Sunday, October 18, 2015
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.
MyNBA2K16
On October 1, 2015, 2K released a companion app to NBA 2K16 that was compatible with Android and Apple devices. The app allows players to collect virtual trading cards of NBA stars, both past and present, and play in simulated games against other players. The app also allows a player to connect the app to their NBA 2K16 account to earn VC (Virtual Currency) through mini-games once per day. Each day they get a chance to pick three cards out of fifteen, each with a certain VC value, in the Daily VC Bonus game. Each card has a VC value between 50-250. The sum of the three cards' values is the amount the player earns that day. However, if the player picks three cards with identical VC values, the sum is doubled. This means that the player can earn a grand total of 1500 VC per day, if they are lucky enough to select three cards with a value of 250 VC each day, which is highly unlikely. The other daily thing a player can do to earn VC for his/her NBA 2K16 game is play a total of ten quick games, playing their five best cards against another's five best to see who has the better team. Each quick game they play earns them 50 VC, no matter the outcome of the game. If the player is dedicated enough to spend enough time playing ten quick game (which take less than a minute for each game), they can earn up to 500 VC. With both mini-games combined, the player can potentially earn 2000 VC per day, which is about the same amount they can earn playing two games in MyCareer mode if they play twelve minute quarters on All-Star difficulty and play around 30 minutes per game. The last thing the player can do to earn VC in the MyNBA2K16 companion app is complete a goal. Each day the app selects a random task the player must complete to earn a certain amount of VC. Each task has a different difficulty level, thus more challenging tasks can reward the player more VC. Based on experience, I have seen four different goals so far. The first goal I have seen is to just visit random sections of the app which rewards around 250 VC (I don't exactly remember this amount so I may be off a little). The second goal I've seen is to win a total of 100 games, which is very time consuming, and rewards 2000 VC. The third goal is to pick three identical cards three different times, which also rewards 2000 VC. The last goal I have seen in my time owning the app is to make the playoffs in the season mode of the app, which awards 3000 VC. Overall, I think the app is a great way for players to earn VC for their NBA 2K16 game without actually playing the game. While some may argue that the mini-games are too boring or the app doesn't reward as much VC as in previous years, I think they are overlooking some key points. The app is not meant to replace the game, it is supposed to be a companion app that they can play when they aren't at their homes where they can play the actual game. As far as the amount of VC the game rewards, players can earn VC in the app quicker than they can earn it in the game, assuming they're not abusing the Hall of Fame sim glitch, and VC is actually worth a lot more than in previous years so 2000 VC is actually a pretty decent amount. I definitely recommend this app to anyone who wants another way to earn VC for their game, but if you don't want to spend time playing a game then you don't have to download it. It is a completely free app meant for players, such as myself, who want any way to get ahead and earn some VC while playing some entertaining card game.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
A Hawkeye Flash From The Past
For the first time since 2009, the Iowa Hawkeye Football Team is 5-0. This is a pretty big accomplishment for the Hawkeyes who have struggled heavily ever since the 2009 season where they went 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. As a Hawkeye fan, this is one of the first years in a while that I was actually excited to turn on an Iowa game and wasn't having a heart attack during close games. In previous years, Iowa always found ways to screw up and disappoint their fans in a close loss, but this year has been different. Under the newly-named starting quarterback C.J. Beathard, the Hawks have found a way, in multiple games this season, to pull of a close, and very exciting win. So as someone who actually really started to pay attention since the 2009 Hawkeye football season, one question keeps rising in my head as Iowa continues to win week after week. Is this 2015 Hawkeye team as good as the 2009 team?
After looking at the 2009 Iowa football schedule again, I noticed that the teams Iowa played that year are very similar to the teams the Hawkeyes have played so far this year. In both teams' first games, they played against smaller schools at home in Kinnick Stadium. Both teams also traveled to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa for their second games and won against their in-state rival, the Iowa State Cyclones. Both teams also pulled off victories when visiting Wisconsin.
Another similarity the two teams have are certain players in their rosters. Both teams have great junior quarterbacks in Ricky Stanzi and C.J. Beathard. Both of these two quarterbacks are great at staying calm and collected during late game situations and can throw the ball far and accurate. Both teams also had players who were great at intercepting the opposing quarterbacks passes in Tyler Sash and Desmond King. After intercepting multiple passes in last night's game against the Badgers, King became the first Hawkeye since Sash, who tragically passed away last month, to intercept multiple passes in a game for more than one game.
While I'm not exactly sure if the Hawkeyes this year are quite as good as the 2009 squad, they have more than exceeded my expectations this year picking up two great road wins that Iowa hasn't won in a while. This team has shown a lot of heart this year, and have continued to improve week after week on both the offensive and defensive sides. I really hope this team can do great things because if they are anything like the 2009 team, they can make it far. I remember how Iowa lost its first game in the 2009 season after Stanzi was unfortunately injured in a game against Northwestern. I always wondered if Stanzi hadn't gotten hurt, would we have possibly had an undefeated season and become national champions? I really hope C.J. doesn't get injured because this team really shows signs of that great 2009 team. Maybe, just maybe the Hawkeyes will be able to pull off a miracle this year. C.J. is still undefeated as a starter and head coach Kirk Ferrentz seems to be taking risks like he used to back in the 2009 season. Hopefully that means that Iowa is destined for greatness this season.
