Iowa's Kirk Ferentz heads to Chicago for Big Ten Media Day

The Big Ten Conference will hold Media Day Monday, July 27, 2009 in Chicago. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz will be there along with ten other conference head coaches. Kirk Ferentz will be bringing three Iowa seniors to the Media Day festivities. Joining Kirk Ferentz this week in Chicago will be TE Tony Moeaki and a pair of Iowa LBs, A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer.

2009 Big Ten Football Media Days - Big Ten Network
2 PM: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa. 2:30 PM: Jim Delany, Big Ten ... Join Big Ten Network for complete live coverage of Monday's Media Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET ...

No shortage of questions for Big Ten media days -Chicago Tribune
If that's true, it follows that the Big Ten is living in the Bronze Age. The conference of Woody and Bo hit a peak on Nov. 18, 2006. That's when No. ...
Buckeyes look like Big Ten's best again - Toledo Blade

Big Ten Game Preview: Iowa -Bucknuts.com - Jeff Svoboda
As a result, King was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten choice by the coaches and made the media's first team, while Kroul was on the media's second team. ...

Hello from my favorite city (I don't actually live in) - PennLive.com - David Jones ‎
CHICAGO -- Just arrived for the Big Ten football media days kicking off tomorrow (Monday) morning at 11 EDT with Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald and ending ...

HawkeyeReport.com - Big Ten Media Day arrives - HawkeyeReport.com

Big Ten Network Will Bring Coaches, Delany to Fans Live during Big ... - Big Ten Network
The Hawkeyes will host in-state foe Northern Iowa in the season opener for ... The network's coverage of Big Ten Media Days concludes with Commissioner James E. ... The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide ...

peace

Iowa Football: Fans wait for kickoff on September 5, 2009

Well, Spring Football at the University of Iowa has closed out for another season.

Hopefully, the injured and those held out due to off-season surgery will be ready, so they can join their teammates for another season of Iowa Football in 2009. The off-season begins today!

Iowa will have some newcomers to watch out for in 2009.

The #1 newcomer to the starting lineup appears to be sophomore-to-be WR Marvin McNutt, a 6-4 210 pounder from St. Louis. McNutt is no longer a quarterback and appears to be one of the new contributors to watch out for in 2009. Iowa loses one WR in Andy Brodell and starting TE Brandon Myers to graduation, but the receiver corp should be well stocked at WR and TE for 2009 and returning starting QB junior-to-be Ricky Stanzi to throw to.

The next man in is always a popular subject at the University of Iowa, especially the number two quarterback. Iowa has two redshirt freshman quarterbacks that will be in relief for starter Ricky Stanzi in 2009:
16 James Vandenberg 6-3, 205, Fr., RS
14 John Wienke 6-5, 220, Fr., RS

Running back and Doak Walker award winner Shonn Greene has departed for the NFL draft. Iowa returns sophomore-to-be Jewel Hampton, but look for redshirt freshman Jeff Brinson, 5-11 215 out of St. Petersburg, FL, to play a key role in a running back corp in 2009. The Hawkeyes will likely run a committee approach in 2009, as opposed to a one-man show.

Various highlights from Iowa Football camp this spring:

• Iowa RB Hampton sits out spring game - Chicago Tribune
• Hawkeyes finish up spring practices - Burlington Hawk Eye
• mcnutt ‘here for the Hawkeyes' - Gazette Online
• Iowa 'a little off' in final spring practice - Quad City Times
• Hawks Wrap up Spring Football - KCRG
• Moeaki close to return - Tom Kakert of Hawkeye Report
• Edds ready to get back on the field - Tom Kakert of Hawkeye Report

Big Ten football should be quite competitive in 2009. How far can the Hawkeyes move up the Big Ten ladder? On Iowa - By Marc Morehouse is another blog from Gazette sportswriter and UNI alum Marc Morehouse worthy of a look from time to time. The Hawkeyes open the 2009 season vs. the Northern Iowa Panthers at Kinnick Stadium on September 5Th.

peace

Iowa welcomes in the 2008 College Football season with 46-3 win over Maine

Iowa's Shonn Greene returns to the Iowa Hawkeyes with a 109 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown. Iowa scores 4 rushing touchdowns, with Greene, Paki O'Meara and two by true freshman Jewell Hampton.

Iowa played two quarterbacks equally, with starter Jake Christensen and his backup Ricky Stanzi. A good first game for both quarterbacks and one would think we will see more of both quarterbacks next Saturday, as the Iowa Hawkeyes host Florida International U.

Maine scored right as the half ended on a 40 yard field goal, fueled by several costly Iowa penalties. Iowa (1-0) lead Maine (0-1) 22-3 at halftime.

