Sports Then and Now

The Iowa Hawkeyes are seldom winners against the Michigan Wolverines on the football field.Part One: The 1980s

Part I: The 1980s

Michigan seldom loses to Iowa.

Since 1900 the Hawkeye record stands at 11-40-4 against the Wolverines.

This is not good news if you are a Hawkeye or a Hawkeye fan heading into Wolverine territory for another showdown in Week 7.

Iowa won contests in 1900, 1924, 1958, 1962, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1990, 2002, 2003, and 2009.

Six of the eleven wins have been on the road––over half.

This is somewhat good news since Iowa will be playing Saturday in Ann Arbor.

During the rivalry, Iowa and Michigan also played for four ties––in 1929 (0-0); in 1957 (21-21); in 1963 (21-21) and in 1988 (17-17)––which marked the only tie with Michigan in a game played at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

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Zultan's predictions for Week 5

The Northern Illinois Huskies and the Toledo Rockets derailed Zultan’s perfect 14-0 Week 4.

These MAC teams accomplished what the SEC, PAC 10 and Big East conferences could not––confound the All-Seeing One by bringing out previously hidden talent to overrun the supposedly more talent-laden Big Ten teams––Purdue and Minnesota.

But now, as conference play gets underway, the prognostication game grows deadly serious.  There are no more gimmes on the horizon, for all appearances to the contrary. The lop-sided scoring by the top-ranked Big Ten teams over cup-cake opponents is over. This begins the run for conference titles and other guarantees of glory in the post season.

Zultan has never dipped below 500 in his two-year stint forecasting games; but this could be the week.  Don’t miss your opportunity to outguess the Seer of Seers.  Click here to make your own picks for Week 5.  But be warned, Zultan has polished up his crystal ball, tweaking his football radar as he readies himself for that all important first step in Week 5.

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IA QB Ricky Stanzi celebrates 24-23 victory over Penn State.

The Iowa vs. Penn State rivalry in college football has ballooned in importance, especially in recent years as Iowa continues to roll out one impressive football team after another.

Penn State has the storied football past, having cemented its place in the upper echelons of successful college football programs.

In the early years, Penn State owned Iowa, winning five of their first seven meetings.

Iowa won twice prior to 1980, in 1930 and again in 1976.

Many felt Penn State would dominate the conference when the Nittany Lions became a full-fledged member of the Big Ten in 1993. After all, Penn State had won National Championships in 1982 and again in 1986.

The Lions did win the Big Ten conference title in 1994 with a perfect 12-0 season. They won it again in 2005, going 11-1, and in 2008 when they tied for first place with Ohio State. The Nittany Lions’ only conference loss in 2008 came against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Dallas Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes Football Team.

During the Hayden Fry years (1979-98), Iowa played Penn State six times, twice in 1983-1984 when Penn State was an Independent, and four times as Big Ten opponents. Iowa won twice, in 1983 and then again in 1996.

When Kirk Ferentz came to Iowa, the dominance by Penn State began to wane.

In fact, in the nine times the two teams have met during the Ferentz era at Iowa (1999-present), the Hawkeyes hold a decided advantage, winning seven of nine or 78 percent of the games played.

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Unfortunately this week, Zultan, the Great Prognosticator, has locked himself inside his room and he refuses to come out after the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to Arizona last Saturday night in Tucson.

He can still be heard moaning and mumbling into the wee hours of the morning. His crystal ball was finally located in the freezer wrapped clumsily in a black and gold shroud.

Zultan shoved a scribbled list under his door. No doubt this is the week you should challenge the Big Z because his powers have been desiccated by western desert winds. Click here to gain the advantage by out-guessing the mighty Zultan’s as he makes his picks in Week 4.

The Big Ten plays its latest slate of non-conference games in the house by going up against supposed home-baked cupcakes this week.  But there might be a couple of genuine upsets in the making.

Central Michigan Chippewas at Northwestern Wildcats

MAC Conference member Central Michigan, 2-1, suffered their only loss to the Temple Owls.  Northwestern who has managed to escape Vanderbilt, Illinois State and Rice to remain undefeated should manage to notch another win against the Central Michigan Chippewas.  Northwestern bakes another cuppie and wins this one at home.

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Iowa defeated Arizona 27-17 last year in Iowa City.

In 2009, Iowa tipped Arizona in Kinnick Stadium 27-17 on the back of Iowa’s defense–– which essentially stifled any real offense the Wildcats could muster.

Arizona’s running back Nic Grigsby came into the contest as the nation’s second leading rusher.

He left Iowa City with only 75 yards rushing on 11 carries.

Of their 17 total points, Arizona scored seven as a result of an interception of a Stanzi pass. The Wildcat offense scored another seven points as time was running out in the fourth quarter and the outcome was no longer in doubt.

That meant that for all of their efforts, the Arizona offense earned a field goal on the afternoon. That evolved when Iowa corner back Amari Spievey stopped Grigsby with a tackle on the Iowa 1-yard line.  Subsequently, Iowa stopped Arizona cold and the Wildcats had to settle for a 3-pointer instead of a touchdown.

The Iowa defense which held the Arizona offense to a mere eight first downs, will be expected to repeat their performance in 2010.

This year Iowa’s “Bid D” will face a more explosive offense, led by quarterback Nick Foles, a Michigan State transfer.

Foles entered the game in the fourth quarter of the 2009 game against Iowa and has now replaced last year’s starter Matt Scott.

Foles forte is passing and in his first two games he has thrown for 574 yards and three touchdowns. Completing 83 percent of his passes, Foles has also tossed a couple of interceptions.  But the level of the Wildcat competition has not been exactly stiff.

The Arizona team mauled the MAC Conference Toledo Rockets 41-2 in week one. They followed that up with a win over the Citadel of the Southern Conference, 52-6. Iowa, on the other hand, will present a whole lot more competition.

The Wildcats use short passes to open up the field. RB Grigsby is back fully healthy again, piling up 160 yards and five touchdowns in the first two games.  He has been aided in the backfield by Greg Nwoko who has added 100 yards and two touchdowns so far in 2010. The Arizona defense will be forced to stand up to their toughest test so far in this young season.

Iowa will win this game for many reasons but primarily because of the the team effort on both sides of the ball.  On offense and on defense expect these tandems to excel as No. 9 Iowa faces No. 24 Arizona in Tucson on September 18:

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