ESPN: Consistency the next step for Iowa's Stanzi

ESPN: Consistency the next step for Iowa's Stanzi

July 15, 2009

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa football fans watched a quarterback blossom and mature before their eyes last fall in the form of junior Ricky Stanzi. Hawkeye fans should keep their cameras ready this season to capture more of those special `Kodak moments.’

“Stanzi made his share of mistakes in his first year as the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback, but he also showed impressive poise to bounce back virtually every time,” writes Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com. “Iowa knows Stanzi can bounce back when things go south, but whether he can avoid difficult situations in the first place will largely shape how the team performs this season.”

Last season Stanzi completed 59.1-percent of his passes for 1,956 yards and 14 touchdowns. During a 31-10 victory over South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, Stanzi completed 13 of 19 passes with a 6-yard touchdown toss to Trey Stross.

He was also picked off twice by the Gamecocks. One of the missions in 2009 will be to limit turnovers and be more consistent in the red zone.

“From when (Stanzi) stepped in during the winter and now, he’s the true leader of the team,” UI left tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “He’s doing a great job taking that role. When Rick steps in the huddle, all eyes are on him.”

To read the entire article on ESPN.com, posted Wednesday, July 15, Click HERE.

2009 Iowa Football Season Ticket Application (v3a)