DALLAS (FWAA) Sophomore quarterback Nate Stanley threw for five touchdowns, and the Iowa Hawkeyes intercepted four passes in a 55-24 rout of No. 3 Ohio State. For rolling up all-time high marks for points and margin of victory in a 65-game series that dates back to 1922, the Hawkeyes (6-3) earned the Football Writers Association of America National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 4.
The announcement came on "Off Campus with Mark Packer" on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM. Each Monday during the season, the FWAA National Team of the Week will be unveiled during the program, which airs weekdays from 4-7 p.m. ET.
Iowa had 487 yards of total offense, split with 244 through the air and 243 on the ground. Stanley completed 20-of-31 attempts for 226 yards and the five touchdowns, four of which went to tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, who combined for nine catches and 125 yards. Tied at 17-17 in the second quarter, Iowa reeled off 31 unanswered points over the next 30 minutes to run away with the win. Iowa's previous high score in the series was 35 points in 1995.
The Iowa defense held Ohio State to 22 points and 200 yards below their season averages. Iowa gave up 241 yards in the game's first 20 minutes, but only 131 the rest of the way. Cornerback Josh Jackson had three of Iowa's four interceptions to go with three solo tackles.
"We did a good job in the basic areas that you have to do to win. Turnover- takeaway margin was good obviously," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. "I thought we blocked for the first time like you need to if you're going to be on the varsity, and then defensively it was a rocky beginning for us against a really explosive team, but we settled down and finished that off. Those things were all really positive, and I think the biggest factors in the game and the biggest thing is our guys finished the fight."
This is Iowa's third time to win the FWAA award and first since 2010.
The other National Team of the Week nominee for the weekend of Nov. 4 was:
Michigan State (7-2): Redshirt freshman kicker Matt Coghlin hit a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 24 Michigan State a 27-24 win over No. 7 Penn State in a game delayed three-and-a-half hours due to severe weather. Brian Lewerke threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns for MSU, which was aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Penn State that helped set up with winning kick.
UAB (6-3): A.J. Erdely threw three touchdowns passes, Spencer Brown ran for three scores, and UAB became bowl-eligible in its first season back from a two-year hiatus with a 52-21 win over Rice. Brown, the nation's second-leading rusher among freshmen, became the school's sixth freshman to top 1,000 yards rushing and now has 1,049 on the season.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. Members of the 12-person FWAA All-America Committee – plus one fan vote from Twitter – decide the weekly honor.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.