Iowa freshman James Vandenberg to make first start

By LUKE MEREDITH
AP Sports Writer

IOWA CITY, Iowa(AP) — Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg walked
into a sporting goods store to shop for a birthday present on
Saturday, just hours after the Hawkeyes’ perfect season ended
with a 17-10 loss to Northwestern.

As Vandenberg was trying on some hunting waders, someone asked
him if he had been at Kinnick Stadium for the game. The
relatively unknown redshirt freshman who had seen his first
extended action against the Wildcats played along.

“He said ‘Did it look as rough in person as it did on TV?’ And I
said, ’You have no idea,”’ Vandenberg recounted.

Vandenberg won’t have to worry about going unrecognized much
longer. He is No. 15 Iowa’s starting quarterback now that junior
Ricky Stanzi has had surgery to repair a severely sprained right
ankle.

Stanzi injured the ankle in the second quarter of the
Northwestern game last weekend and did not return. Iowa coach
Kirk Ferentz said Stanzi is “very doubtful” for Iowa’s final two
regular season games, though he’s optimistic Stanzi will be back
for the bowl game.

Vandenberg, who was 9 of 27 for 82 yards and a costly
interception against Northwestern, will make his first career
start for the Hawkeyes (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) at No. 10 Ohio State
(8-2, 5-1) on Saturday.

No pressure. Just perhaps a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.

“It’s going to exciting,” Vandenberg said. “It’s kind of what
you dream about growing up, being in a situation like this. And
here it is.”

Vandenberg was certainly well known – in eastern Iowa, at least
- during a prolific high school career.

A 6-foot-3, 205-pounder from Keokuk, he is arguably the most
prolific passer in Iowa prep history, throwing for 7,709 career
yards, 93 touchdowns – 49 as a senior. He was picked off just
seven times in 372 attempts. Though he said Nebraska offered him
a scholarship, Vandenberg jumped at the chance to sign with the
Hawkeyes shortly after he led his team to a state title.

It didn’t take long for him to realize he wasn’t in Keokuk
anymore.

His first pass against the Wildcats was thrown straight to
linebacker Quentin Davie, whose interception set up what turned
out to be the go-ahead touchdown. Vandenberg, who had thrown
just three career passes before being called on to help keep
Iowa’s unbeaten season alive, struggled the rest of the way.

Ferentz said he has “total confidence” in Vandenberg, who had
previously beaten out fellow redshirt freshman John Wienke for
the backup job. Ferentz said Vandenberg’s misfires against the
Wildcats were due more to inexperience rather than lack of
knowledge about the offense.

“The guy’s a good quarterback. He throws the ball well,” Ferentz
said. “The biggest issue now is getting him experience, getting
him caught up to speed and bringing him along.”

Though Iowa will likely tweak its game plan to play to
Vandenberg’s strengths, the Buckeyes aren’t expecting the
Hawkeyes to do much different with Vandenberg.

“They’re still going to be who they are,” Ohio State coach Jim
Tressel said. “That’s what, in our estimation, has made Iowa
such a solid program, is that they know what they believe in,
they know what they teach. Their young people do a good job of
learning what they teach.”

The Hawkeyes know their young quarterback has a major challenge
in front of him Saturday.

“You couldn’t ask for a tougher starting contest for him,”
Ferentz said. “He’ll be prepared. I’m not going to measure him
over the next 60 minutes of play. He’ll continue to improve.
He’s a quality football player, and he works hard.”