Tuesdays with Torbee
Whew, I may need a cigarette after that one!
As most who read this column know, this game is personal for me. Every season for about the last decade it feels like I’ve predicted an old school, hard-hitting, knockdown street fight with the tougher team eking out a narrow victory.
This year, only one tough guy showed up.
I don’t pretend to be a football genius, but I am patting myself on the back a bit for writing this last November: I think UW is going to massively regret hiring Luke Fickell and kicking Chryst/Leonard to the curb the way they did. Football Karma is strong.
Karma, it appears, has come for the Badgers.
I actually felt a bit bad for the smattering of Bucky fans in our section. Watching their longtime rival and nemesis defenestrate them with a killer offensive line, world class running back, dominating defense and virtually no passing game had to hurt. That was the formula Alvarez, Bielema and yes, Chryst, rode to many victories, high rankings and big bowl games.
Saturday night, Wisconsin looked more like one of the MAC teams with a gimmicky offense that Iowa grinds down and sends home with a bunch of bruises and a nice paycheck. Poor Bucky didn’t even get an appearance fee!
The Hawkeyes have now eclipsed 40 points in three Big 10 games and its perception as the program where offense goes to die is fading fast. Because of the reliance on the run and paucity of passing, Iowa will never be considered a high-powered scoring machine – but it certainly can make a case for being one of the best complementary football squads in college football.
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Brendan Sullivan rose to the occasion in his first Hawkeye start and I believe the job will remain his unless his play craters against UCLA. What Iowa needed more than anything on that side of the ball was a quarterback that values possessions, takes care of the ball and manages the game while also serving as a legitimate running threat. Check, check and check. A healthy Cade McNamara may very well be a bit better passer, but at this point you don’t fix what isn’t broken. It is good to know we have a former Big 10 championship winner ready to come off the bench in relief if needed.
I want to also give an A-plus to the Iowa fans, the game day crew that had Kinnick and its environs shining like a gem and the general Iowa City “big game, party” vibe that everyone – including our Badger friend visitors – enjoyed. My old friends at the Buckyville online forum even took note:
Oh man, inject that directly into my black-and-gold blood carrying veins! Obviously, the several hours of tailgating added plenty of, er, “liquid fuel” to the fan fire, but it feels good to have opponents respect our homefield advantage.
As we noted last week, some of Iowa’s aspirations for the 2024 season are now unattainable. Smashing your regional rivals and keeping three of four traveling trophies, however, remains very much on the table.
Two tricky road games against UCLA and Maryland remain. I worry most about UCLA as the Rose Bowl has been a house of horrors for Hawkeyes since the 1950s. It would be nice to see those demons exorcised, but night road games are tricky – as the recent trip to East Lansing proved.
Two Friday nights and a Saturday on the East Coast remain. Here’s hoping an 8-3 team hitting its stride is what awaits our Cornhusker friends the day after Thanksgiving.
Follow me on X @torybrecht and the 12 Saturdays podcasts @12Saturdays.
