The Ricky Stanzi saga

[tweeterhawk]

Or when I learned to hate Northwestern and B1G officiating.

The 2010 Orange Bowl mentioned in several bowl-related threads prompted a visit to the online archives and brought back a flood of memories of when Kirk Ferentz actually had a decent football teams.

One that stands out is the 2009 squad that was 9-0 and potentially headed to an undefeated season when the lowly Wildcats came to town. Iowa had jumped out to a 10-0 lead and the defense had forced a punt which put the Hawks at their own 6.

On second down Ricky Stanzi ran a naked bootleg which was read perfectly by the Northwestern defense. Corey Wooten pulled Stanzi down awkwardly in the end zone. Stanzi fumbled and Northwestern recovered for the touchdown. What was worse, Stanzi lay on the ground in great pain, having severely injured his right ankle. He left the game and freshman James Vandenberg took over but was a less than adequate replacement and Iowa lost. Worse, Stanzi required surgery and was out for the season.

What was especially maddening was that during the sack Stanzi’s facemask was grabbed, twisting his head and body and possibly contributing to Stanzi’s injury.

The foul which would have negated the sack and the NW touchdown was totally missed by the Big Ten officials.

What If? | Ricky Stanzi’s fateful injury

Ahead of the 2009 season, expectations were high for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football team. His 2008 squad finished the year on a four-game winning streak to end the season 9-4, highlighted by a thrilling upset over then-undefeated No. 3 Penn State. Standout running back and Heisman Trophy...

dailyiowan.com

 

[ClarindaA's]

Honestly, Had Shonn Greene returned, Iowa goes unbeaten, still misses the BCS game and splits the title with whoever did win it that year.

 

[millah_22]

Honestly, Had Shonn Greene returned, Iowa goes unbeaten, still misses the BCS game and splits the title with whoever did win it that year.

Ya lot of what ifs, but Shonn Greene needed to go pro. He wasn't great at the school part and wasn't going to have a better year than he did 2008.

 

[ClarindaA's]

Ya lot of what ifs, but Shonn Greene needed to go pro. He wasn't great at the school part and wasn't going to have a better year than he did 2008.

Oh, he made the right decisions, just as a fan there was that huge what if

 

[millah_22]

Oh, he made the right decisions, just as a fan there was that huge what if

For sure Greene, Robinson, Wegher backfield would have ate.

 

[uihawk82]

Or when I learned to hate Northwestern and B1G officiating.

The 2010 Orange Bowl mentioned in several bowl-related threads prompted a visit to the online archives and brought back a flood of memories of when Kirk Ferentz actually had a decent football teams.

One that stands out is the 2009 squad that was 9-0 and potentially headed to an undefeated season when the lowly Wildcats came to town. Iowa had jumped out to a 10-0 lead and the defense had forced a punt which put the Hawks at their own 6.

On second down Ricky Stanzi ran a naked bootleg which was read perfectly by the Northwest defense. Corey Wooten pulled Stanzi down awkwardly in the end zone. Stanzi fumbled and Northwestern recovered for the touchdown. What was worse, Stanzi lay on the ground in great pain, having severely injured his right ankle. He left the game and freshman James Vandenberg took over but was a less than adequate replacement and Iowa lost. Worse, Stanzi required surgery and was out for the season.

What was especially maddening was that during the sack Stanzi’s facemask was grabbed, twisting his head and body and possibly contributing to Stanzi’s injury.

The foul which would have negated the sack and the NW touchdown was totally missed by the Big Ten officials.

What If? | Ricky Stanzi’s fateful injury

Ahead of the 2009 season, expectations were high for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football team. His 2008 squad finished the year on a four-game winning streak to end the season 9-4, highlighted by a thrilling upset over then-undefeated No. 3 Penn State. Standout running back and Heisman Trophy...

dailyiowan.com

You summarized that correctly and how the head official and a line judge or the umpire didnt see the face mask is just another one of those Oh Shit moments in sports.

Yes, Vandenberg was not ready (and he could have been because he played great against OSU the next week at the shoe) and we barely lost. jNW could not move the ball very well.

