Stanley named to the Maxwell Watch List

[TomKakert]

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa junior quarterback Nate Stanley has been named to the 2018 Maxwell Award Watch List.



The Maxwell Award is presented annually to College Football’s Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club. Stanley is one of 11 Big Ten players named to the 84-man list. A quarterback has won the award in eight of the last 10 years.



Stanley (6-foot-4, 242-pounds) led Iowa’s offense last season with 2,437 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. The Menomonie, Wisconsin, native became the only Iowa quarterback in program history to have two five-passing touchdown games in the same season, and his 26 touchdown passes ranked third in the Big Ten last season and tied for the second most in a single season at Iowa.



An All-Big Ten honorable mention, Stanley garnered multiple player of the week honors following performances against Iowa State and Ohio State. As a junior, Stanley ranks 18th in program history in career passing yards (2,499) and 11th in career passing touchdowns (26).



The Maxwell Award has been awarded to College Football’s Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert Maxwell for his contributions to the game as a player, sportswriter, and official.



Akrum Wadley was named to the Maxwell Award preseason Watch List last season. Two Hawkeyes -- Nile Kinnick in 1939 and Chuck Long in 1985 -- have won the award, while former quarterback Ricky Stanzi was the most recent semifinalist in 2010.



The award, in conjunction with the NCFAA, will announce semifinalists on Oct. 29, while finalists will be revealed Nov. 19. Winners will be announced Dec. 6 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.



Stanley and the Hawkeyes open their season against Northern Illinois on Sept. 1. For ticket information visit hawkeyesports.com/fightforiowa.

 

[Harbinger273]

Nice. Stan is poised for a break out season if all goes right with the O line and the wr's. Hopefully the offensive unit really has the chemistry and can get in a rhythm easily all season long. The pieces must come together, but it could finally be an exciting offense again. Here's to Stan breaking some records and winning awards in the future!

 

[retrodent]

Are5 there about 60 of them named?

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Nice. Stan is poised for a break out season if all goes right with the O line and the wr's. Hopefully the offensive unit really has the chemistry and can get in a rhythm easily all season long. The pieces must come together, but it could finally be an exciting offense again. Here's to Stan breaking some records and winning awards in the future!

The more I hear about the Iowa O ... the more it sounds like it's quite a tight-knit group. Given how Nate is trying to seize leadership of the team and help get everybody on the same page ... I'm getting more and more amped about what we might come to see from the O this year.

Our WRs are more experienced than last year ... our RB group offers more contrast than the group from last year ... our TEs ought to be much better (especially in terms of being more well-rounded) ... and Brady Ross is a great asset at FB too. On top of the above, our OTs have to be improved from last year too ... and while much maligned by the fan-base, our interior line is comprised of guys who have each seen high-quality reps.

My expectation is that the Iowa O really could show a significant leap from last year ... however, it will be interesting to see how it ends up playing out on the field!

 

[chiphawk59]

If the OL can keep Nate upright he could put up some monster numbers. That always impresses voters

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

If the OL can keep Nate upright he could put up some monster numbers. That always impresses voters

Given that Nate was protected by 2 FR offensive tackles last year ... and was passing to one of the least experienced WR units of the Ferentz era ('07 and '16 are the primary ones that come to mind that are comparable) ... the amount of room for improvement in the passing game is pretty immense. On top of that, Nate was executing within a newly implemented O that he was still learning. In '18, relatively speaking, Nate will have mastery over the O. We'll be seeing Nate have more freedom to wield his weapons in response to what he sees from the D ... and his experience level will likely improve his reads and help him to execute both more quickly and more cleanly.

From what I know about what the coaches are telling him ... a lot of emphasis is being placed on accuracy ... and also using reads to put more pressure on the D (which includes running the ball more if the opportunity is there). It may seem like a trite statement ... but there really are few things more demoralizing to a D than to do everything right ... but still have the QB run the ball for decent yards and/or for a first down. I recall back in '08 how ISU fans stated how they were much more concerned about Stanzi at QB versus Christensen ... because Stanzi had flashed better mobility in game-time scenarios. Similarly, while Stanley isn't a runner by any stretch of the imagination ... he's still capable of wielding it like Nathan Chandler did in '03 ... and that could really help us to move the chains!

