Jimmy Nash recaps the contest between the Hawkeyes and the Wildcats.

IOWA CITY, IA- In a tale of two halves, near record breaking performances, and senior night. The Hawkeyes emerged victorious.

Iowa (13-18, 4-14) defeated Northwestern (15-16, 6-12) 77-70 at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Sunday night.

In the first half, Iowa shot lights out scoring 45 points while Northwestern scored 28. In the second half, Iowa scored 32 points while Northwestern scored 42.

“It was nice to have one of these games going into the Big Ten Tournament,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “We knew that we needed this performance to show what we were capable of doing.”

At one point in the first half, Iowa led by as many as 22 points. That lead got that high thanks to the three. Guard Jordan Bohannon has six 3-pointers in the first half. The team made nine 3-pointers throughout the entirety of the first half.

“I said you have to get your swag back.  He was doing a good job of running the offense (the last few games), but he needs to be aggressive like that for us to win,” McCaffery said.

Going into the break, Iowa was shooting over 48 percent from the field and controlled the rebounding battle.

Iowa built the lead back to 22 in the second half after Northwestern started the half on a little run.

Scottie Lindsey was the only real offense that Northwestern had the entire night. Lindsey launched a Carver Hawkeye Arena record-tying nine 3-pointers in the night’s contest. Lindsey finished the game with 32 points, a career-high for him.

“I was proud of my guys for continuing to fight,” Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. “With all the injuries it would’ve been easy to just lay down and let Iowa run away. We kept fighting.”

The charity stripe is really where Iowa gained its advantage.

Iowa attempted 23 shots from the line and made 17. Northwestern attempted only seven free throws and made three.

Jordan Bohannon was four of five from the line tonight. He was chasing a record.

Bohannon made his 33^rd and 34^th consecutive free throws in the first half to tie Chris Street’s school-record. He went to the line to attempt the front end of a 1-and-1. He intentionally missed it.

“That was something I have had on my mind the last couple of games and the last few months,” Hawkeye guard Jordan Bohannon said. “I talked to my brother and we had the same agreement that it wasn’t my record to have.”

Iowa will head to New York City to faceoff against Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. (CT).

The post White-Hot Bohannon get Hawks past ‘Cats appeared first on KRUI Radio.

You would not have known it after watching their offense work against the Iowa defense.

In their 38-31 victory over Iowa, the Wildcats gained 198 yards in the rushing game and 164 through the air, with the bulk of those yards going to just two players.

Justin Jackson led all rushers with 26 attempts for 171 net yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats. No other Wildcat gained more than 19 yards rushing. Wide receiver Austin Carr tallied 73 yards on 6 catches, three of which went for touchdowns. No other Wildcat receiver had more than 18 yards.

“We do good, and then we give up too many big plays,” said Iowa safety Brandon Snyder of the Iowa defense. “We just have to be better on our assignments and trust each other.”

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said that eliminating the mental mistakes is what made the difference in the offense compared to their first four games.

“I think the offense has been there,” said Fitzgerald postgame. “I just think that we’ve self-inflicted wounds.”

The Wildcats did not have many self-inflicted wounds on Saturday, as they were flagged just once in the game for five yards. On the flip side, Iowa was flagged six times for 70 yards.

There was a scary moment late in the third quarter when Northwestern’s Brett Walsh was blindsided while on punt coverage and needed extensive medical attention following the play. He was carted off the field and was able to give the fans an encouraging “thumbs-up” on his way out. All tests came back negative, and Walsh was able to travel with the team back to Evanston on Saturday night.

Iowa’s offense struggled yet again to run the ball, tallying only 79 net yards on the ground. Although LeShun Daniels, Jr. and Akrum Wadley each scored touchdowns (Daniels, Jr. one, Wadley two), each of their longest rushes went for just nine yards.

C.J. Beathard was sacked six times in the game, and it made it hard for the Iowa offense to get in to a rhythm, let alone stay in a rhythm.

“C.J.’s our leader,” Wadley said. “When he can’t really get going, it’s hard for the whole offense to get going.”

Beathard said that the team is not pointing fingers at one particular unit, but says the team has to play better collectively.

