Weekly Hawkeye player spotlight week one, Nathan Stanley

Weekly Hawkeye player spotlight. Week one: Nathan Stanley.

The first spotlight player for the first week is Nate Stanley. Stanley came from Wisconsin and committed to the Hawks in 2016. Before he was named starter, Nathan started as a backup to senior C.J. Beathard during his freshman year.  Nathan then took the starting job in 2017 to fill in for Beathard after graduation, then to the NFL.

Nathan’s first year as starting quarterback has been a very memorable one. Nathan started the season with the visiting Wyoming Cowboys coming into Kinnick Stadium. Stanley finished that game with 125 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Next game was against their in state rival Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, IA. The Hawks won that game in overtime 44-41. Stanley threw 5 touchdowns in that game. The Hawks were off to a great start with the sophomore quarterback.

A few weeks have come and gone. So, Stanley won a few games here and there, but he was playing great. Certainly the game of the year came on November 4th. The Ohio State Buckeyes came to Iowa City. Because we all know how that ended,  just let me recap. The Iowa Hawkeyes won the game 55-24. Nathan threw for 226 yards and threw his 2nd 5 touchdown game of the season. This memorable win dashed the Buckeyes hopes for a chance for the National Championship. When the clocked reached zero, the fans stormed the field. That was a great sight to see.

The following week, Stanley and the Hawks played another ranked opponent in The Wisconsin Badgers. This time the Hawkeyes came out in the short end of the score, 38-14. In that game, Nathan threw for only 41 yards and zero touchdowns, due to the Badgers stingy defense. Purdue and Nebraska were the final two games of the regular season, which resulted in a gut wrenching loss to Purdue, but a walloping win over the Cornhuskers. Therefore, Iowa finished the regular season 7-5 and earned a trip to a bowl game.

Stanley helped give the Hawkeyes their first Bowl victory in 8 years.

The New Era Pinstripe Bowl came calling in chilly New York for a game on December 27th. Despite the very cold temperatures and a streak of losing bowl games, the Iowa Hawkeyes came out on top this time, 27-20. Stanley finished the game with 99 yards and only one touchdown. But in the end, the Hawks were victorious, which matters most. Nate Stanley had a very successful first season in his first starting position in his career.

The 2018 season is coming up in a few months. With his second year behind Brian Ferentz as the offensive coordinator, Nathan should have a better successful campaign. It should be fun watching this young man compete in the Big Ten. Only being a Junior this year should only help the Hawkeyes in the next few years. If he has a great year, we shouldn’t be surprised of him jumping to the NFL. Therefore, we should enjoy this time with a great quarterback at the helm of the Hawkeye offense. Nathan Stanley is a special player and our heart and soul.