Scherff leads Iowa all-Big Ten contingent

Yes, I'm way late on this. Lots of other stuff happened. I also went to a Packers game. It was great, but enough about that.

I want to recognize this on the blog, so I have a record of it and can find it. Also, the players deserve positive recognition.

I'm also moving on with the 7-5 harangue. We're not going to get much more out of that. It's bowl, recruiting and then football. We'll have another round of this at the end of next year. It's essentially the same schedule except Wisconsin, Nebraska and Northwestern on the road.

Iowa lost its last two games of 2014. That wasn't great, but 7-5 isn't a hanging offense at Iowa. We can agree on that, right? The larger point is that this is a 7-5 in the wake of 8-5 in 2010, 7-6 in ‘11, 4-8 in ‘12 and 8-5 in ‘13. Gary Barta said expectations weren't met. Kirk Ferentz focused on falling short in the final two games of this season.

It's an interesting notion. A 9-3 Iowa team that would've qualified for the Big Ten title game? I think the majority of people would've seen that as a spike toward the positive. It would've shown that Iowa can still compete with its rivals and that it still could come through in big games. It almost did, but it didn't and here 7-5 is with the Taxslayer Bowl vs. Tennessee (6-6) ahead.

A bowl victory wouldn't be absolution, no, but it would be a trophy for the case in the newly opened football operations building. There is a spot with three noticeable absences. I was going to post a pic of the emptiness, but enough piling on. They know they don't have any travel trophies, you know they don't have any.

They have a chance to win a trophy in the Taxslayer Bowl and jump into 2015 and see where it goes and then it's another round of hand wringing or high fiving a year from now. OK, maybe not high fiving, but the chance to change the narrative is out there.

I'm keeping a critical eye and an open mind. And now I sound like some sort of monster from the 'Outer Limits” or something. Critical eye and an open mind? Gross.

From Iowa sports info:

SCHERFF NAMED B1G OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa senior left offensive tackle Brandon Scherff

has been named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten Conference. In addition, Scherff was named first-team All-Big Ten by vote of league coaches and media. The teams were announced by the Big Ten Conference Monday on the BTN's annual show revealing the all-conference teams and individual award-winners.

Offensive lineman Austin Blythe, linebacker Quinton Alston and defensive tackles Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Pasat earned second-team honors on the coach's team. Big Ten media named defensive end Drew Ott

to the second team. Iowa is the only team with three defensive linemen named to the first and second teams.

Hawkeye players earning honorable mention recognition are tight end Jake Duzey, safeties John Lowdermilk and Jordan Lomax, cornerback Desmond King, wide receiver Tevaun Smith, and offensive right tackle Andrew Donnal. Senior running back Mark Weisman

is Iowa's recipient of the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award.

Scherff, a native of Denison, Iowa, is the seventh Hawkeye to earn the Offensive Lineman of the Year award and the first since Bryan Bulaga in 2009. Along with earning first team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season, Scherff is one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy and was a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award. He has started every game over the past two seasons.

Blythe, a junior from Williamsburg, Iowa, has started 30 consecutive games in the offensive line. After starting the first six games of the season at center, Blythe started at right guard at Maryland and has started at left guard in the last four games. Blythe earned honorable mention as a sophomore.

Alston, a senior from Sicklerville, New Jersey, moved into the starting lineup this season and started all 12 games. He is third on the team with 83 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Alston has recorded five pass break-ups and forced two fumbles.

Trinca-Pasat, a senior, leads Iowa with 37 consecutive starts at defensive tackle, which includes every game over the past three seasons. The native of Chicago is fourth on the team with 65 tackles and earned honorable mention as a junior. He ranks second on the team in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (11.5). He was credited with a safety in Iowa's win at Illinois.

Davis, a Detroit native, has started 25 consecutive games next to Trinca-Pasat in the defensive line. Davis has recorded 34 tackles, including nine for loss. He had a blocked field goal against Nebraska and a recovered fumble against Ball State. Davis also earned second-team honors as a junior.

Ott, a junior from Trumbull, Nebraska, earned Big Ten postseason honors for the first time. Ott started all 12 games this season and has started 24 straight games at defensive end. He leads the team with eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss among his 55 total tackles. Ott scored his first career touchdown on a 12-yard punt return against Nebraska and he had his only interception at Maryland.

Smith, from Toronto, Ontario, and Duzey, a native of Troy, Michigan, are juniors who ranked among Iowa's leaders in receptions and receiving yards. Smith leads the Hawkeyes with 559 yards on his 41 receptions, while Duzey is third in receptions (36) and yards (392). They share the team lead with three receiving touchdowns.

Lowdermilk is a senior strong safety who scored the first touchdown of his career against Nebraska in his final game in Kinnick Stadium. He leads the Hawkeyes in tackles (95) and interceptions (three) and shares the team lead with two forced fumbles. The native of Carrollton, Ohio, earned honorable mention as a junior.

Lomax is a junior from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, who played free safety for the first time in 2014, starting all 12 games. He ranks second with 84 tackles, and is the team leader with six pass break-ups. He recorded one interception.

King is the only Hawkeye sophomore to be recognized. The native of Detroit has started 23-of-24 games in his two seasons. King recorded 54 tackles this season and returned his first career interception 35 yards for a touchdown in Iowa's win over Indiana.

Donnal, a native of Monclova, Ohio, moved to right tackle for his senior season and started all 12 games. He has 15 career starts in the offensive line despite missing a large portion of his sophomore season because of injury.

