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GAME DATA
Iowa (8-3, 6-2) of the Big Ten Conference will meet
Texas Tech (7-4, 5-3) of the Big 12 Conference in the
fourth annual Builders Square Alamo Bowl. The game will
be played Sunday, December 29 at 7 p.m. CT in the
Alamodome (65,000). ESPN will televise to a national
cable audience with Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and
Adrian Karsten calling the action.
RADIO BROADCASTS
Iowa games are broadcast by 67 stations on two networks.
Iowa games carried by the Learfield (KHAK, Cedar Rapids)
and Palmer (WHO Des Moines) Networks are broadcast on
stations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska
and Texas. WMT Cedar Rapids also broadcasts all games.
FRY IN 18TH SEASON
Hayden Fry will conclude his 18th season at Iowa in the
Alamo Bowl. Fry holds a 132-76-6 record with the
Hawkeyes. Overall Fry is 221-165-10 in 34 years as a
head coach. Fry is fifth among Div. I active head
coaches in career wins. Fry is one of 15 Division I
coaches to total over 200 career wins and he has coached
more games (396) than any active Division I coach.
Fry has guided the Hawkeyes to 14 first division
finishes and three Big Ten titles and Rose Bowl
appearances and he has been voted Big Ten Coach of the
Year three times (1981, 1990, 1991). The Hawkeyes are
making their 13th bowl appearance under Fry, all in the
last 16 years.
Fry has guided three Hawkeye teams to a school-record 10
victories in a season (1985, 1987, 1991) and his Iowa
teams have won at least eight games 11 times. Fry is
5-6-1 in bowl games at Iowa and 6-8-1 in 15 career bowl
games. Fry is 4-7 vs. Texas Tech in his career, all
while at SMU.
IOWA CLOSES WITH TWO WINS
Iowa (8-3, 6-2) completed its regular season with a
43-24 win at Minnesota Nov. 23. The Hawkeyes tied for
third place in the Big Ten with Penn State and defeated
the Nittany Lions at Penn State. Iowa won three of its
last four games and it's only conference losses came at
the hands of co-champions Ohio State and Northwestern.
Iowa was 2-1 in non-conference games, defeating Arizona
and Iowa State and losing at Tulsa. The Hawkeyes won
their first three Big Ten games before losing to Ohio
State. After winning at Illinois and losing to
Northwestern, Iowa closed the season with wins over
Wisconsin and Minnesota.
BOWL TICKETS ON SALE
Ticketmaster and the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket
Office will begin selling tickets to Iowa's appearance
in the Alamo Bowl Monday morning. Fans are encouraged to
order their tickets by mail, phone or in person, as soon
as possible. Fans within the state wishing to order
tickets by phone may call 1-800-424-2957 or
319-335-9323. Ticketmaster phone numbers in key Iowa
cities are: Cedar Rapids, 319-363-1888; Iowa City
319-335-3041; Quad Cities 319-326-1111; and Des Moines
515-243-1888.
IOWA IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked 21st by both the Associated Press and the
CNN/USA Today Coaches poll. Iowa appeared in the top 25
or was listed among teams receiving votes each week
throughout the season, with a high ranking of 19th in
both polls Sept. 16.
IOWA BOWL HISTORY
Iowa is competing in its 15th bowl game and has a 7-6-1
overall bowl record. Iowa is playing in its fifth bowl
game of the 1990's and in its 13th bowl game in 16
years. Iowa is making its second appearance in the Alamo
Bowl, having lost a 37-3 decision to California in the
inaugural Alamo Bowl in 1993. Iowa has competed in the
Rose Bowl (5 times), Holiday Bowl (three), Peach (two)
and the Gator, Freedom and Sun once each.
IOWA IN THE ALAMO BOWL
Iowa is competing in the Alamo Bowl for the second time
in four seasons and is playing a bowl game in Texas for
the third time. Iowa lost to California 37-3 in the 1993
Alamo Bowl and defeated Washington 38-18 in the 1995 Sun
Bowl in El Paso.
ABOUT THE RED RAIDERS
Texas Tech is 7-4, including a 5-3 record in the Big 12
Conference. Tech placed second in the South Division of
the Big 12 and carries a two-game win streak. Tech is
ranked 29th in the CNN/USA Today Coaches poll and 30th
by the Associated Press. Coach Spike Dykes holds a
record of 63-51-1 in 10 seasons at Texas Tech and has
guided the Red Raiders into a school-record fourth
straight bowl game. Tech features junior RB Byron
Hanspard, who won the Doak Walker Award, which
recognizes the top running back in the nation. Hanspard
rushed for 2,084 yards to rank second nationally and he
is just the sixth running back in NCAA Division I
history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.
