When the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes take on Indiana on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, they might face a desperate opponent.
Last week, the Hoosiers watched a 28-3 lead on Northwestern evaporate as the Wildcats pulled off an incredible comeback to win, 29-28, in Evanston, Ill. The loss dropped Indiana to 4-4 overall, 1-3 in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers come into Iowa City a 17.5-point underdog and know facing an unbeaten Hawkeye squad sitting at No. 4 in the BCS standings will be a challenge.
“This is a great opportunity for our football team,” Indiana head coach Bill Lynch said during the Big Ten football teleconference on Tuesday. “Not often in the ninth week of the season [do] you get to play the fourth-ranked team in the country that’s undefeated … and I’m sure our guys are going to be excited.”
In discussing Iowa, the poise of Hawkeye quarterback Ricky Stanzi stood out to Lynch. The third-year head coach admired Stanzi’s ability to lead the Hawkeyes toward a game-winning touchdown drive against Michigan State last weekend.
“I think anytime you have a great year, you usually have a quarterback who plays his best football, and to me, on tape, Stanzi’s having a great year,” Lynch said.
Northwestern
The Wildcats’ chances of becoming bowl-eligible for the third-straight year took a positive spin last weekend after overcoming a 25-point deficit to defeat Indiana at Ryan Field.
Northwestern sits at 5-3 overall, but difficult games remain, starting with No. 12 Penn State coming to Evanston this weekend.
The Nittany Lions will venture into Ryan Field riding a successful swell after dismantling Michigan, 35-10, in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“We’re going to play a team this week that for years has taken advantage of people making mistakes,” Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said during the Big Ten football teleconference on Tuesday. “[The Nittany Lions] make you pay, and they make you pay dearly. They execute well, and they don’t make many mistakes.”
Minnesota
Things have taken a turn for the worse in Minneapolis.
The Golden Gophers are coming off back-to-back losses at Penn State and at Ohio State — neither of which was close.
Furthermore, Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster announced on Tuesday his squad would be without the services of senior wideout Eric Decker, highly touted as the best receiver in the Big Ten, for the rest of the regular season with a foot injury he suffered last week against the Buckeyes.
“Hopefully, we’ll get him back for a bowl game, but he will be out,” Brewster said on Tuesday during the Big Ten football teleconference. “All 11 guys on offense will have to step up to replace a guy like Eric Decker. I truly believe he is the most complete wide receiver in college football today, and you don’t just replace that guy easily.”
If there is a positive for Minnesota, it’s that its next three games are all at TCF Bank Stadium before closing the season at Iowa. But coming to Minneapolis this weekend is a 4-4 Michigan State squad coming off a painful defeat at home last weekend to the Hawkeyes.
“Obviously, there’s no surprises when you’re playing Michigan State,” Brewster said. “You know exactly what type of fight you’re getting into, and you better be prepared to be in that type of battle, or else they’ll expose you.”