Weisman is a Chicago native who has rushed for 2,592 yards and 30 career touchdowns. He led Iowa in rushing for the third straight year after joining the team as a walk-on. Weisman is one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, which goes to the top former walk-on in the nation. He also earned Capital One Academic All-District 6 honors and is a candidate for Academic All-America honors.

And from the Big Ten on its record-setting season in attendance. Maryland and Rutgers got that Big Ten bump.

Big Ten Football Sets Single-Season Attendance Record

Nine conference schools post increased average attendance,

including Big Ten newcomers Maryland and Rutgers

Rosemont, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference set a new single-season record for total attendance during the 2014 football season with 6,359,218 fans attending home games. In addition, nine Big Ten schools produced increases in average attendance, including a boost of more than eight percent for Maryland and Rutgers in their first seasons as members of the conference.

The Big Ten surpassed the six-million mark in total attendance for just the third time in conference history and the third time in the last four seasons, breaking the single-season record of 6,061,514 set last season. While average attendance decreased following the addition of two 50,000-seat stadiums, Maryland and Rutgers combined to fill their stadiums to 95 percent capacity in conference matchups. The two teams combined for five sellouts in conference games this season, compared to only two sellouts in conference competition the previous four seasons.

The Terrapins saw the biggest increase in average attendance among Big Ten schools, with a 13.8 percent jump from the 2013 season for all games, including two sellouts. In Big Ten home games, Maryland filled Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium to 91 percent capacity this season. Two of the Terrapins' four Big Ten home games drew crowds of 50,000 or more patrons, after eclipsing 50,000 people in a conference home game just once over the previous four years. In addition, Maryland's average attendance in Big Ten road games was more than 82,000, after facing an average attendance of just over 50,000 in conference action the season before.

The Scarlet Knights ranked second in the Big Ten with an 8.8 percent increase in average attendance for all games with three sellouts. Rutgers' conference home games were filled to 99 percent capacity at High Point Solutions Stadium. The Scarlet Knights drew crowds of more than 50,000 people three times during conference play this season, after seeing that mark achieved on only three occasions in conference home games the previous four seasons. Rutgers also played in front of an average crowd of more than 76,000 in Big Ten away games, compared to road conference attendance of less than 40,000 the previous year.

Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin each saw average attendance increase by as much as 5.2 percent from the 2013 Big Ten football season.

The Big Ten is one of two conferences with more than two teams ranked among the top 22 in the nation in average attendance, with seven schools comprising that group. Ohio State leads the nation in average attendance at 106,296, followed by No. 3 Michigan (104,909), No. 5 Penn State (101,623), No. 10 Nebraska (91,249), No. 18 Wisconsin (79,520), No. 20 Michigan State (74,681) and No. 22 Iowa (67,512).

Earlier this season, Big Ten school attendance records fell in four consecutive weekends as Nebraska, Ohio State (twice) and Rutgers saw record crowds. In all, four Big Ten schools broke or matched single-game attendance records this season: Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State and Rutgers.

The 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game will feature Ohio State facing Wisconsin on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium and will be broadcast nationally on FOX with kickoff set for 8:17 p.m. ET. The winner will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of the six bowls that comprise the College Football Playoff, including the Rose Bowl Game.

(For point of reference and because the 2014 totals aren't out, I attached the NCAA PDF from 2013 for attendance.)

Iowa has sent Kinnick gameday experience surveys throughout the season. Here's the blurb:

Hello! A few days ago you received an e-mail inviting you to participate in the Iowa Football Game Day Experience Survey. The Athletic's Department is interested in hearing from season ticket holders regarding their experiences during home Football game days. The University of Iowa Athletics Department is collaborating with the Public Policy Center to conduct the survey.

If you are still interested in participating, you may click on the click below. The survey will remain open until 5:00PM on Monday, December 8th.

Also, you may have received a different survey earlier in the season. The survey sent earlier in the season is different than this survey.

Thank you from the Iowa Athletics Department!

Follow this link to the Survey:

Take the Survey

Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsSurveyEngine/?Q_SS=6EzpJMHTZTOL1E9_0O2bjDFxgJn0iI5&_=1

FYI.

Here's RB Markel Smith's season stats from Milford Academy. He signed with Iowa last February, didn't qualify academically and signed up for a year of prep school. He might be with Iowa in January.

Iowa running back Mark Weisman made an academic all-America team

(From Iowa sports info)

University of Iowa senior running back Mark Weisman

has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America second team. The announcement was made Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Weisman was previously named to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 first team, along with junior defensive back Jordan Lomax.

Weisman, a native of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, holds a 3.32 grade-point average and is majoring in health and human physiology. He earned academic All-Big Ten recognition in 2012 and 2013. He is a three-time honoree on the UI Dean's List.

Weisman is Iowa's leading rusher for the third straight season. He has 206 rushing attempts for 802 yards and 14 touchdowns. Weisman's career totals include 592 attempts for 2,592 yards and 30 touchdowns. He ranks third in career rushing touchdowns, fourth in attempts, sixth in yards, and 12th in scoring (186 points).

Weisman was recognized by the Big Ten Conference with Iowa's Sportsmanship Award when the All-Big Ten teams were announced Monday. He is one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Award, which will be presented Monday to the top player in the nation who began his career as a walk-on.

In the last 16 seasons under head coach Kirk Ferentz, 24 Iowa football student-athletes have combined to earn academic All-District and All-America recognition 44 times. Weisman is Iowa's first running back since Rob Thein in 1999 to earn Academic All-America honors. A year ago, linebacker James Morris

earned first-team recognition.

That catches up on just about everything.

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