Hawkeye Report Podcast

It was night one of Big Ten Basketball play for Ben McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes and the first road game was not a successful outing as they lost at Michigan State 71-52. On this edition of the podcast, Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo discuss the defeat at the hands of the Spartans. What went wrong for the Hawkeyes and will those issues be a problem longer term this season? We look at the upcoming games for the Iowa men's team as they host Maryland on Saturday and then travel to Ames next week. What would be a realistic outcome for both games and we discuss why it is very important for Iowa to get a win on Saturday over the Terps. Then we move over to Iowa football because it's signing day on Wednesday. We breakdown the class of 18 players and discuss nearly all of them on the podcast. We talk about seven four star prospects and who stands out from that group. We also discuss the new trend with high school players, early enrollment into college and how 11 of these future Hawkeyes will be on campus startng in l

It's another edition of the Chuck Long Podcast with the former Iowa All American quarterback breaking down the Hawkeyes latest game. This week it's another win, in fact a rivalry win over Nebraska.  We get Long's views on the play of the Iowa offense an how they were dominating the line of scrimmage and were able to run the ball for over 200 yards and pass it effectively for nearly 170 yards in the game. We discuss the plays that were called by Iowa OC Tim Lester and how they were executed by Hawkeye quarterback Mark Gronowski. What did we think of some of Gronowski's throws to the Iowa tight end DJ Vonnahme and wide receiver Reece Vander Zee. We also discuss the Iowa defense and how they also won the line of scrimmage and made the Cornhuskers one dimensional in the game. How did Iowa improve agains the run in the second half and the younger players who stepped up due to injury.  Then we are going to discuss the next couple of week as Iowa prepares for their bowl game. Does a coach work a lot with their young

It's another post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. This time it's another pod following a win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Iowa blew open a close by by outscoring the Cornhuskers 30-3 on their way to a convincing 40-16 victory.  Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo dive into the win and the plays that were key in the game. We also discuss the incredible day for Aaron Graves, who became a father for the first time on Thansgiving Day and then rushed to Lincoln to play a football game.  We discuss the strong performance from Mark Gronowski at quarterback and his key plays to DJ Vonnahme for a score and the amazing throw and catch to Reece Vander Zee. Then we dive into a look at this season and where the Hawkeyes might be bowling. Could a trip to Tampa be on the agenda? Finally we wrap up talking some Iowa men's basketball after their 2-0 trip to Palm Springs and what we learned about the Hawkeye team.   

The Hawkeyes rallied in the fourth quarter from a double digit deficit to pick up their seventh win of the season. This week on the Chuck Long Podcast, we dive into what happened on Saturday in the Hawkeyes 20-17 victory over Michigan State. We talk about how Mark Gronowski and how much he struggled in the first three quarters of the game and how he picked it up and made huge plays in the fourth quarter.  Long talks about what he would have done with Gronowski when he was struggling. Would he have potentially made a quarterback change? What did he think of the way Gronowski rallied and played in the fourth quarter? What was his analysis of the massive throws to Jacob Gill and Reece Vander Zee? We also discuss the crazy decision by the Michigan State head coach who said he wanted to challege Iowa return man Kaden Wetjen and how he paid for that decision. We then talk about hte Iowa defense and how they were able to get four straight three and outs in the fourth quarter.  Finally we look ahead to the Nebraska g

It's another post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast combined with Off the Air with Matt Randazzo as we break down the latest Iowa football game from all the angles.  First we open discussing the Hawkeyes come from behind victory. How did Iowa rally from down by ten points early in the fourth quarter to raly and win by three points over Michigan State. What did we think of the incredible performance by Kaden Wetjen? How does he continue to make huge plays in the return game? Why do opposing teams continue to kick to Wetjen? Then we talk about the early struggles from Mark Gronowski that were the main part of the Hawkeyes offense for the first three quarters. What happened in the fourth quarter as the Hawkeyes rallied to win? What about the huge throws that he made to Jacob Gill and Reece Vander Zee? Finally we talk about the Iowa defense with four huge stops on the last four possessions from Michigan State. We also wrap up talking a little Iowa women's basketball after they beat Miami (FL) in Orlando

