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Iowa Prevails After Michigan’s Final Drive Comes Up Three Yards Short

Sports

November 6th, 2011 by Jim Field

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Michigan’s Denard Robinson had four shots at the potential game-tying touchdown with 16 seconds left and three yards to go.  Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.  Iowa’s struggling defense stopped the electrifying quarterback each time, and the Wolverines (No. 15 BCS, No. 13 AP) were stuck with a 24-16 loss to Iowa on Saturday that damaged their Big Ten title game hopes.  Marcus Coker ran for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while James Vandenberg added 171 yards passing and a TD for the Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten), who have won three straight over Michigan for the first time in school history.  Michigan (7-2, 3-2) drove 79 yards to Iowa’s 3-yard line on its final drive. But Robinson missed on four straight throws, with Iowa’s B.J. Lowery breaking up Robinson’s final toss to seal the win.  “They showed a lot of heart,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It’s almost better that we ended the game that way because that’s a tough circumstance, certainly, and you’re kind of rolling the dice a little bit because (Robinson) is a dangerous thrower but also he can squirt out of there and run that ball in there.”  Iowa’s defense bent on the final drive — in fact, it nearly broke.  But a couple of calls went the Hawkeyes’ way, and a defense that couldn’t stop Minnesota in the fourth quarter in an upset loss last week did the rest.  Vincent Smith appeared to pull the Wolverines within 24-22 on an 82-yard TD run after bouncing off Iowa’s James Morris and going untouched for the score with just over two minutes left.  Replay officials, however, ruled Morris’ elbow had touched the ground. Robinson shook it off and calmly drove the Wolverines down the field.  Then, in the final sequence, Junior Hemingway’s apparent TD grab was ruled out of bounds, and Smith dropped one in the end zone on the next play.  Robinson couldn’t connect with Roy Roundtree on fourth down, sending the jubilant Hawkeyes streaming onto the field.  Robinson finished 17-of-37 passing for 194 yards and two TD passes.  “We can’t leave the game to the officials. We’ve got to do it ourselves,” Robinson said.  Coker’s second touchdown, a 13-yard run with 10:42 left, put Iowa ahead 24-9. Robinson wasted little time answering, finding Kevin Koger for a 7-yard touchdown pass that pulled Michigan within 24-16 with 7:53 to go.  Iowa, which was gashed for a pair of fourth-quarter TDs in last week’s 22-21 loss at Minnesota, stalled on their last two drives and gave Robinson one more shot to win it.  But he didn’t, and now Michigan sits a game back of Michigan State in the division race — with the Spartans holding a tiebreaker edge thanks to a 28-14 win over the Wolverines on Oct. 15.  “It’s still November. We’ve got a lot of games left,” Michigan coach Brady Hoke said. “There’s a lot of football to be played. There’s a lot of things at stake.”  Robinson led the Wolverines to a field goal on their first possession of the second half, cutting Iowa’s lead to 17-9 with 6:19 left in third quarter. But he dinged his elbow and was replaced for a series by Devin Gardner.  Robinson found himself and the Wolverines in a big hole when he got back.  The Hawkeyes took 5:27 off the clock, and Coker burst through a huge hole and went into the end zone untouched to put the Hawkeyes ahead by 15.  The upset was a huge win for Iowa after its debacle in Minnesota — a game that ranked among the worst in Ferentz’s 13-year tenure.  The Hawkeyes came out like they’d had enough of hearing about that stinker, driving 76 yards on just six plays and going ahead 7-0 on Coker’s 4-yard TD run less than five minutes in.  Michigan answered on Robinson’s 5-yard TD pass to Toussaint late in the first quarter. But holder Drew Delio bobbled the snap on the kick, allowing Iowa to stay ahead 7-6.  Iowa made it 14-6 on Vandenberg’s 1-yard TD pass to Brad Herman midway through the second — and pushed it to 17-6 at halftime behind a pair of Robinson blunders.  Robinson’s fumble led to a 42-yard field goal by Mike Meyer, and he finished the half by getting picked off by Christian Kirksey on a deflected ball at the Iowa goal line just before the break.  Michigan had gained over 500 yards of offense in three of its last four games, but Iowa held the Wolverines to 323 yards.  “The guys really had to play good team defense, something we’ve struggled with at times. We have not been the most sound at times, and given up some big plays, so it’s good to see our guys make them earn it and great to come up with stops clearly at the end,” Ferentz said.

