April 26, 2005
Like Rodney Dangerfield, Iowa football gets no respect.
That’s the perception, anyway. Hayden Fry enjoyed the role of the underdog and claimed the national media never gave his teams the attention they deserved. The old psychologist would stick out his lower lip, shake his head and wonder aloud why his Hawkeyes got no respect.
Because he is naturally self-effacing, Kirk Ferentz has easily followed in Fry’s footsteps. Recently asked if he gets to vote on the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, Kirk responded, “I’ve never been asked. Maybe I don’t qualify. They’ve probably had to have heard of your team.”
Ferentz, whose Hawkeyes have won 31 games and shared two Big Ten championships the past three seasons, has obviously learned how to play the Rodney Dangerfield role.
But don’t take him too seriously. The Hawkeyes get respect. They got it under Hayden Fry and they are getting it under Kirk Ferentz, whose teams have finished No. 8 in the Associated Press poll three straight years.
During that time Brad Banks, Dallas Clark, Nate Kaeding and Robert Gallery have been named the best quarterback, tight end, kicker and offensive linemen in college football. The Hawkeyes were invited to a major bowl game in Florida in each of those seasons. There have been many all-America and all-Big Ten honors.
That’s called respect, and it’s carried over to the 2005 season. Accolades are pouring in for the team and the players.
The Hawkeyes get high pre-season marks on the plethora of football web sites. CBS Sportsline.com ranks them No. 2 and predicts they will play for the national championship. Other forecasts have them in the Top Ten.
Individually, quarterback Drew Tate is being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate, while Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge are being hailed as the best linebacker tandem in the country. Greenway is a Playboy Magazine pre-season
all-American.
Everyone agrees that Kirk Ferentz, who has twice been named the Big Ten coach of the year, is one of the brightest and best coaches in college football.
And that’s just for starters. Wait until pre-season magazines hit the stands this summer. They’ll bring even more accolades.
There’s a feeling out there that Ferentz and his coaches can, on demand, pull victories out of their playbook. Completing a seemingly impossible 56-yard touchdown pass to win the Capitol One Bowl on the game’s final play did nothing to diminish that perception. It was one of many Houdini acts by Iowa last season.
The Hawkeyes took an intentional safety at Penn State, dared the Nittany Lions to kick a field goal, and won by two points. Against Purdue, they forced five turnovers and blocked two field goals to win again by two. At Minnesota, they survived a staggering 357 rushing yards by the Gophers to win a third two-point decision.
|
There’s a feeling out there that Ferentz and his coaches can, on demand, pull victories out of their playbook. Completing a seemingly impossible 56-yard touchdown pass to win the Capitol One Bowl on the game’s final play did nothing to diminish that perception. It was one of many Houdini acts by Iowa last season.
|
The Hawkeyes have proven they can win, especially close games, which often determines the difference between a good season and great season. Winning cliff-hangers allowed them to complete their third straight season with 10 or more victories.
They will open the 2005 campaign riding an eight-game winning streak. They have a string of 18 consecutive victories at home, a Kinnick Stadium record.
Those achievements have not gone unnoticed, which is why Iowa football has respect. But respect translates to expectations, which are sometimes unrealistic.
Are expectations for the 2005 Hawkeyes realistic or overblown? That’s a good question, and we won’t know the answer for several months.
But a little caution might be a wise thing. Iowa went into spring practice with two primary goals: (1) replacing six defensive starters, including the entire front four, and (2) revitalizing a running game that was no factor last season because of injuries. When spring drills ended, Ferentz left little doubt that those goals had not been achieved.
“Injuries have clouded the progress,” said the coach. “Some players who are being counted on in the fall could not practice.”
“Look,” he said candidly, “we’re not a Top Ten team right now. In 2002 we thought we were — we could kind of see it. But this is like the last two seasons. We have questions that won’t be answered until the fall.”
So my advice to Hawkeye fans is this: Renew your ticket order, enjoy the summer and wait for the season to begin. Be optimistic, but don’t set expectations too high.
Remember, there is such a thing as too much respect.
WINE ONLINE ARCHIVES
January 21
January 14
December 20
December 13
December 6
November 29
November 21
November 17
November 8
October 31
October 24
October 18
October 11
October 4
September 27
September 20
September 13
September 6
August 30
August 26