3 and Out: More trophy games, the merrier

1. Trophy for you, trophy for you and trophy for you

- Who doesn't love a trophy game? At the very least, it's a signifier of something special. You want to beat that other team so much and then, hey, trophy. The sprint for the trophy is one of the coolest things the Hawkeyes get to do, but, now up to four, does Iowa have too many trophy games?

Is four too much of a good thing?

No, I'm a solid no vote on this. Here are three stories that I absolutely love and I hope that they sway your opinion if you are a 'yes, too many darned trophies.”

- The Hawkeyes topped the Cyclones, 27-17, in the 2006 Cy-Hawk game. Hawkeyes linebacker Mike Klinkenborg

lifted the old trophy above his head with both hands and carried it off the field and up into the tunnel.

When he was in Syracuse helping the Hawkeyes survive double overtime the week before, his dad, Myron

, 61, died of a heart attack. Mike found out during a Sunday morning phone call. His girlfriend drove him home Sunday night to the family farm in Rock Rapids.

Wednesday, his dad was buried.

Thursday, he was back in Iowa City ready for practice.

Saturday, he carried the Cy-Hawk Trophy off the Kinnick Stadium field and into Iowa's locker room.

'It felt like a dream,” he said of the previous seven days. 'My dad always came home on the farm with a loud truck you hear a mile away. You're waiting for that.

'Even at the funeral, I was just waiting for him to wake up.”

- Sometimes, the trophy run isn't the most organized of football players. In the waning moments of Iowa's 17-5 victory over Iowa State in the 2008 Cy-Hawk, defensive tackle and overall excitable boy Mitch King

was the first Hawkeye on the sideline to seize the Cy-Hawk.

The only problem was he arrived with 10 seconds left and the clock stopped.

In life, 10 seconds early is right on time. In football, especially with the Cy-Hawk Trophy in reach, 10 seconds starts a civil war.

'I thought about taking it, but I thought I'd get mauled or get a penalty flag,” King said. 'I figured I'd leave it alone.”

- In the 2012 Floyd of Rosedale game, the Hawkeyes rode a huge first half to a 31-13 victory. It wasn't a matter of if they were going to get the bronze pig back, it was when.

Iowa had the ball and the game was over. The last snap came with 38 seconds left. The key was Minnesota still had a timeout, so run for the Floyd of Rosedale or wait for the clock to go quadruple zero?

There was a plan. The man with the plan was senior center James Ferentz

.

'I go, ‘What if they call the timeout?'” senior guard Matt Tobin

said, 'and he goes, ‘(Bleep) it.'”

Only Tobin didn't say bleep. Hey, it's football, it's the Pig.

With stories like that, I don't think there are enough trophy games.

Down to business on trophies today. The Heartland Trophy is up for grabs. Iowa has won it four times, and the Badgers have won it four, including the last two.

With last week's victory over Nebraska for the newly formed Freedom Trophy, the Badgers now have won seven straight trophy games dating back to a 20-10 loss to Iowa in 2009 (this also includes the Badgers' rivalry with Minnesota for the Paul Bunyan Axe).

Iowa is 0-for-2 in trophy games this season, waving goodbye to the Cy-Hawk and Floyd of Rosedale in losses to Iowa State and Minnesota. The Hawkeyes have the Heartland and then close the season against Nebraska with the Heroes Trophy up for grabs. Since 2009, Iowa is 8-10 in trophy games.

2. No resolution on Willies - News surfaced this week that former Iowa wide receiver Derrick Willies wants to rejoin the Hawkeyes. The redshirt freshman from Burlington left the team on Oct. 27, stating he wanted to be closer to his ailing father, Derrick Willies Sr

., in Arizona. He told HawkeyeReport.com this on Tuesday morning: 'I'm a Hawkeye. I thought I was putting my family first. Only after time did I realize I'm leaving my family here ... my team. It's a lot to deal all at once ... when the man you look up to your whole life tells you he only has a little time left. My father is going to move here and I am going to try and get my place back on the team. That's all I have to say on everything.”

This news blindsided Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz

, who only learned of it when the question came up on the Big Ten teleconference Tuesday morning. On his radio show Wednesday night, Ferentz maintained his stance that his focus is on the Iowa team and will be through the end of the season (which is now just eight days).

'I was asked that earlier, and you've got to excuse me, I was working all day today,” Ferentz said. 'I haven't had a chance to get on the messageboards and stuff. I'm really worried about getting our team, the guys on the team right now [and getting] ready for this ballgame. That's where my thoughts are right now. We have another game coming up right afterward. That's where my focus is.”

Willies remained in class at Iowa when he left the team. There probably isn't a final word on this coming down until Iowa begins bowl preparation.

3. Rudock was wooed by the Badgers, Bielema - There is one pretty big Iowa-Wisconsin recruiting story going around this week. You know that running back Melvin Gordon did once commit to Iowa. Did you know that Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock got the full-press treatment from Wisconsin and then-coach Bret Bielema

? Wisconsin and Memphis were the first two schools to offer the 6-3, 208-pounder from Weston, Fla.

So, what is a recruiting pitch like from Bielema? Of course, you know him as a brash former Iowa D-lineman, head coach at the UW and now coach at Arkansas.

'He was cool,” Rudock said. 'He's a good guy. I have a lot of respect for him ... He was [a fun person]. You go into his offices and they're pretty cool where they are in the stadium. He was just being himself, which is a really good thing to have in a coach when you go to talk to him and you're figuring where you're going to go for the next couple of years ... He seemed like kind of a lighthearted guy, but he could also be down your throat if he needs to. I've seen that, and I think a lot of coaches are like that.”