Good-Timey Radio Hour

Gary Dolphin started this week's show with a joke about being no bull, but, hey, there really is a bull this week in the Heartland Trophy.

It is a brass bull, so you see how the joke works. At least, I see it. I think I see it. I'm not sure I want to see it.

Each team has won the Heartland four times. This is the ninth contest with the ol' bull on the line.

Dolph has a Heisman vote! Hey, we're Heisman vote bros.

Don't worry about the yards, worry about the TDs, Dolph said. Agree there. Gordon is good at TDs, too, but that's what really matters.

Maybe 40 degrees Saturday with little chance of precipitation.

It's a Black Out Saturday. Dolph said, 'Maybe the Hawkeyes can turn the lights out on the Badgers.” Yes, I see that one, too.

Bottom line, Badgers are in the driver's seat in the West Division. Up to Iowa to do something about it.

Lost in the fireworks of Melvin Gordon last week was the fact that the Badgers claimed the inaugural Freedom Trophy. The Badgers have won seven straight trophy games dating back to a 20-10 loss to Iowa in 2009. (I'll look up Iowa in trophy games since 2009 a little later. What do you guys think the Hawkeyes' record is?)

OK, stream of consciousness from the Kirk Ferentz radio show for the next hour and a half.

FYI, Kevin Dolan, the guy who runs the radio show, and Dolph gave a birthday wish to Bob Foley, who I worked for at the Daily Iowan back in grad school. I also wished Bob a happy birthday and got a really nice note from Bob this week. That was very nice. Thank you, sir!

That and that alone keeps the radio post in the rotation.

Hey, maybe if you guys ask Scott Dochterman really nicely, he'll do a radio post for the basketball show. (Everyone, Twitter bomb him with this request. He'll do it. I know he will.)

Dolph lost me there with all that hoops talk.

Check back for more! Kirk Ferentz will be in the Carlos O'Kelly's in about 15 or 20 minutes.

Oh no, no Hawk Talk next week!!!! Oh no. I guess there's a basketball game. This is it then.

Curt from Lakoda, Mabel awaits your connection (Mayberry reference).

He wants to know how the Hawkeyes would do against Ohio State this year. Well, maybe we'll see. If Iowa wins its next two and the Gophers lose, Iowa will likely face off with the Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship game. So, mathematically there's an 18.7 percent chance that Iowa meets the Buckeyes. I saw an ESPN tweet today that had Iowa at a 2.9 percent chance to win the whole B1G shooting match. I think OSU was around 39 percent. Frankly, that sounds about right.

Jerry from they didn't say, Jerry is talking to Gary!!!!

Jerry asks about a fumble that Mark Weisman was charged with in the third quarter against Illinois. Weisman reached for the goal line and had the ball slapped out of his hand. Iowa recovered and eventually scored.

Weisman was charged with a fumble during the game. I'm not sure if it was that play or another, but that's the only one I can remember. Box score had Weisman with a fumble.

Jerry wanted to know why the play wasn't reviewed for a score. Great question, Jerry. No idea.

Tommy!!!!!

Attack the center and attack Gordon. Offense, he's going to leave alone.

Tommy wants to know how good the hoops team is. Tommy picks the Hawkeyes 17-14. The crowd doesn't really react.

Pauly in Britt, which, I just learned, is the home of the Hobo Convention. For 113 years running. OK, then.

Pauly is an Iowa State grad . . . hmmm, yes. Keep talking Pauly. I want you to blow this place up.

Pauly noted the call from Luke in Cedar Falls, the guy who called in and asked for Ferentz's resignation. Dolph lambasted the guy for pronouncing Ferentz's name 'Furrints.”

Dolph lit him up. Hammered the dude into mush. Crushed his skull and sprinkled it on his Corn Flakes.

Pauly said it was a good deal that Dolph stuck up for Furreeentsss and asked if the show would have wrestling coach Tom Brandssss on.

Hobo Convention. People from Britt, sell me. I want to come to this and get a T-shirt. Sell me. What is a hobo convention.

Feerrrenzzz is in the house. Check back.

