Hawkeyes Open with a `Sequence of Beauty'

Sept. 24, 2012

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Editor’s Note: The following first appeared in the University of Iowa’s Hawk Talk Daily, an e-newsletter that offers a daily look at the Iowa Hawkeyes, delivered free each morning to thousands of fans of the Hawkeyes worldwide.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The first two were good, the third was very good, and Saturday’s opening offensive drive of the football game was, as voice of the Hawkeyes Gary Dolphin described it, a “sequence of beauty.”

After four weekends of football, the University of Iowa is a perfect 4-for-4 on coming away with points on its first possession. Against Northern Illinois at Soldier Field, it was a 14-play, 58-yard series that culminated with a 34-yard field goal from kicker Mike Meyer.

The following Saturday against Iowa State, the Hawkeyes’ first offensive series was an 11-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard field goal by Meyer.

The last two games have started with touchdowns.

Against Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes used a 10-play, 60-yard series, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Mark Weisman to knot the score, 7-7, in a game they went on to win, 27-16.

But none of the three previous opening drives compared to the most recent one against Central Michigan on Sept. 22.

Hawkeye senior Keenan Davis returned the kickoff 18 yards to the UI 28. On first down, senior quarterback James Vandenberg hooked up with Davis on a 38-yard pass completion to the Central Michigan 34. Weisman rushed 10 yards to the Chippewa 24. Vandenberg and Davis hooked up for 12 yards. Weisman rushed up the middle for seven yards to the Central Michigan 5. A false start by the Hawkeyes put the ball back to the 10, but that just made for a longer touchdown pass from Vandenberg to sophomore Kevonte Martin-Manley.

“We came out aggressive,” Martin-Manley said. “We blocked hard, (Weisman) ran the ball, and we caught the ball. Keenan made a big play the first play of the game and that’s what sparked us. We just made plays.”

Iowa traveled 72 yards on five plays and used 2:28 of game clock. Four of the five snaps resulted in a first down.

“We had a couple good plays scripted together and we executed,” Vandenberg said. “We got some looks we expected, and we made some plays. It was a good way to start the game.”

The Vandenberg-to-Martin-Manley toss, catch and run had added significance: It was the first touchdown via the air for the Hawkeyes this season. Ironically, both of Iowa’s scores in the 2011 Insight Bowl came in the fourth quarter — and from passes to C.J. Fiedorowicz and to Jordan Canzeri.

“It was a beautiful first drive,” UI head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “That was a positive.”

Overall, it was an impressive first 15 minutes Saturday for the Hawkeyes. They compiled 180 yards and two touchdowns on 14 plays, despite losing a fumble for the first time this season, and committing four penalties for 50 yards. Vandenberg was 8-for-8 passing for 129 yards.

“This is something we expect out of ourselves,” Martin-Manley said. “We worked extremely hard in the offseason and during practice. This is what we expect from week to week.”

There is no denying the success of the Hawkeye drives to begin games. Nearly as impressive is what they do with the opening series coming out of the locker room at halftime. On Iowa’s first drive of the third quarter against Central Michigan, the Hawkeyes used four runs by Weisman (for 54 yards) to tack on a touchdown in just 99 seconds. Iowa has scored on 3-of-4 drives to begin the second half of games, including a 4-play, 70-yard touchdown sequence against Northern Iowa, highlighted by a 51-yard reception from Vandenberg to Martin-Manley.

Iowa attempts to continue those prosperous trends Saturday, Sept. 29, when it hosts undefeated Big Ten Conference rival Minnesota. The game begins at 11 a.m. (CT), and will be televised live to a national audience by the Big Ten Network.