GameDay: #17 Iowa hosts #12 Penn State at Kinnick Stadium

Iowa City, IA --- The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1 B1G West) host the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 B1G East) at Kinnick Stadium at 6:30 PM on ABC Sports. The Nittany Lions have won five straight, after Iowa won 8 of the last 9, in the 2000s.

#Hawkeyes to click tonight in IC @kinnickstadium

I have been all over the place on this Game

18-17?
read 27-10 game
in the 18-14 range
🤔
1️⃣7️⃣ Iowa 21
1️⃣2️⃣ Penn State 10

My 1st game in Kinnick in '74 was the above score, coming off a loss at Michigan, beating a #12‼#until https://t.co/sth72VvGBt

— alias Rob Roy (@cidsports) October 12, 2019

A look back at Iowa's 7th win; a look forward to Iowa's next 5 B1G Games in 2015 ...

Thirty years ago in 1985, Iowa opened 7-0 with a win @ Northwestern.
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz was an offensive line coach back in 1985. Today, he
is dean of Big Ten coaches and has his Hawkeyes at 7-0, for the second time
in his tenure at Iowa. The Hawkeyes enjoy a bye week this Saturday.

Iowa City, IA -- The 2015 Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked #12 heading into Week 8, a bye week for the 7-0 Hawks, with a 3-0 record in the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes will face Maryland at Kinnick Stadium, coming off a bye week, and 40-10 win at Northwestern, last Saturday.

Iowa has witnessed next man in on multiple occasions during the 2015 season. It was the case again, last Saturday in Evanston, when starting senior RB Jordan Canzeri went down, due to an ankle injury.

Iowa sophomore RB #25 Akrum Wadley lead the Iowa ground
game last Saturday at Northwestern, in a 40-10 Hawkeye win.

Sophomore RB Akrum Wadley recorded career highs in carries (26), yards (204) and touchdowns (4). In two career games against Northwestern, Wadley has 41 carries, 310 yards, and five touchdowns. In 10 games against all other teams, Wadley has 25 carries, 115 yards, and one touchdown. He is the first player this season to rush for 100 yards against Northwestern.

There is no question Iowa's bye week came at the right time
for the Hawkeyes in 2015. It will not bring back senior DE
Drew Ott, but it can't hurt many other Hawkeyes banged up.

The Hawkeyes need a bye week, with the injuries impacting their top two running backs, their #1 tight end from 2014, their starting offensive tackles and their top returning WR from 2014. Further, Iowa QB C.J. Beathard entered the Northwestern game banged up, with a hip and groin injury. He was able to play, despite his limited ability to make plays with his legs. The Hawkeyes are without senior captain, DE Drew Ott for the remainder of the season, after a knee injury in the win against Illinois.

QB C.J. Beathard is 8-0 as Iowa’s starting quarterback, a record that includes a 4-0 mark on the road, a 4-0 mark at home, and a 4-0 mark in the Big Ten. Numbers include 131-of-224 passing for 1,660 yards, 10 touchdowns, and four interceptions, and 223 yards rushing with three rushing touchdowns. He is the first quarterback in school history to win his first eight career starts.

On limiting his throws because of injury...

"Yeah, it was tough. I couldn't do many bootlegs or nudes and stuff like that. I was a little bit limited in what I could do running-wise," Beathard said, after the 40-10 win @ Northwestern

Iowa's remaining Big Ten regular schedule ...

• Bye week, October 24th
• vs. Maryland, October 31st, 2:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC
• @ Indiana, November 7th, the Hoosiers will be coming off a bye week ahead of Iowa
• vs. Minnesota, November 14th, in a prime-time game at Kinnick Stadium
• vs. Purdue, November 21st, on Senior Day 
• @ Nebraska, November 27th, on Black Friday in Lincoln

On the vibe in the huddle after Jordan Canzeri got hurt at Northwestern...

"Obviously he's a big back for us, our guy right now. But it wasn't a big blow for us because we expect the next man in to do a great job, and Akrum and Derrick did a great job stepping up. That's just the way the season's gone so far. We've had guys hurt, Drew [Ott) got hurt; our right and left tackles were going out. We've taken that upon ourselves and the next guy in has done a great job," said Beathard, after the 7-0 start for Iowa.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz's opening statement after 7-0 win at Northwestern...

"Certainly we're very pleased and very proud of our football team. It's a tremendous team victory. Our guys in every essence played great team football out there today... Needless to say this is a really resilient group of guys that we're coaching right now. Seems like whatever we throw at them, whatever comes their way good, bad or different they just seem to respond in a really positive way. I'm proud of the guys for that, proud of their effort today. How good we are I have no idea right now, but I do know that this team plays extremely hard and with a lot of guts. So, it's just great to be with them today."

True freshman among the leaders in the Iowa offensive line in 2015...

OL James Daniels started the game at left guard. He is the third true freshman to start on the offensive since 1999. Bryan Bulaga started the final five games of 2005 at left guard. Mike Jones started the final seven games of 2003 at left guard. Iowa’s starting offensive line today: LT Cole Croston, LG James Daniels, C Austin Blythe, RG Jordan Walsh, RT Sean Welsh.

Iowa is playing without their starting sophomore tackles in the offensive line, with Boone Myers, out since Big Ten play, and Ike Boettger, missing his first start of the 2015 season @ Northwestern. The Hawkeyes may get Myers back for Maryland.

Senior WR Tevaun Smith played for the first time since Week 4 against North Texas. He did not have a catch. Smith is looked at as Iowa's top play-maker at wide receiver heading into 2015.

Junior CB Desmond King recorded an interception on Northwestern’s opening possession. King has a Big Ten high six interceptions this season. He is the first Hawkeye with six interceptions in a single season since Tyler Sash led the league with six in 2009.

LB Jack Hockaday played against Northwestern. He is the fourth true freshman to see action this season: OL James Daniels, WR Jerminic Smith, and WR Adrian Falconer.

Senior RB Jordan Canzeri left the game with 3:05 left in the first quarter and did not return. He caught one pass for 19 yards. He has 10 straight games with reception. Speculation has Canzeri at least out, with an ankle injury, until November.

Sophomore converted RB Derrick Mitchell recorded career bests in carries (10), rushing yards (79), receptions (3) and receiving yards (43). Mitchell also scored his first career touchdown, a 13-yard rush in the fourth quarter.

Senior WLB Cole Fisher recorded a team high 10 tackles against Northwestern. Fisher has been Iowa’s leading tackler five times this season. This is the first season for Fisher in the starting lineup, with limited role his first four seasons in Iowa City.

Senior PK Marshall Koehn scored 11 points against Northwestern, including five PATs and two field goals (36, 22). Koehn has 130 career points, 21st all-time. Koehn was Big Ten special teams player of the week, after his 57 yard game winning FG, in Week 3, vs. Pittsburgh.

Iowa DC Phil Parker and OC Greg Davis are both in their fourth
season, as coordinators for the Hawkeyes. In 2002, the 4th
season for Iowa's previous coordinators, the Hawkeyes went 8-0.

"We're more explosive through seven games than I would have anticipated in August. If you can get a couple of big plays during the course of a game, it does wonders for field position and wonders for your football team." - Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis said on Wednesday, during their bye week.

Iowa is leading the Big Ten Conference with 12 plays from scrimmage of 40-plus yards. The Hawkeyes had 12 such plays all last season and 13 40-plus plays in 2012 and 2013 combined.

It's Week 3 of October in the Big Ten ...



Northwestern sophomore RB #4 Solomon Vault carrying the ball Michigan
last week. Michigan defeated Northwestern 38-0 in the Big House.

Northwestern redshirt freshman QB
#18 Clayton Thorson leads the
Wildcats offense in the 5-1 start.

Saturday, October 17th in the B1G

• #17 Iowa (6-0, 2-0 B1G West) @ #20 Northwestern (5-1, 1-1 B1G West) 11:00 am on ESPN2 / ABC / espn3 
• Homecoming at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL
• 20th anniversary for the Wildcats Big Ten championship team in 1995
Former 'Cats head coach Gary Barnett, inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame in September, will serve as the honorary captain for the game and join Northwestern captains Deonte Gibson, Traveon Henry, Christian Jones and Dan Vitale at midfield for the coin toss
• 30th anniversary for the Hawkeyes, when Iowa was 6-0 heading into Evanston ... Hawkeyes were champions of the Big Ten in 1985, winning against Northwestern for a 7-0 start!
• Prediction: Iowa 27, Northwestern 17

Northwestern sophomore RB #21
Justin Johnson leads the
Wildcats ground attack again.

The Hawkeyes will play Saturday without their outstanding senior defensive end Drew Ott, who tore his ACL during their win last week over Illinois. He leads them in both sacks and tackles for loss. Still, said Northwestern sophomore running back Justin Jackson, "They have the same type of defense they've always had. They're not going to change anything up. They're going to make you go win one-on-one battles. That's what it comes down to. So we know what they're going to do. We know where they're going to be. We just have to go execute the play that's called. If we win our one-on-one battles, then we win the game." The Hawkeyes' passing defense is not nearly as strong as its rushing D. It is surrendering an average of 232.3 yards per game, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten.

