College Football: Hawkeyes' Stanzi shows resilience

IOWA CITY (AP) — Don't like the way Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi is playing? Give it a little time.

At times, Stanzi can look awful. Like last week, when he threw four interceptions in the third quarter against Indiana to help put the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes in a 10-point hole.

Then there is Good Ricky, the guy who bailed Iowa out by tossing two long touchdowns on consecutive throws to give his team a lead it would not relinquish in beating the Hoosiers 42-24.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has long since tired of defending Stanzi, and he said he never considered pulling him against Indiana despite all those picks.

Ferentz views Stanzi as the resilient leader of a team that keeps finding ways to win, and though Stanzi's individual numbers aren't pretty — like the Hawkeyes — it's tough to dispute Ferentz's belief in him.

The 6-foot-4 junior from Mentor, Ohio, is 17-3 as a starter and has led the Hawkeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) to 13 straight wins, the second-longest streak in the country, heading into Saturday's game against Northwestern (5-4, 2-3).

“He does have a rare ability, when he struggles, to come right back and just keep pushing forward, much like a relief pitcher,” Ferentz said. “If you're in a high-risk position, you have to have that capability.”

There's no Heisman Trophy talk around Stanzi, not with all the close games, a 56.4 percent completion rate and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 14-to-13. But he has shown composure leading the Hawkeyes to the best start in school history.

Stanzi suffered through his fair share of criticism this season and has yet to blink. He was much derided early in the season for throwing three interceptions that were returned for touchdowns — he was called “Rick-Six” for a while — but he bounced back with pick-free games in wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Then came the third quarter against the Hoosiers.

Every possession Iowa had in the quarter ended with a Stanzi interception, as pass after pass was battered by a stiff and swirling wind. But Iowa's defense picked Stanzi up by allowing the Hoosiers to score just three points off those four picks, and his teammates made it a point to encourage him on the sidelines.

Once the fourth quarter began, Stanzi responded like he has all season.

On his first pass of the final quarter, Stanzi calmly rolled out after faking a handoff and hit Marvin McNutt in stride. McNutt dashed 92 yards for a touchdown.

On his next snap, Stanzi again went to the play action before stepping up in the pocket and floating a perfect pass downfield to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who cut through Indiana's secondary for a 66-yard score to put Iowa ahead 28-24.

“When you look at your team, you don't want to let them down,” Stanzi said. “Any time a guy makes a mistake, he knows that the team is behind him to go back and correct that mistake.”

Stanzi, who also threw a touchdown pass to McNutt on the game's final play to beat Michigan State 15-13 on Oct. 24, is a big reason Iowa has outscored opponents 100-38 in the fourth quarter.

“Rick is very resilient, and he always finds a way to come back,” McNutt said. “He's a guy that, he's never got negative energy inside the huddle.”

Ferentz often has said that Stanzi's toughness has rubbed off on his teammates.

“We all make mistakes. Rick's had his fair share, I've had my fair share,” wide receiver Trey Stross said. “One of my favorite quotes growing up is, ‘Adversity causes some to break, and others to break records.' Rick's the guy that, when adversity is in his way he kind of buckles down more, focuses in, tunes in a little more. He's a great leader.”

Hoosiers seek answer about call reversal

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana coach Bill Lynch has contacted Big Ten officials about a touchdown that was overturned on replay during Saturday's loss at No. 7 Iowa.

Lynch did not say Tuesday how the Hoosiers had contacted the Big Ten office but he confirmed the school had asked conference officials for an explanation.

On the play, the official closest to Terrance Turner ruled that the Indiana receiver had a foot down before going out of bounds. The replay review reversed the call, forcing Indiana to try a 28-yard field goal that would have extended the Hoosiers' 24-14 lead.

Nick Freeland missed the kick and Iowa rallied for a 42-24 victory.