But do you remember then long about 55 yard TD run by Wegher mid to late 4th qtr that would have put Iowa ahead.

I was watching it from about the 40 yard line and I saw replays later and I forget our center's name that year but he totally outleveraged one of their Dtackles and pancaked him. A flag for holding came from way over on the sideline. Most reputable observers including the old OLine coach Kirk said there was no holding but it was such a great block the official must have saw a phantom hold.

I certainly didnt see a hold but I wasnt totally focused on the spot. Not sure if the Kinnich stadium people put the replay up on the big screen, which they did not do some times on controversial calls against the hawks fearing some huge reprisal. Anyway, a couple of probably bad calls and non-calls went against us.

And as you said, the Hawks were cruising from the start and probably would have easily beaten jNW with Stanzi.

 

[uihawk82]

For sure Greene, Robinson, Wegher backfield would have ate.

Wegner had a long late TD called back that day.

 

[ClarindaA's]

You summarized that correctly and how the head official and a line judge or the umpire didnt see the face mask is just another one of those Oh Shit moments in sports.

Yes, Vandenberg was not ready (and he could have been because he played great against OSU the next week at the shoe) and we barely lost. jNW could not move the ball very well.

But do you remember then long about 55 yard TD run by Wegher mid to late 4th qtr that would have put Iowa ahead.

I was watching it from about the 40 yard line and I saw replays later and I forget our center's name that year but he totally outleveraged one of their Dtackles and pancaked him. A flag for holding came from way over on the sideline. Most reputable observers including the old OLine coach Kirk said there was no holding but it was such a great block the official must have saw a phantom hold.

I certainly didnt see a hold but I wasnt totally focused on the spot. Not sure if the Kinnich stadium people put the replay up on the big screen, which they did not do some times on controversial calls against the hawks fearing some huge reprisal. Anyway, a couple of probably bad calls and non-calls went against us.

And as you said, the Hawks were cruising from the start and probably would have easily beaten jNW with Stanzi.

Thought it was Eubanks. It was a pancake block, not a hold. That game was stolen

 

[jimbob22]

Thought it was Eubanks. It was a pancake block, not a hold. That game was stolen

I recall the block very well. Not close to a hold.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

That face mask penalty not called was a glimpse of more bad to come then add in the one where Rafael Uebanks pancaked his defender on a run that was called a hold with Brandon Wegher ripping off a run about 60 yards for a score that was called back if I am not mistaken.

It was a weird game. KoK had JVB throw the ball over 40 times that game as a true freshman which made zero sense in Iowa’s offense.

 

[bulletproof90]

I remember all the games from that year, my freshman year at Iowa, very vividly, except for that one. I think it was just so disappointing my brain made the preemptive decision to just discard the memory.

Such a big ‘what if.’ You would have to think if we took OSU to OT with Vandenberg, that we would be more likely than not to have won the game with Stanzi.

Even if we did go undefeated though, we probably would have still been edged out for the national title game by Alabama and Texas. So at least it saved us from that, quite different type of disappointment.

 

[Birky]

Thought it was Eubanks. It was a pancake block, not a hold. That game was stolen

Yep, it was Eubanks. Egregiously manufactured penalty.

Should have been up 17-0 at that point.

 

[ozzie8]

Thought it was Eubanks. It was a pancake block, not a hold. That game was stolen

Dennis Lipski has a history of throwing atrocious flags

 

[RIGHTWINGHAWK]

Ya lot of what ifs, but Shonn Greene needed to go pro. He wasn't great at the school part and wasn't going to have a better year than he did 2008.

If I remember correctly SG was academically suspended for a year and worked for a furniture company during his "sabbatical." He was a beast on the gridiron and had to turn pro. Whatta running back!

 

[millah_22]

If I remember correctly SG was academically suspended for a year and worked for a furniture company during his "sabbatical." He was a beast on the gridiron and had to turn pro. Whatta running back!

Ya he went to Kirkwood to get his grades up and worked at McGregor's in Coralville.

 

[tweeterhawk]

And then Fatty Pitz celebrating the stolen win.

