Iowa
Hawkeyes
Preview 2008
By
Pete Fiutak
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2008 CFN Iowa Preview |
2008 Iowa Offense
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2008 Iowa Defense |
2008 Iowa Depth
Chart
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2007 CFN Iowa Preview |
2006 CFN Iowa Preview
Where did Iowa
go?
Head coach Kirk Ferentz had earned the reputation of being one of
college football’s premier coaches, able to crank out consistently
great teams even without the cream-of-the-crop talent, and then Iowa
became very, very ordinary in a very, very big hurry.
Head coach: Kirk Ferentz
10th year: 61-49
13th year overall: 73-70
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 26, Def, 22, DT 4
Lettermen Lost: 14 |
Ten
Best Iowa Players
1. DT Mitch King, Sr.
2. DT Matt Kroul, Sr.
3. WR Andy Brodell, Sr.
4. TE Tony Moeaki, Sr.
5. LB A.J. Edds, Jr.
6. C Rafael Eubanks, Jr.
7. QB Jake Christensen, Jr.
8. WR Trey Stross, Jr.
9. OG Seth Olsen, Sr.
10. FS Brett Greenwood, Soph. |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
7-5
2008 Record: 0-0
Aug. 30
Maine
Sept. 6 FIU
Sept. 13 Iowa State
Sept. 20 at Pitt
Sept. 27 Northwestern
Oct. 4 at Michigan State
Oct. 11 at Indiana
Oct. 18 Wisconsin
Oct. 25 OPEN DATE
Nov. 1 at Illinois
Nov. 8 Penn State
Nov. 15 Purdue
Nov. 22 at Minnesota
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
9-3
2007 Record:
6-6
Sept. 1
NIU (in
Chic.) W 16-3
Sept. 8
Syracuse
W 35-0
Sept. 15
at Iowa State
L 15-13
Sept. 22 at
Wisconsin L 17-13
Sept. 29
Indiana
L 38-20
Oct.
6 at
Penn State L 27-7
Oct.
13
Illinois
W 10-6
Oct.
20
at Purdue
L 31-6
Oct.
27
Mich St W 34-27 2OT
Nov.
3
at Nwestern
W 28-17
Nov.
10
Minnesota
W 21-16
Nov.
17
Western Mich
L 28-19 |
The biggest problem,
at least last year, was a rash of injuries, especially to the skill
players and on the offensive line. If you were sitting in the stands and
could play wide receiver, there was a spot for you. Now Iowa has a new
problem: off-the-field issues.
No fewer than 14 players have gotten picked up and/or charged with a
crime in the last year, and now there's the new issue with the
investigation into an alleged sexual assault charge involving two former
players, keeping the focus off the team and on just about everything
other than football, while calling into question just how much control
Ferentz has over the program. Worse yet, considering how the handling of
former basketball star Pierre Pierce's sexual assault case became a
shameful embarrassment to the athletic department and the university,
now Ferentz is being scrutinized under a microscope.
Two things can happen when a program is facing a slew of problems like
Iowa is dealing with. It can either implode and hit rock-bottom before
starting fresh, and that includes a new coaching staff, or everyone can
band together and take on the us-against-the-world mentality complete
with the nobody-believes-in-us cliché. Iowa seems to be doing the
latter.
The schedule is a joke. There's no Ohio State or Michigan, and Wisconsin
and Penn State have to come to Iowa City. For good and bad, just about
all the key parts are back on offense, the defensive line should be
among the best in the Big Ten if the production comes through on the
end, and then there’s Ferentz, who is making a point to tighten up the
program.
On the field, the biggest boost should come with health. The offense
went into the tank last season after an insane problem with injuries,
and in all, 31 freshmen ended up being thrown to the wolves on both
sides of the ball. Getting players like WRs Andy Brodell and Trey Stross
back, along with soon-to-be NFL tight end Tony Moeaki, and several key
offensive linemen, things should turn around in a hurry.
