a very memorable game in this young sophomore's career. While the Hawkeyes are very pleased with the talented Wadley, they are concerned with his ball security, and hope he can hold on to the ball in crucial situations. If the injury to Canzeri wasn't enough, Hawkeye quarterback C.J. Beathard was not at full strength against the Wildcats. It was reported earlier in the week that Beathard had what looked to be a minor injury to his right groin, but he insisted on playing. While "Sunshine" C.J. still played well for the Hawkeyes, it was noticeable that he was not playing to his full capabilities. On multiple possessions, C.J. was unable to scramble for a first down like he usually does, and he was seen multiple times wincing in pain. Beathard was also sacked twice for a total loss of 20 yards. This is abnormal because Beathard is usually great at escaping the defense in the pocket and making big plays out of nothing, but due to his injury and lack of mobility, he was unable to make the plays he is capable of. Near the end of the game, head coach Kirk Ferrentz made the decision to sit C.J. and play backup quarterback Tyler Wiegers after Beathard was seen limping off the field. Hawkeye fans hope Beathard will be ok, and will need him to continue to play at a high level as the season nears its end. Fortunately for the Iowa Hawkeyes, next week is Iowa's bye week, which will give the Hawks some much needed rest, and time for recovery before their next game.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Heartbreaking News For The Hawkeyes
Iowa fans' worst dreams have come true. Senior Defensive Lineman for the Hawks, Drew Ott, has torn his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. Ott was one of Iowa's most-feared defensive linemen and he was definitely a leader for the Hawkeye defense. He managed to get a little under three tackles per game so far this season and sacked the opposing quarterback at least once in each game he played. The injury is even more heartbreaking after Ott had recently recovered from a hyper-extended elbow that he had injured earlier in the season against Iowa State. Ott injured his knee during the Hawkeye's recent victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini (you can read about this game here:http://n8hn6bd.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-fighting-illini-could-not-fight.html). In a no-contact play Drew's knees buckled and he fell down after getting around a player during a punt. Ott was able to tough it out and walk off the field with some help, but he will not be walking on it during a game for the rest of his senior season. Definitely a very tough loss for the Hawkeyes and very upsetting for a tough kid that won't be able to play the game he loves due to a very unfortunate and unavoidable injury.
The Fighting Illini Could NOT Fight Their Way Past The Iowa Hawkeyes
6-0. The Iowa Hawkeyes are once again 6-0. After battling past the Fighting Illini, the Hawkeyes look even more impressive, which is a big statement because the Hawks have exceeded many of the fans' expectations. This past Saturday, the Hawkeyes were able to defeat Illinois on homecoming weekend at Kinnick 29-20.
The Hawkeyes were coming off a remarkable 10-6 win against the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison when they went to battle against Illinois, who also won their Big Ten opener against Wisconsin. The game started at 11 AM Central Time in Iowa City and was being televised nationally on ESPN2. Iowa received the opening kickoff, but were not able to do much on their opening drive. They were able to gain one first down after C.J. Beathard scrambled 14 yards after being chased out of the pocket, but were unable to do much after that. Fortunately for the Hawkeyes, the Illini were also unable to do much after the Hawks tough defense got a quick three and out to force a punt. On Iowa's next drive, Beathard threw a nice 21-yard pass to George Kittle, who scored last week's only touchdown, for the first touchdown of the game. The game was 7-0 Hawkeyes... at least, it should have been 7-0. Unfortunately, Marshall Koehn, the hero of Iowa's win against Pittsburgh, missed the PAT which would later become an important miss, alas the Hawkeyes only led 6-0 after scoring a touchdown. On Illinois' next drive, quarterback West Lunt drove the ball all the way down the field to Iowa's four-yard line. Then Fighting Illini running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn did something no one has done this season. Vaughn ran the ball into the in-zone for a touchdown against an Iowa defense that had never allowed a rushing touchdown until that moment. The homecoming fans at Kinnick were shocked and very disappointed. They were even more upset when kicker Taylor Zalewski did what Marshall Koehn did not, make the PAT to put the Fighting Illini up 7-6. After Illinois had scored, both teams traded empty possessions with each teams' defenses stumping their opponents' offenses. On Iowa's next drive, the Hawkeyes marched the ball all the way down to the Illinois' 1-yard line. The fans became rowdy, eager for their Hawks to retake the lead, but Iowa failed to get the ball in the in-zone and turned the ball over on downs. