Barta's Message Needs to be Heard

Did you get the e-mail from Gary Barta this week? If you are a season ticket holder for Iowa football, you most likely did. If you aren't, I will briefly summarize it for you.

The general gist of the message was that rushing the field is dangerous, so think twice before doing it next time.

Now that that's covered, I am not here to babysit anyone. I was out on that field with everyone else Saturday night. The second time, not the first when there was still one second on the clock.

The message I hope gets across is the latter part of the message: think twice before doing it next time.

Rushing the field is fun, but make it mean something. I am a Junior here at the University of Iowa, and in the three seasons I have been on campus, there has only been one game worthy enough of rushing the field. That was Saturday.

But if I am correct, we have rushed the field 6 additional times dating back to the start of the 2006 season. Are you kidding me? Let's take a look at those games we have been rushing the field for...

2006 vs. Iowa State - Sure, we got the trophy back, but the Cyclones finished 4-8 that season.

2007 vs. #18 Illinois - Were we really that desperate that any Top 25 team is going enough to rush the field for?

2007 vs. Michigan State - If this game hadn't gone into overtime, I'm sure this wouldn't have happened, but still, the Spartans finished 7-6.

2007 vs. Minnesota - I have no words for this. It was great getting Floyd back, but this loss dropped our northern rival to 1-10 on the year. Not exactly an incredible upset.

2008 vs. Iowa State - For the second time in three seasons, we give Cyclones the satisfaction of thinking they are actually important despite them limping in with another horrible record.

2008 vs. Wisconsin - Another trophy game against a team having a down year.

After looking at this list, I almost wish we didn't have traveling trophies. They build the game up to be incredibly huge, no matter what the record of the opponent.

Next time you want to rush the field against a team who may not even make a bowl game, think twice. We are not Iowa State. Most years, Iowa State's bowl game is against Iowa in the third game of the season. We are better than that. We win an emotional game against an in-state rival and move on to our loftier goals for the season.

Maybe, before stepping off down the aisle, take a look at the scoreboard. If the opponent doesn't have a single digit to the left of it's name, they're probably not worth it.