This could be one of the Big Ten’s big sleepers, but it needs get its
house in order first. Considering the nightmare of this off-season, both
in the athletic department and with Mother Nature, Iowa needs something
positive to get excited about. This team should come through.
What to watch for on offense: The running back situation. The
passing game will go from awful to explosive with the return of Brodell,
Stross and Moeaki, but the running game needs to provide some help with
Albert Young and Damian Sims gone, and Jevon Pugh leaving. Paki O'Meara
was the star of the spring, but he's not going to carry an offense, so
it'll be up to JUCO transfer Nate Guillory and former Hawkeye, who later
went the JUCO route, Shonn Greene to provide more help.
What to watch for on defense: The linebackers. Mike Humpal, A.J.
Edds, and Mike Klinkenborg finished 1-2-3 in tackling last season, and
only Edds is back. Jacody Coleman, Jeff Tarpinian, Jeremiha Hunter, and
Dezman Moses are all sophomores, they're all athletic, and they're all
in desperate need of playing time. If this group doesn't produce, the
run defense that allowed just 122 yards per game will be a problem.
The team will be far better if … the O line stays healthy.
With the exception of Dace Richardson, everyone who got hurt and missed
time last year will be back, and that could make all the difference for
the offense. There are reserves, decent battles for each spot, and
enough talent to be night-and-day better after the Hawkeyes finished
dead last in the Big Ten in sacks allowed and did nothing for the ground
game.
The Schedule:
There are two nice warm-up scrimmages against Maine and Florida
International before the always tough rivalry showdown against Iowa
State and a nasty road trip to face an improved Pitt. All things
considered, the Big Ten road schedule couldn't be too much easier
getting a week off before facing Illinois and going away to deal with
Michigan State and Indiana in back-to-back October weeks. If the
Hawkeyes are good, they should be able to win at least two of three at
home against Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue. With no Ohio State or
Michigan, this will be the year to come up with a big rebound.
Best Offensive Player: Senior WR Andy Brodell. The NFL types are going to like TE
Tony Moeaki more, but Brodell is the key to the offense. He's the
playmaker who opens things up and can do big things with the ball in his
hands. He started out last year with 12 catches in his first three
games, and averaged a whopping 14.4 yards per punt return, caught a pass
against Wisconsin. Tore a hamstring. Ball game. Now he's back and ready
to roll.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DTs Mitch King and Matt Kroul.
These two are undersized, but very, very productive. King might be the
Big Ten's best tackle, with tremendous quickness and a good rush into
the backfield. Kroul, like King, is a former linebacker who doesn't do
much to get to the quarterback, but he's tough against the run and a
good running mate for King.
Key player to a successful season: Junior RB Nate Guillory. Paki
O'Meara might have been a star this spring and will be certain to see
plenty of carries, but if the former walk-on is the main man, the ground
game is in trouble. Shonn Greene will be a big help, but if Iowa wants
to run the ball effectively, it needs to be Guillory, an
ultra-productive 5-10, 185-pound JUCO transfer with the talent to be a
gamebreaking workhorse.
The season will be a
success if
... the Hawkeyes win ten games. Last year's team won six despite all the
injuries, all the youth, and all the inexperience. A healthy, veteran
team would've beaten Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Western Michigan; that's
three wins right there. With the schedule working out so well, there's
no reason to shoot for anything lower than nine regular season wins and
a bowl victory. No, the team isn't that good, but it's good
enough.
Key game: Oct. 4 at Michigan State. The Big Ten road games are at
Indiana (winnable), Illinois (fine, chalk that up as a likely loss), and
Minnesota (a.k.a. Kinnick Stadium North). If the Hawkeyes can pull off a
win against a good Spartan team in East Lansing, and win two out of
three at home against Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue (while assuming
the Northwestern game is a win), they might be in the thick of the Big
Ten title chase.
2007 Fun Stats:
- Sacks: Opponents 46 for 271 yards – 27 for 197 yards
- First quarter scoring: Opponents 56 – Iowa 31
- Yards per game: Opponents 351.2 – Iowa 316.3