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, their defense was able to get the crowd on their feet by stopping the Illini offense in just four plays, forcing them to punt. The Hawks then took the ball down the field, and running back Jordan Canzeri got his first receiving touchdown of the year off of a 17-yard pass from Beathard. This time Koehn banged the kick right through the middle of the uprights and put the Hawkeyes up 13-7. After the Hawks scored, the game remained stagnant with both teams punting back and forth until the Hawks finally made a field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the half. The Illini chose the conservative route of just kneeling to bring the first half to a close with a score of 16-7 in Iowa's favor. On Illinois' first drive of the second half, they drove the ball down the field, but couldn't score a touchdown. They settled for a 37-yard field goal from Zalewski. Once again the game went back and forth with punts until the Illini yet again scored another field goal to bring the game to 16-13 Iowa. The Hawkeyes were looking beaten with their offense being unable to do much and Wes Lunt being able to practically do whatever he wanted in the second half. Fortunately for the Hawkeyes, Jordan Canzeri broke through the Fighting Illini defense and ran 75-yards for a touchdown, the longest Hawkeye run since Shonn Greene's 75-yard run. On the next drive for Illinois they marched the ball down the field and attempted a third trick play that did not go as well as the first two. The Fighting Illini had pulled off two trick plays for positive yardage earlier in the game, but when they tried pitching the ball to leading receiver Geronimo Allison and having him throw a pass, he got intercepted by Greg Mabin of the Hawkeyes. Luckily for the Illini, the Hawks offense was halted once again and they were able to drive down the field and score another touchdown. The score was now 23-20 in favor of the Hawkeyes. Iowa knew they needed a score so they marched down the field and went for a touchdown, but they failed. Iowa was only able to score a 34-yard field goal. As Koehn saw his kick go through the uprights, his heart was filled with joy, but only for a second. He looked up at the scoreboard and realized that the score was 26-20 with 3:20 to go. This was more than enough time for the Illini to score a touchdown, and if they did it right, they would take a 27-26 lead with practically no time for the Iowa Hawkeyes to come back. Marshall Koehn knew that if the Illini scored on the next possession and the Hawkeyes lost for the first time this season, it would be all on him. Luckily for Koehn and all of the Hawkeye fans around the world, the Hawkeyes did something they had done in previous games this season that was incredibly lucky. On the first play of Illinois' potential game-winning drive, running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by the Hawkeyes. This was the second week in a row where Iowa forced a fumble on the opposing teams drive when they were threatening to take the lead with very little time left. Iowa was able to then get in field-goal range, and Marshall Koehn redeemed himself by making a 40-yard field goal to put the Hawks up 29-20, giving the Fighting Illini a very little chance to come back. The Illini were unable to take the ball down the field, however, and turned the ball over to the Hawkeyes on downs. Iowa was then able to get in victory formation and kneel the ball until the clock struck zero. The Hawkeyes had once again emerged victorious in a very close-fought battle against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The Hawkeyes were coming off a remarkable 10-6 win against the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison when they went to battle against Illinois, who also won their Big Ten opener against Wisconsin. The game started at 11 AM Central Time in Iowa City and was being televised nationally on ESPN2. Iowa received the opening kickoff, but were not able to do much on their opening drive. They were able to gain one first down after C.J. Beathard scrambled 14 yards after being chased out of the pocket, but were unable to do much after that. Fortunately for the Hawkeyes, the Illini were also unable to do much after the Hawks tough defense got a quick three and out to force a punt. On Iowa's next drive, Beathard threw a nice 21-yard pass to George Kittle, who scored last week's only touchdown, for the first touchdown of the game. The game was 7-0 Hawkeyes... at