“We just have to play better team football as a whole,” Beathard said. “We have to get better in every part of our game.”

Much like what Fitzgerald said of Northwestern’s offense, Iowa offensive lineman Sean Welsh says it’s the mental mistakes that are plaguing the Iowa rushing attack.

“It’s the drive killers. It’s the penalties and it’s the sacks,” Welsh said. “It kills the momentum a lot. We need to be more consistent.”

Aside from the six sacks, a lot of things went well on Saturday for the Hawkeyes on offense. Beathard threw for 204 yards on the day, with the majority of those being credited to Riley McCarron and Jerminic Smith. Both players are expected to see an increased number of targets now that leading receiver Matt VandeBerg is sidelined with a foot injury for the foreseeable future.

McCarron set career highs in receptions with eight and yards with 78, and he also scored a touchdown late in the second half that gave Iowa their first lead of the game. The senior entered the game with only six receptions on the season.

On special teams, both McCarron and primary return man Desmond King had success in the return game. King racked up 162 total return yards on the day (77 punt, 85 kick), and McCarron had career longs with a 30-yard punt return and 54-yard kick return.

Even on another tough day at the office for the Iowa defense and rushing offense, there are some positives the teams can build on as they try to better themselves moving forward into the Big Ten season.

“It’s the 24-hour rule like always,” said head coach Kirk Ferentz after the game. “The bottom line right now is we’re a 3-2 football team with a lot of football left, but clearly we need to improve, and that’s the task for tomorrow.”

Iowa travels to Minnesota this weekend to play the Golden Gophers at 11:00 A.M. on October 8^th on ESPN2/ABC.

The post Hawkeyes struggle to contain Wildcats on Homecoming weekend appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Tar Heels are slightly favored in this game but when looking at each of the teams tournament runs with a plain eye, the Wildcat’s streak has come along with defeating multiple championship contenders.

Villanova has put their toe on the gas all tournament long by wiping the floor with UNC-Asheville in the first round, then moving on to embarrass the Iowa Hawkeyes and Miami Hurricanes by at least 19-point margins in each game. Their national championship game destiny continued by clinching a nail-bitter against the heavily favored Kansas Jayhawks, the Wildcats secured the game with a crucial steal in the last seconds.

Jay Wright and the cats continued their momentum in the final four by routing Oklahoma with a 40 point margin in arguably one of the worst showings in tournament history. Compared to the North Carolina’s tournament resume of getting past FGCU, Providence, Indiana, Notre Dame and Syracuse, some would strongly argue that the Wildcats road to this glorious final game proved to be more difficult.

Looking at history though, the big dance doesn’t pay favorites to anyone, no matter how difficult the path.

The Wildcats are underdogs again going into tonight as they seek their second national championship, while the Tar Heels will be looking for their sixth. North Carolina’s last championship came in 2009 against Michigan State and coincidentally defeated Villanova as well on their road to the title. Villanova’s last title win came as an No.8 seed in a win over No. 1 Georgetown, 66-64.

“Our main goal is to play goal to what we played tonight, get the ball inside, really try to pound it in there and knock down our free throws,” said Tar Heel Kennedy Meeks in the post-game conference vs. Oklahoma according to ESPN.

Granted this Roy Williams coached team has beaten everyone they have faced this tournament by average of 16.2 points per game but the Wildcats have been shooting lights out and making history in the process. Villanova shot 71.4 percent from the field against Oklahoma which happened to go down as the second best percentage in Final Four games. Coincidentally the only team to put up a better percentage than that was the 1985 Villanova championship team.

Controlling the tempo to which their team generally plays at will be a pivotal factor in tonight’s game. North Carolina was able to do that successfully against Oklahoma by shutting down nation’s top player, Buddy Hield.

“They want to play more of a slow-paced game and we always want to play up-tempo,” UNC guard Joel Berry said. “We want to penetrate and beat the defense down before they can set up their defense.”

The matchup is set to kickoff off at 8:19 p.m. central time on TBS at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Jim Nantz, Bill Rafterty, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson will all be broadcasting the game. Be sure to tune-in.