Iowa junior QB #16 C.J. Beathard won Big Ten weekly honors for his work
in the Hawkeyes' 31-17 road win @ Iowa State. Health concerns were hot
topics this week, after Beathard sustained a groin injury in win over Illinois.

Iowa senior RB #33 Jordan Canzeri
is leading the B1G in rushing, after
the Hawkeyes' 2-0 B1G start.

Iowa junior quarterback C.J. Beathard has completed 61.1 percent of his passes (99-of-162) while throwing for nine touchdowns with only two interceptions. Beathard is seeking to become Iowa's first quarterback to win his first eight starts in program history.

But the Hawkeye workhorse is senior running back Jordan Canzeri, who is averaging 116.2 ypg. Last week against Illinois, with his team up three with just over 10 minutes remaining, he carried the ball on 11 straight plays; netted 59 yards; ate up 6:53 of the clock; and set up a field goal. He ended the day with 256 yards on 43 carries. Nice story on Canzeri and Iowa ahead of the game.

Another Homecoming game in the Big Ten ...

The Badgers have won nine consecutive games vs. Purdue dating back to 2004. It's a stretch in which Wisconsin has had as many coaches (Barry Alvarez, Bret Bielema and Gary Andersen) as the Boilermakers (Joe Tiller, Danny Hope and Darrell Hazell). The Badgers are on coach #4 this year.

• Purdue (0-2 B1G West) @ Wisconsin (1-1 B1G West) 11:00 am on BTN - the Badgers return home, after another fourth quarter dogfight @ Nebraska last weekend, with a 23-21 win. It will be Homecoming in Madison as first year head coach Paul Chryst and his Badgers seek to keep pace in the B1G West ...

B1G Michigan in-state battle in the Big House for Paul Bunyan Trophy ...

The Spartans have won six of the last seven games in this series, including two games in Ann Arbor. ESPN College Game Day will be in Ann Arbor for the Michigan-MSU game.

• #7 Michigan State (5-0, 2-0 B1G East) @ #12 Michigan (5-1, 2-0 B1G East) 2:30 pm on ESPN - The Spartans last six series losses have come by eight or less points. Michigan entered the season with a 1-9 record in the last ten games against Top 25 competition, but the Wolverines are coming off a 38-0 win against a Top 25 Big Ten team, so a change for back to back wins.
• Nebraska (0-2 B1G West) @ Minnesota (1-1 B1G West) 2:30 pm on ESPN2 - the Cornhuskers have lost two straight to the Golden Gophers. Minnesota returns home, after back to back B1G road games looking for their third in a row in this series.
• Rutgers (0-2 B1G East) at @ Indiana (0-2 B1G East) 2:30 pm on BTN - who falls into the sole position of the East cellar early in the conference race? Last year, it was the first meeting between the Scarlet Knights and the Hoosiers, with Rutgers winning 45-23. Payback?
• Penn State (5-1, 2-0 B1G East) @ #1 Ohio State (6-0, B1G East) 7:00 pm on ABC / espn3 - Last year, this was the most difficult conference game for the Buckeyes, as the 2 OT game ended in a 31-24 win for Ohio State. The higher ranked team in this series has won 22 of the last 24 ... Buckeyes should roll!
• Illinois (1-1 B1G West) enjoys a bye week
• Maryland (0-2 B1G East) regroups on a bye week, under interim coach Mike Locksley

Homecoming in the FCS in Iowa ...

• Western Illinois at Northern Iowa 4:00 pm on ESPN Extra / CSNC / espn3 / PSN (cable) - the Panthers opened the Valley with back to back road losses against the defending FCS title game participants ...

Cyclones seek to get back home, but must face #3 ...

• #3 TCU at Iowa State 6:00 pm on ESPN2 - the Cyclones will hope to regroup back home, but the Horned Frogs are clearly not the program to play, when you are coming off a nasty 66-31 loss @ Texas Tech ...

Gameday Iowa: The Hawkeyes at Maryland in Big Ten Football

College Park, MD - - The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0 B1G West) travel to Maryland (4-2, 1-1 B1G East) for the first time ever in this series, as the Terrapins have joined the Big Ten in 2014. The Hawkeyes are seeking to close out October undefeated,  by raining on the Terrapins Homecoming today, in an 11 a.m. kickoff televised on ESPN2.

Iowa fans are traveling to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium for the inagrual game between these two Big Ten programs. Iowa sold out their ticket allotment for the game.

The Terrapins are coming off a bye week, but have lost back to back home games this season. The Terrapins have lost four straight conference games, dating back to the last three ACC games plus the opening conference home loss to Ohio State prior the bye week.

How will the bye week help Maryland, as Iowa arrives for the Terrapins for their Homecoming Game?

"It was very refreshing," said Maryland six-year senior quarterback C.J. Brown reflecting on bye week ahead of Iowa game. "Especially to get away from the contact and just kind of rest your mind, even if it's for two or three days. It was very beneficially to the team and myself."

Maryland fourth-year head coach Randy Edsall reflected on his team's bye week, ahead of the game with Iowa in week 7 of the college football season. "Again, I thought the bye week came at a good time for us. We were able to get some rest for our guys and get some of those bumps and bruises taken care of. We were able to take a look at ourselves and our tendencies and see what we were doing and what people were seeing out of us. We were able to get out on the practice field and have the opportunity to get a jump-start on Iowa. I thought the bye week was productive for us in all those ways. Hopefully that will bear out on Saturday."

Could we see another high scoring game, evolving Iowa, after the Hawkeyes 45-29 win last Saturday in Iowa City?

This season, Maryland has posted at least 24 points in all six games played. It is the first time in program history a Terrapin offense has scored 24 or more points in its first six games. The Terps are averaging 34.7 points per contest, tied for the fourth-highest total in the Big Ten. In addition, Maryland has totaled 25 plays of 20 or more yards this season including eight against Indiana on Sept. 27. Of the 25 plays that have gone for 20 or more yards, 10 have been scoring plays.

Iowa has scored 24 points in the two road wins at Pittsburgh and in the Big Ten opener at Purdue. The Hawkeyes followed up those two wins with 45 points vs. Indiana, in Iowa's Homecoming victory in 2014. Now, back on the road in College Park, the Hawkeyes are simply looking for a way to win.

"They made a lot of big plays against Indiana, Edsall said. "They hit a post over the top, they got a pick six; they did a lot of good things. They got a big run by one of their freshman (Jonathan Parker) so again they have some big play capabilities there. They'll hit you with all kinds of different looks; they hit you with 21 personnel, 12 personnel, 22, 11. Again, they're well coached, they know what they want to do and they're going to do it. What you have to do is you've got to stop them."

Will big plays, explosive plays, make the biggest impact in today's Iowa at Maryland game? Of course, turnovers and special teams likely will figure into today's game, as well.

Generally, Iowa likes a grind out, establish the run, physical game, won in the trenches, as opposed to offensive dominated games that Maryland has enjoyed headlined quality receiving corp led by junior wide receiver Stefon Diggs with 36 catches and 450 receiving yards.

Edsall said, "tough game this week against a really good football team in Iowa. As you watch Iowa on tape, they are a team that is very sound in what they do scheme-wise. They are very well coached. You can tell that Kirk's [Ferentz] has been there for 16 years. He's got things going the way he wants and their team plays hard and physical. They are very good fundamentally and from a technique standpoint. They have good players. We are looking forward to the opportunity Saturday."

Defense is an important phase of the game today.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz called the Terrapins a "good defensive football team." Like Iowa, "They're a physical group. Their linebackers, they've got a bunch of them and they're all kind of the same size, but they're all strong, physical guys. They're disruptive up front. The one guy, the linebacker is really more of a defensive end, but he's made a lot of tackles for losses and sacks. So they're not I wouldn't call them overly fancy. They do some things on third down. They've got a good package. Their guys really know the package, and they play hard within the scheme, and that's what good defenses do. They know what they're doing, and they're pretty aggressive. They're a tough match up for us."

Maryland's run defense could play a big role today. Edsall reflected on the Maryland run defense ahead of today's Iowa game.

"Usually when you give up yards it's because people aren't executing, guys aren't fulfilling their responsibilities the way you need to. It might be a guy missing a gap here; it might be a guy missing a tackle there. It's a combination of everybody not doing the things that you need them to do. Those are the things that we've been working on, getting everybody to understand what their job is and getting them to continue to do their job. If you can get everybody doing their job and doing it to the best of their ability you have a lot more opportunities for success. Again, guys are working hard. Guys are really working hard. They want to be good, they want to do things the right way, and they don't like giving up the yards. But I think the one thing, other than the last game we played, we found a way to keep people out of the end zone. That's what we have to continue to do and we have to continue as a coaching staff to take a look at who we are and who we have and put together the best plan we can to take advantage of the skillset because we've had some guys out due to some injuries."

Will Iowa have to continue to rely on fourth down plays today? Iowa is nine of 12 on fourth downs, through the first half of the 2014 season. All nine first downs have led to points. Special teams has been completely revamped with new personnel in 2014.

Ferentz reflrected on the fourth down success, by saying, "some of it is by design, some of it is by feel. The guys are doing a good job, they really are. We're trying to be smart about when we calculate and pull the trigger and go ahead and go forward or try to take a field goal or whatever it may be. But the bottom line is our players are doing a good job of executing. I think if you combine that with third down, we're a little bit of mature numbers last year, but it feels a little better right now for sure."

