Iowa Football: 5 Dream Scenarios for 2011 Season

In the game of football, anything can happen.  We've already looked at what could go wrong, but what if everything goes right?

The easy answer would be to say "Iowa wins the Big Ten and goes to the Rose Bowl or plays for a national title".  That might be the ultimate, dream outcome.  Either of them would be.

But we're not just talking about ultimate outcomes here.  What could get the Hawkeyes there?  What might be considered a dream outcome, even if Iowa fell a shade short of the big game in Indianapolis or the biggest BCS bowl? 

The Offensive Line Lives Up to the Hype

It all starts here.  The run game has the potential to be a juggernaut.  Marcus Coker proved against Missouri in the Insight Bowl that he can be a workhorse for the Hawkeyes.  There's talent waiting behind him if he needs a breather.

But it all starts at the line.  If James Ferentz's "nasty" line lives up to the hype, Iowa's offense can grind out yards and chew time off the clock while moving the ball down field.  The defense can stay fresh and the Hawkeyes can control the clock—sometimes a sore point for Iowa football (look at time of possession).

Iowa's rushing offense finished eighth in the Big Ten last year, averaging 148.38 yards per game.  That might not be good enough to achieve the team goals in 2011.  With Coker hauling the rock, this line can provide a solid opportunity for the Hawkeyes to improve on those numbers tremendously.

Equally importantly, James Vandenberg can benefit hugely from having a strong line in front of him.  The new face of the Iowa offense may be a very good quarterback, but he still has some learning to do.  That aside, any pro-style quarterback needs time to make his reads and deliver the ball. 

Dare to imagine a line that creates bus-sized holes for their power running back, then turns around and provides a virtual fortress for a sure-armed quarterback.  Dare to imagine 7-to-10 seconds of pure protection a la some of the lines of the 80's. 

Iowa's O-line could be as nasty as they come and the Hawkeye offense should sing as a direct result.

Keenan and K-Mart Become Household Names

Anyone who has paid attention to Iowa football knows about Marvin McNutt.  He was the supposed to be the No. 2 guy to DJK last year, but ended up being the Hawkeyes' leading receiver. 

Coming back this year, he'll likely be the primary focus of opposing defensive secondaries.  He's quick, smart and relatively sure-handed when the game's on the line. 

The rest of Iowa's receiving corps is somewhat unknown to the less-than-die-hard Iowa fans. 

Keenan Davis was a highly recruited prospect just a few years ago, but has had limited opportunity to make a name for himself in an Iowa uniform.  During the spring game, he made some spectacular catches and showed the kind of promise Iowa fans have been hoping for.

Last year, Davis hauled in 11 catches for 131 yards and a score.  The year before that, brought in just four catches for 55 yards and another TD, but he was just a freshman that year.

Kevonte Martin-Manley, respectfully dubbed "K-Mart" by former-receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, is even less-known than Davis.  Being a freshman, it's not a wonder.

However, DJK seemed to think that Martin-Manley has the tools to be the next great receiver at the U of I. 

McNutt is likely to draw some double-teams early in the year as defenses attempt to take away James Vandenberg's primary receiving weapon.

That's when Keenan and K-Mart can step in and be big-time heroes. 

Imagine a triple-threat (or quadruple, if you add in Don Shumpert) pass attack that keeps defenses guessing which way the ball will go.  Imagine a run-first team with such a dangerous pass game that they can flip that switch at any time and turn on the afterburners. 

The potential is there for one of the best offenses Iowa has had in a very long time.

The Defensive Line Is Better Than Advertised

We all know that Mike Daniels is a potential beast.  Last season he stepped up to the tune of 40 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss and four sacks.

What about the rest of the line?

Lebron Daniel had a pretty quiet year in 2010.  While Iowa fans are optimistically hopeful for a break-out year, there are no quality statistics to base that hope on.

Broderick Binns had an "okay" year with 35 tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a pair of batted balls and an interception which he returned for a touchdown.  He had some moments, but wasn't exactly a force to be reckoned with last year.

Steve Bigach (or Thomas Nardo, depending on whom you listen to)  likewise had an "OK" year.  In fairness, he was only in five games, but logged three tackles, a tackle-for-loss and a sack.

The point isn't that the line might under perform in 2011.  Rather, it's that (as with others) some potential stars could be flying under the radar right now.

I often return to the 2008-2009 era of Iowa football.  At the conclusion of the '08 season, many wondered how good Iowa's defensive line would be without Mitch King and Matt Kroul in the interior. 

As has been pointed out to me, Adrian Clayborn wasn't a complete surprise on the end when 2009 rolled around.  However, the pundits had a pretty hard time predicting how good Karl Klug and Christian Ballard would be at stuffing the middle of the line.  Few saw Broderick Binns' long arms batting down passes and locking off the other side of the field. 