The post No.1 North Carolina and No.2 Villanova Battle Tonight In National Championship Game appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Despite a roller coaster 2014 season, fans have reason to make Kinnick an electric atmosphere as two wins will likely give the home team a shot at the Big Ten title.

But, we have a few things to go over before we get to that. During my two years at Iowa, Kinnick Stadium hasn’t been what it was growing up. Noise is down, empty seats are more apparent and boos are more common than statement victories. Fans have seemingly grown tired, stale and annoyed with what has been seen. Blame can be spread from players and coaches, but don’t forget, crowds are a part of this issue, too.

Through five home games this season, Iowa has managed an average crowd of 67,415. Kinnick Stadium holds 70,585, so we’re not too far from being sold out, but can still do better. This also does not mean that 67,415 fans sit in their seats from kickoff to final score. I’ve included a few pictures gathered from Tweets showing the card stunt against Northwestern taken just moments before kickoff.

There are a few factors that can excuse Iowa from having capacity crowds throughout the entire game. First of all, for many of the games fans are either getting sunburnt or frostbite. Once you had in the 11 o’clock kickoffs on Saturday mornings, low-profile matchups such as Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Ball State, Indiana and Northwestern, and the style of play that can put the San Antonio Spurs to sleep, and quite frankly most are probably surprised we’re seating over 60,000.

That’s not even taking into account the students that begin tailgating at 5 a.m. and either can’t make it to the game, or leave at halftime. Take a look at the card stunt again and see which section is missing fans. Just getting to the ballgame is part of the issue, but that’s not the biggest focal point here.

Kinnick Stadium is full of a beautiful black and gold mixture that houses some of what I biasedly call the most passionate and loyal fans in the country. What needs to be fixed there? Timing.

The student section is the source of most cheers and noise in the stadium, so fellow students, please read on.

Not to call out our incredible cheerleaders, but they have one thing wrong: When to start the “Let’s go Hawks” chant. We all really appreciate you trying to get the crowd going, but right before Iowa is about to snap the ball is not the time.

Quarterbacks need to be able to call plays, shifts, hot routes, etc. at the line of scrimmage and the other 10 teammates need to hear him. The nosebleeds should be able to hear Kirk Ferentz chew his gum – that’s how silent it needs to be.

Clapping and applauding after the play is reasonable, but it should go right back to being silent immediately after our approval is aware. Also be wary of the no-huddle, because then snap counts and the ability to hear Rudock becomes even more crucial to the offensive flow.

On the other side of the ball, 3^rd and 3 in the second quarter can be just as important as 2^nd and 7 late in the fourth. We need to always make the opposing offense know that Kinnick Stadium isn’t a friendly environment. At many points, the stadium will become lackluster, especially when the game is happening on the opposite side of the student section. Iowa home games should never feel like a neutral field.

Students, don’t forget that when we get loud, the rest of the stadium is always soon to follow. If you still have your voice on Sunday, you’ve let the team down. Imagine how much fun Iowa City will be if the Hawkeyes are battling for the Big Ten Championship. Having to go a day or so with a voice that squeaks from time to time isn’t much of a sacrifice in order to help make that happen.

In its last 18 home Big Ten games, Iowa is just 10-8. That’s against what has mostly been average – at best – competition, and shows that there isn’t much of a fear going into Kinnick.

Wisconsin is going to be, by far, Iowa’s toughest contest to date. The Hawkeyes are going to need everything going their way to come out on top, and that includes the fan base. It’s up to us to force the Badgers into false starts, delay of games, miscommunications and unnecessary timeouts. Scream, go nuts and represent your school in front of a national audience to set up a potential showdown with Nebraska on Black Friday.

And then do it again.

Let’s regain what made Kinnick Stadium one of the most feared stadiums in the Big Ten just a decade ago. Back our players to fire them up from the time Back in Black sounds to when the band plays In Heaven There is no Beer. Make opposing teams get on the bus with a loss and argue about if the receiver ran the route wrong or the quarterback called the wrong play. With five seconds left, make sure whoever is visiting us has no timeouts and has to throw an unlikely Hail Mary instead of have that chance at the game-winning field goal. It’s up to us to cause these circumstances and advantages that can make or a break a game, and in some cases, a season.