COMPARING THE STATISTICS
Category Iowa Texas Tech
Record 8-3, 6-2 7-4, 5-3
Scoring Offense 28.4 29.4
Scoring Defense 22.1 18.6
Rushing Offense 176.1 273.2
Passing Offense 180.1 156.6
Total Offense 356.2 429.8
Rushing Defense 148.1 141.9
Passing Defense 169.3 205.6
Total Defense 317.4 347.5
Third/Fourth Down Conv. 71-178 (.399) 83-209 (.397)
Penalties-Yards 66-517 95-848
Turnover Margin +8 +10
FIRST MEETING
Iowa and Texas Tech are meeting on the football field
for the first time.
GAME NOTES
Iowa holds a 60-54-3 all-time record against current
members of the Big 12 Conference, with the majority of
those meetings coming against Iowa State (32-12) . . .
Iowa is 0-1 in the Alamodome, while Texas Tech is 2-0 in
the facility. Tech defeated Houston in the Alamodome in
both 1993 and 1994 . . . Iowa is 5-4 indoors, including
a 5-3 mark in the Metrodome in Minneapolis and an 0-1
record in the Alamodome . . . Iowa's most recent game
against a member of the Big 12 was a 38-13 win over Iowa
State this season. Other than Iowa State, Iowa's last
game against a Big 12 member was a 28-12 loss at
Colorado in 1992.
FACING THE BEST
Iowa's defense this season has been tested by some of
the best running backs in the nation. Including Tech's
Byron Hanspard, Iowa will have played against running
backs who rank first, second, fourth, seventh, 11th,
12th, 16th and 19th in the final national rushing
statistics. All but one were held below their season
average by the Iowa defense and Iowa won five of the
seven games. Included in that list are Hanspard, Iowa
State's Troy Davis and Northwestern's Darnell Autry, who
recently finished as the three finalists for the Doak
Walker Award, which was won by Hanspard. Following is a
list of those players and how they performed against
Iowa:
Rank Player, School Avg. Vs. Iowa
1. Troy Davis, Iowa State 198.6 20-152
4. Ron Dayne, Wisconsin 155.3 17-62
7. Darnell Autry, Northwestern 138.6 31-240
11. Pepe Pearson, Ohio State 124.8 27-94
12. Alex Smith, Indiana 124.8 17-81
16. Robert Holcombe, Illinois 116.5 25-106
19 Curtis Enis, Penn State 110.0 23-81
COACHING CONNECTIONS
Iowa Coach Hayden Fry is a native of Odessa, TX, he
played college football at Baylor and he was the head
coach at Southern Methodist (11 yrs.) and North Texas (6
yrs.) before becoming Iowa's head coach in 1979 . . .
Don Patterson, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
and receivers coach, and Gene Jones, recruiting
coordinator and assistant wide receivers coach, are also
native Texans. Patterson was born in Corsicana and Jones
is a Houston native. Tech Coach Spike Dykes took his
first coaching job at Eastland (TX) High, the hometown
of Iowa LB Matt Hughes . . . Dykes was an assistant
coach at the University of Texas when the Longhorns
defeated Hayden Fry's SMU squad 17-9 in 1972 and when
Texas defeated Fry's North Texas State team 17-14 in
1976 . . . Tech defensive backfield coach Dean Campbell
was the secondary coach at Texas when Iowa defeated the
Longhorns 55-17 in the 1984 Freedom Bowl. Chuck Long,
Iowa's current secondary coach, passed for 461 yards as
Iowa's quarterback in that game.
IOWA ALL-AMERICANS
Junior WR Tim Dwight and sophomore DT Jared DeVries
earned All-America honors for their play this season.
Dwight was named first team kick returner by the
Football Writers Association of America. Dwight ranks
second nationally with a 19-yard average on 22 punt
returns after leading the nation for several weeks.
Dwight also is Iowa's top receiver with 45 catches for
646 yards. DeVries was named third team defensive tackle
by Football News. DeVries leads Iowa in tackles for loss
(19-120) and QB sacks (11-92) and ranks sixth in tackles
with 38 solo stops and 23 assists.
FOOTBALL NEWS HONORS
Along with Jared DeVries earning third team All-America
honors, Football News named DeVries, senior offensive
lineman Ross Verba and senior defensive back Damien
Robinson to its first team All-Big Ten squad.
ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
Five Iowa players, including RB Sedrick Shaw, OL Ross
Verba, P Nick Gallery, DB Damien Robinson and DT Jared
DeVries, were named first team All-Big Ten. All are
seniors except DeVries, who is a sophomore. Second team
honors went to QB Matt Sherman, WR Tim Dwight and DB Tom
Knight, while DB Plez Atkins, TE Chris Knipper, C Bill
Reardon, DE Bill Ennis-Inge, LB Vernon Rollins and LB
Matt Hughes earned honorable mention recognition.
