By Jordan Hansen
There’s a reason Iowa punter Ron Coluzzi was the second player on the podium for interviews after the team upset then-No. 2 Michigan last week.
As a point of reference, the Iowa media-relations staff brings three players to the podium each week. It’s usually reserved for the players deemed most important in the game. Players that the staff knows will be completely mobbed if they put them in the open media scrum in a room down the hall.
Against the Wolverines, Coluzzi had is fair share of moments. The huge, game-changing type. The first was a punt that he thought was going to get blocked.
So, he took the ball, switched directions and promptly tripped over his feet, doing a summersault in the process. He also took a shot from Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, who was flagged for targeting and ejected from the game.
“I showed some really poor athleticism,” Coluzzi said. “But hey, that’s football.”
Michigan got the ball back at the Iowa 31, but the drive fizzled out, and it had to settle for a field goal. It was really Coluzzi’s worst play of the day, though he more than made up for it.
He averaged 47 yards on six punts, with three going more than 50 yards and three landing inside the 20. Extremely impressive stuff.
One of the biggest, however, came late in the middle of the second quarter. The Hawkeyes needed some sort of momentum. Any type, really.
Coluzzi dropped a punt that was downed at the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Iowa defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson rolled up Michigan running back De’Veon Smith into the end zone for a safety.
In hindsight, it’s rather surprising the crowd did not yell “2” as they do at wrestling meets. But alas, it was one of the biggest plays of the game and helped turn the momentum in the game around.
“That gave our offense momentum, it gave our defense momentum,” Johnson said. “You keep competing, and moments like this happen.”
Though in Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s eyes, he wasn’t sure any moment even remotely involving Coluzzi was going to happen after the first quarter.
In fact, he was probably a little more concerned about who the backup punter was.
“[Coluzzi] had a big night. Some of the punts that he had were incredible,” Ferentz said. “I wasn’t sure he was going to make it to the second quarter physically, the way it started. But he hung tough.”
Outside of the broken punt play, Coluzzi also took shots on a number of other punts early in the game. Michigan was called for “roughing the punter” on two-consecutive plays.
It got the Hawkeyes a first down, and while they didn’t score on the drive, it helped switch field position back in their favor. In fact, the whole game became an intense battle of positioning.
Ferentz has often lauded field position as being a critical factor in his coaching philosophy, and the win against Michigan once again validated him. Any coach will say field position is important, of course, but Ferentz makes a special effort to find good specialists.
Coluzzi was also incredible limiting returns. He handles kickoffs, of which only two were returned. One of those returns ended in a fumble, and Iowa got the ball back.
Little shifts making a huge difference in the game. It’s just what Iowa football is all about.
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