I honestly believe that we could see Nate give up fewer negative yardage plays ... while also ramping up his passing numbers to the ball-park of 3000 yards. I also think that we could see the Iowa QB TD passing record fall in '18. Exciting stuff!

 

[chiphawk59]

Funny you should bring up N Chandler. NS reminds me of NC, similar body types, speed, big, strong pocket presence. He definitely kept some drives alive with his feet

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Funny you should bring up N Chandler. NS reminds me of NC, similar body types, speed, big, strong pocket presence. He definitely kept some drives alive with his feet

My sentiment too ... but since Stanley isn't a JUCO transfer ... he'll have the benefit of having more time within the system to develop and improve. Nathan Chandler really was coming into his own toward the end of the '03 season ... part of the reason why we completely steam-rolled Florida in the bowl game ... but, by then, it was already the end of his playing career. Furthermore, to make matters more difficult for Chandler ... he had to deal with the fact that Mo Brown was dinged through much of the '03 season.

Although I recall it happening several times ... one of my favorite Iowa football memories was seeing a LB get ready to try to lower the "boom" on Chandler ... and Chandler just absolutely levelled the guy. It's one hell of a chore to tackle a pretty athletic 250 lb giant of a QB.

 

[Pepperman]

My expectation is that the Iowa O really could show a significant leap from last year ... however, it will be interesting to see how it ends up playing out on the field!

My own personal opinion is that the offense will be very similar to 2017. There will be games where Iowa just scores and scores (ISU, OSU, Nebraska, Illinois) and other games where you'd never guess Iowa wins at all (MSU, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern).

In reality, we'll probably be slightly below-average offensively, well-above average defensively, and it will end up being an 8-4 record.

That said, the key to being better than that 8-4 is the offense figuring things out and being more consistent (Toren?)

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

My own personal opinion is that the offense will be very similar to 2017. There will be games where Iowa just scores and scores (ISU, OSU, Nebraska, Illinois) and other games where you'd never guess Iowa wins at all (MSU, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern).

In reality, we'll probably be slightly below-average offensively, well-above average defensively, and it will end up being an 8-4 record.

That said, the key to being better than that 8-4 is the offense figuring things out and being more consistent (Toren?)

Supposing that the O enjoys reasonably decent health ... I figure that the O has to be better than last year. I would assert that the inexperience of our WRs still may prove to be a slight issue ... and that could inhibit the O to some degree. However, given how much less experienced the WR corps was last year (coupled to Copeland being a new coach for us) ... even then, I expect to see decent strides made by our WRs.

The Hawks lose 2 good O-linemen, a great RB, and a pretty solid WR. When you consider all the guys who are entering the '18 season on O with a lot more experience ... and, perhaps more importantly, with a lot more confidence ... that could make a substantial difference for the O.

As I recall, I believe that you're one of the folks in the same camp as myself as it relates to optimism concerning the benefits of featuring a pounding RB like Toren. Between Toren, Ivory, and Mekhi ... I expect the Hawkeye running game to help keep the O a bit more "on schedule."

The Hawks are already a "throwback-prep" for most teams given the diversity of Os in the B1G ... and given that Brian is likely continuing to implement more Patriots-inspired wrinkles to the Hawk O ... the Hawkeye efficiency on O might continue to ramp up. Also, given that Brian is working with the TEs now ... maybe we see their performance continuing to trend up too.

I frankly see the Iowa O being a good bit better than it was in '17 ... potentially more closely resembling how well the 2015 squad was able to grind things out. However, given the transition at LB ... I view the D as likely being pretty comparable to last year. In other words, I expect the scoring D to be great ... but for the unit to have vulnerabilities that they'll spend most of the season trying to shore up. Lastly, the schedule sets up to be quite a bit "easier" than last year ... so that is another factor that might play to the Hawkeye's benefit (if they can remain adequately focused).