Knight, Reardon and Ennis-Inge are seniors, Sherman,
Dwight and Atkins are juniors and Knipper, Rollins and
Hughes are sophomores.
ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN
Ten members of the Iowa football team earned Academic
All-Big Ten honors, including RB Trevor Bollers, FB
Michael Burger, DE Bill Ennis-Inge, FB Aaron Granquist,
LB Matt Hughes, DL Aron Klein, OL Matt Reischl, OL Derek
Rose, OL Ted Serama and RB Rob Thein.
TEXAS HAWKEYES
Iowa has 17 players on its roster from the state of
Texas, in addition to the above mentioned coaching
connections. they include DB Plez Atkins (Bartlett), LB
Raj Clark (Baytown), DB Damien Robinson (Dallas), DE
Paul Moten (DeSoto), LB Matt Hughes (Eastland), LB
Brandon Phearse (Garland), DB Billy Coats (Grand
Prairie), DL Corey Brown, WR Damon Gibson and DL Evan
Wardell (Houston), DB Kerry Cooks (Irving), DE Tariq
Peterson (Kempner), OL Shalor Pryor (Stephenville), FB
Rodney Filer (Waco) and OL Justin Craun (Weatherford).
BIG TEN GOES BOWLING
Seven teams from the Big Ten Conference are competing in
bowl games. Iowa posted a 3-2 record against five of the
teams, but did not play Michigan. Iowa's most impressive
win was a 21-20 victory at Penn State, a team that is
playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Iowa also defeated Michigan
State (Sun) and Wisconsin (Copper) and lost to Ohio
State (Rose) and Northwestern (Citrus).
IOWA ON THE TUBE
Iowa is 74-47-5 on television since 1953, including a
54-41-5 mark under Hayden Fry since 1979. Iowa is 7-3 on
television (2-0 in ESPN, 3-0 on ESPN2) this season as
all but the Indiana game were televised.
HAWKEYE SENIORS
A total of 17 Iowa seniors will close out their Hawkeye
careers in the Alamo Bowl. They are DE Brett Chambers,
DB Billy Coats, QB Ryan Driscoll, DE Bill Ennis-Inge, FB
Rodney Filer, P Nick Gallery, FB Aaron Granquist, PK
Brion Hurley, DB Tom Knight, LB Mark Mitchell, WR Demo
Odems, DL Jon Ortlieb, C Bill Reardon, DB Damien
Robinson, OL Ted Serama, RB Sedrick Shaw and OL Ross
Verba. Additional seniors include managers Travis Rew,
Chad Hanson and Brandon Scholl and student trainers
Tracy Ripperda, Eric Turner and Nathan Twedt.
MINNESOTA NOTES
Rushing for 108 yards, RB Sedrick Shaw became the eighth
player in Big Ten history to rush for over 4,000 career
yards and the eighth Big Ten player to rush for over
1,000 yards in three seasons . . . Shaw became Iowa's
all-time leader with 34 (32 rushing and two receiving)
touchdowns . . . Brion Hurley's 50-yard field goal was
the sixth of his career of at least 50 yards . . . Tim
Dwight scored his third rushing touchdown of the season
and his fourth receiving TD. He also had two touchdowns
on punt returns . . . Matt Sherman completed his first
11 passes after completing his first 10 the previous
week vs. Wisconsin . . . Damien Robinson's sixth
interception of the season ties for sixth best in a
season at Iowa and his 14 career thefts ranks third . .
. Richard Willock scored the second touchdown of his
career, with his first coming against Minnesota in 1995.
IOWA ROAD WINS
Iowa posted a 4-1 road record and the Hawkeyes are 9-3-1
in their last 13 road games. Iowa has won five straight
Big Ten road games, dating back to a 31-20 loss at
Northwestern in 1995. Iowa was also perfect in Big Ten
road games in 1991 when the Hawkeyes won games at
Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State and Northwestern enroute
to a 10-1-1 overall record. Iowa also won four road
games in 1995. Iowa has had a winning record away from
Iowa City in 14 of 18 seasons under Hayden Fry. Fry at
Iowa is 69-34-3 at home and 63-42-3 outside of Iowa
City.
STRONG IN THE FOURTH
Iowa outscored its opponents 155-105 in the second half,
including 61-31 in the final period. The Hawkeyes did
not allow a fourth quarter touchdown until the eighth
game of the season and only one team (Northwestern)
scored more than seven points in the fourth quarter.