least, it should have been 7-0. Unfortunately, Marshall Koehn, the hero of Iowa's win against Pittsburgh, missed the PAT which would later become an important miss, alas the Hawkeyes only led 6-0 after scoring a touchdown. On Illinois' next drive, quarterback West Lunt drove the ball all the way down the field to Iowa's four-yard line. Then Fighting Illini running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn did something no one has done this season. Vaughn ran the ball into the in-zone for a touchdown against an Iowa defense that had never allowed a rushing touchdown until that moment. The homecoming fans at Kinnick were shocked and very disappointed. They were even more upset when kicker Taylor Zalewski did what Marshall Koehn did not, make the PAT to put the Fighting Illini up 7-6. After Illinois had scored, both teams traded empty possessions with each teams' defenses stumping their opponents' offenses. On Iowa's next drive, the Hawkeyes marched the ball all the way down to the Illinois' 1-yard line. The fans became rowdy, eager for their Hawks to retake the lead, but Iowa failed to get the ball in the in-zone and turned the ball over on downs. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, their defense was able to get the crowd on their feet by stopping the Illini offense in just four plays, forcing them to punt. The Hawks then took the ball down the field, and running back Jordan Canzeri got his first receiving touchdown of the year off of a 17-yard pass from Beathard. This time Koehn banged the kick right through the middle of the uprights and put the Hawkeyes up 13-7. After the Hawks scored, the game remained stagnant with both teams punting back and forth until the Hawks finally made a field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the half. The Illini chose the conservative route of just kneeling to bring the first half to a close with a score of 16-7 in Iowa's favor. On Illinois' first drive of the second half, they drove the ball down the field, but couldn't score a touchdown. They settled for a 37-yard field goal from Zalewski. Once again the game went back and forth with punts until the Illini yet again scored another field goal to bring the game to 16-13 Iowa. The Hawkeyes were looking beaten with their offense being unable to do much and Wes Lunt being able to practically do whatever he wanted in the second half. Fortunately for the Hawkeyes, Jordan Canzeri broke through the Fighting Illini defense and ran 75-yards for a touchdown, the longest Hawkeye run since Shonn Greene's 75-yard run. On the next drive for Illinois they marched the ball down the field and attempted a third trick play that did not go as well as the first two. The Fighting Illini had pulled off two trick plays for positive yardage earlier in the game, but when they tried pitching the ball to leading receiver Geronimo Allison and having him throw a pass, he got intercepted by Greg Mabin of the Hawkeyes. Luckily for the Illini, the Hawks offense was halted once again and they were able to drive down the field and score another touchdown. The score was now 23-20 in favor of the Hawkeyes. Iowa knew they needed a score so they marched down the field and went for a touchdown, but they failed. Iowa was only able to score a 34-yard field goal. As Koehn saw his kick go through the uprights, his heart was filled with joy, but only for a second. He looked up at the scoreboard and realized that the score was 26-20 with 3:20 to go. This was more than enough time for the Illini to score a touchdown, and if they did it right, they would take a 27-26 lead with practically no time for the Iowa Hawkeyes to come back. Marshall Koehn knew that if the Illini scored on the next possession and the Hawkeyes lost for the first time this season, it would be all on him. Luckily for Koehn and all of the Hawkeye fans around the world, the Hawkeyes did something they had done in previous games this season that was incredibly lucky. On the first play of Illinois' potential game-winning drive, running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by the Hawkeyes. This was the second week in a row where Iowa forced a fumble on the opposing teams drive when they were threatening to take the lead with very little time left. Iowa was able to then get in field-goal range, and Marshall Koehn redeemed himself by making a 40-yard field goal to put the Hawks up 29-20, giving the Fighting Illini a very little chance to come back. The Illini were unable to take the ball down the field, however, and turned the ball over to the Hawkeyes on downs. Iowa was then able to get in victory formation and kneel the ball until the clock struck zero. The Hawkeyes had once again emerged victorious in a very close-fought battle against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
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