 

[chiphawk59]

Supposing that the O enjoys reasonably decent health ... I figure that the O has to be better than last year. I would assert that the inexperience of our WRs still may prove to be a slight issue ... and that could inhibit the O to some degree. However, given how much less experienced the WR corps was last year (coupled to Copeland being a new coach for us) ... even then, I expect to see decent strides made by our WRs.

The Hawks lose 2 good O-linemen, a great RB, and a pretty solid WR. When you consider all the guys who are entering the '18 season on O with a lot more experience ... and, perhaps more importantly, with a lot more confidence ... that could make a substantial difference for the O.

As I recall, I believe that you're one of the folks in the same camp as myself as it relates to optimism concerning the benefits of featuring a pounding RB like Toren. Between Toren, Ivory, and Mekhi ... I expect the Hawkeye running game to help keep the O a bit more "on schedule."

The Hawks are already a "throwback-prep" for most teams given the diversity of Os in the B1G ... and given that Brian is likely continuing to implement more Patriots-inspired wrinkles to the Hawk O ... the Hawkeye efficiency on O might continue to ramp up. Also, given that Brian is working with the TEs now ... maybe we see their performance continuing to trend up too.

I frankly see the Iowa O being a good bit better than it was in '17 ... potentially more closely resembling how well the 2015 squad was able to grind things out. However, given the transition at LB ... I view the D as likely being pretty comparable to last year. In other words, I expect the scoring D to be great ... but for the unit to have vulnerabilities that they'll spend most of the season trying to shore up. Lastly, the schedule sets up to be quite a bit "easier" than last year ... so that is another factor that might play to the Hawkeye's benefit (if they can remain adequately focused).

Agree with everything you say except I really don't think our schedule is all that much easier. Three of our first games are against what could be considered top forty teams. Just because we miss meatchicken and the suckeyes doesn't mean we got a easy schedule. I think UW,ISU,and maybe even NI would give either bucks or UM a good game

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Agree with everything you say except I really don't think our schedule is all that much easier. Three of our first games are against what could be considered top forty teams. Just because we miss meatchicken and the suckeyes doesn't mean we got a easy schedule. I think UW,ISU,and maybe even NI would give either bucks or UM a good game

ISU should be pretty comparable this year to what they were last year. NIU and Wyoming are arguably pretty even. However, given how proficient North Texas's O was last year ... I'd peg that game as a tougher match-up than the UNI game.

Our cross-division match-ups swap Ohio State and Michigan State for Indiana and Maryland.

As for home games versus away games ... we pick up three of our tougher match-ups ... vs ISU, vs Wisconsin, and vs Northwestern will all be at Kinnick. On paper, our 2 toughest road match-ups appear to be vs Purdue and vs PSU .... both games we lost last year anyhow. Given Purdue's turnover on D ... I like Iowa's chances of exacting some revenge in that one.

Don't get me wrong ... I think that IU will be tough ... and the Maryland program is loaded with talent. However, both programs still pale in comparison to OSU and MSU.

 

[HumbleP1e]

My own personal opinion is that the offense will be very similar to 2017. There will be games where Iowa just scores and scores (ISU, OSU, Nebraska, Illinois) and other games where you'd never guess Iowa wins at all (MSU, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern).

In reality, we'll probably be slightly below-average offensively, well-above average defensively, and it will end up being an 8-4 record.

That said, the key to being better than that 8-4 is the offense figuring things out and being more consistent (Toren?)

I hear ya. But, we finished with 8 wins last year with a crazy young crew, a first time OC, and a perceived more difficult schedule. I don't think it worth putting pressure on the team, but I think with good health and the general good vibes about the crew from people around the program, I would be disappointed without some sort of uptick. Something like 10+ wins including the bowl? Of course, I am the guy who believes we'll at least split with Wisconsin/PSU, so...maybe it's pour me another.

 

[chiphawk59]

The Hawks historically come out of the starting gate a little slow and those first four games are really important for this team to attain what I would presume to be a team goal of a BIG West championship

 

[hawkeye1944]

Hopefully, after we blow out NIU, we don't overlook that other team in north of Des Moines...

