Iowa Football 2010: Dealing With Great Expectations the Hawkeyes Way

It’s like wearing a shirt with a collar that is too tight or has too much starch—that uncomfortable prickly feeling choking you, making you sweat a bit. 

That is the feeling the Iowa faithful get when they read the superlatives attached to the expectations for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team this year.

They say things like, "the bigger you are the harder you fall" or "nowhere to go but down from here" as they opt for caution ahead, despite the current headlines. Secretly, the fans are proud of their Iowa football team but prefer to hold low expectations, recalling that previous years of high expectations only brought bitter disappointment.  

For example, many remember 1961 when Iowa was ranked No. 1 going into the season.  Folks did not live that down easily as the Hawks barely managed a winning season, going 5-4. What is worse, the Iowa faithful did not enjoy another winning season for the next 20 years.  Talk about paying the ultimate price for vanity—for reaching too high or going for too much.

Iowa fans are not used to being favored at anything, except maybe wrestling where farm boys have always excelled.  But football began to gain prominence when that guy from Texas, Hayden Fry took over the coaching duties.  He had Iowa flying high in short order with Chuck Long in as quarterback and one terrific coaching staff.

Fry instigated a wide open passing offense which included having his tight ends standing upright at the end of the line of scrimmage.  They remember 1981 when Iowa upset sixth-ranked Nebraska, a year after being humiliated in Lincoln 57-0.  Iowa had their first winning season since 1961.  

In 1981 they ended up owning a share of the Big Ten Conference title and went to the Rose Bowl.  The whole state, even those rooting for rival Iowa State, went giddy.  

But 1985 was the year that saw Iowa ranked No. 1 in the nation for five weeks—the year Chuck Long led Iowa to a 10-1 season, losing only to Ohio State—winding up again in the Rose Bowl.  Too bad we could never muster a win in Pasadena.

When Fry retired from coaching, Kirk Ferentz and his coaching staff, including Norm Parker as defensive coordinator, took over and have led the Hawks to several exemplary seasons in 11 years at Iowa.  But many in the State feel that expectations are so high for the Iowa team as they begin the 2010 season—that it could be 1961 all over again.

It is far easier garnering little respect from the media as Iowa did last season.  Each weekend the team had to prove itself a winner all over again.  Even that is preferable than going in as the favorite—the media darling—only to find yourself losing.  

This year Iowa begins ranked No. 10 in the USA Today and Associated Press preseason polls.  These high rankings are based on the fact that Iowa pounded Georgia Tech 24-14 in the Orange Bowl last season.  It gave the Hawkeyes an 11-win season and a season-ending ranking of No. 7 in both polls.

This year the team is blessed with 15 returning starters, led by senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi, plus a very favorable schedule.  

What is even more mouth-watering for fans is the fact that the defense comes back from what many would deem dizzying heights a year ago.  Many preseason rankings and polls list Iowa’s defense at No. 1 in the nation—not that they don’t deserve those accolades.  

Last year, Norm Parker’s boys allowed only 15.4 points per game and eight of the men responsible for such stingy yardage and low scoring will be returning this year.  That includes all four up front—ends Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns, alongside tackles Karl Klug and Christian Ballard.  

In the secondary returning are Tyler Sash at strong safety and Brett Greenwood at safety—both defensive standouts a year ago.

Still it is troubling to have so much expectation heaped upon you—especially when you are used to being cautious and humble.

Thankfully, Iowa is expected to finish second in the Big Ten behind perennial favorite Ohio State.  There remain some questions about the offensive line and Iowa’s running back corps.  

Although, you have to admit that as freshman, the running backs gained a lifetime of experience last year trying to fill the gap left by departed Shonn Greene and injured Jewel Hampton.  They will enter as sophomores with proven track records.  

As a freshman, Adam Robinson set a rushing record of 834 yards in 2009 while Brandon Wegher set his own record as a freshman by scoring eight touchdowns the hard way—rushing into the end zone.  Additionally, in 2010 they will be joined by Jewel Hampton, whose knee injury kept him out of action last year.

The receiving corps will also have some experience coming into the season, led by Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Marvin McNutt.  The passing game remains a key ingredient in the Iowa offense just as it did back in the Fry days.  

One thing the Iowa coaching staff understands after years of working the sidelines in the Big Ten is that you don’t win championships on your laurels or on paper.  You have to win play by play, game by game throughout the season.  

The Iowa Hawkeyes go into the season with a boatload of high hopes which can only come to fruition if is based on hard work and dedication on the part of the players and the coaches.  They have built this team from the ground up and are ready to reap the rewards of a great season.  

The Iowa faithful will wait for them to do just that, cautiously optimistic, praying for stellar results seasoned with a lot of good luck—all the while keeping 1961 tucked firmly in the back of their minds.