SHAW IN BIG TEN
Iowa RB Sedrick Shaw has etched his name in the Big Ten
record books in several categories. Shaw ranks sixth in
career rushing attempts (817) and eighth in rushing
yards (4,043). Shaw's 316 attempts in 1995 ranks 10th
best for a single season. With 1,003 yards this season,
Shaw became just the eighth player in Big Ten history to
rush for over 1,000 yards in three seasons.
The others to rush for over 1,000 three times include:
Tyrone Wheatley, Michigan, 1992-94
Jamie Morris, Michigan, 1985-87
Archie Griffin, OSU, 1973-75
Darrell Thompson, Minn., 1986-87, 1989
Billy Marek, Wisc., 1973-75
Anthony Thompson, Ind., 1987-89
Tico Duckett, Mich. St., 1990-92
SHAW SETS TD MARK
Senior RB Sedrick Shaw is Iowa's career record holder
with 34 touchdowns (32 rushing, two receiving). Shaw
broke the career touchdown mark of 32, which was held by
Ronnie Harmon (1982-85). Shaw ranks fourth in career
scoring with 208 points. Shaw is the highest scoring
non-kicker at Iowa and is Iowa's career leader in
rushing attempts (817), rushing yards (4,043) and
rushing touchdowns (32). In 10 games Shaw rushed 204
times for 1,003 yards (4.9 avg.). Shaw rushed for over
100 yards five times this season and has 18 100-yard
games in his career.Shaw in 1995 set a single game
record with 42 attempts vs. Michigan State. He set
single season records for attempts (316), yards (1,477)
and rushing touchdowns (15). When Shaw did not play at
Penn State (bruised ribs) it marked the first time in
his career he missed a game.
DWIGHT IS ALL-PURPOSE
Junior WR Tim Dwight continued his late season charge in
the win at Minnesota with seven catches for 134 yards.
Dwight had a 53-yard scoring reception and scored on a
five-yard run. Dwight in Iowa's last three games had 23
catches for 382 yards and two touchdowns, while also
rushing for a score. His 188 yards receiving vs.
Northwestern ranks sixth best at Iowa for a single game.
Dwight has scored four touchdowns on receptions, three
rushing and two on punt returns. Dwight is tied for
second in scoring with 54 points and he is tied for 11th
in career scoring with 126 points. Dwight had an 86-yard
punt return for a score vs. Ohio State and an 83-yarder
for a score at Penn State, the fourth and fifth longest
returns in Iowa history. Dwight is averaging 123.5
all-purpose yards per game and 15.4 yards each time he
touches the ball. Dwight was named Big Ten Special Teams
Player of the Week for his play against Ohio State.
Dwight earned the national AT&T Long Distance Award in
consecutive weeks for punt returns against Ohio State
and Penn State. Dwight has four punt returns this season
over 40 yards, two for touchdowns and two setting up
touchdowns.
Dwight, who led the Big Ten in punt returns as a
freshman, is second in the nation with a 19-yard average
on 22 returns. Dwight has 45 catches for 646 yards and
is averaging 18.9 yards on 12 kickoff returns. Dwight
has 91 career receptions for 1,462 yards to rank 11th in
career receiving yards and 13th in career catches.
DWIGHT TOPS KINNICK MARK
Tim Dwight has 417 yards on 22 punt returns this season,
setting an Iowa record for most punt return yards in a
season. The old mark of 322 yards in a season was set by
Nile Kinnick in 1937. That mark was the oldest
individual record in the Iowa record books. Dwight has
51 career returns for 696 yards. Peter Marciano,
1986-89, holds the Iowa records for career punt returns
(124) and return yards (759).
DWIGHT ON BIG TEN LIST
With 417 yards in punt returns, Tim Dwight has moved
into ninth place on the Big Ten Conference all-time top
10 list for punt return yards in a season, for all
games. Neal Colzie of Ohio State set the record of 679
yards in 1973. Dwight, with 696 career return yards, is
77 yards away from the Big Ten's top 10 list for career
yards. Dwight currently holds the Big Ten record for
number of kickoff returns in a game, with nine at Ohio
State in 1995.
KNIGHT SETS RETURN MARK
Senior DB Tom Knight had his fourth interception of the
season vs. Wisconsin, and the 10th of his career. Knight
has 237 yards in interception returns in his career to
rank first in that category and his three career returns
for touchdowns is also the best ever at Iowa. Earlier
this season he returned an interception 57 yards for a
touchdown at Indiana and he had two touchdown returns in
1995. Knight is tied for sixth place in career
interceptions. Knight has 53 tackles this season and is
second on the team with 12 pass break-ups.
KNIGHT IN THE BIG TEN
DB Tom Knight has his name in the Big Ten record book in
two categories, and is close in another. Knight last
season tied a Big Ten record with two interception
returns for touchdowns, a mark that was also tied by
teammate Plez Atkins. Knight is tied with three others
for second in the Big Ten with three career touchdowns.
