NOTES

Iowa quarterback Matt Rodgers isn’t exactly superstitious, but he isn’t taking any chances. Rodgers at times has a dark visor attached to his helmet--not to shade his eyes from the sun but to keep the defense from reading his eyes.

He didn’t wear it against Miami because it was a night game. Iowa lost. He wore it the entire game against Ohio State. Iowa lost.

Against Illinois, a game that started at 2:15 p.m., he wore it for the first half and took it off for the second half. Rodgers had one of his finest days, completing 13 of 18 passes for 205 yards as the Hawkeyes asserted themselves over the fifth-ranked Illini, 54-28.

The Rose Bowl game will start at 2 p.m.

“I’m going to wear the visor the first half and take it off for the second half,” Rodgers said. “It worked once, maybe it’ll work again.”

Iowa helmets have the initials ANF on their sides. It stands for America Needs Farmers. For the Rose Bowl game, Coach Hayden Fry has added the American flag.

“We have had a positive reaction from our American Needs Farmers slogan, so we decided to make a statement for all the men and women in the military who are doing so much for the rest of us. The players are all for it. It’s our salute to the men and women in uniform in the Persian Gulf.”