Menomonie’s Stanley flourishing at QB for Iowa
MADISON – Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard came hard off the right side of the Iowa formation and, after being knocked off-balance by a lineman, dived at the legs of quarterback Nate Stanley.
Hubbard, 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, got both arms around Stanley’s left leg and tried to wrestle him to the ground.
Stanley, 6-5 and 212, wouldn’t budge. Instead, Stanley fought to maintain his balance and held the ball as long as he could before firing a 2yard touchdown pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson.
That play, in the third quarter of Iowa’s 55-24 dismantling of then-No. 3 Ohio State, told Wisconsin defenders all they needed to know about the sophomore from Menomonie.
“That was a great play,” UW linebacker T.J. Edwards said. “You don’t see that often. Just a big, strong dude. You’ve got to get the whole piece of him, not just a little chunk.”
Edwards and his teammates get their shot at 2:30 p.m. Saturday when UW (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) hosts Iowa (6-3, 3-3).
Stanley completed 20 of 31 attempts (64.5%) for 226 yards and five touchdowns against the Buckeyes. He enters Saturday No. 4 in the Big Ten in pass efficiency with 22 touchdowns, four interceptions and a completion rate of 58.3%.
“They are very aggressive with him because he is making great decisions,” UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “Sometimes the decision is to check it down. Sometimes it is to throw it out of bounds. And other times he goes for the home run. Obviously, his numbers reflect that.
“He will sit in there and take a hit and get right back up. You gain a lot of respect from your teammates when you are able to do that.”
So how did Stanley, who passed for 1,728 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Menomonie, wind up at Iowa rather than UW?
Timing.
Then UW-coach Gary Andersen preferred dual-threat quarterbacks. He brought in D.J. Gillins in 2014 and Austin Kafentzis the next season.
Meanwhile, then-Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst was trying to lure Stanley to come play for the Panthers.
Chryst continued to recruit Stanley after he replaced Andersen at UW but it was too late. Stanley had committed to play for Iowa and did not waffle.
“I remember him coming to camp,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said, “and we really liked him.”
Stanley played sparingly in seven games as a freshman and completed 5 of 9 passes for 62 yards.
He has been the starter from Game 1 this season.
“I think he has done a nice job of continuing to grow and develop,” Chryst said. “I remember watching when he played some last year. He is certainly talented and in a really good offense. I think they do a really good job of using all their personnel.
“It looks to me like he is playing with confidence. He is tough. I think he is a really good quarterback.”
Stanley has completed touchdown passes to seven receivers – three wide receivers, two tight ends, a tailback and a fullback.
He has been solid in the fourth quarter and overtime of games by hitting 33 of 56 attempts (58.9%) for 472 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception.
While Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett had more interceptions (four) than touchdown passes (three) and appeared confused last week, Stanley dissected the Buckeyes’ defense.
He had touchdown passes of 10 and 2 yards to Hockenson, 25 and 3 yards to tight end Noah Fant and 2 yards to fullback Drake Kulick.
“The biggest thing I’ve said all along is I’ve been most impressed with how he’s handled the bumps,” Ferentz said. “When things go wrong, it doesn't seem to rock his world. I’m sure it does internally, but he doesn't show that. And then most importantly, he comes back and plays on the next play.”
Iowa has allowed just 12 sacks in nine games but UW defenders have talked all week about the need to pressure Stanley early and make him feel uncomfortable.
“The key is to get pressure early so that later in the game he is thinking about that pressure,” outside linebacker Garret Dooley said. “Hopefully, he will make some bad decisions.”
Such miscues have been few this season.
“From what I’ve seen, he has done a great job playing with poise,” UW offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph said. “And he is smart. And he plays his tail off. He plays hard.
“That is what you loved about him. He had a great demeanor and skill set. We’re not surprised he is doing well.”