No fear for Stanzi

Yes, Ricky Stanzi remembers the hit and everything that went with it. He has a screw in his right ankle to remind him.

The Iowa quarterback had his regular season ended last year against Northwestern, taking a sack from Wildcats defensive end Corey Wootton and fumbling in the end zone in what eventually turned out to be a 17-10 NU victory and Iowa's first loss of 2009.

The injury happened when Stanzi turned his back and executed a rollout. It's a play Iowa runs a handful of times just about every game. It's a the play-action bootleg has been a staple for the Hawkeyes. It'll be something you see today.

Stanzi isn't flinching on this.

"If you change the way you play the game mentally after an injury, it's just not something you're supposed to do," said Stanzi, who had surgery the Monday after the high-ankle sprain, missed Iowa's final two games and then returned for the Orange Bowl. "You just don't think about injury. It's just part of the game."

Stanzi is over it, but it seems to be sticking with Iowa's O-line.

“I think I more heard it than saw it,” senior offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde said. "“You hear the crowd kind of collectively gasp. You turn around and you see your quarterback on the ground, that's always a moment of dread for an offensive lineman.”