Iowa is typically stout against the run, but in the season opener against Northern Iowa, the Panthers talented running back hurt Iowa's defense for over 200 yards receiving and explosive plays. The Iowa back 7 will be tested today, so the front 4 will have to play extremely well, which is the strength of the Iowa defense.

Of Maryland’s 12 touchdown passes this season, three have gone to running backs. Junior RB Brandon Ross has caught two including a 36-yarder against IU after catching a 90-yarder at Syracuse, the Terps’ longest play from scrimmage.

Iowa needs the defense to step up, if they are going to overcome the 4.5 point underdog role they face in College Park vs. Maryland. The Hawkeyes have been successful at 6-1 over the past season and a half, in true road games. Maryland has lost two straight this season, and five of last seven home games.

The formula for success is typically:

1. Establishing the line of scrimmage, so which team wins the game in the trenches? Iowa - Maryland will be a physical game.

2. Explosive plays - defenses will seek to hold them down, as offenses seek to attack, while staying ahead of the sticks on first and second down.

3. Turnovers are always an important aspect of any game, especially in conference play. This will be an important element today.

4. Special teams favors Maryland on experience, but Iowa can't afford to let down in this phase or any phase, if they are going to win their third straight road game, as well as third straight B1G game in 2014.

5. Coaching staff: Ferentz and Edsall have a lot of respect for one another, as each coach has ties to UConn. Ferentz's is an alumnus and former linebacker, while Edsall elevated the program from FCS to the FBS level, as a former head coach there.

Our Pick: Iowa 24, Maryland 18 - Iowa takes the big play away and establishes the line of scrimmage turning this one into a grind out, game in the trenches. An explosive game favors the home team.

Is Iowa a Contender or Pretender, as Iowa hosts Indiana for Homecoming

Iowa City, IA - - The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-0 B1G West) return to Big Ten action, after back to back road games, with Indiana (3-2, 0-1 B1G East) for Homecoming. Will we see an unusual defensive score today or will the points continue to fly?

The Hawkeyes - Hoosiers are known for points at Kinnick Stadium, as Iowa has scored 31 points or more in all games under Kirk Ferentz, except for the 38-20 loss in 2007, at Kinnick Stadium. Indiana scores at least 21 points during the same period.

The game will come down to Iowa's defensive strength against Indiana's spread running attack.

Keys to win:

1. Explosive plays are very important today on Homecoming.
2. Turnovers
3. Staying ahead on downs, winning at the line of scrimmage
4. Miscues
5. Special teams

Iowa is the physical opponent, while Indiana likes to play fast, using tempo, especially on the ground and with vertical attack.

The Hawkeyes should win, but Indiana has found ways to make it very competitive, during both Ferentz and during Hayden Fry era.

Our pick: Iowa 31, Indiana 21 on Homecoming at Kinnick Stadium.

Coaches chatter ahead of Saturday's Iowa vs. Indiana

Iowa City, IA - - The Iowa Hawkeyes ( 4-1, 1-0 B1G West) will host the Indiana Hoosiers (3-2, 0-1 B1G East) on Saturday, as they host their Homecoming Game, at Historic Kinnick Stadium.  The 11:00 a.m. game will be televised by ESPNU.

The Hawkeyes have a 7-3 record, since 2001 in this series, 4-1 at home. Indiana won the last meeting in a 24-21game in Bloomington, in 2012.

It was the last back to back wins for the Hoosiers, in defeating Iowa, in 2012. The Hawkeyes have won back to back games, before enjoying their first bye week of the season. Indiana has won, lost, won, lost and won to open 2014. So, can the Hoosiers finally win back to back games? The Hoosiers won last Saturday in Bloomington over North Texas.

Both teams coaches meet with the media, ahead of this Saturday's game in Iowa City. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is the dean of Big Ten coaches, in his 16th season. Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson is in his third season for the Hoosiers.

2-2 head to head Wilson vs. Ferentz
Wilson was on the staff at Northwestern for three years (1999-2001), with Iowa winning 2-of-3 meetings with the Wildcats in those seasons. Wilson leads the series 1-0, as a head coach.

The Hawkeyes are 9-5-1 against the Hoosiers on Homecoming, and 11-4 in Homecoming contests under Kirk Ferentz.

COACH FERENTZ: Captains are the same four guys, Louis Trinca-Pasat and Quinton Alston on defensive side of the ball and Brandon Scherff and Mark Weisman on offense. We're relatively healthy going into today, so we'll see how that looks once we get out on the field and start getting ready for a very good Indiana football team. We haven't played them for a couple of years here. They're playing very well right now, and had a real big win on the road a couple weeks ago over in Columbia. So they moved the football well, playing standard on defense, good on special teams, and we'll turn our attention to them this afternoon.

Iowa needed a bye week, after three key contributors on offense missed the Purdue game to close out September. Iowa won their third straight Big Ten road opener, with a 24-10 win at Purdue.

Q. RB Damon Bullock and WR Matt VandeBerg, those were the two guys that missed Purdue. Where are they at? 

COACH FERENTZ: Matt practiced on Sunday, seemed pretty good. Damon is supposed to practice today, so we'll see how it looks this week.

Q. Is #1 QB Jake Rudock ready to go? 
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, I think so. He looked good.

Iowa is allowing 18.7 ppg at Kinnick Stadium (2-1). Indiana is averaging 36.5 ppg on the road (1-1). The Hoosiers allow 36.0 ppg on the road. Iowa averages 21.7 ppg at home.  The Hawkeye offense is off to a slow start in 2014.

Q. Where do you see concerns with the offense? Not running the ball as well as you like? 

COACH FERENTZ: Not as well as we like. We're not scoring as many points as we like, so that's a work in progress. We'll just keep banging away here.

Iowa plans to utilize two quarterbacks vs. Indiana, with Rudock healthy and after #2 QB C.J. Beathard's performance the past game and a half.

Q. What is the biggest challenge to trying to incorporate two quarterbacks in an already struggling offense? 

COACH FERENTZ: We'll find out, I guess. We're not even sure what the plan is right now totally. Bottom line we've got two guys that we feel good about. Sound like a broken record on this one. Both guys have played well. Jake's done a great job for us, and C.J., when called upon, has really played well too. We'll just try to figure out the best way to work it.

Q. Will you have a strict plan or do you just go by feel? 

COACH FERENTZ: We'll have something by Saturday, for sure. But they're both going to play. We have total confidence in both guys.

Q. How long do you think you can do this legitimately? 

COACH FERENTZ: Time will tell.

Q. One game, two games? 

COACH FERENTZ: I don't know. Time will tell. We'll play it by ear.

In Big Ten games only, the Hawkeyes lead the conference in total defense (156.0), pass defense (72.0), and pass defense efficiency (47.0).

Q. The rotation on the defensive line, seems like you have some depth there? 

COACH FERENTZ: It's coming. We're developing it and we feel like we have three starters legitimately. Mike Hardy has played very well for us going back to last year when we got called upon. So those three guys are certainly playing well. The inside guys were a little deeper there. We have Jaleel and Faith, and all of a sudden, Bazata, has done a great job. So we're going to need it this week because these guys run an awful lot of plays and a high tempo offense. We need to keep guys as fresh as we possibly can.

Ohio State won the Big Ten with a two quarterback attack in 1996, when the rotated Stanley Jackson and Joe Germaine. Can Iowa compete for a Big Ten West Division using the same strategy?

Q. How do you make your way or measure or even care about how a quarterback feels looking over his shoulder? 

COACH FERENTZ: It's really hard to regulate anybody's feelings or monitor it. I'm not that smart. What we're worried about is moving the football and scoring points. I think both players are worried about that too. We have a pretty unselfish group of guys. We haven't played the best, but this is a fun group to work with. They've got a great attitude and they work extremely hard and care a lot about each other, so that is the least of my concern. The biggest thing is us moving the football and scoring points.

Iowa's quarterback duo of Jake Rudock (66.9) and C.J. Beathard (54.2) has combined for a 63.4 completion percentage, the second-highest percentage in the Big Ten. 

Q. Could it boil down to just results? 

COACH FERENTZ: Both guys to me have given good results when they've played. Both guys have played well. If they weren't, we wouldn't put them out in the field. We have confidence in both guys. If I had the answer, I'd tell you. We don't have it yet. We haven't gone down this road, but we're about to.

Q. Is there a reason teams don't do this very often and try to incorporate two quarterbacks? What concerns do you have in the design? 

COACH FERENTZ: I'm guessing it's because most teams don't have two quarterbacks. Most teams I've been around haven't had them, at least at a given time. So we have a little bit of a unique situation and that's just where we're at today.

Q. Looking at the accolades of Jake Rudock. He played well last year and did a lot of good things. How much does that work to his advantage in his moving forward? 

COACH FERENTZ: Every player to me has a resume, whether it be what they're doing on the field, their academic work, their citizenship, and we keep close track of that from start to finish, yet this is a results driven activity. So it's about what you're doing and what you're projected to do. But based on what you've done in the past helps predict those kinds of things. To me, Jake entered this season as a guy who played well a year ago. I think a lot of that has been diminished by people, at least if you hear the chatter. But he's done a lot of good things for us. The biggest thing is change. C.J.'s played well too. So we certainly have two guys who to me demonstrated some good things on the field. They have things to improve upon like all of us do. So, yeah, we're going to keep pushing forward. I've said many times I have total faith in Jake, and he's going to start the game unless something happens between now and Saturday.

