A plastic boot and metal crutches could not restrict Ricky Stanzi’s vivacious spirit. It wasn’t strong enough and the pain in his right ankle could not hold him back from being with his team.
Although his place as Iowa’s come-from-behind quarterback concluded once Northwestern’s Corey Wootton laid into him in the second quarter, Stanzi’s leadership tenacity was not deafened, not unseen, not overlooked.
Vacant of his black helmet and football padding, Iowa’s once starting quarterback returned to the sideline after halftime, missing his playing gear to possibly lead Iowa to another second-half turnaround.
The Hawkeyes did not accomplish win No. 10 without Stanzi at the helm, falling to Northwestern, 17-10, and with it, having their unbeaten hopes crumbled.
“We’re not going undefeated, that’s the only thing that’s obvious at this point,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said following the game. “Our guys know what’s going on. They can look at the scoreboard. They figure all that stuff out. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Stanzi’s four completions on nine attempts netted 134 yards passing before his injury. But when it was time for the next man in – redshirt freshman James Vandenberg – the offense struggled to produce.
When Vandenberg’s last three passes were incomplete to start the third quarter, Stanzi got right into his face, stomping his crutches on the turf, telling his replacement to look out for this and that, to remain confident.
“Rick was great on the sideline, giving me all the tips and looks he had gotten over the week,” Vandenberg said. “I was pretty familiar with most of them. We study all the film together. He put’s in a ton of time but I try to hang right there with him to make sure, if this does arise, I’d be ready.”
Vandenberg’s first throw was a pick to Wildcat linebacker Quentin Davie. The raw quarterback was 9-for-27 at the close, totaling 82 yards.
It wasn’t enough.
The losing sentiment that filtrating once the game clock expired was excruciating for players, junior wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos said, describing the sullen locker room as able to “hear a pin drop.”
“I understood the situation, but at the same time, I expected something magical to happen, because that’s the way it’s felt all year,” Johnson-Koulianos said. “And once that ball hit the turf, that’s when it hit me.
“I haven’t felt this way in a long time. It hurts a lot. It’s hurting everybody right now.”
Vandenberg arrived in the postgame interview room in a wrinkled blue shirt and stubble on his chin. The clear look of defeat was evident on his face.
“I made some mistakes that I shouldn’t make, and we had to pay for it in the end,” he said.
Filling in for Stanzi is no easy task, as he has led the Hawkeyes to nine victories this season.
“I thought James, for the amount of experience, or lack of experience he’s had in critical games, he did his best,” Johnson-Koulianos said. “He did a good job. I don’t think a lot of guys would have been able to go out [and play].”
Ferentz knows that with time, Vandenberg will show his talent with the football.
“I think James will be a better player next week,” Ferentz said. “We don’t have any choices. We just have to go out and keep playing.”
