Hawkeye Football: Quick look back, and now moving on

Basically, the answer to all your questions is yes.

Yes, the Hawkeyes should have spiked the ball instead of taking a timeout on their last-gasp drive last week against Wisconsin.

Yes, Iowa should have gone with a 'punt safe' call when the Bad­gers ran a successful fake that set up their game-winning touchdown.

Yes, Ferentz blew it.

Those were his words Tuesday, three days after the No. 18 Hawkeyes lost, 31-30, to Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium.

'Hey, I blew some things, too,' Ferentz said while breaking down special teams errors.

The reality is Iowa (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) can't go back and fix the Wisconsin game. The Hawkeyes will certainly have their hands full with No. 5 Michigan State (8-0, 4-0) this Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

But let's purge the system. Defrag the computer. Hit the reset button on the Wisconsin wake.

Yes, Ferentz said, he should have had quarterback Ricky Stanzi spike the ball and stop the clock rather than call the Hawkeyes' last timeout with 14 seconds left. After's Stanzi sneak on fourth-and-1, the clock stopped after the first down. Stanzi first made the spike motion, then dropped into a shotgun. Timeout was called.

'The bullets are flying and you're trying to figure out exactly what's going on,' Stanzi said. 'There are so many different scenarios that could play out.' You know the result.

Timeout. Desperation shovel pass to running back Adam Robinson.

Clock goes four zeros with Iowa at UW's 35.

'Well, in retrospect, I I wish we had (spiked) it quite frankly,' Ferentz said. ' ... Retrospect, I wish we had clocked it. I think we ended up with 12 on the clock after the sneak. I'm not sure how that happened. But anyway, that was part of the thinking. Retrospect, I wish I had done it over, could do over. I can't. So, live with it. Cost us one play.' Saturday night, Ferentz deflected questions on final-minute strategy.

During video review Sunday, he told the team it was on him, something he's done regularly, Stanzi said.

The fake punt question is a no-brainer. Of course, a 'punt safe' call, where the first-team defense stays on the field and treats the play like it's a third down, would have stopped punter Brad Nortman from bolting 17 yards for a first down.

Iowa had two players rush the punter from the outside. Two more were supposed to watch the punter and make sure he punted. That didn't happen.

UW Coach Bret Bielema said as soon as he saw the punt return team on the field, he made the call.

Yes, Iowa should have gone 'punt safe.' 'It was a thought, and in retrospect I wish we had done it,' Ferentz said. 'Had we gone punt safe, it wouldn't have been an issue. Put it down, we blew that one. That's my job.' Mistakes were made.

What's directly in front of the Hawkeyes is a bit more pressing. They can actually do something about Michigan State.

In a nutshell, here it is for the Hawkeyes: Win and keep alive fading Big Ten championship hopes.

Lose and the championship season is flatline.

'We don't look at it that way,' guard Julian Vandervelde said. 'But if you look at the stats and the details, that probably is what it is.' There is a sign in a Hayden Fry Football Complex baseball hall.

It lists four concepts for players to grab onto.

No. 4 is 'Move on.'