 

[Pepperman]

As I recall, I believe that you're one of the folks in the same camp as myself as it relates to optimism concerning the benefits of featuring a pounding RB like Toren. Between Toren, Ivory, and Mekhi ... I expect the Hawkeye running game to help keep the O a bit more "on schedule."

Not only am I in the same camp on the benefits of Toren, I’m staking a claim that I’m the original one to postulate that theory here

But if you insist we can call it the GhostPepper theory of the Hawkeye O. A pounding back that moves the chains is superior to a smaller, shifty back. However, you need those smaller, shifty backs for a nice change of pace!

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Hopefully, after we blow out NIU, we don't overlook that other team in north of Des Moines...

What's interesting is that our O could potentially be tough to defend. Furthermore, I expect that our run D should be ahead of our pass D ... at least earlier in the season. However, NIU is traditionally more of a run-first team. Heck, a lot of their passing game recently have been quick hitters ... often to the outside ... and has essentially been an extension of their running game. Thus, if the Hawks play excellent team D and flow to the ball ... then I could see our D bottling up the NIU O.

ISU is a whole different threat ... because they have a dangerous RB, they have an experienced QB, and they have WRs that can stretch our coverage vertically too. Compared to last year, the D could be better against the pass ... however, I'm concerned about Montgomery bulldozing through our D.

The Hawks will have to respect their opponent when playing UNI ... but I anticipate that will be a Hawk win.

That then leads us to our home conference opener against Wisconsin. The build up here reminds me a bit of what Minnesota went through after they played us in 2013. In '12, after starting the season undefeated ... Kill's Gopher's got mauled by the Hawks 31-13. After that, in '13, they got humiliated by the Hawks at home ... losing 23-7 ... but the worst insult was that they prided themselves as being a tough, physical downhill running team ... and they mustered just 30 years rushing. Consequently, the Gopher offensive coaching staff really studied the Hawkeye D in meticulous detail ... and then, in some sense, the figured out how to exploit Phil Parker's D. The following season, in '14, the Gophers uncharacteristically throttled the Hawks 51-14.

Thus, I would guess that the Hawkeye offensive coaches are similarly studying the Wisconsin D is great detail. They're going to try to figure out how they can create mismatches ... and see how they can exploit Badger tendencies.

While many Iowa fans are wondering (often out loud) whether the Hawks can "catch" the Badgers ... the question is simply this ... if the Hawks can learn how to effectively attack the Badger D ... then the Hawks are perfectly capable of winning the match-up.

Will this be the year?

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Not only am I in the same camp on the benefits of Toren, I’m staking a claim that I’m the original one to postulate that theory here

But if you insist we can call it the GhostPepper theory of the Hawkeye O. A pounding back that moves the chains is superior to a smaller, shifty back. However, you need those smaller, shifty backs for a nice change of pace!

You can have full intellectual ownership of this perspective ... I'm happy to be your groupie on this topic (because I agree wholeheartedly). However, calling it the "GhostPepper" hypothesis has a nice ring to it!

When we've had those bigger, physical backs ... guys like Greene, Coker, Weisman, and (maybe) Daniels ... they were able to really grind on opposing Ds. However, as you rightly pointed out ... some of our bulldozers failed to have a talented complement who was fleet of foot (or uber-quick). Greene had Hampton ... and Hampton managed to be pretty productive when spelling Greene ... however, he actually didn't offer that much of a contrasting style. Coker really didn't have any supporting depth whatsoever. Weisman had Bullock ... but Bullock really never was a "good fit" in a pro-style O. In '14 Weisman kinda had Canzeri and Wadley ... just as Daniels had Canzeri (in '15) and Wadley (in '15 and '16).

Without question, from the reps I observed last year - IKM definitely offers a change in pace from Toren. Toren thrives on contact and will MAKE SPACE when running (by attempting to run through defenders) ... whereas IKM has the uncanny ability to slip through very small spaces while running. Once his gets to the next level, he has an above-average ability to change direction ... and that allows him to create extra separation from defenders when running in the 2nd and 3rd levels. This is part of how he managed to get 3 TDs on so few carries.