GAMEDAY: Eastern Illinois at Iowa | What Happened?

Iowa got off to a quick start scoring on the games opening drive after electing to receive the kick. Ricky Stanzi found tight end Brad Herman for a 36 yard pass that moved the Hawkeyes down within five yards of the endzone. Adam Robinson carried it in for the first touchdown of the 2010 season.

Freshmen walk-on Mike Meyer drove his first Hawkeye kickoff into the endzone and EIU took the touchback. The defense played with high intensity, which was good to see since Iowa seemed a bit groggy last year in early (11am kickoff) games.

Iowa scored again, Adam Robinson scored his second touchdown of the quarter driving the score to 14-0 Iowa. He ran off the left side where there was great blocking by both Reilly Reiff and Brett Morse.

The Eastern Illinois offense is similar to what Iowa can expect to see out of future opponents Iowa State and Arizona. All three teams like to put the quarterback in the shotgun formation and split out four or five wide receivers. The running game consists of motion backs taking an end around or the quarterback reading the end on the read option. The passing game is full of quick slants and a lot of swing passes getting the ball into the hands of speedy players in space.

Eastern Illinois lined up in a rugby punt formation and Hawkeye senior Paki O'Meara ran through two blockers to not only block the punt but scoop it up and return it for a touchdown. Iowa had the punt return called and Paki's outstanding play brought flashbacks of Adrian Clayborn against PSU in 2009.

Following the punt block/return, which put Iowa up 21-0, the defense lost a little bit of their fire. After a three-and-out, EIU ran a punt fake up the middle for the first down and more. Following that they completed a long pass down the left side gettin them in easy scoring position. Micah Hyde probably wishes he had that series back as he lost his man in the end zone netting EIU their first touchdown of the season.

Things got a bit scary when Ricky Stanzi scrambled to his right and went to the turf. He limped off the field and Hawkeye Nation held their breath. James Vandenberg entered the game but Stanzi was cleared to play and returned before the half.

Adam Robinson continued his big day crossing the goal line three times in the first half. The Hawkeyes had a lead of 28-7 thanks to three rushing touchdowns from Robinson and 9 for 10 passing from Ricky Stanzi. The Hawkeyes were penalized a total of zero times in the first half. Well, there was one but it was declined when EIU scored their only touchdown. A sign of a focused group.

The third quarter was a lot of meh. The only score between the teams was a safety Iowa recorded after a poor play call to throw a swing pass in the endzone. That made the score 30-7.

There were firsts for Iowa in the second half. The first punt of the year from Ryan Donahue came at the start of the fourth and it was a beauty. The first offensive penalty came with 4:36 left in the third quarter on an illegal shift.

Other firsts, Zach Derby caught his first pass of his Hawkeye career. James Morris, CJ Fiedorowicz, BJ Lowery, Tanner Miller, Christian Kirksey, and Mike Meyer all lost their redshirts when they saw action on the field today.

Final Score: Iowa 37 EIU 7

Stats of Note:

Stanzi 18/23 229 Yards 1 TD
Adam Robinson: 24 Carries 109 yards 3 TD's 3 Receptions 43 Yards

Defensively, both Mike Daniels and Lebron Daniel recorded sacks

Second team looked like this:

Defense DL: Alvis/Nardo/Bigach/Daniel LB: Johnson/Morris/Tillison DB: Lowery/Bernstine/Miller/Lowe

Offense OL: Van Sloten/Tobin/Boffeli/Orne/Haganmann TE:Derby WR: Nordmann/Davis/Chaney QB: Vandenberg RB/FB: Rogers/Paki/White