The record, held by Indiana's Tim Wilbur, is four.
Knight has 237 career return yards, just 30 yards shy of
the Big Ten's career top 10 list.
BANKS OVER 1,000
Junior RB Tavian Banks has raised his career rushing
total to 1,256 yards on 232 carries. Banks is the 33rd
player in Iowa history to surpass 1,000 career rushing
yards, ranking 20th on the career list. Banks has a
career average of 5.4 yards per carry and has rushed for
16 TDs.
Banks started at Penn State and rushed 26 times for 116
yards and two TDs. Banks leads Iowa in scoring with 62
points. That ranks 16th best for a single season and
Banks is 17th in career scoring with 104 points.
Banks had the best day of his career in Iowa's win over
Iowa State, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week
honors. He rushed 18 times for 182 yards and had TD runs
of 89, 12 and 28 yards. Banks opened the scoring with an
89-yard run in the first quarter, the fourth longest run
from scrimmage in Iowa history. The 182 yards ranks 14th
best for a single game. Banks has 131 carries for 599
yards (4.6 yards per carry) in 1996.
ROBINSON MOVES UP
Senior DB Damien Robinson has 286 career tackles to rank
10th on Iowa's career tackle chart. Robinson is third on
the team with 105 tackles and he leads Iowa in
interceptions (six) and pass break-ups (13). His six
interceptions in 1996 ties for sixth on the
single-season list and he had five thefts in 1995.
Robinson has 14 career interceptions for 196 yards,
ranking third in career thefts and fourth in career
return yards.
Robinson had six tackles, a pass interception and a pass
break-up in the win at Minnesota. Against Illinois he
had 10 solo tackles, he forced and recovered a fumble
and he returned a fourth quarter interception 22 yards.
SHERMAN ON TARGET
Junior QB Matt Sherman completed his first 11 passes at
Minnesota as Iowa jumped to a 17-0 advantage. Sherman
started with 10 straight completions against Wisconsin
the previous week in helping Iowa jump to a 24-0 first
half advantage. At Minnesota Sherman completed 17 of 21
passes for 226 yards and one score. Sherman has
completed 145 of 248 passes (58.5%) for 1,792 yards and
12 touchdowns. Sherman, 18-7 as Iowa's starting
quarterback, has a QB rating of 127.1. His 1996 totals
rank 11th in attempts, 12th in yards and 13th in
completions for a single season.
Sherman's career totals include 357 of 602 (59.3%) for
5,073 yards and 32 touchdowns, with 27 interceptions. In
career stats Sherman ranks fourth in TD passes, passing
yards, completions and total offense (4,735) and fifth
in attempts. Sherman had three touchdown passes for the
third time in his career vs. Michigan State.
SHERMAN VS. MINNESOTA
Iowa QB Matt Sherman has been sharp in leading Iowa to
three straight wins over Minnesota. In three games
Sherman has completed 48 of 62 (.774) passes for 724
yards and five touchdowns, with no interceptions.
Sherman also caught a touchdown pass from Tim Dwight at
Minnesota in 1994.
GALLERY BOOTS 'EM
Senior punter Nick Gallery led the Big Ten in punting
(44.5) for the second straight season after averaging
45.3 yards last season. Gallery is the first player
since Greg Montgomery of Michigan State (1985 & 1986) to
lead the league in punting in consecutive seasons.
Gallery holds the Iowa record for career punts with 183.
He had a 73-yarder vs. Ohio State for his longest of the
season and the second longest of his career. He had a
75-yard punt at Ohio State in 1995. His 56-yard average
vs. Ohio State earned the AT&T Long Distance Award for
punting average and he earned the honor a second time
for his 58-yard average vs. Wisconsin. Gallery also
earned that honor twice in 1995. Thirty-three of his 44
punts have covered over 40 yards, including 10 of at
least 50 yards.
ZACH MAKES 'EM
Sophomore PK Zach Bromert has made 70 of 72 PATs in his
career, having a streak of 24 straight snapped vs.
Michigan State when his second attempt hit the left
upright. Bromert has made 24 straight since that miss.
Bromert is 13 of 16 in career field goals (six of eight
in 1996) and his PATs were the difference in 21-20 wins
over Arizona and Penn State this season. Bromert had a
25-yard field goal at Minnesota and his 38-yarder at
Illinois was the longest of his career. Bromert ranks
15th in career scoring with 109 points in two seasons.
HURLEY HITS 'EM
Senior PK Brion Hurley is Iowa's long distance field
goal kicker, with five field goals of at least 45 yards
this season. Hurley this season had a 54-yard field goal
vs. Iowa State, a 51-yarder vs. Michigan State and a
50-yarder at Minnesota.
