ShareThisBy CHIP SCOGGINS
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Viewed as a legitimate Big Ten contender in the preseason, the Iowa Hawkeyes football team entered the final week of September 4-0 and knocking on the door of a Top 10 national ranking.
Today? The Hawkeyes are 6-5, tied for seventh place in the Big Ten and appear to be coming apart at the seams as they prepare for Saturday's regular-season finale against the Minnesota Gophers.
The collapse has made the Hawkeyes, who lived a charmed life in recent years, one of the biggest disappointments in college football this season and begs the obvious question: What in the world has happened?
"We're obviously disappointed," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "No one here expected to be in this situation."
Iowa lost four consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since 1999 _ Ferentz's first season _ which essentially put an end to its streak of four consecutive New Year's Day bowl games. The free fall is unusual for Ferentz-coached teams, which typically gain steam as the season progresses.
There are no shortage of theories or explanations for what has gone wrong, but Ferentz said his team simply has not been consistent enough in any area.
"We've been outperformed basically in five losses," he said. "We've had a role in that. We've hurt ourselves. We haven't been able to come up with the plays to be successful on a consistent basis. When you do that, you end up being 6-5 after 11 games."
That, in turn, has created a healthy dose of consternation and criticism from all angles. Even popular quarterback Drew Tate has become a target lately, with some questioning whether his fiery attitude and competitiveness have become a negative influence.
"When we win, (people say), 'I love his fire and passion,' " Tate told reporters last week. "But when we lose it's a problem. I haven't changed the way I've played emotionally since I was a sophomore."
Bothered by injuries all season, Tate ranks seventh in the Big Ten in passing efficiency and has thrown the same number of touchdowns as interceptions (eight) in Big Ten games. Tate is never one to conceal his emotions, and his outbursts have drawn scrutiny as the losses have mounted.
Rumors of player dissension and finger-pointing also have made the rounds. Iowa officials did not make players available to out-of-town media this week. Ferentz, however, said those things, real or perceived, have not become a distraction and referred to it as "garbage.
"The bottom line in sports is, if you're doing well and having success on the field, everybody is warm and cozy," he said. "If you're not, everybody is scrutinizing every little thing that could possibly happen."
Truth is, the Hawkeyes have been remarkably average on both sides of the ball. In nine major statistical categories, they rank between fourth and seventh in the Big Ten.
Their problems on offense are particularly perplexing. They have a senior quarterback, proven running backs and enough talent elsewhere. But injuries and self-inflicted mistakes have prevented them from being consistent from week to week. That, combined with breakdowns on defense, especially in the secondary, has left the Hawkeyes in an unfamiliar late-season predicament.
"We need to win a football game and feel good about ourselves coming off the field," Ferentz said.
Ferentz pointed to the Gophers' recent turnaround as an example. Pushed to the brink of postseason elimination with a 3-6 start, the Gophers have looked and acted like a different team in winning two consecutive games. They have a chance to become bowl-eligible with another victory Saturday.
"They've done what we need to do," Ferentz said. "They had a down spell. I'm sure that was disappointing. But the bottom line is they've done what you have to do. They've rebounded strongly the last two weeks. I'm hoping we can model their behavior."
(Contact Chip Scoggins at ascoggins(at)startribune.com.)
