Soil Compilation

Music
Riot Fest Gallery

Riot Fest just wrapped a successful, yet muddy weekend in Chicago. From September 18-20, over a hundred thousand people graced the grounds, later mud pit, of Douglass Park. Here are some of my favorite selects from the weekend.

Sports
A Michigan Odyssey

Initially, I wanted to write a story about what it was like to step into the Big House for the very first time. Then our travel plans went south, and then the game itself happened. So instead of just one story, this is a collection of tales from one of the craziest weekends of all time.

Sports
Around the Big Ten – Week Five

Mutliple teams from the old Big Ten West come out with upset victories in the first full week of the Big Ten conference schedule. Ryan Paris recaps the major storylines from the last week, as well as some of the biggest games coming up.

Sports
Around the Big Ten – Week Four

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.

You don’t have to take college level classes on the topic to understand the big key that drives sports media: There is always a standard.  Every player that is dissected on national television is eventually discussed as a legacy, comparing his play to a relic of the past. Just like every team that has success is associated with another’s lasting triumph. Nobody can just be, there always has to be a standard to be examined against. Yet, how interesting that so few of these standards have withstood the test of time. It’s the 1972 Dolphins, Joe Montana or Joe DiMaggio. … Continued

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Standing out form the Michigan State game was a play after a missed Sean Draper tackle that led to a continuation of the drive and a big play touchdown by Michigan State. The play is relatively easy to breakdown, and while in Nickel, Iowa decides to bring the house. They send seven players to rush the quarterback and to create pressure, but with some good blocking and a nice route combo Michigan State is able to bring it in for a touchdown. From this combo, with Iowa bringing seven, Michigan State runs a combo that creates a natural pick on … Continued

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On October 14, 2003 is a day that will live in infamy for not only the Chicago Cubs organization, but for the city of Chicago as a whole. It was on this date that we were introduced to a man that would change the organization forever. That man’s name: Steve Bartman. Just 10 years ago Steve Bartman was a normal man who had the great fortune of obtaining a seat down the left field line to the Chicago Cubs National League Championship Series game versus the then Florida Marlins. This would be a dream come true for any Cubs fan … Continued

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The Iowa Women’s soccer team came out strong this past Sunday in Iowa City, looking sharp both offensively and defensively. The Hawks battled against Michigan State and temperamental weather conditions to secure a 1-0 victory in double overtime. Although regulation ended in frustration as the Hawkeyes placed 19 shots toward goal with no result, the team rallied and came back to fight for the one goal that would end the game. The game winner started with a foul against Michigan State just 35 yards outside their box. Melanie Pickert, a junior for the Hawkeyes, stepped up to take the free … Continued

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It is hard to believe we are already 5 weeks into the NFL Season. From the Cleveland Browns having their first record over .500 in nearly a decade to the New York Giants having their worst start since the 1980’s, the NFL has once again managed to shock us all. Biggest Surprises through Week 5: NFC East: It’s safe to say that the NFC East may be one of the most disappointing divisions this year in the NFL. The NFC East currently combines for a 5-14 record with the Giants contributing a 0-5 record to that count. What is the … Continued

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Iowa’s fate seemed to be sealed after a 25 yard rush from punter Mike Sadler on a fake punt to open the fourth quarter. At that point the Hawkeyes were down 20-14 and any momentum was sucked out of Kinnick Stadium. The play was reminiscent of the fake punt run by Northern Illinois earlier in the season that ended in another loss for the Hawkeyes. According to @hawkeyegamefilm, that fake punt continues now a streak of six straight fake punts succeeding against the Hawkeyes. “I just wanted our players to know that they’re aggressive on the football field and sometimes … Continued

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