On a final note, showing your disapproval for a 3^rd-and-8 halfback draw is one thing, but booing the players as they head into the locker room is another. We as fans are there to help our team feel more comfortable than the other inside the bricks of Kinnick.

When Saturday rolls around do your pregame rituals, wear your lucky sweatpants and cheer your lungs out for a Hawkeye victory.

Just make sure we’re not on offense when you do.

The post Kinnick Stadium Public Announcement: Fans need to improve! appeared first on KRUI Radio.

For the Hawkeyes, the most urgent question of them all is who will be the placekicker. Marshall Koehn has gone 2-5 to start the season, and freshman Mick Ellis missed his only attempt in last Saturday’s win over Ball State. The fact that head coach Kirk Ferentz would not name a clear cut favorite for kicking duties makes things a little murkier than they already were. Koehn will likely get another shot this weekend, but do not be surprised if Ellis, who lost his redshirt last weekend, gets the call if Koehn once again falters.

Another big question for Iowa is when the running game will finally start to make some noise on the field. The leading rusher for the Hawkeyes after two weeks is quarterback Jake Rudock, who has 11 rushes for 35 yards on the season. The running back group of Mark Weisman, Jordan Canzeri, LeShun Daniels Jr., Damon Bullock, and Jonathan Parker have combined for 181 yards on 62 carries, which divides out to just under three yards a carry. They need to start showing up in a big way and not forcing Jake Rudock to chuck the ball 93 times in two games to overcome late deficits.

The final big question surrounding the Hawkeyes is the health of two of their most important players, Brandon Scherff and Drew Ott. It was reported by multiple sources on Tuesday that Scherff underwent surgery on his right knee and would likely miss two to three weeks.

Coach Ferentz would not confirm in his weekly conference call that Scherff had surgery, instead calling him day-to-day. If Scherff were to miss those two to three weeks, he would miss this weekend against Iowa State, the following weekend against Pittsburgh on the road, and potentially the Big Ten opener September 27^th against Purdue in West Lafayette. Iowa should be able to survive without Scherff for that time frame as Ike Boettger stepped in admirably against Ball State and looks a capable replacement for Scherff should he have to miss any time.

Ott, on the other hand, appears to come away virtually unscathed after his involvement in an accident early Monday morning in Iowa City. Ott was on his moped when a car turned in front of him and collided with the defensive lineman. He suffered what is being called “road rash” after being examined at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Kirk Ferentz also called Ott day-to-day and barring any setbacks should be ready to go for Saturday’s tilt with the Cyclones.

Iowa State comes into Iowa City looking for their identity. After a 34-14 loss at the hands of FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in Week 1, the Cyclones entertained the Wildcats of Kansas State last Saturday only to see them blow a 28-13 and fall to the ranked Wildcats by a score of 32-28. Iowa State ranks near the bottom in rushing yards per game, passing yards per game, and points scored per game.

Quarterback Sam Richardson is leading the charge through the air as well as on the ground for the Cyclones. He has been one of the few bright spots for a team that has disappointed to begin their 2014-2015 campaign. Injuries and personal issues have stripped the team of some key players. Wide receiver Quenton Bundrage tore his ACL in the opener against NDSU and starting right tackle Jacob Gannon quit the team for “personal reasons” days before their game against Kansas State.

The Cyclones do have some playmakers, however. Freshman wide receiver Allen Lazard out of Urbandale, Iowa, as well as Jarvis West will be asked to shoulder more of the load through the air for coach Paul Rhoads. Aaron Wimberly, who has accumulated 23 carries for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns over the first two weeks, leads the ground attack.

The Cyclones may not look as good on paper as the Hawkeyes, but when there is a rivalry like Iowa and Iowa State stats do not mean as much. Both teams will be amped up and ready to get this game started.

This Cy-Hawk game is sure to be one of the most exciting games in recent memory and Kinnick Stadium will be the go to place Saturday afternoon at 2:30. We will have the game live on 89.7 KRUI and also online at krui.fm with pregame starting around 2:15.

The post Hawkeyes, Cyclones seek answers leading up to clash appeared first on KRUI Radio.