I don't have the participation chart in front of me, but the number of young players used today was astounding, especially on defense. By my numbers, Iowa used 21 players on defense, including Drew Gardner, a walk-on junior who made the game-winning tackle on outstanding wideout Devin Thomas.
I know health has been a factor for Adrian Clayborn this year. He hasn't been 100 percent. If he was two percent Saturday, then it's time to take the bubble wrap off this guy.
Bradley Fletcher had 13 tackles and more than held his own. Jacody Coleman reminds me of Fred Barr, the last true freshman to play middle linebacker for Iowa. Christian Ballard did some nice things.
Chad Geary did some really nice things. And I'm not just saying that because my daughter's fifth-grade teacher is a Mrs. Geary from Tipton.
But the youngsters are the cover of the book.
The chapters and spine were Albert Young and Mike Humpal.
I think I read it on a messageboard earlier tonight and I'll give credit where credit is due. It was Albert Young's finest hour. You guys probably don't remember the story I did on Albert before last season. I don't think The Gazette was free on the internets back then. The path he took to get here was not the path of pampered sports camps and mall weekends. This is a self-made kid. Single-parent household, Section 8 housing, a dank weightroom in an old school and a lot of people who cared. What a fantastic example for freshman Jevon Pugh. This is how it's done, boys.
I didn't get in on the Albert interview. Ferentz was doing his talking, but I heard he called me out for picking against them. Text me next time, Albert. I'll let you call your shot. I owe you that much.
Mike Humpal won't win the Bronko Nagurski (I wanted to name my son Bronko but my wife has a PhD, so you know that wasn't going to fly) this week but he should. Eighteen tackles again, same as Illinois, when he won two national D-player of the week awards.
But here's something else and I think this little insight might be why you guys pay so much for the blog (tongue in cheek, firmly). Seconds, nano seconds really, before MSU's third-down snap on their possession in the second overtime, Humpal spotted the formation the Spartans were lined up in and started tapping both hands on his helmet, like he was trying to swat gnats. This was a defensive call for what to do against this particular formation. Pretty soon, everyone along the front seven was doing this. Whatever the head tapping was, it worked. Clayborn and linebacker Bryon Gattas combined on a sack, pushing MSU to fourth-and-13 and one last chance that Drew Gardner -- Drew freaking Gardner -- snuffed out.
Humpal, miracle of modern science with that osteotomized knee, is hitting his stride as a football player. I don't know if I should go here, but he's Greenway without the Hodge. You guys might debate me, but at this point and time with this defense and this team, I would argue that Humpal is at Greenway's level, and maybe performing better in pass coverage. Crazy talk? Maybe, but it's early Sunday morning and why not?
For as much as Jake Christensen struggled, he brushed it all off and threw that 23-yard score to Paul Chaney to tie things up in the first OT. Quarterbacks are basically throwing the balls through windows, the lane that opens up to the wideout. It took a second for this window to open, but when it did, Christensen timed the ball perfectly, throwing just before Chaney was out of his break, and delivered a laser. So, yeah, I know you guys have probably fired Christensen, but that throw and the chutzpah to call it and get it done shows there is something there. At least that's what I saw. Oh, nice run after the catch by Chaney, who won his first letter at Iowa while sprinting for the track team last spring. In high school, he played QB, RB and DB, never WR.
I think the sacred cow days are over, for now. Players played Saturday. Freshmen, seniors, walk-ons who transferred in from Widener University (Gardner), players played.