Out to hit their stride | WISCONSIN'S NEXT OPPONENT | IOWA Hawkeyes in critical stretch of schedule

Published Oct. 19, 2010 10:04 p.m. ET

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Madison - Wisconsin is halfway through its critical two-game stretch and UW fans are still buzzing over the 31-18 victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State last week.

Meanwhile, Iowa is preparing for Game 1 of a critical twogame stretch that could determine the Big Ten Conference race.

The 13th-ranked Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0) host No. 10 UW (6-1, 2-1) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. They host No. 8 Michigan State (7-0, 3-0) at home Oct. 30.

Iowa fans are buzzing. Meanwhile, Iowa coach Kurt Ferentz is trying to remind everyone to relax.

"It's not really anything to celebrate at this point," Ferentz said after the Hawkeyes' 38-28 victory over Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor. "It's like the preseason polls and who's going to win the Heisman and all that stuff.

"There's so much football and so much is going to get decided in the next six weeks. There's going to be a lot of things happening in the next couple of weeks." Iowa has won the last two meetings with UW - 38-16 in 2008 in Iowa City and 20-10 last season in Madison.

This is Ferentz's 12th team at Iowa and the Hawkeyes are beginning to play the brand of football that helped them beat Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl last season to finish 11-2 and play in four consecutive January Bowl games from 2002-'05.

Consider the victory over Michigan: Again working without coordinator Norm Parker, who recently lost a foot to diabetes, the Iowa defense uncharacteristically surrendered more than 500 yards against the Wolverines (522).

However, the Hawkeyes compensated by generating four turnovers and knocking starting quarterback Denard Robinson out of the game with a shoulder injury.

Strong safety Tyler Sash returned one interception 37 yards to midfield. That led to a touchdown four plays later and a 21-7 lead.

The special teams blocked a 38-yard field-goal attempt and, while the Michigan players stood and watched, Sash scooped up the loose ball and raced 37 yards to the Hawkeyes' 48. That led to a touchdown nine plays later and a 28-7 lead.

The offense was opportunistic and efficient, turning three of the turnovers into 21 points.

Senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed 17 of 24 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns, all to senior wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. "This is a great, great win for our program," Stanzi said after the game. "Any win is big, but this is one of the greatest places to win a game in college football." Adam Robinson, the only dependable tailback left on the roster, rolled up 204 total yards. He rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 61 yards.

Robinson, perhaps the most underappreciated tailback in the Big Ten, turned a short pass from Stanzi into a 26-yard gain in the fourth quarter to convert a third and 8 from the Michigan 40. That set up the victoryclinching field goal.

"I don't know many guys who can make plays like that happen," Stanzi said.

The 26-yard pass play highlighted a 10-play, 49-yard drive that ended with Michael Meyer's 30-yard field goal with 2 minutes 53 seconds remaining.

The drive took 4:02 off the clock and came after the Wolverines had pulled within 35-28. It resembled UW's two fourthquarter scoring drives against Ohio State after the Buckeyes had pulled within 21-18.

"It's something you have to do as a championship team," Iowa offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde said after the game. "When the chips are down and that other team thinks they've got you on the ropes. "You have to be able to come out and say: 'You're going to punch us, well, we're going to punch you right back.'"

OFFENSE

Iowa enters the week No. 5 in the Big Ten in scoring (34.3 points per game), four spots behind league leader Ohio State (39.6). Don't be fooled by those numbers, though. The Hawkeyes' offense will present more problems for UW's defense.

First, even with a revamped line, Iowa has the capacity to run the ball downhill at UW. With Jewel Hampton (knee) and Brandon Wegher (personal reasons) out, Adam Robinson is the lone tailback. But he is smart, tough and talented. He knows how to follow the blocks of the Hawkeyes' zone scheme and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 103.8 yards per game.

Second, quarterback Ricky Stanzi is avoiding the foolish mistakes that have plagued him in the past. He entered the 2010 season with 31 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He averaged one interception every 22.5 attempts in his first three seasons. Through six games this season, he has thrown 13 touchdown passes and has only two interceptions (in 145 attempts). His interception rate this season is one every 72.5 attempts.

"I think he's enjoying the luxury of being an experienced player," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "He's always been very committed, worked extremely hard. He's off to a real good start." Stanzi has three key targets - wide receivers Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (25 catches, 16.2-yard average and seven TDs), Marvin McNutt (19-18.6-2) and tight end Allen Reisner (19-12.1-1). Robinson has proved to be a dangerous receiver (11-18.5-0). Johnson-Koulianos had touchdown catches of 14, 31 and 19 yards in the 38-28 victory over Michigan last week. Robinson rushed 31 times for 143 yards and two scores and turned a short pass into a 26-yard gain to set up the clinching field goal.

DEFENSE

Veteran coordinator Norm Parker has been away from the team for much of the season and recently lost a foot to diabetes.

Nevertheless, this unit leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (13.2 ppg) and rushing defense (83.8 ypg).

The success starts with the down linemen. UW's offensive line manhandled Ohio State's proud front last week, but Iowa's front is better and more experienced.

End Adrian Clayborn, tackle Karl Klug and end/tackle Christian Ballard have started all six games. End Broderick Binns and tackle Mike Daniels have three starts apiece.

Clayborn, who generally lines up at right end, is the marquee name on the unit. He has faced more double-teams this year and his numbers are modest (28 tackles, including 11/3 sacks) but he remains a force.

Klug is fifth on the team in tackles (29) and second in tackles for loss (six).

Clayborn is sixth on the team in tackles and Daniels leads the way in tackles for loss (eight).

"Those guys are playing good and we need that," Ferentz said. "That's where it all starts for us.

Personnel losses hit the linebacker corps hard as the NFL took Pat Angerer (145 tackles) and A.J. Edds (78 tackles). Senior Jeremiha Hunter (team-high 42 tackles) is the lone returning starter. One key to Iowa's defense is the ability of the linebackers to drop into the passing lanes in zone coverage. That was an area of weakness early this season. It has improved, though the coverage still isn't as good as it was with Angerer and Edds.

The Hawkeyes miss cornerback Amari Spievey, who turned pro a year early and has been replaced by sophomore Micah Hyde. Hyde has two interceptions and six passes broken up but he isn't as dominant yet as Spievey was.

Strong safety Tyler Sash (32 tackles, one interception) and free safety Brett Greenwood (22 tackles, one interception) play the Cover-2 scheme well.

SPECIAL TEAMS

These units generally are well-coached and this season is no different.

Opponents are averaging only 3.9 yards on punt returns largely because punter Ryan Donahue is outstanding with a 44.7-yard average. The kickoff coverage has been so-so with opponents averaging 23.9 yards per return. Part of the problem is senior Daniel Murray has been out all season with a hip problem. He has been replaced by freshman Michael Meyer.

Johnson-Koulianos is outstanding on kickoff returns (27.1-yard average) and Colin Sanderman is solid on punt returns (9.7-yard average).