No bend, no break in Beathard

IOWA CITY - The human reaction for what had to have been the 15th or so hit quarterback C.J. Beathard took in last week's game at Wisconsin would've been taking his helmet off and screaming his head off at anyone and everyone.

A doctor can't operate if everyone in the room is napping. A quarterback can't quarterback if no one is blocking No. 58. That would've been UW outside linebacker Joe Schobert, who had three sacks and five hurries and became very well acquainted with Iowa's first-year starting QB during the Hawkeyes' 10-6 victory.

So, give huge credit to Beathard for staying chill. Wisconsin and Schobert tried to break him time and time again, but he never broke character, a hugely underrated aspect of the QB position.

'I think that's the kind of player he is, the kind of personality he has and the kind of competitor he is,” center Austin Blythe said Tuesday. 'He stays even keel and just goes out there and plays the next play.”

They all know there are going to be more jagged roads than smooth surfaces ahead as the No. 23 Hawkeyes (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) start their Big Ten journey. Illinois (4-1, 1-0) doesn't have a Schobert, who leads the nation in destruction (sacks, tackles for loss and forced fumbles), but it does have 10 returning defensive starters and the country's No. 21 defense.

Whatever happens, Beathard knows he has to stay in character, that being the calm, cool cat who knows everyone is watching his every move and, perhaps, looking for cues on how they should maybe react to the good and bad.

'I have to stay positive and confident through it all,” Beathard said. 'I can't let my teammates know if I'm frustrated or mad about something. I can't show that. It'll get other guys down. Same goes with the other guys.

'If I see some of the defensive guys kind of losing it, it displays a different feeling out there on the sidelines. You've got to stay positive throughout the game, no matter what's going on.”

Illinois doesn't have the crazy big QB disruption numbers (its five sacks are last in the Big Ten and tied for 111th nationally), but it is second in the conference with 41 tackles for loss (11 more than Iowa) and is tied with the Hawkeyes for the conference lead in interceptions with seven.

'C.J. is a strong guy, strong character, just a strong individual,” running back Jordan Canzeri said. 'That's something we're not surprised about, at all. He's willing to put his whole body on the line just to get a win for us. If he has to sit in the pocket a little longer to get the ball off, he's willing to do it. It's just something he's shown, and he can take it.”

Beathard said he wasn't close to losing it Saturday. The big reason for that was how the defense played. Also, even if Wisconsin scored in the fourth quarter, it would only have been a three-point lead and there would've been plenty of time to do something about it.

'It was going to be a one-possession game, no matter what happened,” Beathard said. 'It was never out of our hands.”

From the helmet to the chin Beathard took in Iowa's win over Pitt three weeks ago to the Schobert shoulder pad to the gut that caused him to throw an interception, Beathard has held it together. Did it mean as much as Iowa's defensive effort last week? No, not by any stretch. For the offense, you could argue that two things worked against UW: The inside running game (Canzeri had 125 yards on 26 carries) and Beathard's demeanor. Other than that, it was pretty much picking through rubble.

And when everything around you is rubble, you still have to act the part, especially quarterback where keeping a stone countenance is maybe more important than any other position in any other sport.

'His poise, he's unflappable thus far,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'And if you were going to be flappable, that was the time to be right there [last weekend].”

Credit Ferentz here. 'Flappable” is a word, meaning quick to lose one's composure. It's not a word you want associated with your quarterback.

'I'd say that's very important,” right offensive tackle Ike Boettger said. 'That's all credit to him. He's a tough kid. He stands in there and makes big throws even when he's going to get clobbered. That's something we talk about every week. He have to protect him better and better every week. Teams are going to bring a lot of pressures to get at him, because they know what he can do if he's able to sit back there and have time.”

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