First & Foremost - Flip the Ball To The Ref

Shonn Greene actually WAS walking on air in Saturday's game vs the Cats!



I returned from the road last night to find an unprecedented 35 or so comments on this post in the wake of Saturday's game. Most of them were of the "rah, rah" variety and some were of the enjoy watching the Hawkeyes fans' pain. Of course, there was a comment from one of the main contributors to BHGP which, in turn, set off comments and other comments. Now look. It is no secret how much I LOVE to beat Iowa for reasons I've dug into a thousand times before. However, there is a certain etiquette in posting. Rubbing it in Iowa fans' faces in the immediate wake of the game isn't cool. Yes, the nature of this entire medium is grounded in passionate smack talk, but you know how much you hate it, so restrain. Flip the ball to the ref after you enter the endzone, like Tyrell, Peterman, Ward and the like. Wait until the postgame press conference to let them know "you got 'em".


I found it interesting that BHGP had two distinct tones in the wake of the Cats 22-17 win. One screamed of classic anti-Wildcataganda! by contributor Oops Pow Surprise - "Iowa Gives Game Away" while the other was pragmatic by fellow contributor Hawkeye State - "Nope, Iowa Shouldn't Have Even Been In The Game". Let's break down the two approaches as you find out a lot more about a fan's character in the face of defeat than in victory.

Oops called for "an insufferable week on LTP as we hear about the Cats "never giving up" or some other vague s@$%". That was after opening with the knee-jerk sentiment of"it is impossible to acknowledge that Northwestern beating Iowa isn't a fluke" with this statement: "Northwestern is now the worst 5-0 team in college football history..." The self-loathing post proceeed to drop lines throughout almost daring NU fans to even record this as a win - no, it was an Iowa loss. Period. Which is remarkable, because last I checked, an Iowa loss in a game with us results in a Northwestern win. "How triumphant to be given a win" was a great example of this. Yes, Iowa shot themselves in the foot with five turnovers, including two unforced (three if you count the Browne INT). But this type of emotional "you still suck" type of post is why I loathe the Hawkeyes. Kudos to Hawkeye State for calling me out on this hypocrisy as he linked to my eerily similar post in my knee-jerk emotional state in the wake of last year's game. However, my point is not that they sucked, it was that we sucked. As a Northwestern fan, the one thing any of us born prior to 1980 will be, is humble. We as fans should never take ANY team for granted no matter how bad their previous year record. We don't have a history that enables us to be that way. Ever.

To be fair, I respect BHGP's Hawkeye State for actually providing concrete facts to support his slant, that is, Iowa was lucky to be in the game. Let me be clear. I'm not siding with Hawkeye State because he gave a positive Northwestern spin, I'm siding with him in the respect-o-meter for making cogent points based in fact. HS points out the offensive stats leading into the final drive when we went bend-don't break and our multiple implosions in the red zone complete with accurate statistics. His approach of "let's set it straight - NU is not great" is much more valid based on the way he setup the argument. Also of note, I was dismayed to read about his reporting of an intolerable Northwestern fan yelling at a kid. Fantastic. Way to represent the purple you numbskull. Again, this empowered his take by making Iowa empathetic (how can you root against a kid?!!) and setup his final angle, which was both thought-provoking and insightful. HS' inclination that NU is obsessed with beating Iowa which is likely tied to Barnett's influence on Fitz and calling it out, but also spinning it to be another way in which Iowa's opponents are more motivated was spot on.

What is my point? Let's not stoop to spoiled brat status in winning and not rise to the bait of those who refuse to acknowledge the present is not related to the 1980s. Yes, at one point in time Iowa beat Northwestern 21 straight times. We sucked. Plain and simple. We are now respectable and since that streak have won seven of twelve against the Hawkeyes. Until either team starts ripping off decades of 9+ wins per year on average, there is a ton of room for improvement. I'd be remiss for not praising Shonn Greene and the Iowa OL for carving up the Cats for three quarters. We as Cats fans know that the game may have been a different result had Greene not had the unfortunate injury. Take the win, move on and it is time to focus on Sparty. Of course, if and when there is a chance to take some good sport shots at BHGP, you know I will. With perspective. Until then, it is nice to know LTP is not the only one with the "respect" perspective. Check out what Iowa Hawkeye fans were reading this weekend: a senior class alluding to the fact they go out 3-1 against Iowa, yet still get no respect. Remember, flip the ball to the ref and use the postgame presser to drive home the points.