Q. It seems like one of the perceptions is when C.J.'s in the offense is more exciting. Is that fair? 

COACH FERENTZ: I'm not a good judge on what's fair or not. We try to look at it from our perspective and what we think it does for our football team moving forward. I think both guys have done a lot of good things, so I'm really pleased. If you want to talk about perception, just go back to the Pitt game, I've already made a point of that. But if you take those two long passes and flip them around, which basically they're the same play, they just had two different results, maybe that would change perception. That's where people, if you're not paying really close attention, maybe you would come to that conclusion. We look at those things. I could say we dropped five balls in the first half in our last ballgame. So C.J.'s numbers would have been spiked up there a little bit in the first half had we done a better job catching the football. But that's football. That's a team thing. Perception, catching the ball, running good routes, guys being on the same page, that's a pretty complex equation. Good news is I'm happy about both those guys.

Q. I know in practice you have two guys that want to play quarterback and enough reps where you feel like they're ready. Where's that at? 

COACH FERENTZ: I feel fine about that too. Basically we have two groups that work during the course of the practice, and they just mix the reps up. It's really not a big deal. Our guys have been doing that for quite some time.

Q. What tells you these two guys can make this work? 

COACH FERENTZ: We don't know if it will. We haven't gone down that road, so we're about to find out.

Q. Does Jake see more at the line because of his experience? 

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, you have to factor that into the equation also if you're going to be fair about things. There are things anybody that's played longer than another guy, a three year player versus a one year player, you'd like to think there are certain things they're going to do better. For a guy that hasn't played as much he's got to do some other things to give you a reason to give them a shot, and I'm talking about just in general terms of any player. Like Jonathan Parker. Jonathan Parker did some things in real life the other day that made me think we're on the right path with him, and I said that. But we also went through some real lows with him too and almost didn't survive a couple really critical plays that he was involved in. But we didn't put dirt on him. We just kept working with him and kept believing in him, and he's rewarded us a little bit, but we're not out of the woods there yet. He's still a young guy, just as an example. There are going to be some ups and downs with players.

Q. C.J. looks like he's progressed from last year? 

COACH FERENTZ: I said in August I thought before camp and after camp that C.J. was a lot better player than he was a year ago. He's had more chances to play since then, not only practice, but play, so he is a better player than he was certainly last November.

Q. You've said before that the quarterback is a touchier position, how does that change things? 

COACH FERENTZ: We'll see. I acknowledge that statement. Yeah, offensive coordinators, quarterbacks, head coaches, I'm not sure what the order is. I'm second or third, somewhere in there. Coordinator is the worst job, there is no doubt about that, for drawing opinions.

Q. Coach, how do you avoid a barn burner, if you will, with Indiana? 

COACH FERENTZ: I'm hoping we can score too. And I appreciate the question about Indiana, too. They're a pretty good football team. If you're a fan, I don't mean you, but anybody paying attention last year, they were very close. They beat us two years ago. Really since Kevin has gotten there you can just see the improvement they've made. It started as a tough game for us in 2011 too. So they started playing hard back then. They weren't as talented in 2011, but they've been moving the ball and scoring points basically against anybody since that time, and last year they were that close to being a Bowl team. They're certainly on that path right now. And talking about signature wins and all that kind of thing. You have to get some traction from going down to Missouri a couple weeks ago and beating Missouri, and that wasn't a fluke win. That was two good teams playing really well. We're up against a very tough opponent. They're eighth in the country rushing the ball and have 300 yards a game rushing it. That's maybe a misconception about them is that they're a throwing team. They throw the ball really well, they run it well. They're tempo offense. They really make it tough and they're playing better on defense than they did a year ago, and that is the biggest difference right now with this football team.

Q. Just like you said, you think of them as a passing team, and they have a good running back now, are you seeing a different kind of personnel from them? 

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, the running back is excellent. You think beyond all three backs. They're all really good. Obviously, the running backs are second or third in the league right now. You look at their top guys and they're all pretty good players in the league. But whoever they put in when they rest them, the guys really run the same way. They're really tough. Their lines are veterans. They've got seven or eight guys that have started and played really well. They're strong, cohesive, very well coached. The quarterback does a great job, they have good receivers. They make you defend everything plus they have tempo on top of it.

Indiana co-defensive coordinator William Inge played DE for the Hawkeyes from 1993-96. The other co-defensive coordinator Brian Knoor just joined the Hoosiers staff this off-season,  after three seasons at Wake Forest.

Q. What do you know about their defense? 

COACH FERENTZ: The coach that they brought in, the coordinator they brought in Wake Forest, he was at Wake Forest for quite some time and through the Air Force family. So to me everything I'm seeing is they make you work for it, and they're playing really hard right now, the whole group. They play a lot of guys. Doesn't matter who is in there, they're playing hard and making you really work.

Iowa allows 93.2 rushing yards per game, No. 3 in the conference. The Hoosiers average 300.0 yards per game rushing, No. 3 in the conference. 

Q. The running back had 13 carries of 40 yards plus. How do you do that? How do they do that? 

COACH FERENTZ: They're an offensive scheme. They've done a great job. They've done that for quite some time. They've run the ball well and moved the ball well. He's tough to bring down.

Q. How do you keep a guy like that in between the hashes? 

COACH FERENTZ: We'll find out. That's easier said than done. They do a lot of different things too. They'll run the inside stuff. They run outside option, pitch, they do all kinds of things. So it's a very diverse attack.

Q. How do you simulate that in practice? 

COACH FERENTZ: That's always a challenge when you face the tempo of a team, number one. If you face an option team, we played Georgia Tech years ago, that was a challenge. At least we had a month there, but we don't have that kind of luxury this time. So it's very difficult. Certainly we don't have those kinds of players. If we did, they'd be with our ones or twos, so it's a real challenge.

Q. Can you take guys you've recruited for defense and move them to scout team? 

COACH FERENTZ: No, I mean, not really. We have what we have out there. Our guys do a good job. But it's still not the same tempo. It's kind of like we played Pitt. It took a while for us in the game to get caught up to the way it was on the field, the game field.

Q. Did you try to recruit Coleman? 

COACH FERENTZ: I can't remember. I don't know. I don't think so. I'm not aware of that. I think I'd remember that one.

Q. Can you describe his style? 

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, really tough and hard nosed. He's fast. He's quick. If you look at the top four guys in the Big Ten right now, they're all clipping along pretty well and they're all pretty good backs. I think they have one we recruited too, which is kind of interesting.

Iowa's young Linebackers 
LB Quinton Alston, LB Bo Bower, and LB Reggie Spearman have started all five games this season at their respective linebacker positions. Entering this year, the trio combined for one career start (Alston). Against Iowa State, Alston and Spearman recorded career highs in tackles. Alston registered a game-high 10, while Spearman collected seven stops.
•The trio has accounted for 6.0 tackles for loss this season. 
•Each player has recorded one sack.
•Alston has one forced fumble, while Bower has one of Iowa's five interceptions. 

Q. Outside of Quinton you have some youth at linebacker, how do you see their progress? 

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, I think we're making progress. Josey was late to the game, late to the party a little bit. But he's been playing well on special teams. Two games in his first football experience, so it was really Reggie's first experience, and certainly Bo's, so I think all those guys are improving. I'm pleased right now. I think we have a lot of younger players moving along pretty quickly, Mabin, Jordan Lomax. So that's been positive. We'll keep those guys growing. If they do that, we'll get better as a football team.

Q. There are so many different types of fronts that your defense has shown which is different than it was a couple years before. What is the progression? 

COACH FERENTZ: I don't know if it's that much different other than the Raider package. We used to call it Raider. I guess we still call it Raider. We do. It got created in the mid 2000s. So some things go away for a while and come back, and the blitz percentage goes up and down too. But it's a feel thing. You know, we hired Phil to be the coordinator. We've got total trust and faith in him, great input from the staff. Not everything we do works, but the things that do work are pretty calculated, well thought out and practiced. So far, so good. We've had our highs and lows. But I think we're improving right now.

Q. Is RB Jordan Canzeri close to being 100%? 

COACH FERENTZ: I hope he is. And I agree with you, I just don't think he's been a 100% there all season, starting with camp. So for him to get back full speed would really help us. And hopefully he's feeling a little better now, but time will tell.

Q. How has the defense been? You could argue that they've kind of arrived quote unquote? 

COACH FERENTZ: If you were standing next to me at Pitt with ten minutes left in the first half, I don't know if you'd make that observation or comment. That's what we're going to go through. There are going to be some highs and lows. We're playing a totally different style of attack right now. You know, Pittsburgh is one kind of run team. We're playing a running team that's very different. So every week is going to be a different adventure, and we have a lot of football games ahead of us. A wise man once said, once you arrive, there is only one direction and that's down. When you're coasting, you're not getting better, so we better not we have a lot of work to do. All you have to do is look at the films and we have a lot of work to do.