After looking at the 2009 Iowa football schedule again, I noticed that the teams Iowa played that year are very similar to the teams the Hawkeyes have played so far this year. In both teams' first games, they played against smaller schools at home in Kinnick Stadium. Both teams also traveled to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa for their second games and won against their in-state rival, the Iowa State Cyclones. Both teams also pulled off victories when visiting Wisconsin.
Another similarity the two teams have are certain players in their rosters. Both teams have great junior quarterbacks in Ricky Stanzi and C.J. Beathard. Both of these two quarterbacks are great at staying calm and collected during late game situations and can throw the ball far and accurate. Both teams also had players who were great at intercepting the opposing quarterbacks passes in Tyler Sash and Desmond King. After intercepting multiple passes in last night's game against the Badgers, King became the first Hawkeye since Sash, who tragically passed away last month, to intercept multiple passes in a game for more than one game.
While I'm not exactly sure if the Hawkeyes this year are quite as good as the 2009 squad, they have more than exceeded my expectations this year picking up two great road wins that Iowa hasn't won in a while. This team has shown a lot of heart this year, and have continued to improve week after week on both the offensive and defensive sides. I really hope this team can do great things because if they are anything like the 2009 team, they can make it far. I remember how Iowa lost its first game in the 2009 season after Stanzi was unfortunately injured in a game against Northwestern. I always wondered if Stanzi hadn't gotten hurt, would we have possibly had an undefeated season and become national champions? I really hope C.J. doesn't get injured because this team really shows signs of that great 2009 team. Maybe, just maybe the Hawkeyes will be able to pull off a miracle this year. C.J. is still undefeated as a starter and head coach Kirk Ferrentz seems to be taking risks like he used to back in the 2009 season. Hopefully that means that Iowa is destined for greatness this season.
The Heartland Trophy's Return to Iowa City
On October 3, 2015, the Iowa Hawkeyes did something they haven't done in six years. For the first time since 2009, the Hawkeyes defeated the Wisconsin Badgers to win the Heartland trophy and bring it back home to Iowa. In a hard fought battle between arguably the two best teams in the Big Ten West Division, the Hawkeyes prevailed in a low-scoring game at Camp Randall Stadium in Wisconsin. These two teams have played ten times in the Heartland trophy era with both teams winning five games each. Overall, they have met a total of 89 times, with the Badgers winning 44 times, the Hawkeyes winning 43 times, and the two playing to a draw twice. For fans, this has been a very exciting rivalry with both teams matching up evenly.
The Hawkeyes came into the game 4-0 after a dominating 62-16 rout of the North Texas Mean Green. Their quarterback "Sunshine" C.J. Beathard had been playing incredible, and looked to continue his hot streak. Everything seemed to be clicking for the Hawkeyes. Unfortunately, the Hawks knew that they would be playing without their long-ball threat in Tevaun Smith. He was Iowa's leading wide receiver, but he was unfortunately injured. Knowing that, without Smith, C.J. wouldn't be able to throw to his capabilities, Iowa depended on a big game from their running back Jordan Canzeri. Canzeri was coming off of one of the best games of his career after rushing for a total of 115 yards and a total of four touchdowns. He was looking to continue his success and stretch the Hawkeyes win streak to five.
The Wisconsin Badgers came into the game ranked Number 19 in the AP (Associated Press) Top 25. They had a record of 3-1 with their only loss coming from Number 13 ranked Alabama. Their quarterback, Joel Stave, was looking to beat the Hawkeyes for the fourth straight time in his final year wearing a Badgers jersey. He was playing great, completing over 60% of his passes and throwing for more than 150 yards a game. Their freshman running back, Taiwan Deal, was playing well coming off a 147 yard effort in a 28-0 victory against Hawaii. The Badger fans didn't think they would have any trouble against the Hawkeyes. While everyone knew this might be the most crucial game in the battle for the Big Ten West Division, the Badgers fans thought that, especially in Wisconsin, their Badgers would cruise past Iowa and go on to the next game.
The game started slow with the only score in the first quarter being a 46-yard field goal from Wisconsin kicker Rafael Gaglianone. The teams went back and fourth either forcing each other to punt, or forcing turnover-on-downs until Iowa's kicker Marshall Koehn, who had already made a 57-yard game winning field goal against Pittsburgh, missed an easy 27-yard field goal. The second quarter was a little quicker with Iowa scoring on a 1-yard pass from C.J. Beathard to George Kittle after an interception of Stave from Iowa Defensive Back Desmond King. On the opening play of Wisconsin's next drive, Drew Ott of Iowa forced Joel Stave to fumble, and Iowa was able to score a field goal to lead the game 10-3. In the third quarter, Gaglianone scored another 46-yard field goal to bring the Badgers closer. However, in the final quarter, neither offenses could best their opponents defenses and the Iowa Hawkeyes closed out a tough, hard-fought win against the Badgers.
