Battling the Badgers and Biology

Nov. 18, 2003

In 1918, the flu caused US General John Pershing to change his plans for several decisive battles in France. But Pershing and the American Expeditionary Force still won despite losing 16,000 soldiers to the disease. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz just might have to take a lesson.

Last Saturday, Ferentz noted that some players, like offensive linesman Robert Gallery and defensive tackle Matt Neubauer, had taken ill with flu-like symptoms. Neubauer was sent home, while Gallery helped lead the Hawkeyes to a confidence-boosting 40-22 win over Minnesota.

In his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Ferentz reported the Butcher’s Bill for a team ransacked by the airborne virus. Luckily unlike the pandemic of 1918, though, this bug has been easier for the team to shake.

Leading defender Bob Sanders entered hospital on Sunday night and was diagnosed with the flu, but he didn’t spend the night there and was set to return to some form of practices by Tuesday night.

Sean Considine had been on the medical no-show list too, but his fever came down to 99 degrees by Tuesday afternoon and was feeling “great by comparison”.

In all, nearly 20 players were on a dynamic medical list kept by the coach, who said players with fever, vomiting or both would be sent home, while players and staff alike had started taking medicine to stave off the transmission.

“Hopefully, that will be a proactive approach,” said Ferentz. “We didn’t think [the outbreak] would be over on Sunday. I met with our doctors last evening, we looked over the travel roster and we have them on medicines.

“I’m told if guys do come down with it, it might not be as severe.”

The outbreak comes as No. 17 Iowa prepares to take on Big Ten rival Wisconsin at 2:30 CST inside Camp Randall Stadium in the last game of the season. The intense match-up will be the last time both teams can show off before bowl games are solidified in the upcoming weeks.

The team-wide disease is the first for Ferentz in his five-year tenure as head coach, and it caps off a bizarre-like season filled with injuries and other unexpected hurdles.

“It’s been a year of unusual circumstances,” he said. “The flu is a nice way to cap the year off, I guess.

“It’s been an interesting year for sure.”

As some sportswriters attending the press conference became suddenly thankful they had already had their flu shots for the season, Ferentz noted that it was times of adversity – just like the flu outbreak – that brought out the best of the Iowa squad.

“You factor in the illness and it just says volumes about our football team,” said Ferentz. “Most importantly, it says a lot about our seniors. They’ve really given us good leadership.

“You look at the Law Firm of (Nate) Kaeding, Sanders and Gallery. We’ve got a great group of seniors, but those three guys have really assumed great leadership roles on our football team. A lot of guys are doing that, but I don’t know if I’ve known three guys who are as good at their positions as those three are.”

There is no doubt the team will be relying on those three when it takes on a tough Badger team at home and on Seniors’ Day. The game will be Iowa’s third straight Senior Day appearance, having lost at Purdue’s on Nov. 8 and crushing the Gophers last week in the Hawkeyes’ last home game of the year.

“They have a lot of weapons out there right now,” said Ferentz. “Wisconsin’s offense is as diverse and as multiple as I can remember its offense ever being. So it’ll be a real challenge for us.”

But Ferentz understands that he is battling the Badgers just as much as he is battling biology.

“We’re looking forward to another great challenge in playing Wisconsin,” he said. “But we’re looking forward just to getting there, first of all.”

Barry Pump, hawkeyesports.com