Q. How important was the bye week for everyone? 

COACH FERENTZ: I've become a huge fan of bye weeks. I just think it gives you an opportunity to really step back and look at things a little bit and dissect a few things and try to just pinpoint a couple things that you want to focus on. The other part is it gives everybody a chance to adjust a little bit, especially the guys that have been playing a lot. That was a tough five week stretch post camp. Had some heat there the last couple games, so there was a good chance for guys to get back and get recharged hopefully a little bit. We'll see how we come out of it, but it's a good thing. I think it's a good thing. Watching everybody else sweat last Saturday was fun.

Q. Have you been noticing that while watching games around the league? 

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, the experts aren't as smart as they thought they were, I don't know. Good luck. For anybody that does Gamble, I advise them not to at any level, at least on sports. But there are a lot of good teams out there. I think the bottom line that's what makes college football so good. Anybody can beat anybody. Not anybody can beat anybody, but pretty much anybody can beat anybody. It's going to be interesting, like every year, to watch how things unfold.

Q. You started spring and summer with the idea of playing CJ in games, but he saw limited action, what kept him out of the plans before Jake got hurt? 

COACH FERENTZ: Just a decision you make as you're going along. Then he kind of got thrust on the scene there. Had an injury, and that's how he got in last year as well. Basically we have a game and a half of evidence now as opposed to practice. He made a couple deposits at the bank, and that's a good thing.

Q. Are you where you need to be right now with field goals and punting? 

COACH FERENTZ: No. At times, we're just not consistent. We're capable, I think, more capable. I wasn't sure where we were in field goal kicking early in the season, but I think we're making progress there. It's a matter of consistency I think, same thing with the punting game. I think our core guys are doing better. I'm happy with our core guys overall, but the specialist part, we've just got to level the playing field a little bit.

Q. You addressed this in the Big Ten teleconference, but I didn't hear. Regarding cameras in the locker room, you see it so much on NFL telecasts too now. You're not for it? 

COACH FERENTZ: No.

Q. Why, and what do you think of it? 

COACH FERENTZ: First thing I'll say is it's strictly a personal decision in my opinion. If it gets mandated, we'll do it. I think it is mandated in the NFL. I think it is. At least I always see cameras in people's locker rooms, the little bit I do see. If it's mandated, we'll do it. Otherwise, to me, not everything in life has to be public. That is probably one of the reasons I don't tweet or whatever else they do. But I don't think everything has to be public. Football is a pretty intimate deal, activity. So that's what makes it fun.

Q. I don't know if fight is the right word, but it seems there are a lot of forces pushing these days. 

COACH FERENTZ: It's a whirlwind. We've put more stuff online than I would not online, but you know, the stuff we blast out, social media. But I get it. I understand why you have to do it. If somebody convinces me we have to do it to recruit, I'll probably retire.

Q. Fifteen years ago coaches were not interviewed at halftime, your thoughts on that? 

COACH FERENTZ: I think it's really silly, typically. Really. I did have a chance to see a few of those this weekend. I can think of a game where I was asked what I thought of about the play or first touchdown, the 80 yarder went down their sideline and got their stadium to go totally crazy. What do you think I thought? That's just one that stands out. But I know everybody's got to get close and intimate. I get that.

Q. Do most head coaches prefer not to do that? 

COACH FERENTZ: To do what?

Q. The halftime interview. 

COACH FERENTZ: I would imagine that's probably unanimous. It's probably people agreeing about grandkids being great. Everyone votes for that one too. I would imagine it's probably about the same, neck and neck.

Q. Riley McCarron fair caught everything against Purdue, was that an instruction from you? 

COACH FERENTZ: Hopefully we'll get that train moving a little bit. I think that's his first game out there, so we'll get that going a little bit.

Q. Do you want to do more in the punting game? 

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, we're not against that. We're not against returns. I am for fielding it, but returns after that.

Q. You were saying last year your main concern was protecting against the punt, you didn't want to get burned in other ways? 

COACH FERENTZ: We were still safeguarding, but we could have gotten both done the other day. That's kind of the next step there in the progression. That was his first game out there. If I had the choice, field the ball. Don't let it roll, field the ball.

Q. Have you done any personnel changes or any movement on the depth chart in the bye week? 

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, we spent a lot of time talking about that Monday, talking about what we want to try to do to move forward and be a little more intelligent about how we're using guys. Hopefully in the next couple weeks we'll make some progress.

Now, we turn to IU coach Kevin Wilson, who opened his media conference, regarding Iowa with the following comments:

"Iowa coming in, very good as always; 4 and 1, one of the top teams in our conference, have been for years with Coach Ferentz. West division; some people think one of the premier teams that can win that division, and they're sitting undefeated with only one conference game. Sitting at 4 and 1 they've played a good schedule. 

"Solid and strong as they always are. Legit on defense. They lost three great linebackers. They plugged three guys in, with their structure and defensive front, their coaching, hadn't missed a beat. Played really, really good defense. 

"They've given up three touchdowns in 12 red zone opportunities, so 25 percent of the time, when you get in the scoring zone, you get a touchdown, and that's not a good formula on the road. Not scoring when you get an opportunity or kicking field goals is not something that wins on the road a lot in the lifetime of football. So that'll be a challenge for our offense.

"Offensively, as always, got a great offensive line, starting with their head coach and their line coach and their background. Always good. Maybe the premier player of our conference is their left tackle. So tremendous offensive line, awesome with the run game, and they stay with it. 

"Their numbers aren't that good because they do it and people load up, but with that their passing -- you would come in saying we're the passing team and they're the running team, yet their passing statistics are way better than ours and our running statistics are way better than theirs. So it's kind of like our passing sets up the run; their running sets up our pass. Did a great job with their play-action game and their balance and what they do. 

"They don't beat themselves; solid at the kicking game. If you play well, it'll be a dog fight. If not, you'll get your butt beat by a really good program. So great challenge. I know our guys are looking forward to it. Great chance to go on the road, we'll be playing at noon on ESPNU. Questions."

Q. On using tight ends in the passing game: 

COACH WILSON: "Again, good point because you'd like to get them all. Of course, one was just a play-action pass, but we had a couple of opportunities, went to Anthony Corsaro. It's good to get him back. We've had a couple balls go at Michael Cooper and again, Fuchs is very athletic guy, and as a young player, if he and Simmie Cobbs will practice more consistently, they'll get on the field more, because all you do is watch practice, and you build trust as either the quarterback, the coaches. So as those young guys keep coming along --

"You get those guys on linebackers, but their defense knows it, too; meaning they know there's certain routes or concepts that you think have an advantage, but they also work to defend those. 

"It was good execution. It was nice to go to them, but it was really nice to execute it and have a nice, what, third -- I think it was a fourth-down conversion to Anthony on a 4th and 6. It was just a play where he was the guy that had the leverage. It wasn't really trying to go to him, but based on coverage and structure, that was the matchup and you needed to go there."

Q. Iowa plays two quarterbacks. Do you prepare for both or is their style so similar it doesn't matter? 

COACH WILSON: "It's not like one becomes the athletic zone read or one's just a running quarterback. One's a throwing. They're going to run similar stuff, and I don't know if it's due to just how they played or if the one guy that starts got maybe nicked up a little, I don't know. 

"They're very fortunate because I remember going back and listening to preseason where they thought they had depth in the position, so I think it's just the nature of where they are offensively, but I don't think it changes dramatically. They're going to do what they do, and they execute it really well, and I'm sure that Coach Davis and Kirk will get the guy they think is going to give them the best chance to win, and it's kind of nice they got two guys they can do it with."

Q. The fact that you guys beat them the last time you played them in 2012, how can that help the mindset of the guys going into the week? Do they have some confidence from the prior success?

COACH WILSON: "Yeah. I think our team's getting more confident just because we're slowly having a little bit more success; we're more mature. There's more talent with the younger guys; the veteran guys have grown. They've been battle tested and been on the road and played in games. 

"That team two years ago had some injuries, I think, at Iowa, with running back and whatnot, and we were a different team. We threw it a lot that day, didn't run it very, very well; and so it's kind of, you know, we're kind of different, and both of us are at different points. 

"They're a better team, for sure, just with their experience and growth and the way they coach them, and I think we're different. In some ways we're a little bit better, but it'll be a different matchup. 

"I think our team realizes from how we've played that if we play hard, we can match up and compete; if we don't, we're very, very vulnerable and very susceptible to not having a positive outing, and that's all we've talked about, the preparation and the choice to go out and play the way we need to play to be successful, because we can practice it, but you need to choose to now go out there and let's play. And if you do that, you've got a chance, so I think it's more of just the confidence where we are this year versus a couple years ago."

Q. You talk about your consistent approach week to week to week. How do you make sure that they I guess go along with that program?

COACH WILSON: "Again, we'll stay -- because, again, we like our players, and they're a great practice squad and do a lot of things around here and around the building and around the community in the right way. We're going to kind of keep staying with our structure. 

"What they need to realize is what they need to invest outside of just coming to practice. For example, we got a great business school over there at Kelly, and if you just go to class and sit in there, you're not going to get a degree. You better do some work and some extra stuff, so we've got our 20-hour rule, how many hours I can spend time coaching you, but you better do some things in your rest, in your nutrition and in your self-preparation to get yourself ready to go. And that's your responsibility. 