The Hawkeyes came into the game 4-0 after a dominating 62-16 rout of the North Texas Mean Green. Their quarterback "Sunshine" C.J. Beathard had been playing incredible, and looked to continue his hot streak. Everything seemed to be clicking for the Hawkeyes. Unfortunately, the Hawks knew that they would be playing without their long-ball threat in Tevaun Smith. He was Iowa's leading wide receiver, but he was unfortunately injured. Knowing that, without Smith, C.J. wouldn't be able to throw to his capabilities, Iowa depended on a big game from their running back Jordan Canzeri. Canzeri was coming off of one of the best games of his career after rushing for a total of 115 yards and a total of four touchdowns. He was looking to continue his success and stretch the Hawkeyes win streak to five.
The Wisconsin Badgers came into the game ranked Number 19 in the AP (Associated Press) Top 25. They had a record of 3-1 with their only loss coming from Number 13 ranked Alabama. Their quarterback, Joel Stave, was looking to beat the Hawkeyes for the fourth straight time in his final year wearing a Badgers jersey. He was playing great, completing over 60% of his passes and throwing for more than 150 yards a game. Their freshman running back, Taiwan Deal, was playing well coming off a 147 yard effort in a 28-0 victory against Hawaii. The Badger fans didn't think they would have any trouble against the Hawkeyes. While everyone knew this might be the most crucial game in the battle for the Big Ten West Division, the Badgers fans thought that, especially in Wisconsin, their Badgers would cruise past Iowa and go on to the next game.
The game started slow with the only score in the first quarter being a 46-yard field goal from Wisconsin kicker Rafael Gaglianone. The teams went back and fourth either forcing each other to punt, or forcing turnover-on-downs until Iowa's kicker Marshall Koehn, who had already made a 57-yard game winning field goal against Pittsburgh, missed an easy 27-yard field goal. The second quarter was a little quicker with Iowa scoring on a 1-yard pass from C.J. Beathard to George Kittle after an interception of Stave from Iowa Defensive Back Desmond King. On the opening play of Wisconsin's next drive, Drew Ott of Iowa forced Joel Stave to fumble, and Iowa was able to score a field goal to lead the game 10-3. In the third quarter, Gaglianone scored another 46-yard field goal to bring the Badgers closer. However, in the final quarter, neither offenses could best their opponents defenses and the Iowa Hawkeyes closed out a tough, hard-fought win against the Badgers.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
The Unfortunate Life of Derrick Rose
Did Derrick Rose accidentally break a mirror during his lifetime? Does he own like a hundred black cats? For whatever reason, Derrick Rose has had the most terrible luck when it comes to injuries. In 2012, Rose tore the ACL in his left knee during a playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers. This injury caused him to miss the rest of the playoffs and the entire 2012-2013 NBA season, where his team, the Chicago Bulls, made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals until finally losing against the champions of that year, the Miami Heat. The next year, Rose was able to finally return to the NBA, but after finally returning to his true form, he injured himself again. The Bulls were playing the Portland Trail Blazers on November 22. All seemed to be going well when Rose fell to the ground in pain, clutching his right knee. After an MRI, it was determined that Rose had torn his right knee meniscus and that he would be ruled out for the rest of the season, again. Finally, at the start of 2014-2015 NBA season, Derrick Rose returned for the Bulls. He was able to make it through about half a season before being injuring, once again, his right knee meniscus. Fortunately for the Bulls, Rose was only ruled out for four-to-six weeks and was eventually able to return after missing 20 games. The Bulls eventually went on the second round of the NBA playoffs before losing to the Miami Heat.
The year is now 2015. The 2015-2016 NBA season is set to begin on October 27, and Derrick Rose is once again injured. Luckily for the Bulls, he is only supposed to be out for two weeks, but it is still unfortunate for 26-year-old star, who longs to have a complete healthy season for once. On Tuesday, September 29, Rose was accidentally elbowed in the face by a fellow teammate during practice. He suffered a left orbital fracture that required surgery the next morning. The Bulls are optimistic that the injury shouldn't prevent Rose from playing at his potential this season, and are hopeful that he will finally be able to return to his MVP form this season. Rose has unfortunately suffered many injuries during his prime years in the NBA. He has just had awful luck when it has come to his health. At least he still makes millions of dollars right?
The year is now 2015. The 2015-2016 NBA season is set to begin on October 27, and Derrick Rose is once again injured. Luckily for the Bulls, he is only supposed to be out for two weeks, but it is still unfortunate for 26-year-old star, who longs to have a complete healthy season for once. On Tuesday, September 29, Rose was accidentally elbowed in the face by a fellow teammate during practice. He suffered a left orbital fracture that required surgery the next morning. The Bulls are optimistic that the injury shouldn't prevent Rose from playing at his potential this season, and are hopeful that he will finally be able to return to his MVP form this season. Rose has unfortunately suffered many injuries during his prime years in the NBA. He has just had awful luck when it has come to his health. At least he still makes millions of dollars right?
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