I8NW!

 

[Legs94]

You summarized that correctly and how the head official and a line judge or the umpire didnt see the face mask is just another one of those Oh Shit moments in sports.

Yes, Vandenberg was not ready (and he could have been because he played great against OSU the next week at the shoe) and we barely lost. jNW could not move the ball very well.

But do you remember then long about 55 yard TD run by Wegher mid to late 4th qtr that would have put Iowa ahead.

I was watching it from about the 40 yard line and I saw replays later and I forget our center's name that year but he totally outleveraged one of their Dtackles and pancaked him. A flag for holding came from way over on the sideline. Most reputable observers including the old OLine coach Kirk said there was no holding but it was such a great block the official must have saw a phantom hold.

I certainly didnt see a hold but I wasnt totally focused on the spot. Not sure if the Kinnich stadium people put the replay up on the big screen, which they did not do some times on controversial calls against the hawks fearing some huge reprisal. Anyway, a couple of probably bad calls and non-calls went against us.

And as you said, the Hawks were cruising from the start and probably would have easily beaten jNW with Stanzi.

I was at that game. Might be the worst holding call I’ve ever seen.

 

[iowamike21]

Another point about that game: KF clearly failed to have Vandenberg ready. As the backup QB, Vandenberg was always ONE play away from taking over. And when that play happened, Vandy was like a deer in headlights. He was a very good QB with an outstanding arm, but he clearly was not ready to take over that day against NW. That's a huge coaching failure.

We see QBs get hurt all the time, and the backups, almost without fail, come in and do well. In 2023 I think the Illinois backup came in after an injury and played well, and in his first start set a school record by passing for something like 500 yards. He was ready for his opportunity. That's coaching.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Worst was the 3rd down pass to McNutt where they totally missed the NW DB with a handful of jersey for at least 5 or 6 steps. McNutt was literally waving & screaming as the ball went past him and fell to the ground. Even the broadcast team was shocked.

But...especially after the FSU debacle last year, I gotta believe some of this sh*t is flat-out planned or orchestrated. But...that is also why it's so glorious seeing SMU get in over Bama, complete with every single f-ing ESPN hack responding in utter shock and disbelief.

 

[dozeman]

You summarized that correctly and how the head official and a line judge or the umpire didnt see the face mask is just another one of those Oh Shit moments in sports.

Yes, Vandenberg was not ready (and he could have been because he played great against OSU the next week at the shoe) and we barely lost. jNW could not move the ball very well.

But do you remember then long about 55 yard TD run by Wegher mid to late 4th qtr that would have put Iowa ahead.

I was watching it from about the 40 yard line and I saw replays later and I forget our center's name that year but he totally outleveraged one of their Dtackles and pancaked him. A flag for holding came from way over on the sideline. Most reputable observers including the old OLine coach Kirk said there was no holding but it was such a great block the official must have saw a phantom hold.

I certainly didnt see a hold but I wasnt totally focused on the spot. Not sure if the Kinnich stadium people put the replay up on the big screen, which they did not do some times on controversial calls against the hawks fearing some huge reprisal. Anyway, a couple of probably bad calls and non-calls went against us.

And as you said, the Hawks were cruising from the start and probably would have easily beaten jNW with Stanzi.

Bob Griese went off on the broadcast saying it was a bad call.

 

[HawkLogic]

Best Iowa team KF and even Hayden ever put together. The good Hayden teams always choked in Rose Bowl. KF's 2nd best

team (2002) got whooped by a Pete Caroll coached team that was on cusp of a dnyasty.

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

Best Iowa team KF and even Hayden ever put together. The good Hayden teams always choked in Rose Bowl. KF's 2nd best

team (2002) got whooped by a Pete Caroll coached team that was on cusp of a dnyasty.

Many missed opportunities in that first half of that Orange Bowl game.

 

[tdburg11]

Worst was the 3rd down pass to McNutt where they totally missed the NW DB with a handful of jersey for at least 5 or 6 steps. McNutt was literally waving & screaming as the ball went past him and fell to the ground. Even the broadcast team was shocked.