Dolph asks Ferentz about special teams. I don't see clear advantage for either team there. RB Jonathan Parker, it should be noted, did lose the KR job to Jordan Canzeri last week.

Balance is best for Iowa's offense. That's so, so true.

Going to be nothing magical against Wisconsin. Ferentz calls it a war of attrition. You have to be on spot for 70 plus plays against Gordon. He'll find every breakdown and make an 8-yard gain for a normal back an 80-yard game.

Iowa has seen great backs, James Conner from Pitt and Tevin Coleman from Indiana, but KF says Gordon is in another class. Can't let him get going downhill. The big thing is getting him off his course. Don't allow rhythm. They're well coached and have a comfort level with what they'll do.

Mert in Keokuk, she lives!!!!!!

Mert is confused. Wondering when Hawk Talk will be on next week.

And that's it for Mert.

Martin from Estherville, I hate your answering machine.

Martin thanks KF for sticking with Iowa. KF said it's been great. Not all of it, but most of it.

Jim from CF, ask your three questions. You always do.

Qs about the new football facilities, the indoor and the ops building. What does KF like best. Back in August, Gerry DiNardo said on BTN that Iowa's new facilities is a game-changer for crooting.

Iowa hasn't moved into the new place yet. Was supposed to be this summer, but once the season began that stopped that. After Nebraska, they'll start the moving process. After break, they're in. (Two day break for Thanksgiving? Wow.)

What KF likes best? Everything. DiNardo's comments meant a lot to KF. He said Gerry is a smart coach, smart guy. DiNardo has seen all the Big Ten facilities, so KF took that as a high compliment. 'Whole new lease on life, I think,” KF said. It's a big thing in crooting. It's taken effort and KF thanks all the people involved, especially the financial folks. Raised around $35 million.

KF said he hasn't been in the place in four or five weeks. Said it's going to be over the top when it's done. Croots are looking at it. During the pro day in March, NFL said you guys needed this, you were way behind. They also said it was really nice.

Eric from Waukee, let's wrap, my friend.

Eric said he's not a nerd. He looked up a bunch of numbers from the UW-NW game, which the Wildcats won. How did NU get all those picks? Eric said it was four.

Big part of the story, KF said. NU beat Penn State and Wisconsin going into the Iowa game, which the Hawkeyes won 48-7. And then, NU won last weekend at Notre Dame. NU was gritty against the Badgers and had guys make plays at critical times. UW QB Joel Stave threw three picks and, I believe, those happened in the red zone.

Spencer from . . . let's say Spencer.

Talks OL. KF said Iowa wasn't in sync at Minnesota and it was a disaster . . .

And, hey, the show cut out on me!!!!

I'll see if I can't get it back.

KF is complaining about the many, many outlets of noise out there. 'We dictate what happens moving forward.”

The business is a public business. My business is a public business. If I complain about you guys, tell me. Some of the stuff gets to me, but for the most part, you can't have rabbit ears. I know I would look funny with rabbit ears.

Talking about Dr. Eddie Anderson and how he was a surgeon and how he would do interviews in surgeon gear.

Where were we?

Bubba from Primgahr, he's already talking. He's a pro.

Asks about kicking. The trouble at the beginning of the season with field goals started the shift in philosophy, but they started talking percentages and decided it was a smart course of action. KF said, 'We started listening to the people in the stands and thought, what the hell?”

He was joking.

Somebody called and offered to clean stuff on the bowl trip.

Derrick Willies question, but the answer doesn't change. No comment. Locked into the football submarine. Dolph said something about a window being open for him to return, but that closed and Iowa has moved on. Ferentz was sitting right there and didn't confirm or deny. He stayed solidly in the only thinking about this team and the players who are on it for the next eight days.

I imagine we're in the statement mode on this. We might hear something when the bowl is announced. Don't ask me, I have no feel for this. I initially thought that, yes, he would be allowed back on the team without question because of his father's illness, but it obviously isn't that easy.

Anyway, no more speculation on that. And no more radio shows this year.

I'll do this again next year, if I'm around.

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