Aug. 25, 2010
Iowa Football Practice Photos (Wednesday, Aug. 25)
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech is old news and the University of Iowa is moving forward. That was one message Hawkeye quarterback Ricky Stanzi delivered to a national television audience Wednesday as a guest on ESPN2’s First Take.
“We had a good season, we played in a lot of tough games and it was nice to end with a victory, especially in a BCS game,” Stanzi told ESPN’s Dana Jacobs. “But we’ve moved on from that; that’s in the past and it’s not going to help us this year. We’re a new team and we lost a lot of experience, so we have to be sure we’re doing the right things now and get us ready for this season and not worry so much about what happened last year.”
Stanzi said the focus for the Hawkeyes is the same as it has been every season: improve in every practice leading up to game day.
“We’re giving our best effort in every practice and trying to get better and then go to games as well-prepared as possible as a team,” Stanzi said. “We need to have a good attitude and take it one game at a time and then go from there.”
The No. 9/10-rated Hawkeyes open the season Sept. 4 against Eastern Illinois. That is the team that has Stanzi’s undivided attention, not the home-state Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 20. Ohio State is ranked second in the nation by both the Associated Press and USA Today.
“Ohio State is a great football team, they’re well-coached and they have great athletes,” Stanzi said. “No one can argue with their success. Until someone beats them, there’s really nothing to talk about and that’s how we feel. We’re just trying to do our job; that game is pretty far down the road; right now we need to win our first one and go from there.”
Stanzi grew up a fan of Big Ten Conference football and since he lived in Mentor, Ohio, he supported the Buckeyes.
“I’ve kind of changed my ways,” Stanzi said. “Now I’m all Iowa.”
Stanzi has thrown for 4,373 yards and 31 touchdowns the past two seasons and owns an 18-4 record as the Hawkeye’s starting quarterback. Iowa will participate in its 21st practice of fall camp Wednesday afternoon.
Near the end of Stanzi’s five-minute interview, Jacobs asked him four `quick-hitter’ questions:
The last movie Stanzi watched?
“The Other Guys (starring Will Ferrell) — I liked it a lot,” Stanzi said, although Talladega Nights is still his top Ferrell flick.
What is Stanzi’s favorite movie?
“Between Shutter Island and Inception,” he said. “I’m a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan.”
Where is Stanzi’s least favorite stadium to play?
“Penn State just because of the noise,” he said. “It’s extremely loud there and they have great fans and a great football team. It’s a very tough environment to play in.”
Stanzi closed by saying that if he couldn’t play football he would try “something completely different” like surfing or skateboarding.