Highlights of the game:

• Junior AJ Edds play at LB - including a tackle for a safety in the 2nd quarter
• Sophomore Paki O'Meara showed a nice ability catching the football out of the backfield
• 3rd string true frosh RB Jewell Hamption had a very nice 4th quarter, running for 68 yards on 9 carries
• the kicking game looked solid with punter sophomore Ryan Donahue, true frosh PK Trent Mossbrucker and the kickoffs and placekicking of PK Daniel Murray
• Sophomore Adrian Clayborn looked very solid as a starting DE
• Senior Andy Brodell looked very solid as a punt returner, again... nice to see him back healthy and contributing

Iowa did what you would expect. A predicted 45-6 outcome before the game ended with a 46-3 final score. Iowa has a lot of clean up work to do. They have a lot of improvement to do in most areas of the game. But, it was nice to see a good crowd and some smiles again at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. They always say teams improve the most from Game 1 to Game 2. We will hopefully find out next Saturday, vs. FIU.

The coaching staff played a lot of true freshmen today, which should help with overall team depth. No true freshmen or redshirt freshmen started today, other than PK Mossbrucker, who played with sophomore Murray, spliting the place kicking duties. Murray handled kickoffs and did very well.

peace

Banners are up: One week until kickoff at Kinnick Stadium

The University of Iowa is a week away from kickoff of the 2008 college football season. One of the many banners is now up and ready for next Saturday's kickoff.

Iowa in '07 finished .500, with 4-4 in the Big Ten and 6-6 overall. Though the Hawkeyes were bowl eligible, they stayed home for the first time, since 2000.

Injuries were a problem for a young team in '07. It appears as many as three starters will be sidelined for the season opener, vs. the Maine Black Bears. TE Tony Moeaki, WR Troy Stross and G Dan Doering will likely be out. Moeaki missed a significant amount of time in '07, after going down in the Big Ten opener, at Wisconsin, in '07, and missing the rest of the season.

Iowa's defense, especially the front 7, appears to be the strength of the Hawkeye team entering 2008. The Hawkeye defense finished #12 in points allowed nationally, in '07. Another strength is sophomore punter Ryan Donahue, who set an Iowa record with 86 punts last year.

The real question in 2008 is how much the offense improves, including the offensive line. Iowa ranked #110 in offensive scoring, #92 in rushing, #94 in passing and #109 in total offense, all nationally, in '07. The offensive line allowed 46 sacks, sixth highest in the nation and first year starting QB Jake Christensen took a lot of abuse, both by opponents and by Hawkeye fans, who questioned why the 2nd string QB didn't see more snaps in '07.

Five things to like about Iowa entering 2008:

1. Four year starters in DTs Matt Kroul and Mitch King anchor the Iowa front 7.
2. Iowa's linebacker corp is loaded with non-seniors and is lead by #2 tackler junior A.J. Edds. The future is bright and Edds may be Iowa's next great linebacker.
3. Iowa returns #1 WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, a sophomore from Ohio, and fellow WR senior Andy Brodell returns from injury, after missing almost the entire Big Ten season in '07.
4. Iowa has a veteran coaching staff, but welcomes a new WR/TE coach from Michigan, in Erik Campbell, who spent the past 13 seasons as the Wolverines receiver coach. This is Kirk Ferentz's tenth season as Iowa's head football coach and 19th overall (OL coach from '81 to '89 under coach J Hayden Fry).
5. Iowa played 11 true freshmen and 31 total freshmen in '07. Still a young team in many ways, experience will be a boost in '08 with 50 letterwinners returning for the Hawkeyes (Starters returning: 7 offense, 5 defense, 2 special teams).

Five questions that Iowa must answer in '08, if they are going to improve:

1. Iowa returns all five starters in the O-Line and everyone in the two deep, but can they stay healthy and build team chemistry to open up running lanes and protect the Iowa QB?
2. Who steps in at Running Back? Iowa's top 3 ball carriers from '07 and #1 fullback have departed. Iowa does receive a boost from junior RB #23 Shonn Greene, returning after a season at a JC to concentrate on academics. Greene is a two year letterwinner though.
3. QB Jake Christensen was the league's lowest-rated passer based on passing efficiency and second string QB Ricky Stanzi was 0-4 with 1 int in '07. Will Iowa get production from the Top 2 or will a newcomer emerge during the course of the season? As coach Ferentz has pointed out a number of times, junior Christensen's progression as a starting QB at Iowa, may draw similar comparisons to former Iowa QB Matt Rodgers in '89. Like Christensen as a sophomore, Rodgers had a rough first year as a starter, but was successful in his final two seasons as an upper classmen... can Christensen repeat history for Iowa?
4. How will injuries and depth impact Iowa in '08?
5. Iowa must replace two departed CBs, like in '02. Like '02, Iowa returns a part-time starter at CB (senior Bradley Fletcher) and will depend on youth. Will the secondary develop in '08 feeding off the strength of Iowa's front 7?

Projection for Iowa in '08: 5-3 in Big Ten, and depending on Iowa State and Pitt games, Iowa's overall record will rebound from 6-6 in '07 to 8-4 or 9-3 in '08.

You can catch the Iowa opener, August 30th, with an 11 am kickoff on the Big Ten Network, from Kinnick Stadium. Iowa has finished in the Big Ten top division six out the past seven years... will 2008 make it 7 out of 8?

peace