"Like we tell them all the time, it's not our job to come in here and give you some rah, rah 'Win One For the Gipper' speech and you're going to go win. That's done through the week, and you're building that point. And with some young players you learn to do it, and with some old players I think we need to learn how to keep focusing. It's so easy with all the technology we have just to get easily distracted, because you can Google and check anything out and get infatuated with yourself and where you are. You better come back to getting grounded and getting prepared.

"So we'll stay with the practice routine, but a lot of it is those kids need to realize what they need to do to be ready to make that choice to play, because bottom line, it's a choice. And it's so easy, in this day and age, you can walk out with your hands down. If you do, you're going to get smashed. You better come out with your hands up ready to fight. Talk about it. The other guys fight."

Q. On injuries: 

COACH WILSON: "I don't think there's anything. We had Spriggs who could have went last week and didn't practice, and we gave Ralston Evans a spell, and Greg said, do you want Jason to go. I said, he's been standing around cold, Peyton Eckertstarted to play, so he should be full go. We had light work yesterday, and outside of that, no issues as far as any cheap bruises or bumps. We're kind of where we've been."

Q. On true freshman WR J-Shun Harris II:

COACH WILSON: "He hit his head on the -- just snapped, I think a concussion, I think in this day and age, there's probably more whiplash hitting your head on the turf than actual contact. And he said after the game he was fine, but again, in this day and age, you need to be -- he felt a little woozy, and our guys looked at him; and we got some things in place, like all schools do, that again, when those guys say a guy is down, he's down. 

"He looked yesterday. What we did yesterday was so minimal it doesn't really count as a true practice. But it'll be interesting how much he can do tomorrow, we'll see, and for sure by Wednesday. 

"And he appears to come out of it. I don't know if it's going to linger. I don't know. Everybody can say it needs to be seven, eight and nine. Sometimes, too, you say your head's hurt, and the doctor says your out. Well, you just said that, so what's the degree of the hurting. So I don't think there's a time line, a guy's out three days, five days, two weeks, four weeks. I think our guys are always going to err on protecting the athlete, but I think in talking with him afterwards, it didn't appear to be that big, but we'll see, because again, we do all these pretests with guys to get a baseline of where they're at, and then with your recall, you post test and you show that you're up to speed. 

"So he'll communicate, does he have headaches, whatever. I think every school's about got the same policies going now, and we'll see. 

"Again, we're not going to -- I'm not saying we're rushing a guy with a concussion, but it didn't appear to be a heavy, big one. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my take, from Saturday, what I heard yesterday and what I'm hearing today. 

"So we'll see. Not that he's going, but we'll see. I'll be surprised if he doesn't. We'll see. We'll do what's best for him."

Q. On improvements on defense and depth: 

COACH WILSON: "And you know, again, the thing we keep talking about about playing hard and competition, a lot of guys playing, understanding roles, the more guys we play. Dutra we thought was outstanding, he only had about 25, 30 plays, but when he's out there, he can go hard, full speed. And it's not like we got a guy, if you mess up, you're out. It's just you can go play hard. You don't have to save it because we're playing -- instead of playing Tim Bennett the whole game at corner, we're playing some guys, so when he's out there, he can be more -- because we need to get more aggressive in the -- I thought Murphy's play on a pass interference, which was for sure a P.I. call, but it was an aggressive play. 

"I just like that we're being a little bit more aggressive, and I'd like to see it be a lot more than it is. That doesn't mean blitz. That just means that we're teeing off up front, we're active in the perimeter, we're not missing a bunch of tackles. We need to tighten up coverage. We need to get up to the quarterback a little bit more. But man, those guys are young, and we've got a new system in place, and to me they're doing kind of good and they're not close yet, and that's kind of fun, and do they see that -- hey, I see myself getting better and I'm playing and making some plays, and that feels good, but do I realize it's not even close, like I'm really pushing the coaches to realize that it can be so much better. 

"And it's never going to be perfect. This is all a tremendous challenge to coach defense in this day and age. Tremendous. It ain't easy, the way we're doing it, with running plays and linemen down field and throwing the ball like everybody's doing, it's hard. You know, and you're making them defend every guy on the field, and then the running quarterback. So it's almost like you need 12 or 13 guys sometimes. 

"So you're going to get worked, and the deal is, though, is to keep playing hard, and those young guys are playing hard, and I think the old guys are doing a good job now of embracing roles and what they're bringing, and my challenge to them is that I like what I see, and I don't think it's close to what it can be, and that's what we want to keep pushing for, because we're a lot of young players and we're very new into this process of where those guys are right now."

Q. On playing the way you practice and making plays: 

COACH WILSON: "No doubt. One of our comments a week ago, though, we talked about with our guys, because I felt prior -- a couple of weeks ago we had a solid week of practice but didn't show. One of the things we talked about was not just practicing or practicing hard, but you need to practice making plays, so for example, when I beat a scout team offensive lineman or even the ones or twos in a pass rush, maybe I can't tackle the quarterback, but I continue to pursue to be in a position to do so, because I felt some of the things you're talking about in years past, sometimes it was tough to get up. But sometimes we were there and still didn't make the play, and man, you're in great position. That's a pretty good call. We are unblocked; make the sack. You're all over the guy in coverage; get your hand on the ball. 

"So one of the things that we're just emphasizing is continuing to play hard, and as you practice, not just practice hard, but practice making the plays you need to make in the game, because if you don't do it on the driving range, it ain't ever going to the first tee.

"And we can go hit a bunch of balls but we need to start hitting them good. Hey, we've been hitting a bunch of balls in practice, but we need to start hitting them down the middle, and we talked a lot after the Maryland game of not practicing harder but practicing with the purpose of making plays, coming into the building with the purpose of having a good meeting instead of just coming in here and doing your job. Let's be productive because we got a good chance to have some success as we keep moving forward."

Q. On playing the full 60 minutes despite the score: 

COACH WILSON: "A little bit, but the real -- that's a good question, because we need to, yes, for sure, keep playing. As a matter of fact, you're a turnover away from being into an 11-point game with six minutes left, for what that's worth. So now all of a sudden on-side kick, and you can be in a two-possession game and think, hey. 

"So again, I showed them highlights of the Arizona comeback against Cal where they scored, what, 36 points in the fourth quarter saying, look, I don't care what the score is; you better keep playing. Even if you're down, keep playing and even if you're up, keep playing. It's not about running up scores, or it's not about, hey, the game's over, just keep playing. 

"So one, that's a point, but to me the thing is that we busted some things that we hadn't technically seen, but conceptually you're always going to get in certain situations. 

"So I don't care what the formation is, and third and longs people are going to have some version of rush control; so is it draws, screens, whatever, they're going to have goal line, certain play-action passes, so you can say, hey, I didn't see this, but as a young defensive player, moving forward on the two-point play, every team in the country has the sprint-out pick pass to the right, for what it's worth. They don't do it all the time, but that's one -- we did it in 1982, it was called 574 at North Carolina. Everybody runs that play. 

"The pros, it's QB option. Everybody runs that play. We'll see it this week. We got it this week. 

"But as a defensive guy, how are you not ready for it? Well, there's so much processing going on that you forget, and that to me was what was disappointing, not that we didn't play 60 or we busted a coverage, but with young players -- and you're young, but start learning, because bank that play because you're going to see that again, not because you busted, but in the history of football, you're going to see that play and learn from that."

Q. On Iowa LT Brandon Scherff: 

COACH WILSON: "I had a chance to quickly speak with him at the Big Ten meetings. I thought it was him. Wasn't sure. He's a big guy, like who are you; and as soon as he said, I said, you're the guy that kills guys. And he said, I try to play as hard as I can. I said you do. He's very strong, very athletic. I think he's kind of grown into that position. He can come out as a natural, big guy. He's used their development of their weight program and their strength coaches and the position coaches, but he plays with a lot of passion, so he's a fun guy to watch. 

"And I remember a year ago not playing them, but when we would watch defenses and you watched him making some awesome plays against some special guys. I have a lot of respect for him. He's a tremendous lineman, one of the best in the country."

Q. On playing hard: 

COACH WILSON: "And again, you don't try to make it -- we've had conversation with players, what were you doing. Well, I was trying to make a play. Well, if you're trying, it ain't gonna happen. So we just talk about, you know, play hard, do what you're -- be where you're supposed to be. 

"But one thing we talked about last week was especially defensively, as you are being where you're supposed to be -- I'm canceling a gap. Feel free to kick some butt as you cancel the gap. So just being in the gap is not the job. Be in your gap and create some havoc and make a play. 

"So bottom line, we keep talking, and we can talk and talk and talk, but as players you need to keep playing. You need to keep playing every play. Games are never over till they're over. You're never out of it. If you're out of it, just keep playing. 

"But bottom line, it's easier said than done. If it was, everybody would win every game and everybody would play perfect every game, so you got human beings, you got kids, we got some good kids, and our deal is we are emphasizing, showing them the good. There's a lot of positives to build on and we want to keep building on it, and it's going to be a tough challenge with these cats now, because they're going to play hard, and they are very, very good so we're going to need our best go, like we've had a couple times, we're going to need a really good go this week."

Q. When you know what they're going to do is the preparation easier or harder? 

COACH WILSON: "I think really, unless a team is really, really, really junky all over the place, most people, they change from week to week, but you get a feel for people, you know what they're going to do. 

