Stoic Stanley Ready For Final Kinnick Game

Iowa quarterback hasn't missed a start in three seasons.

No, Nate Stanley hasn't been Iowa's quarterback forever.

He laughed on Tuesday when someone said the joke around the Big Ten was he has been a Hawkeye for 40 years.

The laugh is rare — the public image of Stanley is all business, and it's that way out of the spotlight is rare.

Stanley has been a constant in Iowa's offense. A three-year starter, Stanley has 36 consecutive starts, third most among active FBS quarterbacks.

Saturday's is Iowa's Senior Day, the last game at Kinnick for Stanley.

"Time's really flown by," Stanley said. "It seems like just yesterday I got on campus for the first day. I just tried not to get yelled at. Now it's the week of my last game at Kinnick. It's extremely special. I haven't really thought about it much. As it gets closer, I'm sure there will be more emotion.

Stanley didn't get yelled at much that first season, he said. A season later, he was Iowa's starter.

Stanley will leave as one of the Hawkeyes' best quarterbacks.

He has 66 touchdown passes, nine away from passing Chuck Long as the school's all-time leader. He needs five touchdown passes to move into the top-10 all-time in the Big Ten.

Stanley has 7,682 passing yards, third-most on Iowa's all-time list, and with three games remaining could pass Drew Tate for No. 2 on that list. He is third on Iowa's all-time total offense list, behind Long and Tate.

"He means a lot," wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette said.

Stanley has thrown for 2,331 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, with five interceptions. But he has been sacked 21 times, including eight in the 10-3 loss at Michigan.

"He takes some shots from big opponents, and he gets up every time," Smith-Marsette said.

Stanley threw for two touchdowns in Iowa's first three possessions in Saturday's 23-19 win over Minnesota. He finished the game with 173 yards passing without an interception.

"He leads us," Smith-Marsette. "And he led us on Saturday."

Stanley is not one to show emotion. He may crack a smile when talking with the media — he even made a couple of jokes after Saturday's game — but the business-comes-first demeanor is something coach Kirk Ferentz appreciates.

"It's part of the growth process, and I was told Nate even joked around with the media a little bit on Saturday night, so that's a breakthrough moment there," Ferentz said. "Every player is different just like your kids at home. They're all different, different personalities, and you just want to try to encourage them and grow. Nate's biggest challenge to this day, I'll say it's probably until he's done playing, he's such a perfectionist. He puts a lot of pressure on himself.

"That's one of the reasons he is so good and has been so good in almost anything he's done academically, athletically, but also there comes a point, too, where you hope it's a little fun, too, and you just kind of enjoy the moment and play a little bit out there. It's easier said than done, but everybody has got different challenges."

The emotions may come Saturday.

"Obviously, it will be tough," Stanley said. "At the same time, we deal with a lot emotionally throughout the course of the year. That gives us good preparation for this.

"And, when you're here, every single year you witness it. You know what it's all about and you know the process of it. I think everybody will do a good job of handling that."

Smith-Marsette knows Stanley will handle his position on Saturday. He nodded toward Stanley as he talked on Tuesday.

"He's going to continue to lead us," Smith-Marsette said. "And I'm going to follow him no matter what."