But...especially after the FSU debacle last year, I gotta believe some of this sh*t is flat-out planned or orchestrated. But...that is also why it's so glorious seeing SMU get in over Bama, complete with every single f-ing ESPN hack responding in utter shock and disbelief.

Loved seeing SMU in and Saban/Finebaum crying on national broadcasts. Now the B1G teams need to show up. If it turns out like B1G history in March Madness, the SEC mouthpieces will be shouting from the rooftops. Would absolutely love to see Indiana take down ND, too.

 

[iowamike21]

Best Iowa team KF and even Hayden ever put together. The good Hayden teams always choked in Rose Bowl. KF's 2nd best

team (2002) got whooped by a Pete Caroll coached team that was on cusp of a dnyasty.

Well, when your All-American RB has five TOs and drops a TD pass in the end zone, maybe it isn't so much choke as get paid. Ronnie Harmon never played a game like that before or after. Did he throw the game? All the evidence says yes.

 

[83Hawk]

Or when I learned to hate Northwestern and B1G officiating.

The 2010 Orange Bowl mentioned in several bowl-related threads prompted a visit to the online archives and brought back a flood of memories of when Kirk Ferentz actually had a decent football teams.

One that stands out is the 2009 squad that was 9-0 and potentially headed to an undefeated season when the lowly Wildcats came to town. Iowa had jumped out to a 10-0 lead and the defense had forced a punt which put the Hawks at their own 6.

On second down Ricky Stanzi ran a naked bootleg which was read perfectly by the Northwestern defense. Corey Wooten pulled Stanzi down awkwardly in the end zone. Stanzi fumbled and Northwestern recovered for the touchdown. What was worse, Stanzi lay on the ground in great pain, having severely injured his right ankle. He left the game and freshman James Vandenberg took over but was a less than adequate replacement and Iowa lost. Worse, Stanzi required surgery and was out for the season.

What was especially maddening was that during the sack Stanzi’s facemask was grabbed, twisting his head and body and possibly contributing to Stanzi’s injury.

The foul which would have negated the sack and the NW touchdown was totally missed by the Big Ten officials.

What If? | Ricky Stanzi’s fateful injury

Ahead of the 2009 season, expectations were high for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football team. His 2008 squad finished the year on a four-game winning streak to end the season 9-4, highlighted by a thrilling upset over then-undefeated No. 3 Penn State. Standout running back and Heisman Trophy...

dailyiowan.com

On a different site, there was a guy back then that would do a write up on the Hawk’s upcoming opponent. He mentioned that bootlegs never worked against Wooten. He almost always “stayed home” and was rarely fooled. That play happened right in front of me and I screamed “NO!!!!” at the top of my voice as soon as the play started because I knew it would get blown up. Which it was.

If an average fan who only paid a modicum of attention to Northwestern’s tendency on bootlegs knew not to run one….why didn’t our coaching staff pick up on it?

 

[NI hawk]

Thought it was Eubanks. It was a pancake block, not a hold. That game was stolen

Absolutely stolen.

 

[Bank of Hawk]

Or when I learned to hate Northwestern and B1G officiating.

The 2010 Orange Bowl mentioned in several bowl-related threads prompted a visit to the online archives and brought back a flood of memories of when Kirk Ferentz actually had a decent football teams.

One that stands out is the 2009 squad that was 9-0 and potentially headed to an undefeated season when the lowly Wildcats came to town. Iowa had jumped out to a 10-0 lead and the defense had forced a punt which put the Hawks at their own 6.

On second down Ricky Stanzi ran a naked bootleg which was read perfectly by the Northwestern defense. Corey Wooten pulled Stanzi down awkwardly in the end zone. Stanzi fumbled and Northwestern recovered for the touchdown. What was worse, Stanzi lay on the ground in great pain, having severely injured his right ankle. He left the game and freshman James Vandenberg took over but was a less than adequate replacement and Iowa lost. Worse, Stanzi required surgery and was out for the season.

What was especially maddening was that during the sack Stanzi’s facemask was grabbed, twisting his head and body and possibly contributing to Stanzi’s injury.