"And bottom line, it's executing plays, yeah, that's kind of what we do. We ran a lot of the same plays the next week. Does somebody hear, because you're up there talking, hear your words and share words, whatever; you change your words, you change your pig Latin, for whatever your stuff is. 

"But at the end of the day, it's execution. And I think the worst thing as coaches sometimes -- sometimes, you know, Coach Stoops said a long time ago, he said, you got that big piece of paper and you need to call all those plays. And he goes, you know, you don't have to. So feel free to do what they give you and take what's there and don't feel free, like you need to justify your existence and guard your desk every day and work 90 hours to do a bunch of plays. Find out what works and get your kids to execute it. 

"That's the key to --, in this no-huddle world, a lot of guys on defense talk about how simpler they've made it, which allows their defense to play harder and when they know what to do, the faster they play, the harder the play, the more they play. Now, you can say it's so simple, you know where they're at, but the kids know what they're doing. They're playing so hard, they're making plays. And as we've gotten more talented, sometimes the coaching needs to -- you can coach your guys to play hard instead of coaching them on a bunch of cute little gimmick stuff all the time. You can kind of play a little bit more normal football."

Q. On play-calling:

COACH WILSON: "I call the good ones and Coach Johns calls the bad ones. That's a fact. If it's not a good play, I had nothing to do with it. For example, Missouri, the last drive, it was amazing, my headphones went dead. Yeah, so I just had to take them off and yell at the guy with the call. It was amazing. Happened twice that game. Little-known fact.

"You've been there, right, Buck? All of a sudden, went dead. What happened here. I don't know. We need to score a touchdown. 

"I don't know. Sometimes -- I'm one of the five coaches on offense, so I help out over there. I thought at Oklahoma Coach Stoops was very involved in defense because that was his background. He was the head guy, but he sat in every defensive meeting, and he was the DB, and you can ask Coach Shelby, he coached corners. He was the corners coach. Okay. He was the head guy, but on the field I got you. That's my deal is I'm not the best, but I coach a little, so let me help coach a little. And I'm best when I'm working with the offense, and I'm best -- I go over there and I say, here's what I think they're doing offensively. Y'all figure out how you need to stop it, but make sure we just attack and stay aggressive. 

"Same deal on the kicking. Coach Inge was huge with that kickoff, onside. Not me. He's like, it's there, I want it. I said, okay, go for it. That was his call. I just said, yeah. 

"That was his choice. He said, Coach, it's there. I said, go for it. 

"That's a part of staff. Like I have final say on a lot of stuff. They're down there right now, probably taking their break for lunch, but they're going to go through every formation, every down-and-distance situation. We put a lot of plays up, and what I try to do is get the eraser out and start taking the clutter off the game plan. 

"So what do we need to have enough tools in the toolbox to go after it. And we get out there, and you just kind of get a feel for it. I've called plays since '90, and so I got a feel for certain things, but sometimes it's not a good view, and Kevin's got a good view. So it's just kind of a team deal. 

"The real play calling is done when the drive is over; what do you want next time. I'm thinking, give me this, give me this. What do you see? Should we do this or that, what do we need, and we kind of put it together. We don't script the game -- like I don't have a 15-play script. We don't do it. I mean we don't even sometimes tell them what the first play is going to be until we get out there, because what's the wind, what's the situation because I'm telling you exactly what it's going to be. We practice that on Thursday, we practice that on Friday, all of a sudden, it's a 20-mile-an-hour wind and you're on the three-yard line coming out; wait a minute. 

"We do a good job on the sideline, this is what we're going to do next, and we try to get the flow of things. So that's kind of how we call plays. 

"You got 40, 50, 60, 70 selections, but we're going with these four, five, six, seven, eight. That's kind of how we do it. Anything else? Good. Appreciate you being here, guys."

FastScripts by ASAP Sports 

Indiana lost their Big Ten opener 37-15 to Maryland at home. Iowa will travel to Maryland, after facing Indiana, while Indiana will head home to host Michigan State.

Hawkeyes, Buckeyes are idle; Week 7 College Football Saturday

Eastern Michigan at Army 11:00 a.m.CBSSN (HD) / $ULive

Indiana at Michigan State 11:00 a.m. ESPN2 (HD)

Iowa State at Texas Tech 11:00 a.m. FS1 (HD)

Kansas at TCU 11:00 a.m. FSN Affiliates

Memphis at Houston 11:00 a.m. ESPN News (HD)

Missouri at #6 Georgia 11:00 a.m. ESPN (HD)

Nebraska at Purdue 11:00 a.m. BTN (HD) / BTN2Go

Oklahoma vs. Texas 11:00 a.m. ABC

Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech 11:00 a.m. ESPNU (HD)

South Florida at UConn 11:00 a.m. ALT / MASN / SNY / (ESPN-GP / espn3) / ERTV

South Carolina at Arkansas 11:21 a.m.SEC TV / ESPN-GP / espn3

Navy at Duke11:30 a.m. (ESPN-GP / espn3) / ACC Network (HD)

Central Michigan at Ohio U 1:00 p.m.(ESPN-GP / espn3) 

Missouri State at #1 FCS North Dakota State 1:00 p.m.ESPN-GP / espn3 / ND NBC (cable)

Western Carolina at Auburn 1:00 p.m.(ESPN-GP / espn3) / PPV (AL)

Baylor at Kansas State 2:30 p.m. FOX (HD)

Boston College at Clemson 2:30 p.m. (ABC or ESPN2) 

Florida at LSU 2:30 p.m.CBS (HD) / CBS Video

New Mexico at Wyoming 2:30 p.m.RSRM / RSNW / MWC Video

Northwestern at Wisconsin 2:30 p.m.(ABC or ESPN2) 

San Jose State at Colorado State 2:30 p.m. CBSSN (HD)

Syracuse at North Carolina State 2:30 p.m. FSN Affiliates / RSN (HD) / (ESPN-GP / espn3) 

Troy at Georgia State 2:30 p.m.(ESPN-GP / espn3) / Sun Belt Network (cable)

Virginia at Maryland 2:30 p.m. ESPNU (HD)

#3 Oregon at Washington 3:00 p.m. FS1 (HD)

Marshall at Florida Atlantic 4:00 p.m.DTV: 623 / FCSA (cable)

Michigan at Penn State 4:00 p.m.ESPN (HD)

#2 Stanford at Utah 5:00 p.m. PAC-12 Network (HD) / Pac-12 Video

#1 Alabama at Kentucky 6:00 p.m. ESPN2 (HD)

Georgia Tech at BYU 6:00 p.m. ESPNU (HD)

Louisiana Monroe at Texas State 6:00 p.m.LHN / $Video?

Bowling Green at Mississippi State 6:30 p.m. FS South (HD) / (ESPN-GP / espn3) 

Boise State at Utah State 7:00 p.m. CBSSN (HD)

Tulsa at UTEP 7:00 p.m.FS1 (HD)

Texas A&M at Ole Miss 7:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)

Colorado at Arizona State 9:00 p.m.PAC-12 Network (HD) / Pac-12 Video

California at UCLA 9:30 p.m. ESPN2 (HD)

Oregon State at Washington State 9:30 p.m. ESPNU (HD)

Games online only or not scheduled for nationally available networks.

Akron at Northern Illinois 4:00 p.m.espn3 / cable

Buffalo at Western Michigan 1:00 p.m.espn3

East Carolina at Tulane 2:30 p.m. $ULive Video / WITN-TV (cable)

Hawaii at UNLV 7:00 p.m. Oceanic PPV / MWC Video

Idaho at Arkansas State 6:00 p.m.espn3

Kent State at Ball State 2:00 p.m. espn3

Miami-OH at UMass 2:00 p.m. espn3

Middle Tennessee at North Texas 6:00 p.m. $ULive Video

Rice at UTSA 3:00 p.m. TW (TX) (cable)

UAB at Florida International 6:30 p.m. CSS (cable)

The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes are idle in Week 7. Iowa will travel to Columbus next Saturday to face #5 Ohio State on its Homecoming.

Friday night: Temple @ Cincinnati in AAC

Temple at Cincinnati 7:30 p.m. ESPN (HD) - The Owls are better known for basketball, while the Bearcats were good last year in Football... ugly loss at Illinois in OOC.

Week 7 College Football on Thursday

Rutgers at Louisville 6:30 p.m. ESPN (HD) - Big AAC game for two teams exiting the conference, after this season!

San Diego State at Air Force 8:00 p.m. CBSSN (HD) - A Thursday showdown in the Mountain West.

Arizona at USC 9:30 p.m. FS1 (HD) - The Wildcats are first up for Trojans in the post-Lane Kiffin era in the Pac 12.

Make or break Saturday for many College Football programs?

Is Iowa State a Top 25 program in '12?  Beat #6 Kansas State on Saturday and jump to 5-1; and the Cyclones would clearly be worthy of Top 25 consideration, despite the coaches premature approval, after win over TCU.  By the way, the coaches still had TCU ahead of ISU in the Top 25 and no Texas Tech.

Iowa is coming off a bye week.  In 2011, it wasn't pretty heading to Penn State, but in 2010, Iowa coming off a bye week ended in a win @ Michigan.  On Saturday, Iowa heads to #24 Michigan State to begin a seven week journey in the B1G to close out the regular season.

