Iowa Hawkeyes Season Preview

An 8-5 record after a season in which many had big things ahead for the boys from Iowa City ended up being quite the tough season to digest. 

Iowa had nearly the entire team returning and their front four was supposedly the best in not only the Big Ten but possibly in the country. Adrian Clayborn (#2 DC TB) was getting more attention against offensive lines and the rest of the front four never produced like we all had anticipated.

Herky Needs More Push Up Front

The linebacker corps was often hurt and the secondary was not the ball hawking group that we saw in 2009. Tyler Sash was a darn good player, but did not receive a ton of help like I had anticipated.  It would have helped had the rest of the front seven been far more productive and attacked the quarterback more (22 sacks/1.69/83rd). 

They bottled up the run ranking sixth (101 YPG) in the nation thanks in large part to the linebacker coming up in the box at will. Heading into the fall they are now without their top three linemen (Clayborn, Klug, & Ballard). They underperformed a season ago and are far less experienced this season.

That may spell doom for the pass rush but they have talented players in Lebron Daniel, Broderick Binns and Mikes Daniels. Redshirt freshman Carl Davis has a chance to start, however, Thomas Nardo is expected to start as well up front. The depth is fairly thin as a few underclassmen could push for playing time.

Will One Injury Cause a Chain Reaction?

The linebacker corps struggled with injuries and they were just not the same as previous units. Middle linebacker James Morris had a sensational freshmen season earning himself Freshmen All-American honors. 

Morris still needs more help at the linebacker position and Tyler Nielson (6’4”, 235-pounds, highly touted player) will look to give the Hawkeyes a solid 1-2 punch. Shane DiBona and Christian Kirksey were expected to battle it out for the other outside linebacker position.

However, DiBona is out for the season with a torn Achilles. This injury has given Kirksey the job by default though there is some depth. With Morris becoming a true leader, the unit will only improve in time. 

No Sash, No Problem?

Many teams abandoned the run last year because the Hawkeyes ranked only 84th (230 YPG) against the pass. Former corner Micah Hyde has moved over to safety to help fill the production that Sash and Greenwood gave to the back four.

At strong safety is expected to be Collin Sleeper who has not had any action the past two years mainly because he was a walk-on in 2008. Tanner Miller could step in since the depth is not loaded by any means. 

The corners are fairly deep with Jordan Bernstine and BJ Lowery (out til October broken wrist) backing up arguably the best corner in the Big Ten—Shaun Prater. Opposite of Prater will be junior Greg Castillo who has seen a ton of playing time though he has only started one game in his collegiate career.  

The secondary could be the strength of Norm Parker’s defense though they are long ways away of becoming very good.  The opposition will take note that threading the needle in 2011 may not be the safest way to dethrone the Hawkeyes assuming Lowery comes back healthy. Until then, they are a bit unproven and should be tested. 

Beef Up Front

Ken O’Keefe’s offense has five returning, but the loss of nearly the entire backfield (suspensions/dismissed) and senior leader Ricky Stanzi has many wondering if there will be as many points put up on the board at Kinnick Stadium.

For starters, they return four of their five linemen and Iowa will always be a ground and pound type of offense that sets up its play-action pass through the running game. Riley Reiff may only be a junior, but he is the best player on the team and easily has the highest upside for future talent on Sunday’s.

He is a prototypical left tackle at 6’6”, 300 pounds and the amazing thing is that he has started two full seasons in Black and Gold.  The right tackle is not too shabby either in Markus Zusevics who stands wide at 6’5”, 300 pounds. 

Heisman Darkhorse?

The line is built like a wall and they should open up plenty of holes for running back Marucs Coker ,who ran for an Iowa school bowl record 219 yards in their Insight Bowl victory over Missouri 27-24.

Coker will not have a ton of depth behind him if he were to get winded or injured. A 6’3”, 228 pound bruising back has the ability to shed tackles and develop into a future stud in Iowa City.

Mika'il McCall, Jordan Calzeri and Jason White are a few names that are highly touted to backup Coker. Depending on who gets redshirted, any of these could see a bunch of playing time in mop-up duty as well as when conference play gets underway.

Whoever is backing up Coker better realize that they will have a ton of success running behind a premier Big Ten line.

The Next Great Hawkeye QB?

Marvin McNutt is back after reaching paydirt eight times a season ago. He has the knack for making the primetime plays when asked upon. The only problem he will see this season is more double coverages and a new quarterback.  

Just because the quarterback is new does not mean jack. Gaining solid experience from the injured Stanzi two seasons ago gives James Vandenberg (6’3”, 313-pound junior) a tremendous amount of upside under center.

He nearly gave Iowa an outright Big Ten championship against Northwestern for a half and in the horseshoe against Ohio State. Vandenberg has a solid arm and is tall enough to see over linemen. James may not get much hype coming into the season, but at worst, he is in the middle of the pack for the top signal callers in the Big Ten.

Drama's Forecast

The schedule is not very tricky in September as they host Tennessee Tech, Pittsburgh and Louisiana-Monroe. Mixed in between will be a road trip to Ames against the hated Cyclones.  

Starting out 4-0 is likely and outside of a trip to Happy Valley against Penn State, the Hawkeyes could see a possible 7-1 start before getting both Michigan schools at home to start off November.

A split is foreseeable with road tilts against Purdue and Big Ten favorite Nebraska. They can easily have a better year than the 8-5 debacle they faced where they seemingly lost every close game.

Minnesota (worst team in Big Ten) and Purdue (lost their QB) are two road games they must win if they want a New Year’s Bowl. There is a slight chance they challenge and beat out Nebraska for the division crown if they can win in Lincoln the day after Thanksgiving.

However, that seems a bit far fetched, but a nine, dare I say 10, win season seems right on the money to me. That would be a huge improvement from a season ago for Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. 

Predicted Finish: 9-4, 4-4

Predicted Bowl: Meineke Car Care Bowl

Predicted order of finish in Big Ten: Third in Legends, Fifth Overall