Vandenberg ready for 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity

James Vandenberg is not afraid.

As a freshman newbie in 2008, he became friends with linebacker Pat Angerer. Trash talking ensued. Wrestling happened. Is this a good place to mention Angerer's interest in MMA?

This is why Angerer, a 240-pound senior middle linebacker, believes in the fresh-faced freshman quarterback who'll lead the No. 15 Hawkeyes (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) into Ohio Stadium for a Big Ten title showdown with No. 10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1).

“I've literally choked him unconscious before and he's gotten up talking trash,” Angerer said. “We're going to be OK.”

'The offense isn't going to change for one person. That's what you have to do. You can't be one dimensional in the Big Ten and expect to win.”-- James Vandenberg

-- James Vandenberg

Angerer is the youngest of five children. He's never had a younger brother. That probably plays into this, too.

“Look at him, you should see him with his shirt off,” Angerer joked. “He's usually talking trash and gets his butt kicked pretty good.”

No way, Vandenberg said.

“That's not totally true,” he said. “Pat's a real good friend of mine. He's real good with all the younger guys. He was one of the first guys I really hung out with my freshman year coming in.

“I go over to his house with him and Troy (Johnson, a linebacker) and (safety) Tyler Sash all the time and hang out. And yeah, we've had some wrestling matches over the off-season that weren't ... they were a little lopsided.

“I don't think he's ever put me unconscious, but I think he's come pretty close.”

If the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder can say that about Ohio State by the end of the day, the Hawkeyes might just have their first Rose Bowl berth since 1991.

Red-shirt freshman quarterback ... first start ... the Horseshoe.

“It's a great situation to walk into, actually,” Vandenberg said. “What more could I ask for? The chances are that you could never be in this situation again. I just plan on making the most of it and putting in as much effort this week as I can to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.”

“This is a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity. Yeah, I haven't had all the experience in the world before this game, but I plan on working as hard as I can this week to give it my best effort.”

Hard to say what Iowa's offense will look like under Vandenberg, whose last start was for Keokuk High School against Sioux City Heelan in the 2007 Class 3A state championship game. Going off what the Hawkeyes did during Vandenberg's nearly three quarters against Northwestern last week, don't expect sweeping changes.

The Hawkeyes were pretty much the Hawkeyes when the red-shirt freshman replaced injured starter Ricky Stanzi. If you can pick up anything from Vandenberg's 45 snaps in the 17-10 loss to Northwestern, the Hawkeyes might run more shotgun.

Vandenberg earned a scholarship by directing a fast-paced, shotgun spread offense at Keokuk. But Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz knew he had a QB he liked when Vandenberg went under center for the 2008 Shrine Bowl all-star game without missing a beat. Last week, he threw out of the shotgun 14 times, including nine straight down the stretch when Iowa absolutely had to have it but didn't get it against a stubborn Northwestern defense.

But then, Vandenberg said the shotgun was more situational than anything else. Iowa was going to pass in those last few moments, why not shotgun?

Other than that, Iowa did everything else it usually does. Quarterback under center. Three-, five and seven-step drops. Pocket play-action pass. Play-action bootlegs.

Vandenberg led eight drives. The closest Iowa came to scoring was a nine-play, 43-yard drive that ended on Daniel Murray's 46-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left. He finished 9 of 27 for 82 yards with an interception and a pass efficiency of 52.99.

When protection broke down, Vandenberg threw the ball away. When forced to scramble, he showed decent quickness. He needed to make the decision on when to cut and run a little faster, but everything was so sped up.

He seems to understand Iowa's complicated run checks. On his second snap, he audibled to a Brandon Wegher run for a 10-yard gain.

Vandenberg's arm strength seemed to be a strength. He had a few throws that fell short, but that was with pressure in his face. Iowa offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe called a lot of out patterns. Vandenberg made those throws.

“He pushes Rick at practice.” wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos said. “He makes some throws that Rick can't make, sometimes, which surprises people. He's been preparing and he knew this could happen. He prepared that way.”

“It'll be interesting to see how this unfolds with him and how he can finish. We've faced a lot of adversity this year. We've faced everything you can face. I think this one right here tops them all.

“So, pray for James.”

Johnson-Koulianos said he didn't see any difference in Iowa's play-calling with Vandenberg, saying he thought it was “aggressive.”

“When you're in there with the first group, they're not going to change a lot of things,” Vandenberg said. “People think we're going to go gun this week because that's what I'm used to. That's not what I do anymore. Now, I'm used to under center.

“I know all the plays just like Rick does. Obviously, he has more experience, but the offense isn't going to change for one person. That's what you have to do. You can't be one dimensional in the Big Ten and expect to win.”

Sounds like Vandenberg is ready to fight.