Iowa State Turns Back Kansas with Zach Guyer’s Late Field Goal

Sports

November 6th, 2011 by Jim Field

AMES, Iowa — Zach Guyer kicked a 42-yard field goal with 4:30 left to give Iowa State the lead, and backup running back Jeff Woody helped the Cyclones run out the clock in a 13-10 victory over Kansas on Saturday.  Iowa State looked nothing like the team that rolled over Texas Tech 41-7 a week before and struggled to finish drives against the Big 12’s worst defense.   But freshman quarterback Jared Barnett finally got the Cyclones (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) close enough for Guyer to kick his game-winner, leading a march from his own 13 to the Kansas 24. With the wind at his back, Guyer’s kick sailed through the uprights, his second field goal of the day.  Kansas (2-7, 0-5) showed some spark after managing only 46 yards in a 43-0 loss to Texas, but missed two field goals and lost a fumble deep in Iowa State territory in suffering its seventh straight loss. The Jayhawks haven’t won a conference game since beating Colorado, which no longer is in the Big 12, on Nov. 6, 2010.  Barnett, now 2-0 as a starter, ran for 125 yards on 22 carries and threw for another 175 yards, completing 16 of 30 passes with one interception.  He started the winning drive with a 17-yard completion to Aaron Horne, then sprinted 11 yards for another first down. Barnett later hit Albert Gary for gains of 11 and 6 yards before the drive stalled and coach Paul Rhoads called on Guyer, whose 32-yarder had given Iowa State an early 3-0 lead.  Iowa State’s Stephen Ruempolhamer sacked Jordan Webb three plays later to force a punt, and the Cyclones, taking over with 2:37 left, kept the ball the rest of the way as Woody ripped off runs of 6, 8, 6 and 25 yards.  The Cyclones finished with 426 yards of total offense against a team that had been allowing an average of 559 a game in league play. Iowa State now is within one win of bowl eligibility, but the Cyclones have a tough road the rest of the way, finishing against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.  Both teams wasted good scoring opportunities, and that was especially costly for Kansas.  After taking a 7-3 lead when D.J. Beshears scored on a 22-yard reverse late in the first quarter, Kansas drove to the Iowa State 32, 19, 23 and 2 on consecutive possessions and came away with only three points.  Alex Mueller had a 49-yard field goal attempt blocked by A.J. Klein, then was wide right on a 36-yard attempt, and James Sims lost a fumble before Ron Doherty kicked a 19-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 in the third quarter. The Cyclones stiffened on that drive after Kansas had first-and-goal at the 4.  Iowa State had taken a 10-7 lead on wide receiver Aaron Horne’s 18-yard touchdown run on a reverse. Horne came around from the right side, turned the corner, squirted through a group of tacklers at the 10 and raced to the end zone to finish an 11-play, 80-yard drive.  The Cyclones seemed on the verge of taking a 17-10 lead early in the fourth quarter when Barnett and Woody missed a connection on a handoff on second-and-1 at the KU 9. The ball came loose, and Patrick Dorsey recovered for the Jayhawks. Punter Kirby Van Der Kamp had kept that drive going with a 17-yard run on a fake.  After the fumble, Iowa State forced the Jayhawks to go three-and-out on their next two possessions — the first time that had happened all day — and Barnett directed the drive to Guyer’s go-ahead field goal.  Kansas showed an effective running game after being held to minus-2 yards on the ground by Texas. The Jayhawks rushed for 174 yards, but had only 4 yards on the ground and 15 total yards in the fourth quarter.  Webb finished 13 for 21 for 127 yards and no interceptions.

Cashmore Leads Drake Past Jacksonville

Sports

November 6th, 2011 by Jim Field

DES MOINES, Iowa — Pat Cashmore rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns, including a 4-yarder with 21 seconds remaining, to lead Drake to a 31-24 victory against Jacksonville on Saturday.  Mike Piatkowski threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs (8-2, 6-1 Pioneer League), who ended Jacksonville’s 16-game conference winning streak.  Josh McGregor had 249 yards and three TDs passing for the Dolphins (6-3, 5-1), but he was intercepted four times.  Turnovers set up Drake’s tying and go-ahead TDs in the fourth quarter.  After the fourth interception of McGregor, Drake took possession at its own 42 and marched nine plays in 3:12 to Cashmore’s winning score.  Jacksonville took a 24-17 fourth-quarter lead on McGregor’s 48-yard TD pass to Josh Philpart. The Bulldogs punted on their ensuing possession, but the Dolphins’ Jean Bertrand fumbled on the return, and Jacob Dines recovered for Drake near midfield.  Given new life, the Bulldogs drove to Piatkowski’s game-tying, 8-yard touchdown pass to Joey Orlando.

Late Score Gives UNI a Win Over Youngstown State

Sports

November 6th, 2011 by Jim Field

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — David Johnson scored on a 1-yard run with 1:59 to play to give Northern Iowa a 21-17 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday.  Johnson carried the ball eight times on the winning drive, and caught a 32-yard pass from Jared Lanpher.   A pass-interference penalty also helped Northern Iowa.  Lanpher connected twice with Terrell Sinkfield for touchdowns for the Panthers (7-2, 6-1), who kept their hopes alive for a Missouri Valley title.  Kurt Hess threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Will Shaw early in the fourth quarter to put the Penguins (5-4, 3-3) ahead 17-14. Jamaine Cook ran for 90 yards and a touchdown for Youngstown State.