Things turned out pretty darn good as the Hawkeyes pulled down the fifth best run defense in the conference that year and the third best overall defense.

Norm Parker is the best in the business at building a solid foundation.  If there's one thing Iowa fans have become accustomed to, it's relative unknowns stepping up and becoming stars.

Imagine Lebron Daniel and Mike Daniels becoming the next King and Kroul.  Imagine Broderick Binns being a little more like Adrian Clayborn.  Imagine Bigach (or Nardo) suddenly becoming pass-rushing nightmares.  It could happen.

Okay, it might be a little unhealthy to imagine an all-star defensive line that plays like national champions.  High expectations don't bode well for Hawkeye fans. 

However, it's not unreasonable to expect this group to be in the top half of the conference against the run.

While opponents load up to stop Mike Daniels the way they did Clayborn a year ago, there should be room for the others to step up and remind opponents just how foolish it is to ignore any part of Iowa's defensive line.

With a secondary that could be exceptionally good and an offense that could be incredibly dangerous, a solid and steady defensive line could make Iowa a tougher contender than anyone currently imagines.

The Linebackers Remind Fans of Two Years Ago

It's not fair to blame the under performance of 2010 on the linebacker corps.  In fact, it would be horribly unfair.

Injuries decimated the Hawkeye linebackers in 2010, forcing young players like James Morris to be tossed into a trial by fire.  It's little wonder that the group was far less exciting than many fans hoped. 

Iowa fans were a little spoiled by the 2009 corps.  Players like A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer are something of a rare breed and even they needed some time to grow in Norm Parker's system. 

Iowa's crew in 2010 just never had the opportunity to work out good consistency and get into a comfortable rhythm. Depth was hard to come by and Iowa dug fairly deep into a barrel of little experience. 

Out of the ashes of that season though, could emerge a very exciting group of players.

Senior Tyler Nielson only played eight games last year, but knocked down 43 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, broke up four passes and pulled down an interception. With the most experience of the bunch, decent speed, good hands and a hunger to have a good senior season, Nielsen could revive flashes of the celebrated group of a couple years ago.

As a freshman, Morris brought down 70 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack and four broken passes of his own.  There's a lot of growth that can happen in just one off-season and Morris has a lot of great attributes to build on. 

Who is the third guy?

Take your pick between Shane DiBona, Anthony Hitchens or Christian Kirskey.  Any of them could be good as the third starting linebacker.  All have a measure of experience, thanks to being thrust into the fire last season.

DiBona had 13 tackles and little else on his stat sheet from a year ago.

Hitchens only played ten games and wrapped up nine tackles.

Kirksey also played ten games and pulled down six stops. 

Those stats may not look fantastic, but keep in mind that they floated in and out of the lineup and all three were just freshmen. 

There's little doubt that Morris will be exceptional and very good reason to believe Nielsen will as well.  The question mark is in the third man on the field.

Imagine Morris being a monster, Nielsen flying all over the field and DiBona becoming a bona-fide bad mamba-jamba. Would you settle for two out of three?

The only thing that could keep that very scenario from coming true would be another bite from the injury bug.  Morris is already poised to be a monster and Nielsen is hungry to play again.

With a line that could be typically strong and a secondary that could end up being scary good, this unit could complete the puzzle and make Iowa's defense something to be very happy about.

Iowa's Award Watchers Play Hardware Worthy

Iowa offensive lineman Reilly Reiff has been named to the Outland Trophy watch list (along with being a Playboy preseason All-American) for the nation's top interior lineman.

Receiver Marvin McNutt finds himself on the Biletnikoff Award watch list for the nation's top receiver.

Cornerback Shaun Prater joins the Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch list for the nation's top defensive player.

Linebacker Tyler Nielsen has been named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list, also for the nation's top defensive player.  Nielsen has also been named to the Butkus Award watch list for the nation's top linebacker.

Running back Marcus Coker has been named to the Doak Walker Award watch list for the nation's top running back.  Coker is also on the Maxwell Award watch list for the nation's top player.

Center James Ferentz is on the Rimington Trophy watch list for the most outstanding center in Division I college football.

Obviously, not every player on this list will win every award or trophy that they are being considered for.  As much as fans may believe they are deserving, life just doesn't happen that way.

Think about it a moment though.  This list includes two offensive linemen, a running back, a receiver, a cornerback and a linebacker.

If the players on this list all play as though they are award worthy (whether they receive the awards or not), Iowa's offense should fly and the defensive (behind the line) could be really good.  Great players also inspire others to greatness, creating a positive self-perpetuating situation.

Those things are no particular guarantee that Iowa will win the conference, or even go bowling.  They would however, provide a very powerful key to that door.