It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast! To open the show we are joined by cross country and track and field athlete Will Ryan, who this week was named one of two Iowa student athletes named as winners of the Jackie Robinson Community Impact Award. The honor was created by the Big Ten to recognize student-athletes who strive to have a positive impact within their community along with excellence in competition.  Ryan talks about his time as a teen at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and the impact that Iowa athletes visiting him had on his life and how he has done that since arriving at Iowa as an athlete. He also discusses his Hawks Supporting Hawks wrist bands that athletes and others are wearing to support kids in the Children's Hospital. Along with that, Ryan is raising money for the Iowa Dance Marathon.  To learn more about Hawks Supporting Hawks, click here. To support Will Ryan at the Dance Marathon click here.   After that, we dive into the rest of the Iowa sports news. Kyle Hues

It's another edition of the Chuck Long Podcast! Tom Kakert and Chuck Long take their weekly look back at the Iowa football team and what happened on Saturday. This time it's a look back at the fourth game this season that got away from the Hawkeyes, the loss at USC on Saturday afternoon in rainy Los Angeles.  We open discussing the 26-21 loss to the Trojans. Long really loved the way that the Hawkeyes started the game, basically for the entire first half with Tim Lester clicking on just about every play he called. Long discusses what he saw from the Iowa offense and how he wished that they would have stuck more with the run game in the second half. We weigh the idea that perhaps they were a bit too conservative in the second half? Also we look at the other side of the ball. The pair of USC wide receivers really impressed Long with what they were able to do. What did we think of the pass coverage? Was it simply a couple of great receivers making plays? How much of a factor was the weather in this game and when

It's another post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. We have a lot of ground to cover and Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo do just that following Iowa's tough 26-21 loss at the hands of USC at rainy Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.  We start with what went right for Iowa and that was just about everything in the first half. We discuss the trick play that resulted in quarterback Mark Gronowski catching a touchdown pass from Reece Vander Zee. We also talk about the fast start for the Hawkeyes overall, scoring on their first drive and using the pass to do most of the damage. Then we flip to what went wrong and there was some of that too, but a lot of it was simply the USC receivers going out and making huge plays. We discuss Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane and the impact that they had on the game and how Iowa's defensive backs would play good in coverage and still come up short.  Finally we talk about fan frustration that we are seeing on social media and how this Iowa team is so close to b

It's peak crossover season for college athletics and the rest of this week and into the weekend is certainly the case for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesman break it all down from football, to both basketball programs and recruiting, to field hockey, women's soccer, and both wrestling programs.  First we open the show with a look back at the Iowa game against Oregon. What are our final thoughts on that dramatic game and is this going to be a Hawkeye Football season that will be remember by three plays that kept Iowa from being undefeated?  Then we move over to this weekend and discuss the match-up with USC on the west coast. Iowa has not had a great deal of success out there in road games and we talk about that along with what looks like another heavy rain game for the Hawkeyes to navigate on Saturday. We also dive into what we see from the Trojans this season. They have a very talented quarterback and two very good receivers on offense to go with a solid defensive unit.  After that we switch over

This week on the Chuck Long we have plenty to discuss with the former All American Hawkeye quarterback. This week we begin with the heartbreaking loss on Saturday to Oregon.  We review everything involved in the game, starting with spotty special teams play, including giving up two points on a bad snap by the Iowa long snapper. Has that been a problem area all season? Then we move on to Iowa's struggles on defense against the run. What happened up front for the Hawkeyes? After that we talk about the two huge drives that ended the game. First, we discuss the impressive 93 yard drive led by Mark Gronowski. What did Long see on that drive from the Iowa quarterback? Then we get his views on that drive by Oregon QB Dante Moore, inlcuding that incredible throw that essentially won the game.  We discuss the importance of leadership this week in bouncing back from a tough loss to the Ducks and we start our preview of USC. What do we know about the Trojans so far this year and what type of offense does Lincoln Riley r