Chase and search ends in 2 arrests

News

November 6th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Two suspects who led authorities on a chase and manhunt this morning in Pottawattamie County are in custody. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says the chase began with a gas drive-off in Mills County. The vehicle, a pickup truck, was reported stolen out of North Carolina, according to Danker. It crashed into a field near 272nd and Juniper. The male and female suspects ran from the vehicle and were apprehended by troopers with the Iowa State Patrol, and after the couple was found hiding in a ravine, at 10:17-a.m. They were arrested without incident. These may be the same people who robbed a convenience store in Harlan last week. Sheriff’s deputies, k-9 units and the Iowa State Patrol were all involved in the search.

CAM School Board to hold work session Monday

News

November 6th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The CAM Community School District’s Board of Education will hold a work session Monday, at the high school, in Anita. On the agenda for the 7:30-p.m. session, is long-term planning for the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL), School Infrastructure Local Option (SILO) tax, and Public Eduction and Recreation Levy (PERL), or “Playground Levy,”which is used to establish and maintain public recreation places and playgrounds in the public school buildings and grounds of the district.

The Board will also discuss a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Resolution, and a contract.

Sentencing set to take place Mon. for woman charged in fatal SW IA crash

News

November 6th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A 19-year old will be sentenced Monday afternoon in connection with a November 2010 crash that claimed the lives of two Cumberland boys and severely injured their mother. Karli Jo Brown, of Essex, pled guilty in September, 2011, to motor vehicle homicide/reckless driving in the crash that killed 5-year old Maliki and 4-year old Alex Todd. The boys died at the scene of the crash, while their mother Nina McNeese, and Brown, were injured and flown to an Omaha hospital.

The accident happened at around 5:40-p.m. November 28th, 2010, on Highway 48, as Brown passed two vehicles on a hill, and hit McNeese’ vehicle head-on. Court documents said Brown was driving 74 mph in a 55 mph zone and texting her boyfriend on a cell phone at the time of the crash.

Brown faces up to 10 years in prison on each of two counts of motor vehicle homicide when she appears in court at 1:30-p.m. Monday. In return for her guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a charge of causing serious injury by motor vehicle.

Another convenience store robbed in Council Bluffs

News

November 6th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating yet another convenience store robbery. Officials say at around 9:30-p.m., Saturday, a clerk at the Kwik Shop located at 1602 Avenue G, reported an unknown male subject walked up to the counter, pointed a handgun and demanded money from the cash register. He grabbed about $60 before running out of the store.

The suspect was described as being white, about 20-to 30-years old, 5-feet 11-inches tall, and weighing about 175-to 190-pounds. He wore a dark ball cap, dark coat and dark pants. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-326-4765.

Three other convenience store robberies remain under investigation in Council Bluffs. Those events occurred September 30th at a Kwik Shop, October 30th at a Kum and Go, and November 3rd at a Kum-and-Go, all in Council Bluffs.

Adams County accident shuts down Hwy 34 for about an hour

News

November 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports Highway 34 was closed for nearly an hour this (Saturday) afternoon, due to an accident in Adams County. Details about the crash are currently not available, but officials said both lanes of travel on Highway 34 were closed two-miles west of Corning due to the accident, which occurred at around 3:50-p.m.  Traffic was rerouted while the scene was being investigated and cleared.

Council Bluffs/Omaha area ranks high on list of Best Places to Relocate to

News

November 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Officials in Council Bluffs are thrilled the city shares the honor with Omaha, Nebraska, as being the third best place in the nation, to relocate to.  In fact, several cities are in the Midwest are on the list, compiled by Sperling’s BestPlaces.net and posted on CNBC.com. Only Pittsburgh, Penn., and Buffalo, N.Y. finished ahead of Omaha/Council on the Top 10 list, and ahead of such places as Austin, Tex., Madison, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul and Des Moines.

The recently released list was based on the following factors: unemployment, cost of living, crime rates, population health, and cultural events. The ten best cities to move to all have lower than average house prices and unemployment rates below the national average (10.2%). Leisure activities and sports teams were also factored into the equation.

According to BestPlaces.net, the Omaha/Council Bluffs area’s cost of living is 12.4 percent below the national average. The average price of a home is $137,600, well below the national average of $171,700. The unemployment rate is 4.7 percent, less than half the national average of 10.2 percent.

Kathy Fiscus, Special Projects Director for the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city’s ranking was “Super” news,  and that they’re “pleased and proud” to be on the list. Fiscus told the Council Bluffs Daily NonPareil “A lot of people think we’re ‘Midwest nice,’ which means we’re so nice.” She asked “Wouldn’t you really enjoy living somewhere where you’re greeted on the street and have no fear for yourself when you leave your residence?” Fiscus says the area still serves as a place to live out “The American Dream.”

See the report for yourself at: http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/americas_top_relocate_cities.aspx