Minnesota reax, Friday post part 1

This season, the parity in the Big Ten has been a real theme. No team has established themselves as the top dog, and that was made evident last weekend. Wisconsin, the original favorite, lost their second straight to a reviving Ohio State team. Michigan State, who had the biggest wins of any Big Ten team, was man-handled by Nebraska, who is now on fire after getting smoked by the Badgers earlier in the season. Unfortunately for Hawkeye fans, the most obvious example of parity came in Minneapolis, when the energized Golden Gophers pulled off the Big Ten upset of the season so far. Minnesota had only 1 win coming into the game, and shocked everyone in Big Ten country.

Iowa's second straight loss to Minnesota drew some very harsh reaction from the media and fans alike. Just listening to the post-game radio show was painful; callers were demanding that the Hawks clear house, including suggestions of firing Kirk Ferentz (I'll share my opinions in a bit). People were labeling this a "down year," and questioning the talent (or lack thereof) on this season's Hawkeye team. Comparisons to the 2007 team and their loss to Western Michigan were very popular.

Yes, Iowa's loss was BAD- probably the worst since that 2007 W. Michigan loss at home. The fact is, Iowa should have won. 252 rushing yards for Marcus Coker, but only 21 points? 2 missed FGs, and missing out on red zone opportunities? Is this the same Hawkeye offense that put up a combined 86 points the last 2 weeks?


Even though there are problems-some of them very big- remember these very important words: DON'T COUNT OUT THE HAWKEYES.

Kirk Ferentz is 89-60 at Iowa,
and has recorded 8 winning
seasons in 12 years

Iowa plays 2 more critical games at home. They have beaten Michigan and MSU the last 2 seasons, so we know it can happen. Iowa is undefeated at home this season. The team will be hungry, and the Kinnick crowd will be desperate. Here's some facts that show there's still hope; in 2005, Iowa won their last 2 critical Big Ten games to become bowl eligible and get up to 7 wins. In 2007, Iowa salvaged a .500 season by winning their final 3 Big Ten games. In 2008, Iowa was 5-4, but won their last 4 games to get to 9 wins. My point is this: Iowa has been down before, and has battled back to turn a potential failure into a winning season with a bowl appearance. Iowa has won critical games that they shouldn't have, and I trust Kirk Ferentz to get his team to battle through tough times to get to a bowl.

Remember this?

Kirk Ferentz has received a ton of criticism this week, and Hawkeye fans need to watch what they say about their coach. Anybody remember the fact that we won a BCS bowl just 2 years ago? What about the 3 straight bowl wins? The 8 winning seasons out of 12? That's called success my friends. Let's remember, this is Iowa we are talking about, not Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, or Oklahoma. There was a time when Iowa was a joke of a football school, and when Ferentz took over, the program was searching for a revival after Hayden Fry left a vastly improved program. Coach Ferentz has perpetuated a winning attitude at Iowa, and has made a tradition of winning. Iowa fans have to realize that what Ferentz has done is incredible, and we can't let a bad loss or two diminish what he's done. Have some hope Hawk fans, this season is not over! There are 4 more games, and you can bet Kirk Ferentz will have his team in a position to win every one of them.



-IS