Winners and losers: QB bug bites Iowa

Lack of depth at quarterback deep-sixed Iowa’s BCS championship dreams.

The Hawkeyes (9-1) raced to a 10-0 lead over Northwestern on Saturday. Then, after quarterback Ricky Stanzi suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter, Iowa fell apart behind backup James Vandenberg and failed to score the rest of the game in a 17-10 loss.

Vandenberg, a redshirt freshman, completed just 9 of 27 passes for 82 yards as the Hawkeyes’ unbeaten season, 13-game winning streak and national title aspirations came crashing down.

Meanwhile, Northwestern’s backup QB, Dan Persa, was effective in relief of starter Mike Kafka, who left the game with a hamstring injury.

Before leaving in the third quarter with an apparent hand injury, Persa connected on 4 of 8 attempts for 35 yards and a touchdown. He ran 17 times for a team-high 67 yards in leading the Wildcats to their first win over a top-10 team since beating No. 6 Ohio State in 2004.

The Hawkeyes still can win a share of the Big Ten title and make their first trip to the Rose Bowl since the 1990 season if they win next week at Ohio State, then beat Minnesota at home in the regular-season finale.

A pair of interceptions, one each from Stanzi and Vandenberg, and a lost fumble sealed Iowa’s fate against Northwestern.

“It’s hard to win football games against good, competitive teams … if you’re going to turn the ball over,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz told reporters. “If you do that week in, week out, you’re not going to win many football games.”

Early X-rays on Stanzi’s ankle were negative, but he’ll likely be out for a few weeks.

Here’s how some other top teams have fared with their backup quarterback:

Cincinnati: Tony Pike went out with an arm injury against USF on Oct. 15. The Bearcats inserted Zach Collaros, who led wins over Louisville and Syracuse and a big lead against Connecticut.

LSU: Jarrett Lee came off the bench after Jordan Jefferson got hurt Saturday at Alabama, but Lee was unable to lead the Tigers to a win, completing just 4 of 10 passes for 43 yards with an interception and two sacks.

Oregon: Earlier this season, the Ducks turned to Nate Costa to lead a 24-10 win at UCLA. Costa completed 9 of 17 passes for 82 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Arizona: Matt Scott gave way to Nick Foles in a loss at Iowa in September. Since then, the Arizona offense has soared behind Foles and the Wildcats are tied for first place in the Pac-10.

Illinois: The Fighting Illini kept their slim bowl hopes alive Saturday with a 35-32 upset of Minnesota. Jacob Charest threw for 185 yards and a touchdown after Juice Williams left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury.

Alabama: The Crimson Tide’s workmanlike 24-15 victory over LSU clinched the SEC West crown. It also guarantees an Alabama-Florida SEC title game matchup.

Arizona: A 48-7 domination of Washington State coupled with Oregon’s loss at Stanford puts the Wildcats into a tie at the top of the Pac-10.

Baylor: The Bears ended a 13-game Big 12 road losing streak with a 40-32 upset of Missouri. Freshman quarterback Nick Florence threw for a school-record 427 yards and three touchdowns.

Colorado: A thrilling 35-34 win over Texas A&M is proof that the Buffaloes are playing hard for embattled Dan Hawkins.

Illinois: The Fighting Illini have won two in a row, with the win at Minnesota coming on the heels of last week’s victory over Michigan. The 3-6 Fighting Illini’s have games left against Northwestern, Cincinnati and Fresno State.

Georgia Tech: A 30-27 overtime win against Wake Forest reaffirmed the notion that the Yellow Jackets are the ACC’s best team. Should we start considering Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt as a Heisman contender?

Kansas State: The return of Bill Snyder has been a smashing success. The Wildcats’ 17-10 win over Kansas keeps K-State in control of the Big 12 North with games remaining against Missouri and Nebraska.

Miami: The Hurricanes are one game behind of Georgia Tech in the ACC Coastal after outgaining Virginia 515-149 in a 52-17 rout.

Navy: The Middies went 43 years between wins over Notre Dame. Now, Navy has topped the Fighting Irish twice in the past three seasons after Saturday’s 23-21 upset. The Midshipmen hadn’t won two in a row in South Bend since 1961 and ’63.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes’ victory at Penn State means they still can win the Big Ten if they prevail next week at home against Iowa and win in the regular-season finale at Michigan. Think Terrelle Pryor (8 of 17 passing, 125 yards, 2 TDs, 1 rushing TD), enjoyed this victory over the home state school he spurned?