It's our combined post game podcast with Matt Randazzo from the Off the Air Show. This time we are breaking down the Hawkeye gut punch loss on Saturday to Oregon. We start with where it ended, the drive by the Ducks to get into the red zone and kick a game winning. How Iowa almost got a stop and then one big passing play changed everything.  We then work backwards to the outstanding 93 yard drive that Mark Gronowski guided down the field for a score to give the Hawkeyes the lead for the first time in the game. What went right in that drive and the big plays that Iowa and Gronowski made in it. How the Iowa quarterback has been pretty clutch in recent weeks.  We talk about the concerns that came out of this game, including a regression in tackling by the Iowa defense after it had been improved in the last three weeks. Also we talks about hte special teams issues in this game that proved costly, specificially a pair of wayward snaps,  Finally, we wrap up discussing what's next. Can Iowa get off the deck? How wil

It's a three man weave on the Hawkeye Report Podcast this week. Tom Kakert, Matt Randazzo, and Kyle Huesmann come together this week to talk about Iowa women's hoops, Hawkeye men's basketball, and we preview the huge football game this weekend between Oregon and Iowa.  First, we talk about the start of the college basketball season and begin with the Iowa women's hoops team. They were dominating in their performance, pulling away for comfortable win. Kyle Huesmann guides us through our discussion of the season opening win and what he saw from Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden on the court as they led the way for the Hawkeyes. Also, could there be a change in the starting lineup needed in the near future? Then we are off to talk about the beginning of the Ben McCollum era of Iowa men's basketball. It was a strong performance from the Hawkeyes, scoring 101 points in the win over Robert Morris. We talk about the strong start from the Iowa team and how they established their defense. What did we think of the rest of

While the Iowa football team is on a bye this weekend, that doesn't mean that the folks at Hawkeye Report are taking time off. In fact, we have a lot going on with a busy week of Iowa sports to discuss on the podcast.  We open this week with Kyle Huesmann breaking down the Iowa women's basketball team and their exhibtion game on Thursday evening. Who were the surprise players from the game and who made the biggest impact on the contest? Did this impact how we view the Hawkeyes heading into the season and what might the fearless forecast look like this year? Then we move on to the Iowa men's basketball team. They start play on Tuesday and we have not yet had the chance to see them play after having a pair of secret scrimmages. What did we hear from those scrimmages and what might be an area of concern coming out of them? We look at some amazing Ben McCollum stats and give our fearless forecast for the upcoming season.  We move on to Iowa football where a rather honest quote from Iowa defensive coordinator Phil

The Hawkeyes dominated the Golden Gophers on Saturday afternoon and we are breaking it all down on the Chuck Long Podcast. We get the views of Chuck Long on the performance by Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski. What does he say about how you need to view the Hawkeye signal caller in terms of his total yards? We also discuss how this game was basically decided in the first quarter and certainly early in the second quarter after Iowa has scored on a punt return, interception return, and scores on offense. We discuss the remarkable achievement of Iowa returning an interception for a score in 18 straight seasons. We also talk about the comparision of Kaden Wetjen and Tim Dwight as far as punt returners.  Lastly, we talk about how just about every year we see the Iowa defense really take steps to improve during the season and how they have done that in a rather dramatic way in the last few weeks, particularly when it comes to tackling.  Then we look ahead to the bye week and get Long's thoughts on the way that Iowa

It's the post game podcast with Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo. We breakdown the Hawkeyes dominating win over the Golden Gophers, which was a victory from beginning to end.  Iowa dominated Minnesota from the start of the game, scoring on a the first drive of the game and building a 31-0 lead at the halftime break. We discuss the Hawkeyes scoring in just about every way possible. They scored on a traditional touchdown on offense, a pick six (for the 18th straight year) and also a punt return by Kaden Wetjen.  We breakdown all those key plays that helped builid that lead. Also we are talking about Mark Gronowski and his performance. All he does is win and keep Iowa moving in the right direction. Then we discuss the Iowa defense and their improved play, particularly when it comes to tackling and creating turnovers in the last couple of weeks.  Then we look ahead to the rest of hte season. There are four games left in the regular season and plenty to play for this year for the Hawkeyes. Why do Ferentz teams get bet

