Uh-oh. Goliath is limping. Beowulf has a chink in his armor.
Could the surprising Iowa Hawkeyes, voted fourth in this week's BCS rankings, be vulnerable after all?
Indiana will learn the answer in Saturday's Big Ten road game at sold-out Kinnick Stadium. The Hoosiers blew a 28-3 halftime lead at Northwestern last week for an inexcusable 29-28 loss, while unbeaten Iowa -- in typical fashion -- shocked Michigan State 15-13 on the final play of the game.
If you're an IU fan, you're delighted Iowa won't have star freshman running back Adam Robinson, out with a high ankle sprain; or senior Dace Richardson, an imposing 305-pound offensive lineman who'll miss four to six weeks with a leg injury.
If you're an Iowa fan, you pray this magical ride continues without anyone else going down.
"I still have a hard time even picturing us in the top 10," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "I'm a lot more focused on our flaws. We lost two pretty good players the other night for what looks like the rest of the regular season and that doesn't put you in a great frame of mind going into the Indiana game.
"We're cutting it close."
Close is normal for these Hawkeyes, who've had all but one of their eight games decided by 11 points or less, including four by 3 points or less. Any closer and you'd need deodorant.
"I'm just worried to death about this week. I'm not worried about the BCS stuff," Ferentz said.
The Hawkeyes are more determined than gifted, according to their coach. They believe in each other, like firefighters who rush into a smoldering building.
Leading the way is quarterback Ricky Stanzi, not flashy but highly effective.
During Tuesday's weekly Big Ten coaches teleconference, IU's Bill Lynch did a great job hiding his frustration over the Northwestern choke job, but sadly, you don't get points for that.
"They're an outstanding team in every sense," Lynch said of IU's biggest test yet. "They're very sound on offense. Defensively, they're very difficult to run the ball on. That's a trademark of Iowa football for as long as I can remember. They tackle well and they certainly get to the ball as evidenced by the number of interceptions (15) they have.
"The kicking game's sound, they've found ways to win close games, and that's what really good teams do when they have those great years."
Throw out its 35-3 rout of Iowa State in Week 2, and every game has been a nail-biter. Ferentz would love another blowout so he wouldn't have to chew on Rolaids for four quarters.
"That would be really nice. That sounds like fantasy football," he chuckled.
The Hoosiers started a promising 3-0 but have dropped four of their last five games and are 1-3 on the road.
That could result in cloudy with a chance of Stanzi touchdown passes at Kinnick Stadium.
This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at al.hamnik@nwi.com.
