As long as Iowa plays defense, 'put out the fire' will be a thing

IOWA CITY — Wind and fire work together. Probably a better word is 'conspire.' Wind and fire conspire to destroy whatever is in their path.

These elements are hard to predict. They literally swirl and dance. Football is a little like that, and the fight is similar.

When a defense runs onto the field, it could be running into any situation. There are normal circumstances, like after a kickoff or a punt. Then, there are the quick-change moments. A fumble or an interception, those happen and the mission for Iowa's defense is clear.

Put out the fire.

'When you get in those tough spots, you've got to have resolve,' Iowa linebacker Ben Niemann said. 'Things are going to happen, and the better you handle them, the better it's going to turn out on the scoreboard at the end of the game.'

'Put out the fire' is an Iowa thing.

The phrase is attributed to late Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker. He was good with phrases, but he was amazing with setting the tone for specific situations, ones like when the offense fails and leaves a bucket of goo for the defense.

Hey, it happens. Put out the fire.

'Yeah, you might have your back against the wall a little bit in certain scenarios,' linebacker Josey Jewell said. 'Coach (Phil) Parker helps us with that emotional aspect. If maybe they're rah-rahing out there and they have the momentum, we have to try to change that momentum or at least slow it down.

'That's huge.'

Last week provided Iowa with a few examples of this. Perhaps a few too many in the Hawkeyes' 17-10 loss at Michigan State.

On the first drive of the second half, quarterback Nate Stanley fumbled at Michigan State's 5. The Spartans were successful in getting out of field position trouble, but Iowa's defense preserved the 17-7 score and kept the Hawkeyes in contention.

On the next series, wide receiver Brandon Smith fumbled at Michigan State's 41. Iowa's defense again dodged the points that probably would've pushed the game out of reach. It held the Spartans to a failed 48-yard field goal.

Almost on cue, like so many Iowa defensive players before him, senior defensive tackle Nathan Bazata recited the 'put out the fire' pledge in the postgame.

'That's our job,' Bazata said. 'When the offense is struggling, we've got to pick it up and we've got to be firemen out there and put out the fire. We did that, but we've got to do a better job starting the game.'

Almost on cue.

In 2009, the Hawkeyes needed to dispatch a painfully average Minnesota team in order to grab their bid for what then was known as a 'BCS' bowl (Iowa ended up in the Orange Bowl). The Hawkeyes missed out on clinching a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl the week before at Ohio State. Minnesota was 6-5 and Iowa was 9-2 with a 'what could've been' hangover and redshirt freshman James Vandenberg making his second start at quarterback.

This set up to be an extremely defensive game for the Hawkeyes and it really was, with the Hawkeyes headlocking a 12-0 victory. It wasn't that Iowa's offense was actively trying to help the Gophers, but with seven three-and-outs and two turnovers, you wouldn't blame head coach Kirk Ferentz if he started checking helmet decals to make sure his offense was his offense.

The Hawkeyes turned away Minnesota on a first-and-goal from Iowa's 2 in the fourth quarter. It was a goal-line stand that defined a season of defensive gumption.

'Norm talks about it, the players talk about it, the fireman mentality,' Ferentz said in the postgame. 'It's one thing to talk about it, it's another thing when it's hitting the fan.'

Defensive linemen Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard picked up the sack on that fourth down.

'This isn't the first time; we did it at Michigan State, too,' Ballard said of the goal-line stand. 'We just knew we could keep them out of the end zone and give a little spark to our offense. We responded and put out the fire.'

Things didn't turn out that well for Iowa against Michigan State at Kinnick Stadium in 2013. The Spartans used a fake punt and stout defense to run away from Iowa in the second half. Still, Iowa's defense dug in when handed seemingly impossible situations.

'They get the momentum. The defense has been out there,' then-defensive tackle Carl Davis said. 'You did the hard work and then it goes out, but no matter what happens, we (the defense) have to put the fire out.'

At Penn State in 2007, Ferentz put it on the defense right away when he deferred after winning the coin toss. Ferentz had an incredibly long streak of taking the ball when winning the flip. Iowa was outmanned that day, 27-7, but the defensive mantra was there.

'The last couple weeks we've been told we're like the fire department,' defensive tackle Mitch King said. 'We go out and whatever it is, no complaints. Just go put out the fire. That's what we try to do.'

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And last year, Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker was asked about fatigue with the defense during a stretch where time of possession piled up on the Hawkeyes. Phil Parker was defensive backs coach under Norm Parker for 13 years before being promoted when Norm retired before the 2012 season.

'I'll never use that as an excuse,' Phil Parker said. 'But to me, I don't really care when the fire started, I just worry about putting out the fire, and that was Norm's thing that stuck in my head a little bit.'

It's stuck in everyone's head. It's still stuck in everyone's head. 'Put out the fire' could be something painted on the Kinnick Stadium field at some point.

'If you look at games, the ball gets turned over or a big kick return, something of that nature, big play, defense has to get back out there and do what they're supposed to do,' Ferentz said. 'They can't dwell on the circumstances. That's kind of what our team has to do right now, too. We're coming off two disappointing losses, so we've got to compartmentalize that and worry about doing all this Saturday.'

This is the type of mentality that moves mountains. If you think Iowa football is dead after back-to-back losses, a 3-2 record and an 0-2 start in the Big Ten, listen to defensive lineman Parker Hesse on this topic.

'Sometimes you get in a tough situation, a short field,' Hesse said. 'It's not an excuse to give up points. If they're out on offense and we're out on defense, our job is to keep points off the board. No matter where we are on the field, we've got to put the fire out.'

They do actually say 'Put out the fire' to themselves when running onto the field in these situations.

'That's actually said,' Niemann said. 'It actually is. We're all saying it. Coach Parker will say it. When we're in a sudden change, he'll give us a couple of words and we're out there to put out the fire.

'That's the attitude you have to take. If you have a negative approach going into a situation like that, it's definitely not going to help you. You need the attitude to take whatever comes to you and just play as hard as you can and not give up points.'

They all say it, to themselves or to each other, probably like a lot of Iowa defenders before them.

'That starts with everybody,' Jewell said. 'Everyone starts saying it right away if they see a turnover or see us about to punt the ball and we're way backed up.

'Put the fire out. Give our offense a better chance.'

It didn't work perfectly last week. The Hawkeyes didn't land the plane at East Lansing. But when that 48-yard field goal drifted wide right, Spartan Stadium got quiet. The Hawkeyes pulled within 17-10 with a field goal on their next drive.

The momentum that sustained throughout the stadium after Iowa's second third-quarter turnover waned and finally went sort of silent.

Is there anything more satisfying than that?

'No, that's pretty satisfying, it's awesome,' Jewell said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com