The foul which would have negated the sack and the NW touchdown was totally missed by the Big Ten officials.

What If? | Ricky Stanzi’s fateful injury

Ahead of the 2009 season, expectations were high for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football team. His 2008 squad finished the year on a four-game winning streak to end the season 9-4, highlighted by a thrilling upset over then-undefeated No. 3 Penn State. Standout running back and Heisman Trophy...

dailyiowan.com

Brandon Wegher had a touchdown called back on a bogus holding call. Iowa probably wins without that shitty ass call. Rick or no Rick.

 

[LIV4GOD]

What a glorious day it started out to be. I came down from Minnesota and was on the 50 yard line. There was the long bomb to McNutt for a TD at the beginning.

Then the non-call grievous face mask to Stanzi. Unreal, and the injury. I forgot about the TD run also called back until I read this thread.

That game bothered me so much I decided to just watch from a distance. No more games in person.

Guess what? I decided to finally come back down and have great seats again. What game? Minnesota at Kinnick last year.

Oh, the glory of the Cooper Dejean punt return. It was so loud I couldn't hear my own voice. Then the horrible review.

Yeah, for the sake of us all I'm just staying away.

 

[Hawgk]

Well, when your All-American RB has five TOs and drops a TD pass in the end zone, maybe it isn't so much choke as get paid. Ronnie Harmon never played a game like that before or after. Did he throw the game? All the evidence says yes.

I once did the math using Harmon’s career touches and fumbles lost stats (minus rose bowl) and concluded that statistically he would lose 4 fumbles in one game about once every 600 seasons.

 

[Birky]

I once did the math using Harmon’s career touches and fumbles lost stats (minus rose bowl) and concluded that statistically he would lose 4 fumbles in one game about once every 600 seasons.

So, not impossible.

-Ronnie Harmon

 

[WadeLookingbill]

Best Iowa team KF and even Hayden ever put together. The good Hayden teams always choked in Rose Bowl. KF's 2nd best

team (2002) got whooped by a Pete Caroll coached team that was on cusp of a dnyasty.

Tied at half of 2002 OB (should have at least been up 3 but the end of half sequence, woof). I’ve seen whooped, that game wasn’t.

And while we’re playing the what-if game, I’m almost certain Iowa goes 11-1 if Dejean came back this year.

 

[hawk263344]

You summarized that correctly and how the head official and a line judge or the umpire didnt see the face mask is just another one of those Oh Shit moments in sports.

Yes, Vandenberg was not ready (and he could have been because he played great against OSU the next week at the shoe) and we barely lost. jNW could not move the ball very well.

But do you remember then long about 55 yard TD run by Wegher mid to late 4th qtr that would have put Iowa ahead.

I was watching it from about the 40 yard line and I saw replays later and I forget our center's name that year but he totally outleveraged one of their Dtackles and pancaked him. A flag for holding came from way over on the sideline. Most reputable observers including the old OLine coach Kirk said there was no holding but it was such a great block the official must have saw a phantom hold.

I certainly didnt see a hold but I wasnt totally focused on the spot. Not sure if the Kinnich stadium people put the replay up on the big screen, which they did not do some times on controversial calls against the hawks fearing some huge reprisal. Anyway, a couple of probably bad calls and non-calls went against us.

And as you said, the Hawks were cruising from the start and probably would have easily beaten jNW with Stanzi.

I think I remember that penalty and that it was just a fantastic block. Terrible call. We should have never been running PA boots to begin with. NW and particularly Wooten were playing the backside of plays looking for a PA boot out the backside. It should have been no surprise that Wooten would be sitting on it and ready to blow up Stanzi. It was a terrible play call considering how they played the situation.

 

[General Tso]

The what-ifs are magnified and never forgotten when you're a fan of a team like Iowa. We don't get our day in the sun very often, so it's easy to remember the almosts through the years

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

$ome don’t want to believe it but the league has rea$on$ for wanting $pecific outcome$ and the officiating crew$ are an exten$ion of their de$ire$.

College football game$ are 100% for $ure rigged to an outcome at time$.

2006 Outback Bowl anyone?