Pittsburgh: The Panthers moved to 8-1—their best start since 1982—with a 37-10 romp past Syracuse. A visit from Notre Dame is next.

Purdue: A 38-36 win was the Boilermakers’ first at Michigan since 1966. If Purdue finishes the season with a home win over Michigan State and a triumph at Indiana, the Boilermakers will be bowl eligible after a 1-5 start.

Stanford: Yes, the defense stinks, but the Cardinal became bowl eligible for the first time since 2001 with a 51-42 shocker over Oregon.

TCU: The latest gem was a 55-12 drubbing of San Diego State. This team is the top non-Big Six squad in the nation.

Temple: The Owls’ 34-32 win vs. Miami (Ohio) on Thursday was their seventh in a row, the school’s longest winning streak since an eight-game march in 1973. Temple, which won seven games total from 2002-05, is on track for its first bowl since 1979.

UCLA: Finally, that five-game losing streak is over with a 24-23 win over Washington. The Bruins need to win two of their last three to get bowl eligible.

Boise State: Do elite teams worthy of BCS bowls struggle to win at Louisiana Tech? The Broncos did in securing an unimpressive 45-35 victory on Friday.

Iowa: Unbeaten season? Gone. Big Ten title hopes? Hanging in the balance after a 17-10 home loss to Northwestern.

Kansas: QB Todd Reesing continued to struggle in a 17-10 loss at Kansas State, committing three turnovers. The Jayhawks have lost four in a row for the first time since 2006.

Maryland: The beatings just keep coming, with a 38-31 loss at North Carolina State being the latest. That’s four defeats in a row and six in seven games for the Terps (2-7).

Michigan: Losing at home to Purdue makes it official—the Wolverines stink. That’s five losses over the past six games for a team that has been outscored 75-12 in the second half of its past three games.

Missouri: A 40-32 home loss to Baylor might be the most embarrassing of the Gary Pinkel era. Mizzou has lost three in a row at home for the first time since 2004.

Notre Dame: Those BCS bowl hopes are history after a 23-21 home loss to Navy. That’s also the second loss in a row at home to Navy for the Fighting Irish.

Oregon: A seven-game winning streak is over after a 51-42 loss at Stanford. Remember how many people felt the Ducks were perhaps the top team in the nation after last week’s 47-20 romp past USC?

Penn State: Penn State has played two quality teams—both at home—and lost both. Ohio State won in State College 24-7 Saturday after Iowa prevailed there earlier this season. Daryll Clark was awful, completing 12 of 28 passes for 125 yards with an interception.

South Carolina: The late-season swoon continued with a 33-16 loss at Arkansas, South Carolina’s third in four games. The Gamecocks are 6-4 after a 5-1 start, with Florida and Clemson left. South Carolina was 7-3 before dropping its last three in 2008, and the Gamecocks lost their last five games in 2007 to finish 6-6.

SEC: Yes, Alabama-LSU was a prime game, but it was “Cupcake Saturday” in the SEC, with four schools playing FCS opponents. During the afternoon, Kentucky whipped Eastern Kentucky 37-12, Auburn blasted Furman 63-31 and Georgia crushed Tennessee Tech 38-0. Saturday night, Ole Miss played Northern Arizona. Come on, play someone.

Wake Forest: Meet this season’s hard-luck team—five of the Deacons’ six losses have been by three or fewer points. The latest heartbreak was a 30-27 overtime loss at Georgia Tech.

Washington: The Huskies have gone from a feel-good story to a Pac-10 bottom-feeder. A 24-23 loss at UCLA was Washington’s fourth in five games, and those bowl hopes are all but gone.

Rich Rodriguez, Michigan: A 4-0 start has devolved into a 5-5 record, and the Wolverines are in peril of missing a bowl for the second year in a row. This on the heels of a school-record nine-loss season. In addition, Michigan—whose only Big Ten win was by three over Indiana—is being investigated by the NCAA regarding its offseason workouts.

Tom Dienhart is the national senior writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dienhart@yahoo-inc.com.

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