It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast as Tom Kakert and Tanner Lafever are joined by Mark Bader from FloWrestling to discuss his outstanding documentary on Iowa women's wrestling and their first year of competition. By the way, Bader and FloWrestling got the finish that they hoped for as Iowa won the national championship.  We discuss how this project came together heading into their first season of team competition and how he had to convince Iowa women's wrestling head coach Clarissa Chun that she should allow them into the wrestling room to chronicle that season.  Bader discusses what the challenges were for the project and who some of the stars of the documentary were from a wrestling perspective and how he was able to tell their stories. He also talked about how he had a breakthrough moment with Coach Chun and what that fairytale ending came together perfectly for the project.  You can watch the three part documentary for FREE at this link: https://www.flowrestling.org/collections/14591286

It's getting to that very busy time of the year for Iowa athletics and the Hawkeye Report Podcast has you covered on all the fronts. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann are on the podcast to review what we have learned this week and preview a busy weekend ahead.  We open with a quick look back at the win over Penn State and some last notes on what we learned from that game. Then we move on to this week and what we have learned in our press conference with Kirk Ferentz and talking to the Iowa players. What will happen this week at middle linebacker for the Hawkeyes? Who will Iowa be getting back from injury this week and how do they fit into the plans? Then we preview the game this weekend against Minnesota. While PJ Fleck is the anti-Ferentz in terms of his personality, he's built a program that mirrors Iowa in a lot of ways as far as how they go about winning football games. We discuss the Gophers and what we have learned about them heading into the game and how they match-up with the Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon

This week on the Chuck Long Podcast, we open discussing the fact that it was 40 yards ago this past weekend that Iowa and Michigan matched up in a #1 vs. #2 game at Kinnick Stadium. We get Chuck's memories of that historic game.  We take a long look back at the Hawkeyes win over Penn State. We start with the performance by Mark Gronowski, who had runs of 67 and 38 yards in the game against the Nittany Lions. What did Long think of his performance as he ran for 130 yard in the contest.  We get Long's thoughts on the overall play of the Hawkeye rushing attack. How underrated is Kamari Moulton as a running back? How well is the Iowa offensive line playing right now? On the other side, what can be done to get the Iowa passing attack moving? Also we talk about the Iowa defense, which continues to get better with each passing game. This was potentially the best game of the career of Xavier Nwankpa. We look at his performance and the fact that Iowa is really using the blitz more this season and it's been very effect

It's the post game Hawkeye Report/Off the Air combo podcast with Matt Randazzo and Tom Kakert. We have a whole lot of ground to cover following the Hawkeyes come from behind victory over Penn State on Saturday evening.  It was a wild rollercoaster ride for the Hawkeyes, who fell behind by more than ten points in the second half of the game before rallying to win by one point at Kinnick Stadium. We discuss the early mistake by the Hawkeye offense and how the Nittany Lions cashed in. How Iowa rebounded more than once on Saturday evening? We talk about the play of Mark Gronowski. Was this the Mark Gronowski game? How did he win this game with his legs? What were our thoughts on Kirk Ferentz going for two points earlier in the game? What do we think of the response to post game question about a 66 yard field goal that was blocked and returned for a score?  We also take a quick look ahead to next week when the Hawkeyes and the Gophers renew their rivalry for Floyd of Rosedale. 

It's been a very busy week for those of us who cover Iowa athletics. That means it's a great time to fire up the Hawkeye Report Podcast to discuss everything we have learned and preview upcoming events.  Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann open the show talking hoops. We have had back to back media days for the Iowa women's basketball team and then the men's team on Wednesday. We open with the Iowa women and dive into a deep discussion on the 21st ranked Hawkeyes and the potential starting lineup, the potential concerns involving shooting, what we think are the keys for this team and most of them involve Hannah Stuelke, and a whole lot more.  Then we move over to the Iowa men's team, who had their media day on Wednesday. We discuss what we learned at media day this week and thoughts on the overall roster. We look at how good point guard Bennett Stritz is at controlling the game and why Iowa fans shouldn't be concerned with the rumored results from the secret scrimmage last weekend in St. Louis. Really interesting co