Iowa's Ricky Stanzi: In The Pocket For 2009

Early in 2008 the football coaching staff at the University of Iowa suffered from doubt and indecision.  The vaunted Iowa program seemed disjointed, misdirected and strangely out of sync.  It suffered from inconsistent play and had since the end of the 2006 season.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz stepped up to the tee and accepted the blame—citing complacency as the fault and vowing to unearth the traditional strength that had been buried by vagrant decisions in the front office.

After a very disappointing 2007 season, he vowed that 2008 would mark a return to more illustrious times for the football program. 

In the process of surveying his many options and reiterating that blame cannot be focused in one place, he looked squarely at the starting quarterback. 

Jake Christensen, Iowa’s QB, found competition for his starting position from sophomore Ricky Stanzi, whose growth started in spring practice of 2008 and whose new-found skills captured the attention of offensive coaches.

To be fair, all positions were open and no one was guaranteed a starting spot.  But leadership of the team rests squarely on the shoulders of the quarterback, and even though Christensen protected the football, he often failed to move the team forward consistently. 

Ferentz announced that for the start of the 2008 season, both quarterbacks would share duties until the choice for the starting position became obvious.

Christensen opened in a non-conference game against Maine but Stanzi relieved him.  They shared time equally.  Iowa won its opener 46-3. 

But after 13 starts in a row, Christensen was benched and Stanzi started Iowa's next game—a contest against Florida International University. 

Granted, this team did not present much more than token opposition, but Ferentz and his coaching staff were paying very close attention to how well the QBs stood in the pocket and delivered; how well they hung onto the ball and how well they danced when evading an oncoming defensive linemen.

Stanzi played an exceptional game.  Christensen was undeservedly booed when he replaced Stanzi on the field.  The two players were competing—yet remained members of the same team with the ultimate goal of winning.  They did win, 42-0.

The game against inter-state rival Iowa State followed the next week with Stanzi again getting the nod from the coaching staff.  This was a tougher task facing a much stronger defense.  Stanzi sputtered, and turned the ball over on two interceptions.

Christensen came in during the fourth quarter and saved the game.  He was the hero.  But it did not last long.

Against Pittsburgh, Christensen started and Stanzi saw action in the second quarter.  Ferentz went back to Christensen in the second half. Although he hung onto the ball, Christensen did not score when the team needed it.  The Hawkeyes lost 21-20.  It was a tough defeat.

Next week, the contest at Northwestern marked the beginning of the Big 10 season.  Ferentz called upon rookie sophomore Stanzi not only to start, but to play the whole game.

The coach was giving the nod to Stanzi—to take the reins for the rest of the season.  That would soon become readily apparent.

Iowa was 3-1 starting the Big 10 season and they would lose the next two games mainly because of Stanzi’s inexperience.  The losses were agonizing because the opportunities to win were almost gift-wrapped. 

Iowa lost to Northwestern 22-17, and to Michigan State 16-13 when Iowa turned the ball over three times.

The coaching staff saw the promise in Stanzi despite the turnovers because Stanzi was able to move the team.  He made things happen on the field and he accepted the blame that came his way.  He had faith in himself and the team, and he improved.

Iowa went on to win six of their last seven games with Stanzi leading the team, along with an immense helping hand from running back Shonn Greene, who was named the MVP for the Big 10 after running for more than 100 yards in every game. 

Greene also won the Doak Walker award and was named a consensus All-American.  It had to help Stanzi to be able to hand the ball off to this guy.

Iowa’s defense also played a huge role in the success of the team.

As Iowa gets ready for their season opener with Northern Iowa on September 5, Stanzi will hold the starting position.  He has earned it.  There will be no quarterback controversy in 2009. 

USA Today came out with its preseason top 25 poll and Iowa is ranked 21st.  Iowa lost some first-rate talent, but they also return some, including Stanzi with a year’s experience under his belt. 

Stanzi finished the 2008 campaign fourth in the league in passing efficiency, throwing for a total of 1,956 yards and 14 touchdowns in an offense heavily geared for the run.  He ended 8-3 as a starter.  This year holds great promise for the Iowa team.

According to Rivalry, Esq., Stanzi gets an overall grade of A- on Evaluating Mechanics of Big 10 Quarterbacks.  ESPN blogger Adam Rittenberg only rates the Iowa QB position as No. 5, not because of Stanzi, but due mainly to absence of Greene and the lack of a proven back-up.

Iowa is back where they used to reside in the top 25 before the slump in 2006 and 2007.

This is because early in 2008 the coaching staff looked into the eyes of the QB and found him lacking.  They placed their faith in an untested sophomore and now he leads the 21st ranked team in the nation.   

[Jake Christensen has transferred and will play football in 2009 at Eastern Illinois University].