Hurley's last 10 field goals have covered 50, 50, 49,
47, 50, 54, 45, 51, 47 and 50 yards and he is five of 12
this season. Three of his seven misses were blocked.
Iowa kickers have made just 11 field goals from 50 yards
or more and Hurley has six of the 11. Hurley earned the
AT&T Long Distance Award for his 54-yard field goal vs.
Iowa State.
HUGHES TOP TACKLER
Sophomore LB Matt Hughes leads Iowa's defense with 127
total tackles, including 84 solo stops. His tackle total
ties for 14th best at Iowa for a single season. Hughes
also has 10 tackles for loss, five QB sacks, seven pass
break-ups, one interception, two fumble recoveries and
one forced fumble. Hughes had eight tackles and two pass
break-ups at Minnesota, seven tackles in the win over
Wisconsin, 13 tackles vs. Noru?western and 11 tackles
vs. Illinois. Hughes was named Big Ten Defensive Player
of the Week for his play in Iowa's win at Indiana.
VERNON SCORES AGAIN
Sophomore LB Vernon Rollins has scored two touchdowns
for the Iowa defense. Rollins scored his second
touchdown of the season at Illinois, returning an
interception 20 yards to give Iowa a 24-14 advantage
early in the fourth quarter. The interception was the
first of his career, but he scored his first touchdown
earlier this year by recovering a fumble in the endzone
vs. Arizona. Rollins ranks second on the team with 116
tackles, including 72 solo stops. His tackle total ranks
22nd best for a single season at Iowa. Rollins earned
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play
against Arizona.
HUGHES, ROLLINS HONORED
Iowa's sophomore linebacker combination of Vernon
Rollins and Matt Hughes are making a name for themselves
around the Big Ten, as both earned league Defensive
Player of the Week honors this season and both were
named honorable mention All-Big Ten. Rollins was honored
for his play vs. Arizona and Hughes for his efforts at
Indiana.
Rollins and Hughes are just the eighth linebacker
teammates to both be honored as Players of the Week in
the same season, and the first since 1993. The Big Ten
has been naming Players of the Week since 1982.
DEVRIES JUST DOES IT
Sophomore DT Jared DeVries has played steady football
all season, including Iowa's win at Minnesota. DeVries
had four tackles and a QB sack, and forced an early
fumble that led to Iowa's first points of the game.
DeVries against Wisconsin had five solo tackles and four
assists, one tackle for loss and he recovered a fumble
that led to an Iowa field goal. At Illinois his play in
the second half turned the tide in Iowa's favor. DeVries
forced a bad pass that was intercepted and returned for
a touchdown, giving Iowa a 24-14 lead. On the next
series he had a sack on third down and later he
deflected a pass that was intercepted, leading to Iowa's
final touchdown. DeVries leads Iowa in both QB sacks
(11) and tackles for loss (19). He has 38 solo stops, 23
assists and five pass break-ups and his fumble recovery
at Penn State led to Iowa's winning touchdown.
STARTING STREAKS
QB Matt Sherman has Iowa's longest consecutive starting
streak at 25 games. LB Vernon Rollins and DT Jared
DeVries have started 23 straight and WR Tim Dwight 22 in
a row.
ENNIS-INGE ON THE END
Senior DE Bill Ennis-Inge is second on the team in QB
sacks (10) and ranks second in tackles for loss (15).
Ennis-Inge has also caused three fumbles, recovered two
fumbles and broken up four passes. He has 36 solo stops
and 26 assists.
Ennis-Inge had his best game against Wisconsin with five
solo tackles and three assists. He caused a fumble on
Wisconsin's first possession that led to an Iowa field
goal. He caused another fumble on Wisconsin's first
possession of the third quarter that led to an Iowa
touchdown and later he recovered a fumble to stop
Wisconsin's only drive into Iowa's side of the field.
Both of the caused fumbles came on QB sacks as he had
four sacks on the day, one shy of Iowa's singe game
record.
LAFLEUR GETS THE LOSS
Junior DT Jon LaFleur has made the most of his 56
tackles, as 11 have been behind the line of scrimmage.
LaFleur is third in tackles for loss and he has three QB
sacks, one forced fumble, a recovered fumble and three
pass break-ups.
WILLOCK TO THE RESCUE
WR Richard Willock picked a great time to score his
first touchdown of the season, recovering an Iowa fumble
in the endzone to give Iowa a 24-17 third quarter lead
at Minnesota. FB Michael Burger fumbled at the one and
Willock beat two Minnesota players to the loose ball.
The touchdown was just the second career score for
Willock, who had a 17-yard scoring reception vs.
