Iowa Hawkeyes vs Iowa State Cyclones Football Recap

Iowa 35, Iowa State 7

There’s an icy focus surrounding the Iowa camp this year.

The Hawkeyes wobbled in their first games of 2009 and played a lot of games close to the edge despite going 11-2 and winning the 2010 Orange Bowl against Georgia Tech. This season, though, the Hawkeyes look even better. They’re dialed in on both sides of the ball and are just hammering opponents. Iowa made Iowa State look really bad this past Saturday in a convincing 35-7 pasting that was over almost as soon as it started. The ninth-ranked Hawkeyes demolished the Cyclones in Iowa City, rolling to the finish line first in the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy.

Iowa rushed for 275 yards, committed only four penalties for an insignificant total of 25 yards, and scored on four of its first five possessions. The Hawkeyes built a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime and didn’t allow a touchdown until they had taken a 35-0 bulge into the fourth quarter.

Ricky Stanzi did not commit a single turnover at the quarterback spot, which is so important for this defense-first team. Stanzi completed 11 of 18 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns, and led the Hawkeyes to touchdowns on four of their first five drives.

Adam Robinson ran for 156 yards on 14 carries for Iowa, which piled up 275 rushing yards as a team.  Jewel Hampton ran the ball 20 times for 84 yards and one score in his season debut.

Iowa’s defense plucked three interceptions from ISU quarterback Austin Renaud and basically ran roughshod over Iowa State from start to finish. The Cyclones managed just 72 yards on the ground, and turned the ball over three times. Yes, Iowa State is not a great team, but the Cyclones did win a bowl game last year. Moreover, this was a rivalry game in which unexpected things can happen. It simply appears that Iowa is fully in form as it heads to Arizona next weekend.

Iowa scored on its first drive, a 13-play, 71-yard marathon capped off by Stanzi’s nine-yard pass to Marvin McNutt.

After a Cyclone three-and-out, the Hawkeyes rolled 62 yards on 14 plays in 8:09, taking a 14-0 lead on Hampton’s two-yard run.

The Hawkeyes continued to dominate, forcing another three-and-out before taking a 21-0 lead on their next drive.  Stanzi hit McNutt for a 66-yard gain to the Iowa State nine-yard line, then hit Allen Reisner for a two-yard touchdown three plays later.

A 75-yard run by Robinson set up Iowa’s next touchdown, a one-yard dive by Stanzi that gave the Hawkeyes a 28-0 lead.

> More 2009 College Football Previews from CollegeSports-fans.com