Cardiac Hawks rally again in fourth quarter
IOWA CITY — Ricky Stanzi will forever be remembered in Hawkeye lore after his last-second touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt to beat Michigan State last weekend.
But this past weekend, fans were screaming for his head after a brutal third quarter gave the Hawkeyes little hope to remain unbeaten.
However, fans should remember that in 2009, Stanzi always gets the last laugh. The junior quarterback was 3-for-3 for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Iowa outscored Indiana 35-3 in the second half and won going away, 42-24, to remain undefeated and on top of the Big Ten Conference.
“I was booing myself, but that is football,” said Stanzi, who threw four of his five interceptions in the third quarter Saturday. “You get over it though and get ready for the next opportunity.”
The first opportunity was a Tyler Sash 86-yard interception return in the third quarter to pull the Hawkeyes to within seven.
Then Stanzi and his wide receivers went to work in the fourth.
On the first play from scrimmage, Stanzi found a streaking McNutt in the middle of the field and the sophomore wideout did the rest as he broke one tackle and sprinted 92 yards for the score.
“We just found ways to win the game,” McNutt said. “This season has been special. I felt like I might have a step on the defender, and I was just trying not to get caught.”
The big plays continued later as Iowa struck again early in its next drive. After the defense forced Indiana to punt after three plays, Stanzi hit junior Derrell Johnston-Koulianos and another nice run after the catch allowed the Hawks to take their first lead of the game.
Johnson-Koulianos caught the pass 30 yards downfield and made two nifty moves on his way to a 66-yard touchdown.
That’s all the Hawks would need as true freshman Brandon Wegher iced the victory with two late touchdown runs, and No. 4 Iowa improved to 9-0 for the first time in program history.
“That DJK touchdown took the wind out of their sails I think,” Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds said. “But we can’t be satisfied with where we are at. We’ll lean on each other and keep fighting and battling.”
Stanzi finished with a career-high 337 yards and the two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The five interceptions also were a career high.
After the game, several players made it clear the strong wind played a role.
“A couple of Rick’s passes and some of the punts just died and got hung up in the air today,” Iowa left tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “I am not making excuses, but I know he is a more accurate passer than that.”
Wegher was pushed into the No. 1 role earlier in the week after starting tailback Adam Robinson went down with a season-ending ankle injury. And the Sioux City Heelan standout was as good as advertised as he rumbled for 118 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns.
“I don’t know if you guys know how tough it is to do what he is doing this year,” Stanzi said. “What he has done as a true freshman is amazing. And he has gained the respect of the team.”
