Halftime, worktime

The quarterbacks communicate. The O-linemen talk things over. The linebackers chat with Norm.

The defensive linemen get after it. At least, they're the only ones who admit to a little yelling at halftime.

“There are no cliche sayings or any movie quotes coming out” -- quarterback Ricky Stanzi

Iowa defensive end Broderick Binns confessed when asked about the chaos and communication that goes on after the team is in the locker room, the door is shut and the band takes the field.

“A little of both,” Binns said. “Coaches came in kind of upset, especially with the yards we were giving up on the ground. Iowa prides itself on stopping the run. They kind of just took it to us in the first half.

“But there's a point where the yelling has to stop and they start coaching.”

Communicating, talking, chatting or yelling, Iowa coaches are getting their points across at halftime this season.

The No. 7 Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) have trailed at halftime in three games, Northern Iowa (10-3), Penn State (10-5) and last week at Wisconsin (10-3). In those games, they've outscored their opponent 47-6 in the second half, blanking PSU and the Badgers.

Whether they'll need another chaotic halftime chat tonight against Michigan State (4-3, 3-1) remains to be seen, but know there is a method to the madness.

From the time the door slams, it's 20 minutes of highly organized two-way information gathering, teaching and summation of what needs to happen in the second half.

For the most part, emotion gets checked at the door.

“It's kind of hard to keep the emotion out of it,” running back Adam Robinson said. “If you get stuck in the backfield or get popped pretty good, you kind of want to get frustrated and blame others, but you can't do that. You've got to support each other and build each other up. I think that's one thing our team does well. That's been a part of our success this year.”

Erase the Hollywood notion of halftime from your mind. Iowa's approach is almost clinical.

Kirk Ferentz and his staff have polished this to the minute. Remember, this 10-man staff has a collective 86 seasons at Iowa. That continuity has to be a strength when there's some teaching/fixing that needs to communicating in 20 minutes.

First, the coaches meet in offensive and defensive groups. This also includes observations from the coaches in the press box. Iowa is sort of unique that way, with running backs coach Lester Erb being the only full-time assistant in the press box. The only defensive coach upstairs is graduate assistant Charlie Bullen.

“We're probably at the bottom of the NCAA as far as coaches in the (press) box,” Ferentz said. “That's just our preference as a staff and it seems to be working.”

Ferentz makes a quick sweep through the coaches' meetings. The staff reaches conclusions on any changes. Then, they take it to the team, where they take input from the players.

“The players have a big voice in this,” Ferentz said. “It's a team effort here. It's not just us dictating. We want information from them because they have best seat in the house - out there on the field.”

The players also take input from players.

Backups tell starters what they see. This is especially true when it comes to quarterbacks James Vandenberg and John Wienke.

“If you need a rah-rah speech at halftime, you're playing the wrong sport” -- linebacker Pat Angerer.

“James and John are probably the best at that,” starting QB Ricky Stanzi said. “They do a good job of being the eyes out there. We can't see it all. They'll let coach know when something's happening. I think having as many eyes as you can on the field, as many quarterbacks as you can, can create an advantage when you go in at halftime.”

Same deal for the O-linemen. They talk to each other, and then have their chat with O-line coach Reese Morgan.

“Until coach Morgan comes in, we're talking to those guys (reserves) and talking to each other,” offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “What's going on? What are you seeing? Kind of just figuring things out and getting things settled.”

It's way different from the D-line, apparently.

“You don't want anybody getting all fired up,” Bulaga said. “Lots of composure is what it is.”

The changes are usually subtle. Sometimes, there's no need.

Last week at Wisconsin, Iowa's defense shored up gap control. The Badgers used a quick snap to rush for 89 yards in the first half. Coaches picked up on it in the first quarter and reinforced discipline at half. The Badgers were held to minus-2 in the second.

On offense, the Hawkeyes' running game went from the outside zone run to the inside zone, with attention being paid to backside pressure from linebackers. Robinson gained 71 of his 91 yards in the second half.

Except for maybe a few sparks from the D-line, emotion gets checked at the door.

“If you need a rah-rah speech at halftime, you're playing the wrong sport,” linebacker Pat Angerer said.

Halftime ends when Ferentz calls the team together with about 30 seconds left before the door opens. It's never about drama, always about teaching.

“There are no cliche sayings or any movie quotes coming out,” Stanzi said.