Bear Down Wildcats

Because if I'm going to post here, I need a thread to brag about the kid. If what he did in Spring ball is any indication, he's going to have a pretty big year. I'll start off with a few of his recruiting videos from High School and some pictures from last season and Spring ball.

Junior year of HS:

[youtube]oeB4YbZnSCw[/youtube]

Senior year of HS (not on Youtube and I can't embed from Hudl):

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/661897/highlights/27441379

A few pictures from last season and Spring ball:

Right on.

Let's hope he does have a good season, it would be very cool.

Welcome aboard!

He's going to be the back up slot receiver and the starter is a really talented senior but the coaches have talked about getting him in at a different WR spot as well. He's going to surprise people out there. A lot of fans are bitching about needing more speed at WR and they are mad that he is playing instead of some of the more heralded recruits but he's playing because he's better than those guys and he is the second fastest receiver on the team. They're basing their estimation of his speed on his complexion and it's tough as a family member to not go on there and try to set them straight. As frustrating as that is, though, his coaches and teammates are really good to him and I've managed to resist the temptation of cursing them for sevun years.

A little publicity from Iowa's Scout site. He's apparently having a great Fall. I really can't wait for Football season to start.

http://iowa.scout.com/2/1432952.html

ASUCatFan wrote:A little publicity from Iowa's Scout site. He's apparently having a great Fall. I really can't wait for Football season to start.

http://iowa.scout.com/2/1432952.html

That is real teamsmanship:

"I was able to pick up the offense quickly. The older guys really helped me out. I can't take credit for anything. All of them really helped me understand the playbook and what I needed to do," Vandeberg said.

How is dealing with being the top party school in the nation:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/1 ... 11484.html

He certainly isn't behaving like I was when I went to the top party school in the nation. He's really focused on Football. Kind of a goody two shoes. Still a good kid, though.

He had a really good Spring Scrimmage. He ran with the first team, caught three passes for 33 yards and ran an end around for 11. The coaches have been saying great things about him and he thinks he'll have a big role this year. He's been playing great in practice.

Looks like he just about lost his head too:


Starting to look like a college Football player.

I think he needs a smaller helmet.

Dude is really ripped, not an ounce of fat on him.

[youtube]gwkq9syh69Y[/youtube]

ASUCatFan wrote:[youtube]gwkq9syh69Y[/youtube]

Use the full embed code in the youtube tags

He had a really nice catch today in a win against Pitt and another one that looked an awful lot like a catch to me but was ruled incomplete by the ref who said he didn't have possession of the ball. Bad call. The one he caught, though, was a great play.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11556620

Wish him nothing but success. He definitely looks like he's going to have a bright future.

That was some good coverage too. Just a beautiful pass and nice leap for it. The DB looked gassed and couldn't get up at all.

That DB was all over the field that game. He had an interception earlier and I think he had a sack and it wouldn't surprise me if he was a little winded.

that is pretty sweet. I live in Iowa and watch the hawkeyes more than any college not named arizona. I'll make sure to keep my eye out for him and wish him the best

Thanks! He was out against Purdue with an injury he sustained in practice, but he should be back for Indiana.

He lead the team with 5 catches for 90 yards against Northwestern today. Huge game for him. Super excited.

EDIT: Here is a highlight film of the game. The whole thing is fun to watch, but his two longest catches are at 1:15 and 2:29. If only the pass from that flea flicker had hit him in stride.

Caught three big passes in a tough loss against Wisconsin today. Here are the two that are available as clips on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11919862

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11921047

Academic All Big 10!

Right on!

ASUCatFan wrote:Academic All Big 10!

Scholar baller!!!

Sorry, that came out wrong...

The team didn't look so great against Tennessee today, but he caught his first touchdown:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12113040

And had a catch in the first half:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12112700

And was in the frame during this abortion of a play:



He led the team in YPC this year and should have a much bigger role next year. It'll be interesting to see if the team as a whole is any better than they were this year.

Led all receivers in their Spring game last weekend and looked pretty good doing it. He's heading into Fall looking like the pretty clear #2 option in the WR corps, although there are a couple of tight ends that might get a lot of catches too. After the Spring game, the guy who runs the biggest Iowa fansite did a podcast where he claimed that Matthew will never be any good because he "looks" slow (last clocked 40 yard time was 4.46 and was extremely quick through the shuttle) and then started singing "Blinded by the White" (to the tune of "Blinded by the Light") for just about a whole minute. Iowa may have the worst message board fans and web based media of any Division 1 school.

A nice article about him from the Iowa Rivals site:

https://iowa.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1782021

A feature from the local fishwrap:

http://thegazette.com/subject/sports/no ... g-20150815

The Hawks looked really, really good (as they should have against a FCS team) against 2014 FCS Runner-Up Illinois State. Matthew had 6 catches for 59 yards and a TD. Lots of fun to watch!

He can jump really high.

He was one of the stars in a win against rival Iowa State today. 9 catches for 114 yards and a fumble recovery for a TD. First Iowa WR to catch for more than 100 yards against Iowa State since Tim Dwight in 1997.

http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports ... /71846646/

Your stepbrother IS a stud. Watching him catch everything today. So far I think he's got 6 catches on 8 targets and 60+ yards.

He's second in the Big Ten in receptions right now. It was a little frustrating seeing the gameplan change in the second half and him not get many targets, but you can't argue with the results. He's playing very, very well.

Another week, another game leading an undefeated Big Ten team in receiving. They have a bye this week and I get to see the Maryland game in Kinnick. Can't wait!

Hats off to you, boyo!!!

I get to watch him play live for the first time (except when we used to throw the Football around when he was a little kid) in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. So excited. I hope they keep winning and make the Rose or Fiesta Bowl so I can watch him play again this season.

This is a really cool experience. The kid has a very real chance of having a career as a slot receiver in the NFL.

Probably my favorite play of the year so far. Tevaun Smith, their most talented WR, takes the ball on an end-around and throws a beautiful pass to Matthew for 21 yards.

Not sure if this is a good thing...

I'm very happy for your stepbrother... But my second team I generally root for is Nebraska and one of my best friends is a psychotic Nebraska fan from Omaha and will be at the game Friday.... So go huskers.

And Iowa finishes up 11-3. Thanks SI.

He was selected as an All B1G Honorable Mention by both the coaches and the media. Not too shabby for a 2* kid who played High School ball in South Dakota with one scholarship offer.

I'm going to get to see him play live in the Rose Bowl!*

*If he can get enough free tickets. They're running around $400 on Stubhub right now, which is a little rich for my blood.

Hopefully you can get to see him there

He gets 6 tickets. 5 are spoken for for sure. Not sure what he's doing with the last one. Watching in HD in my living room with a six pack of great beer wouldn't be the end of the world.

Glad he got into the end zone at the Rose Bowl, but man, that one hurts.

Thanks ASUCatFan, great thread!

This picture popped up on top of a Cedar Rapids Gazette article. Great shot.

Bigger, stronger, faster, and having a great camp running against the best secondary in the B1G. I can't believe he's already a Senior!

Nice article from one of the local fan sites from a few days ago:

http://allhawkeyes.com/2016/08/matt-van ... n-stardom/" target="_blank

Workout video. Lots of footage of Matthew and his friend LeShun. Those guys are beasts. Hard to believe he played at 155 his Freshman year.

Huge game against Iowa State tonight, and it wasn't even the best thing he did in Kinnick. Kid got engaged!



and

http://www.thegazette.com/subject/sport ... o-20160911" target="_blank

And just like that...

damn. Awful, sorry man.