Minnesota last season.
ADDED POINTS A BONUS
Iowa's defense and special teams scored a touchdown in
five games. LB Vernon Rollins recovered a fumble for a
score in the opening win over Arizona, Tom Knight
returned an interception for a score at Indiana and
Rollins returned an interception for a touchdown at
Illinois. WR Tim Dwight had an 83-yard punt return for
six points at Penn State and an 86-yarder for a score
vs. Ohio State. In addition, punt returns of over 40
yards by Dwight set up touchdowns against Michigan State
and Ohio State.
EARNING BIG TEN HONORS
Iowa had four players earn Big Ten Player of the Week
honors this season, including linebackers Vernon Rollins
and Matt Hughes on defense, running back Tavian Banks on
offense and WR Tim Dwight for his play on special teams.
The four Big Ten honors is the most for Iowa since 1991,
when three players combined for four honors. In 1990
four Iowa players combined to earn Player of the Week
honors five times.
IOWA'S COMEBACK KIDS
Iowa came from behind to win five of its eight games and
broke a third quarter tie and went on to win at
Minnesota. Iowa trailed Arizona, Indiana and Illinois in
the first half and trailed Michigan State and Penn State
in the fourth quarter before winning.
DON'T THROW THAT FLAG
Iowa was penalized 66 times for 517 yards. Last season
the Hawkeyes were penalized 83 times for 791 yards
through 11 games. Iowa had five penalties or less in six
games. Iowa's opponents were penalized 53 times for 388
yards.
BALANCED ATTACK
Iowa is averaging 176.1 yards rushing per game and 180.1
yards passing per contest. The Hawkeyes have gained
1,937 yards rushing and 1,981 passing. Iowa had 131
yards rushing and 129 passing in a win at Penn State,
176 rushing and 177 passing vs. Wisconsin and 227
rushing and 226 passing vs. Minnesota.
HAWKEYE NOTES
Iowa's captains are RB Sedrick Shaw and OL Ross Verba on
offense and DB Tom Knight and DE Bill Ennis-Inge on
defense . . . among all Division I schools in the
1990's, the Iowa football program ranks 18th with a
winning percentage of .622 (50-30-2) and 18th in total
victories . . . sophomore TE Chris Knipper had the first
two touchdown receptions of his career in Iowa's win
over Michigan State, and his third reception put the
ball at the MSU one-yard line. He added another TD
reception vs. Wisconsin as three of his 14 catches have
gone for touchdowns . . . Plez Atkins, who led Iowa with
six interceptions in 1995, had his first of the 1996
season vs. Wisconsin . . . Iowa's 17-point comeback
against Michigan State matches the largest comeback by a
Hawkeye team under Hayden Fry. In 1986 Iowa trailed 17-0
at Minnesota before winning that game 30-27. Iowa
completed an 18-point comeback to defeat Oregon in 1949,
winning 34-31 after trailing 24-6 in the third quarter .
. . Iowa's home attendance average of 69,404 is the best
since the Hawkeyes averaged 70,039 in 1992. The capacity
at Kinnick Stadium is 70,397 . . . the attendance at
Minnesota was 53,349, more than 8,000 higher than any
previous Minnesota home crowd this season. It was
estimated that roughly 20,000 Iowa fans were in
attendance . . . Iowa's safety against Minnesota, the
result of a bad snap when Minnesota was in shotgun
formation, came at the end of the field where the
majority of Iowa fans were located and is Iowa's first
safety since the 1995 Sun Bowl vs. Washington.
FIRST TIME STARTERS
Nine Hawkeyes started for the first time this season.
Bill Reardon, Chris Knipper and Matt Reischl on offense
and Matt Hughes, Kerry Cooks and Jason House on defense
started for the first time vs. Arizona, OL Derek Rose
started vs. Iowa State and RB Tavian Banks and TE Zeron
Flemister started at Tulsa.
SAME LINEUP
Iowa was fortunate in keeping its starting line-up in
place most of the season. The same 11 players started on
offense in Iowa's last five games and eight of 11
players started all 11 games. TE Chris Knipper and OL
Derek Rose missed one start and RB Sedrick Shaw missed
two starts. On defense, nine players started all 11
games and the same 11 players started the final nine
games. DT Jon LaFleur did not start the first two games
and DE Bill Ennis-Inge did not start the season opener.
IOWA BIG PLAYS
Iowa had 41 plays from scrimmage (17 rush, 24 pass) gain
at least 20 yards, 10 for touchdowns. Iowa also has
interception returns of 20, 26, 27, 57, 38, 20, 22, 35
and 18 yards, 45, 47, 51, 54 and 51-yard field goals, 10
punts of at least 50 yards, punt returns of 23, 36, 43,
44, 46, 83 and 86 yards and 17 kickoff returns over 20
yards.