Red River Rivalry: Which team hits two losses first?  #11 Oklahoma vs. #16 Texas in Dallas on Saturday!

The Big Ten Leaders may have the game of the year on Saturday, with Wisconsin @ Purdue?

What gives in Week 7: Make or Break anyone in College Football?


Saturday, October 13th

• #19 Louisville at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. on ESPNU (HD) - The Cardinals open Big East play on the road, against a Pitt team with only one solid win of note, in the OOC in '12.

• Iowa at #24 Michigan State, 11 a.m. on ESPN (HD) (3D) / espn3 - The over/under is 31 today; can Iowa pull out the 20-19 win in East Lansing to move to .500 on the road in this series?

• #6 Kansas State at Iowa State, 11 a.m. on FX (HD) - The Wildcats are lead by senior QB Collin Klien.  Could ISU coach Paul Rhoads be ready to notch another profile victory, like the Oklahoma State win in '11?

• Kent State at Army, 11 a.m. on CBSN (HD) - Does the MAC with the Golden Flashes notch another OOC win on the season?

• Northwestern at Minnesota, 11 a.m. on ESPN2 (HD) / espn3 - The Golden Gophers were flat at Iowa in returning Floyd to the Hawkeyes, so can coach Jerry Kill pull off a B1G win over a Northwestern team heading to the road again, after first loss @ PSU last year?

• #11 Oklahoma at #16 Texas (Dallas), 11 a.m. on ABC (HD) - The Longhorns have gone down to the wire two straight weeks in the Big 12, while the Sooners are coming off a solid win in Lubbock!

• Syracuse at # 20 Rutgers, 11 a.m. on SNY / MASN / CSCA / ESPN-GP / ERTV / espn 3 - The Orange have been up and down in '12, while the Rutgers are looking to get to bowl eligible on Saturday.

• UAB at Houston, 11 a.m. on FSN Affiliates (HD) / FCSC (cable) - A C-USA game... 

• Wisconsin at Purdue, 11 a.m. on BTN (HD) - The winner on Saturday owns tiebreaker for the Leaders ticket in the '12 race to the Big Ten title game.  Holy Boilermakers are in the race in '12?

• Auburn at Ole Miss, 11:21 a.m. on SEC Network / ESPN-GP / espn3 - Who hits the bottom of the SEC West on Saturday?  It may get a little more hot in the seat for Gene Chizik in Auburn?

• Duke at Virginia Tech, 11:30 a.m. on (ESPN-GP / espn3) / ACC Network (HD) - The Hokies are not playing well, while the Blue Devils are in '12.

• SMU at Tulane, 12 p.m. on (CSBA / CSBAa) / CSS (cable) - Another C-USA game ...

• North Carolina at Miami-FL, 1:30 p.m. on ESPNU (HD) / espn 3 - The Hurricane are undefeated in ACC play in '12, but two ugly losses vs. Top 10 Kansas State and Notre Dame on the road.

• Maryland at Virginia, 2 p.m. on FSN Affiliates (HD) / ESPN-GP - The ACC is not going to represent in the BCS title hunt in '12 and these two teams were not candidates to begin with.

• Utah at UCLA, 2 p.m. on FOX (HD) - Do the young Bruins rebound, after ups and downs in Pac 12 play in '12?

• #1 Alabama at Missouri, 2:30 p.m. on CBS (HD) / cbssports.com - This game should be a blow out, as defending BCS champs come off bye week...

• Buffalo at Northern Illinois, 2:30 p.m. on CSNC / ESPN-GP - The Huskies have won, since opening season loss in Soldier Field by 1.

• Fresno State at #23 Boise State, 2:30 p.m. on NBCSN (HD) - The Broncos look to remain in the Top 25 and on top in the MWC race as they close out final year in conference.

• Illinois at #25 Michigan, 2:30 p.m. on (ABC / ESPN) (HD) - The Wolverines look to get to 2-0 to stay a top in the Legends ahead of in-state game with Spartans next week.

• Oklahoma State at Kansas, 2:30 p.m. on FSN Affililates (HD) / FCSC (cable) - The Cowboys are young at QB, but the Jayhawks continue work to climb up from the bottom of the Big 12.

• #10 Oregon State at BYU, 2:30 p.m. on ABC (HD) / (ESPN-GP / espn3) - The out of conference battle featuring each teams #2 QB... history favors home team in this one?

• #13 Stanford at #7 Notre Dame - The Fighting Irish are in the Top 10, so a win today puts them in the BCS Top 10, which will be released at the end of Week 7 on Sunday night.

• UTSA at Rice, 2:30 p.m. on FCSP (cable) / DirecTV: 623 - A WAC vs. C-USA game in Houston, with the UTSA Roadrunners coming into this one undefeated in '12!

• #4 West Virginia at Texas Tech - Could back to back trips to the State of Texas in two weeks lead to upset alert in Lubbock on Saturday?  Does Texas Tech lose back to back home games in Big 12?

• Utah State at San Jose State, 3 p.m. on ALT / MASN / ESPN-GP / ERTV / espn3 - The WAC battle unfolds... 

• Memphis at East Carolina, 3:30 p.m. on (CSBA / CSBAa) / CSS (cable) - Our third C-USA game on Saturday!

• Boston College at #15 Florida State, 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2 (HD) - The Seminoles title game will not be in the BCS in '12, but an ACC title is realistic for '12.

• #5 Florida at Vanderbilt, 5 p.m. on ESPNU (HD) - The Gators travel to Nashville, as the Commodores are coming off big road win @ Missouri.

• Air Force at Wyoming, 6 p.m. on RSRM / RSNW - The MWC doesn't have the luster of the past, as programs like BYU, Utah and TCU have moved on...

• Idaho at Texas State, 6 p.m. on ALT (HD) / ESPN-GP / cable / espn3 - Can the Vandals pick up a W, after plenty of frequent travel miles thus far in '12?

• Kentucky at Arkansas, 6 p.m. on Fox Sports South *6 (HD) / ESPN-GP - Can the Razorbacks and coach John L. Smith pick up back to back conference wins in the SEC?

• TCU at Baylor, 6 p.m. on FSN Affiliates (HD) / FCSC (cable) - These teams used to battle in the old SWC, but in '12 it has moved to the Big 12... welcome back Horned Frogs!

• #14 USC at Washington, 6 p.m. on FOX (HD) - The Trojans hit the road to Seattle, which wasn't pleasant last go around!

• Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m. on (ESPN-GP / espn3) *2 / Sun Belt Network - A little Sun Belt flare anyone?

• #8 Ohio State at Indiana, 7 p.m. on BTN (HD) / btn2go.com - The Buckeyes hit the road in the Big Ten Network prime time game, after IU missed vs. Spartans last week!  Urban Meyer looks to get to 7-0, but no bowling in '12.

• #3 South Carolina at #9 LSU, 7 p.m. on ESPN (HD) - This game is the biggest game on Saturday, in the SEC and overall in College Football!

• Southern Miss at UCF, 7 p.m. on CBSSN (HD) - Our fourth C-USA game of the day!

• Tennessee at #12 Mississippi State, 8 p.m. on CBSSN (HD) - Can the Bulldogs get bowl eligible in just 6 games and remain undefeated in the SEC and overall for '12?

• #22 Texas A&M at Louisiana Tech (Shreveport), 8 a.m. on ESPNU (HD) - The Aggies are having a good start as new members of the SEC, while LA Tech looks to remain undefeated in '12 and earning a slot in the Top 25.

• California at Washington State, 9:30 p.m. on PAC-12 Network (HD) / pac-12.com - Winning on the road is often never easy, but can the Golden Bears get over the hurdle ahead at Wazzu?

• New Mexico at Hawaii, 11 p.m. on RSRM / Oceanic PPV - The Bob Davie era is on at UNM, while the Warriors look for first win in year one in MWC.

• Akron at Ohio U., 1 p.m. on epsn3 - Coach Frank Solich seeks to remain undefeated in '12.

• Colorado State at San Diego State, 5:30 p.m. on (KTVD / TW) (cable) - The Aztecs look get above .500 in the MWC on Saturday!

• Miami-OH at Bowling Green, 2:30 p.m. on espn3 / BCSN - The visiting RedHawks are undefeated in MAC play, while Bowling Green can get to 2-1, with a win at home.

• Middle Tennessee at Florida International, 5 p.m. on Video (not sure if free) - Can MTU get to above .500 in the Sun Belt race in '12 on Saturday?

• Nevada at Nevada-Las Vegas, 2 p.m. on (TW / Charter / Cox (NV)) (cable) / espn3 - Both teams are undefeated thus far in the MWC, so one is jumping forward...

• South Alabama at Arkansas State, 6 p.m. on $ Video - Sun Belt Alabama vs. Sun Belt Arkansas is not quite to same as SEC play!

• Temple at Connecticut, 12 p.m. on espn3 - The Owls are 1-0 in conference play, while UConn fell in the Big East opener.

• Toledo at Eastern Michigan, 12 p.m. on Video? - MAC football can be good, bad and ugly!

• Western Michigan at Ball State, 2 p.m. on epsn3 - A key game to remain relevant in the MAC West in '12?

The BCS ratings are announced on Sunday night for the first time in '12.  Game on!