Big win for the Hawkeyes

This is the first of two entries I'll write about this weekend, with this pertaining solely to Iowa's win over Wisconsin last Saturday.

WOW!

I'm wondering if someone on the team read my entry regarding Shonn Greene and passed it on to him, because just after I said that he might not cut it once he got to the NFL, he puts up an absolutely ridiculous performance. (Seriously, what other superlatives describe what he did?)

25 carries. 217 rushing yards. Four touchdowns. Take that, Wisconsin.

As I mentioned in my article that ran in the DI, Greene displayed a little of everything - determination is something he himself brought up after the game, and boy, when you have a back that has been as determined as he has been, watch out.

And as if his performance against the Badgers wasn't enough, you have Pat Angerer record 16 tackles, and get interceptions on back-to-back series in the fourth quarter. Talk about one hell of a game.

It was good to see that the Big Ten is not completely insane since both Greene and Angerer received Big Ten Player of the Week honors earlier today. Obviously, they're well-deserved.

By the way, that one touchdown pass Ricky Stanzi threw to Allen Reisner that he caught one-handed? I realize in the press box that you're supposed to act objective, and while I wasn't cheering like the other 70,585 in the stadium (most of which in gold), I admit I couldn't stop laughing after Reisner caught that ball and literally walked into the end zone. I just couldn't believe what I witnessed, and quite honestly, I don't think anybody could.

All across the board, this was a solid effort by Iowa, and it really is nice to see them in a position to get a decent bowl game. I honestly feel if the Hawkeyes do somehow win out (that's asking a lot by the way because the only game they should be favored in is against Purdue), the Capital One Bowl would not be out of the question. If the Hawkeyes beat everyone except Penn State, who is currently ranked third in the country, then the Outback Bowl could be calling if Iowa's 5-3 in the conference and 8-4 overall.

Like the players, however, I'm going to really enjoy being able to stay at home and enjoy watching some other teams in action (I'm also excited upon hearing the news that the Illinois kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., next week. Hooray for sleep!)

- Brendan Stiles