It didn’t take long for the Iowa Hawkeyes to erase the memories of a disastrous road trip west one week ago.
The Hawkeyes outgained the Ball State Cardinals 5-yards-to-1 on Saturday on their way to a blowout 45-0 win, one that probably wasn’t as close as the score indicated.
Adam Robinson, Ricky Stanzi and a STOUT Iowa defensive line all keyed the victory.
By Paul Schmidt
For the Hawkeyes, this game wasn’t even about the win, necessarily. It was definitely about rebounding from a road trip west and a loss to Arizona that saw the Hawkeyes not only lose their undefeated status, but probably lose their national title hopes.
“The sun comes up the next day, and we got to see it come up,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said.
“I was a little bit concerned about how much energy we would have. The guys handled this week well though, and it’s good to get out on the field and get a win.”
The stats were fairly mind-boggling, with new featured running back Adam Robinson gashing the Cardinal defense for 115 yards on 22 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Ricky Stanzi was very impressive in the rain with a wet football, throwing for 288 yards and a TD (19-of-25 passing).
In the end, the talent gap between the MAC and the Big Ten was clearly evident, as a much-maligned Iowa offensive line continuously opened HUGE holes for the Iowa runners, and pass protected for Stanzi well all game (allowing no sacks).
It was a good tune-up for Big Ten conference play and, most importantly, an upcoming prime-time date with Penn State next Saturday night.