A smarter way to bet

By LUKE MEREDITH
AP Sports Writer

IOWA CITY, Iowa(AP) -- In an effort to explain the unexplainable,
some Iowa followers have begun likening the Hawkeyes to Rocky
Balboa.

Yeah, it might sound like a cheesy comparison - if it didn't fit
unbeaten Iowa so well.

Much like the fictional Philly southpaw, the Hawkeyes (9-0, 5-0
Big Ten) absorb a barrage of early blows that border on the
comical, but opponents can't put them on the canvas.

Iowa usually enters the fourth quarter needing a knockout and -
at least so far - it's delivered the winning punch every time.

Though the Hawkeyes eventually blew past Indiana 42-24 on a
windy Saturday, their charmed season appeared over after three
quarters. Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi, whose five picks had
helped put the Hawkeyes in a 10-point hole, bounced back with
long TD throws to Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos.
Shaun Prater followed with an interception of Indiana's Ben
Chappell, and freshman Brandon Wegher put the Hoosiers (4-5,
1-4) away with a pair of TD runs.

Iowa has trailed in eight of nine games and four times entering
the fourth quarter, and the Hawkeyes have won them all.

"Can't say enough about our players. They continue to battle and
fight and find a way to be successful," coach Kirk Ferentz said.
"One thing they'll do, they'll play the entire game."

That they do. And though many might see Iowa's magical run as a
lucky one - the pollsters who dropped them behind one-loss
Oregon sure do - the truth is that these Hawkeyes have a knack
for making clutch plays that turn games in their favor when it
matters most.

The Hawkeyes caught a lot of heat for needing two blocked field
goals in the closing seconds to beat Northern Iowa, obscuring
great individual efforts Broderick Binns and Jeremiah Hunter to
get their hands on those kicks.

Iowa's 21-10 win at Penn State came after defensive end Adrian
Clayborn blocked a punt early in the fourth quarter and ran it
back for a touchdown. In a 15-13 win over Michigan State, Stanzi
threw a perfect touchdown strike to McNutt on the game's final
play.

The hero of the win over Indiana was safety Tyler Sash, whose
habit of finding the ball is clearly more than just good
fortune. His sixth pick of the season came on a deflection at
the line of scrimmage deep in Iowa territory, and Sash took it
back 86 yards to bring the Hawkeyes within 21-14 midway through
the third quarter.

Ferentz compared Sash's interception to Clayborn's punt block
against the Nittany Lions, which up until Sunday was the biggest
play of Iowa's season.

"I thought Tyler gave us that boost," Ferentz said. "Good teams
have that."

It's clearly something the Hoosiers lack.

Indiana had the lead in all three of its Big Ten road games this
season, yet failed to close any of them out. The Hoosiers, who
blew a 25-point lead in a loss at Northwestern a week earlier,
squandered a pair of 14-point leads against Iowa and were
outscored 35-3 in the second half by a team averaging fewer than
24 points per game.

Indiana has to win two of its last three games to become bowl
eligible, not an easy road with Wisconsin (6-2, 3-2) and Penn
State (8-1, 4-1) on the horizon.

"It's really been the fourth quarter. I'm proud of our guys.
We've gone into three tough Big Ten stadiums against very good
football teams and had the lead in the fourth quarter," coach
Bill Lynch said. "We got to find a way to finish it off."

Iowa's penchant for waiting until the end to finish teams off
might cost them even if they finish the season undefeated. The
Hawkeyes likely need Florida, Alabama or Texas lose if they want
to earn a spot in the BCS title game. The Longhorns certainly
didn't help Iowa's cause when they trounced Oklahoma State 41-14
on Saturday, clearing what looked to be their final hurdle.

The Hawkeyes aren't concerning themselves with the BCS. After
all, they've clearly had their hands full with the team they're
actually playing.

"It really doesn't matter. If we lose, I know we're going down
fast," Ferentz said. "If we win, they're going to put us
wherever. But I don't have much control of that. So it's all we
can try to do is win the game we have in front of us. That's as
simple as it is."