The sign says 'Move on'

IOWA CITY -- Basically, the answer to all your questions is yes.

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

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

Yes, Kirk Ferentz blew it.

Those were his words on Tuesday, three days after the No. 18 Hawkeyes fell, 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 go back and fix the Wisconsin game. The Hawkeyes will certainly have their hands full with No. 5 Michigan State (8-0, 4-0) on 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've had quarterback Ricky Stanzi spike the ball and stop the clock rather than call the Hawkeyes' last timeout with 14 seconds left. Stanzi just ran a sneak on fourth-and-1. The clock stops in college after a first down. Stanzi first made the spike motion and 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 zeroes with Iowa at UW's 35.

"Well, in retrospect, 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."

A few Hawkeyes think too much is being made out of the final offensive sequence. Last week for the Hawkeyes was football Jenga. They made a lot of wrong moves before everything crashed on the final pull of a block.

"Absolutely," offensive tackle Markus Zusevics said before the question was finished. "To question a call that would've changed maybe one second for a Hail Mary from midfield, I think people are dwelling on that a little bit much."

Last Saturday night, Ferentz deflected any questions on strategy in the final minute. During video review Sunday, he told the team it was on him, something he's done regularly, Stanzi said.

"He's always been that way with us, about anything that happens on the field," Stanzi said. "When you have a head coach like that, it's easy to want to play for him. He's always been straightforward with everybody. . . . That's the kind of guy he is. Ask anybody and they'll tell you the same thing."

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've stopped UW 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 after Saturday's game that as soon as he saw the punt return team on the field, he made the call.

Yes, Iowa should've gone "punt safe." It was considered.

"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. And so enough.

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

They're not so much into the big picture. Ferentz said Tuesday that he doesn't discuss that with his team. He likes to keep things station to station. But, really, here it is in a nutshell 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 when asked if the team felt as though Saturday is an elimination game. "But if you look at the stats and the details, that's probably is what it is."

There is a sign in one of the basement halls of the Hayden Fry Football Complex. It lists four concepts for players to grab onto.

No. 4 is "Move on."