Ricky Stanzi Serving as Honorary Hawkeye Captain for Penn State

#1DieHardHawk said:
He got hurt on a play that I've always hated. Iowa still runs it, but not as often. The QB turns and fakes a hand-off, then does a slight roll out before turning around. It was a staple of KOK's offense.

What I hate about that play is that the QB has his back to the defense for a good portion of the clock. By the time he turns around, a defensive player could be right in his face (as was the case here). Very little time to scan the field and make a decision. Stanzi had no chance there, and the judgement to call that play in your own end zone was questionable at best.

Iowa does run a new "pop play" in which the QB has to turn and face the defense, but it's a very quick play that doesn't give the defense time to get much penetration. That makes much more sense. New England runs it frequently with Brady.
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Particularly if there is an all-Big Ten DE waiting to gobble up the play.
 
#1DieHardHawk said:
He got hurt on a play that I've always hated. Iowa still runs it, but not as often. The QB turns and fakes a hand-off, then does a slight roll out before turning around. It was a staple of KOK's offense.

What I hate about that play is that the QB has his back to the defense for a good portion of the clock. By the time he turns around, a defensive player could be right in his face (as was the case here). Very little time to scan the field and make a decision. Stanzi had no chance there, and the judgement to call that play in your own end zone was questionable at best.

Iowa does run a new "pop play" in which the QB has to turn and face the defense, but it's a very quick play that doesn't give the defense time to get much penetration. That makes much more sense. New England runs it frequently with Brady.
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They ran that play against Indiana, with great success, in that famous Halloween game a week earlier. I remember McNutt crossing all the way across the field twice for big gains, one was like an 85 yard touchdown.

Northwestern wasn't Indiana, however. And Corey Wooten, the man who would later basically end Brett Favre's career, was waiting for Stanzi. What I hate about that play was that smug Pat Fitzgerald leading the cheers on the sideline knowing that he had not just scored a defensive TD, he had also knocked Stanzi out of the game.

Northwestern, and Michigan State for that matter, have always had a subtle way of giving the ball carrier's ankle a little extra twist at the bottom of piles. The did it to Stanzi that day and they did it to Canzeri in 2015. Did it to Weisman in '14 as well if I recall correctly. It's dirty, it's coached, and it's another reason I can't stand Fitzgerald or Dantonio.
 
Northside Hawk said:
They ran that play against Indiana, with great success, in that famous Halloween game a week earlier. I remember McNutt crossing all the way across the field twice for big gains, one was like an 85 yard touchdown.

Northwestern wasn't Indiana, however. And Corey Wooten, the man who would later basically end Brett Favre's career, was waiting for Stanzi. What I hate about that play was that smug Pat Fitzgerald leading the cheers on the sideline knowing that he had not just scored a defensive TD, he had knocked Stanzi out of the game.

Northwestern, and Michigan State for that matter, have always had a subtle way of giving the ball carrier's ankle a little extra twist at the bottom of piles. The did it to Stanzi that day and they did it to Canzeri in 2015. Did it to Weisman in '14 as well if I recall correctly. It's dirty, it's coached, and it's another reason I can't stand Fitzgerald or Dantonio.
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Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Some programs are known for giving that "little extra" on tackles. I will say, though, that Wooten seems like a nice guy.

That play is high risk for occasional reward. Way too often it leads to a sack or throw away. It's just not well designed. It would be more effective if Iowa handed the ball off with the exact same movements, but that's not usually what we see with the hand-off. It's an easy play for the edge player to read, as Wooten did that day.
 
#1DieHardHawk said:
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Some programs are known for giving that "little extra" on tackles. I will say, though, that Wooten seems like a nice guy.

That play is high risk for occasional reward. Way too often it leads to a sack or throw away. It's just not well designed. It would be more effective if Iowa handed the ball off with the exact same movements, but that's not usually what we see with the hand-off. It's an easy play for the edge player to read, as Wooten did that day.
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I know what you're saying about Wooten. George Atkinson, one of the meanest and dirtiest players ever on a football field, was one of the nicest and most insightful off it. Unlike Bill Romanowski, who is just an asshole wherever he goes no two ways about it.

George is paying for it now however. He's in his seventies now and having the same issues that so many other former NFL players are having as they advance into old age.
 
#1DieHardHawk said:
He got hurt on a play that I've always hated. Iowa still runs it, but not as often. The QB turns and fakes a hand-off, then does a slight roll out before turning around. It was a staple of KOK's offense.

What I hate about that play is that the QB has his back to the defense for a good portion of the clock. By the time he turns around, a defensive player could be right in his face (as was the case here). Very little time to scan the field and make a decision. Stanzi had no chance there, and the judgement to call that play in your own end zone was questionable at best.

Iowa does run a new "pop play" in which the QB has to turn and face the defense, but it's a very quick play that doesn't give the defense time to get much penetration. That makes much more sense. New England runs it frequently with Brady.
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That play worked great against Indiana. There was no need to run it against NW with a 10-point lead...
 
Northside Hawk said:
They ran that play against Indiana, with great success, in that famous Halloween game a week earlier. I remember McNutt crossing all the way across the field twice for big gains, one was like an 85 yard touchdown.

Northwestern wasn't Indiana, however. And Corey Wooten, the man who would later basically end Brett Favre's career, was waiting for Stanzi. What I hate about that play was that smug Pat Fitzgerald leading the cheers on the sideline knowing that he had not just scored a defensive TD, he had also knocked Stanzi out of the game.

Northwestern, and Michigan State for that matter, have always had a subtle way of giving the ball carrier's ankle a little extra twist at the bottom of piles. The did it to Stanzi that day and they did it to Canzeri in 2015. Did it to Weisman in '14 as well if I recall correctly. It's dirty, it's coached, and it's another reason I can't stand Fitzgerald or Dantonio.
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Fitz is still pissed at the broken leg he suffered against us in 1995. Kept him out of the Rose Bowl.
 
Northside Hawk said:
I'm sure he has some spin about how we broke it as well.

If he still needs that to motivate him against us 24 years later.....?
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He's obviously not a forgive-forget type of guy.

I'm not as anti-Fitz as some. He's actually quite complimentary of opponents and coaches when he's not on the field. I don't (personally) expect him to be all warm/fuzzy on the field during a game.

The Stanzi injury seemed more "fluke" than anything, though the officials missed on a blatant facemask on that play. They later missed on the "hold" they called on Eubanks, and worse, missed an egregious jersey-grab against McNutt on our last drive.

Speaking of jersey grabs, that IS something I believe is "coached". But, I'm not sure ankle-twisting is a Fitz thing. It wouldn't shock me in the least to hear it in the MSU locker room, though. I've always thought their whole "culture" is "dirty" when it comes to "sportsmanship".
 
Awesome!!!


THIS
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NOT THIS

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homes said:
If he just hadn’t gotten hurt in the NW game. . .
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Not only that, if only he would have been installed as the #1 QB in the spring of 2008 so he would have been more polished for the start of 2008. Iowa had the best D in the conference that year and by the end of the season the best overall team.

If only early NFL draft entries & injuries didn't derail the RB, LB, & OL positions in 2010.

2008-2010 should have been the greatest 3 year run in modern Iowa football. So much talent. Michigan was down, PSU was good but couldn't beat Iowa, & Ohio State was beatable.
 
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