Soil Compilation

Sports
Around the Big Ten – Week Four

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Week three of college football was the final tune-up for the Big Ten before the conference schedule began. This week, we’ll talk about Iowa’s 55-0 victory over Northern Iowa, Northwestern’s final game before moving into Ryan Field, and the Southern California showdown between USC and Oregon.

Sports
Sports

Recapping the Chaotic NBA Off-season

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Coming off one of the most exciting off-seasons to remember, the start of the NBA season looms around the corner. My own excitement is matched by that of many others, as it will be intriguing to see how everything that has shaped out over the summer months falls in place as teams hit the hardwood. While it seems inevitable that the Warriors and Cavaliers are going to make the NBA Finals, this season provides so much more that has been missed in years past, setting the league up for one of the best seasons in a long time.   Four … Continued

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Welcome to the Friendly Confines

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I know a place that some people only dream of seeing. A place that many have the privilege of seeing in the spring, in the summer, and if they’re lucky, the fall. A place that opens its’ deep green gates to welcome 41,268 eager people; people who feel an absence through the frigid months.   I know a place where you walk through neighborhoods of people just to glance the grand structure. Children peer up, awestruck. Adults do the same. Your age won’t matter here. Your gender doesn’t matter here. Your ethnicity doesn’t matter here.   I know a place … Continued

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Snyder Returns from Injury, Records Game-Changing Pick-6

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Five and a half months. 89 yards. No.37 returns to form IOWA CITY – Brandon Snyder’s season hung in the balance in April. A torn left ACL meant that he would likely be out for his entire junior season, a season in which he was expected to emerge as one of the leaders of the Hawkeye secondary. Setting his sights towards a full recovery, Snyder refused to acknowledge his entire season would be gone. He would miss time, there was no doubt about it. But he would be back. He knew he’d be back. “I don’t want to have the … Continued

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Hawkeyes Strong Second Half Will Them Past Illini, Pick Up First Big Ten Win

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IOWA CITY – The desperation was there for the Hawkeyes and they needed to deliver. Spoiler alert, they did. Iowa was 0-2 in Big Ten play entering Saturday and had something to prove against an Illini team that had struggled just as much, if not more than the Hawkeyes. Iowa pulled out an impressive 45-16 win thanks to a strong second half along with a good showing from the defense. The game looked to start off well for the Hawkeyes who forced a turnover on the first play of the game, but then quickly turned the ball over themselves. On … Continued

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Big Ten Football in Full Swing

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In the realm of college football, the Big Ten is often considered one of the best top-to-bottom conferences in the nation. It is home to 13 Heisman trophy winners, 22 national titles, six NFL starting quarterbacks and currently holds four of the top 11 teams in the AP Poll.   This storied conference is rich in past glory, but the teams continue to make history every year. All fourteen teams are in a constant battle for supremacy in the conference and the 2017 Big Ten season is just getting underway.   Rutgers – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: N/A … Continued

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High Strikeout Batters Can Still Provide Value

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A hitter striking out a lot means the hitter is not a good hitter right? Well, it depends on what one is evaluating on a given hitter. I used to think that strikeouts greatly affected my judgement on a player. I would generally look at walk-to-strikeout ratios as a basis of determining how effective the player was at hitting. Not putting the ball in play does nothing to help a team win. My thinking differed slightly when MLB.com’s Mike Petriello mentioned on Friday’s show of “MLB Now” on MLB Network that strikeouts are not that important anymore. There may be something … Continued

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Time’s Up. Blake Bortles Is Past Expiration Date

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On the Right Path In 2015 Blake Bortles was coming off his rookie campaign in the NFL, which was sub-par to say the least. The first year is always rough for a rookie Quarterback in the league, so the optimism was still there for Bortles after year one. Sure enough, Bortles made the stride that everyone had hoped for his second year and all the sudden the team from Jacksonville was a threat to compete in the AFC South. During his 2015 season Bortles put up statistics some of the best QB’s in the league. He ranked top five in … Continued

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Premier League: Matchweek 6 Preview

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Jamie Vardy is enthusiastic after winning a penalty versus Huddersfield (Daily Mirror)   First team to beat Manchester City wins. Go!   Matchweek 5 Review: Sep. 15, 2:00 PM CST / Vitality Stadium Bournemouth 2 1 Brighton & Hove Surman (67′) Defoe (73′) (55′) March   Bournemouth secured its first win on the year after a disappointing first four. These three points are all thanks to the heroics of 21-year-old Jordan Ibe. After being subbed on in the 65th minute, he assisted goals in the 67th and 73rd minutes to give his squad the lead for good.   Brighton played … Continued

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Hawkeyes Heartbroken by Penn State Walk-off Touchdown

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IOWA CITY – Putting a game like this into words is often much easier said than done, but here goes nothing. Penn State, with no time left on the clock, beat Iowa 21-19 on a seven-yard reception from Juwan Johnson. “That game is illustrative of what it takes to win in the conference,” said Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz. “We’re disappointed with the loss; its going to hurt for a while, but we’ll move on.” As the game neared its close, flashes of the Michigan game from 2016 began to swirl in the heads of Hawkeye fans. Instead, the heartbreaking … Continued

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Football Team Freshmen

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I sat down with three players on the football team, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Geno Stone, and Brandon Smith, to ask them questions about what it’s like to be a freshman on a Big Ten football team. To view their football statistics from high school, click the links below. http://www.hudl.com/profile/2974838/brandon-smith http://www.hudl.com/profile/4489961/ihmir-smith-marsette http://www.hudl.com/profile/4219748/geno-stone Decision When asked why they chose to play football at University of Iowa, they each had a unique reason. Ihmir was most comfortable with the school and coaches. He loved the atmosphere. Geno thought that being a Hawkeye was the best opportunity for him. Brandon admitted that it was one … Continued

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