High on the hog
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa is in danger of being remembered more for its finish than its fantastic start.
The 15th-ranked Hawkeyes have dropped two straight after opening 9-0 for the first time, and last week’s 27-24 overtime loss at Ohio State crushed their hopes of a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Though Iowa (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten) has gone from national title contention to simply hoping for an at-large BCS bowl bid, there’s still a lot on the line for the Hawkeyes entering Saturday’s finale against Minnesota (6-5, 3-4).
Standing in the way of Iowa’s hopes for their first 10-win season since 2004 and a bronze pig named Floyd are the Gophers, who still can’t forget what the Hawkeyes did to them in their final game in the Metrodome last season.
Iowa retained the “Floyd of Rosedale” hog trophy given to the winner in this border rivalry with a 55-0 blowout victory. It was the largest win by the Hawkeyes over Minnesota, and it has stuck with many of the Gophers.
“Something like that, you’re never going to forget,” Minnesota tight end Nick Tow-Arnett said. “We’re going to do everything we can this year to not let that happen.”
Iowa’s slide has coincided with quarterback Ricky Stanzi’s sprained ankle, which ended his regular season in the second quarter of a 17-10 loss to Northwestern back on Nov. 7.
Redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg, who’ll make his second career start on Saturday, opened eyes with a confident performance against the Buckeyes.
Facing one of the nation’s top defenses, Vandenberg was 20 of 33 passing for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He threw three interceptions, but he also drove the Hawkeyes to a game-tying score late in the fourth quarter.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz praised Vandenberg’s arm, his grasp of the offense and, most important, they way he handled such a tough environment.
“I’m impressed with the fact that he took a couple shots in the head and that’s the stuff you don’t let guys do in practice,” Ferentz said. “He just showed a lot of mental and physical toughness.”