HAWKEYES IN THE RED ZONE
Iowa scored on 31 of 38 possessions that have reached
the opponent 20-yard line, including 25 touchdowns (17
rush, eight pass) and six field goals. In three wins
Iowa turned the ball over on downs inside the 20 in the
final minute of the game. At Tulsa Iowa had a missed
field goal and twice failed to convert on fourth down
from inside the 20.
Iowa's opponents have reached the Iowa 20 a total of 40
times, scoring 23 touchdowns (13 rush, 10 pass) and
eight field goals. Opponents have lost two fumbles,
missed two field goals and turned the ball over on downs
four times.
SCORING DRIVES
Iowa's 47 scoring drives have averaged 47.3 yards,
ranging in length from five to 92 yards and ranging from
one to 12 plays. Iowa's opponents have averaged 50.8
yards on 40 scoring drives. Seventeen of 36 opponent
scoring drives have been less than 40 yards.
CURRENTLY RANKED
Several current Iowa players have already etched their
name in the Iowa record book. Those include: Matt
Sherman's 374 yards passing vs. Penn State in 1995 ranks
8th in single game passing, his 334 yards vs. Ohio State
(1995) rank 13th and his 331 yards vs. Northwestern in
1994 ranks 14th . . . . Sedrick Shaw's 42 rushing
attempts at Michigan State in 1995 is an Iowa record and
his 250 yards rushing vs. the Spartans ranks second best
. . . . Shaw is Iowa's record holder in career rushing
touchdowns (32) and career touchdowns with 34 . . .
Shaw's 80-yard TD against Central Michigan in 1994 is
tied for the 10th longest scoring run . . . Shaw's 316
carries and 1,477 yards in 1995 are single season
records, his 1,003 yards in 1996 rank eighth and his
1,002 rushing yards in 1994 ranks ninth . . . Tavian
Banks' 89-yard run vs. Iowa State this season is the
fourth longest at Iowa and his 182 yards is 14th best
for a single game. Brion Hurley's 54-yard field goal vs.
Iowa State is the third longest at Iowa, his 51-yarder
vs. Michigan State ties as sixth longest and his
50-yarder at Minnesota ties for the seventh longest. Tom
Knight has the most career interception return yards
(237) at Iowa, and Damien Robinson (196) ranks fourth.
Robinson is third in career thefts (14) and 10th in
career tackles (286) and Knight is tied for sixth in
interceptions (10). Tim Dwight's 86-yard punt return vs.
Ohio State is fourth longest at Iowa and his 83-yarder
at Penn State ranks fifth. Dwight has set a single
season record with 417 punt return yards this season and
Nick Gallery has set an Iowa mark with 183 career punts.
BIG TEN TEAM STATS
Punt Returns 1st 16.1
Passing Eff. Defense 2nd 98.0
Turnover Margin 3rd +8
Scoring Offense 4th 28.4
Total Defense 4th 317.4
Net Punting 5th 35.3
Rushing Offense 5th 176.1
Scoring Defense 6th 22.1
Rushing Defense 6th 148.1
Kickoff Returns 6th 19.8
Passing Offense 7th 180.1
Total Offense 8th 356.2
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Tim Dwight is first in punt returns (19.0), 7th in
receptions per game (4.1) and 9th in all-purpose yards
(123.5) and receiving yards per game (58.7). Nick
Gallery is first in punting (44.5) and Damien Robinson
is second with six interceptions. Tom Knight is tied for
6th in interceptions (four). Sedrick Shaw is 7th in
rushing (100.3), 10th in all-purpose yards (108.1) and
19th in scoring (5.4). Tavian Banks is 14th in rushing
(54.5) and 16th in scoring (5.6). Matt Sherman is 4th in
passing efficiency (127.1) and 6th in total offense
(148.2). Zach Bromert is 9th with six field goals and
Brion Hurley is 10th with five.
IOWA IN NCAA STATS
Punt Returns 2rd 16.1
Passing Eff. Defense 15th 98.0
Turnover Margin 19th +8
Total Defense 26th 317.4
Rushing Offense 38th 176.1
Scoring Defense 43rd 22.1
Scoring Offense 43rd 28.4
Rushing Defense 46th 148.1
Total Offense 61st 356.2
Net Punting 65th 35.3
Kickoff Returns 67th 19.8
Passing Offense 69th 180.1
Individually, Tim Dwight is second in punt returns
(19.0), Damien Robinson is tied for 5th in interceptions
(six), Nick Gallery is 14th in punting (44.5), Sedrick
Shaw is 32nd in rushing (100.3) and Matt Sherman is 36th
in passing efficiency (127.1).
