On one of the lousiest September slates on the 2010 calendar, there is only one matchup between ranked teams. Fans had a preview of Saturday night’s Iowa-Arizona game a year ago when the host Hawkeyes beat Arizona 27-17.
But this is a different Arizona team. It’s ranked 24th thanks primarily to one man, quarterback Nick Foles, who replaced frustrated starter Matt Scott in the fourth quarter of the Iowa loss a year ago and has started ever since.
“We were young last year,” Foles told reporters this week. “I think we’ve grown together as a team, and that’s going to be the key in this game.
Foles is an NFL prospect, having completed 83 percent of his passes through two games. But Toledo and The Citadel aren’t in the ninth-ranked Hawkeyes’ class. Iowa lost two linebackers from last year, but the front line, led by defensive end Adrian Clayborn, is one of the best in the country.
Arizona, a 1 1/2-point favorite, has a terrific three-pronged attack with Foles throwing to Juron Criner, who already has 236 yards on 12 catches through two games.
“Last year we were more concerned with the run from the quarterback position,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Foles is not looking to run. He’s looking to throw the football.”
Arizona tailback Nic Grigsby, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2008, is healthy again after fighting through a sore shoulder last year. His Iowa counterpart, Adam Robinson, is off to a great start, gaining 109 yards and three TDs against Eastern Illinois and 156 yards against Iowa State.
Who makes the Hawkeyes’ offense go, though, is quarterback Ricky Stanzi. He’s 20-4 as a starter.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
Matchups
Hawaii (1-1) at Colorado (1-1)
1:30 p.m., Folsom Field, Boulder, Fox College Sports-Central
Among Big 12 teams, Colorado ranks at or near the bottom in every major offensive category. Hawaii moved the ball in an opening-game loss to Southern Cal — for 588 yards of total offense! CU, meanwhile, managed a lone, insignificant TD in a 52-7 loss at California. Where is this high-powered Buffs’ offense that everybody talked about during August camp? “It’s time for us to buckle up,” said CU senior wideout Travon Patterson, left. “We thought we were too good, better than we are. (The loss to Cal) brought us back two notches. . . . It’s going to happen for us. We’ll be good.” Buffs Nation will be watching.
Air Force (2-0) at No. 7 Oklahoma (2-0)
1:30 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Norman, Okla., FSN
Falcons senior fullback Nathan Walker, left, has been waiting in the wings for the better part of the past three seasons. Going into the season, he had played in 13 games and complied 218 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries. This season, he has 33 yards on eight carries. He may come out of the wings Saturday if Jared Tew can’t play because of a hand injury. Air Force’s defensive line, which averages 6-feet-3 and 261 pounds, will give up 2 inches and 40 pounds to the Oklahoma offensive front, which averages 6-5 and 301.
Colorado State (0-2) at Miami, Ohio (1-1)
1:35 p.m. Yager Stadium, Oxford, Ohio
Miami is looking for its first over-.500 record since mid-2007. CSU is looking for its first touchdown of the season. Both schools had better teams in 2003 when Ben Roethlisberger-led Miami overwhelmed CSU 41-21. Miami hasn’t been very competitive since the Roethlisberger team. CSU desperately needs to shut the books on the 11-game losing streak if the Rams are to draw any kind of crowd for the Hughes Stadium opener next week against Idaho. Watch for CSU receiver Tyson Liggett, left, who had seven catches last week, to be a target against a suspect pass defense.
Idaho State (1-1) at Northern Colo. (1-1)
1:30 p.m., Nottingham Field, Greeley, ALT
The Bengals have a bit of a QB controversy going with freshman Kyle Morris getting the start last week over four-year senior starter Russel Hill, left. However, Hill played the second half against Utah State and engineered two fourth-quarter TD drives in the 38-17 loss. Coach John Zamberlin has not announced this week’s starter. Hill, who was slowed in August camp with a sprained knee, is playing the Bears for the fourth time and has had a roller-coaster showing. In ISU’s 2007 win, he was 20-of-29 for 267 yards and three TDs; but in ’08 he threw four interceptions on 23-of-42 passing.
Adams State (1-1) at CSU-Pueblo (2-0)
6 p.m. DeRose ThunderBowl, Pueblo
The Grizzlies and ThunderWolves rank in the top half of the RMAC in every offensive and defensive category. Grizzly sophomore Scott Kellogg, left, is leading the RMAC by a wide margin in punt-return average (19.0). He was tied for eighth in last week’s national statistics in that category. Both teams had a bye last week, which helped give Adams time to recover and get healthy from the 54-0 loss to UNC two weeks ago. ThunderWolves sophomore QB Ross Dausin was 16-for-21 with 304 yards, 5 yards shy of a school record, and three TDs in the 55-13 win against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
Players to watch
Owen Marecic, FB/LB, Stanford
The two-way starter is hard to miss, playing almost the entire game, as he will against Wake Forest. He had two tackles and broke up a pass last week against UCLA. He also scored on a 1-yard run and was the lead blocker most of the night on offense. 9:15 p.m., ESPN2
Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan
The Wolverines are 2-0 thanks to Robinson confusing defenders by faking handoffs and overwhelming them with his speed. Heading into the UMass game, he has 455 yards rushing and 430 passing in his first two games. 10 a.m., Big Ten Network
Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas State
Thomas is averaging 185.5 yards rushing per game, good for third in the country. He’s going against Iowa State, which allowed 275 yards on the ground to Iowa last week. 10 a.m., FSN
Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
Last season against Georgia, Mallett threw for 408 yards and five TDs — both school records — in a wild 52-41 loss. 10 a.m., ESPN
