We will begin with the Iowa Hawkeyes. A solid, well-coached club, the Hawkeyes have been a fixture on the annual Bowl schedule ever since coach Kirk Ferentz took over 11 seasons ago. This is a program that in many aspects I would like coach Stoops to model our Wildcats after. The Hawkeyes generally recruit players that are not on the radars of national powers, mix them with local heroes and 3-5 blue chip, national talents a year, and combine. The result is a solid club that can beat anyone, anytime, plays with no fear, flies to the football, and draws very well at home. Nile Kinnick Stadium is named after a World War II hero and former Hawkeye legend who gave his life for his country, similar to ASU's Pat Tillman and hundreds of thousands of other heroes just like them. Kinnick Stadium is, in my opinion, one of the toughest places to play in the nation. The stadium has a capacity of over 70,000. While that isn't the astronomical figure that the Rose Bowl or Neyland Stadium holds, what makes Kinnick special is the sidelines. The crowd is literally right on top of the players, and fans in the first row can almost grab opposing players. In addition, legendary coach Hayden Fry had the visitors locker room painted pink, which only adds to the lore of Kinnick Stadium. Position by position, I will give you names to remember for this upcoming season.
Quarterback: The starter here will be Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi beat out more heralded Jake Christiansen last season and never looked back. The junior is not going to wow you physically, but this is an outstandting leader and decisionmaker who I think has the chance to really step up this season. At 6'4, 218 pounds, Stanzi has good size to match a solid arm. He isn't in the class of Mark Sanchez, but I think that this is one of the more cerebral quarterbacks that the 'Cats will see this season. His backups are James Vanderberg and John Weinke, a pair of redshirt freshman. Look for receiver Marvin McNutt, a converted quarterback, on a few gadget plays this season to mix things up. I like Stanzi alot, but the backups are relative unknowns so I think there is something of a drop-off here.
Running Back: Since Ferentz has been in charge, a staple of Hawkeye football is outstanding play from his backs. Early on, it was scatback Fred Russell, followed by Jermelle Lewis, then the Albert Young and Damian Sims combo, culminating in last years outstanding season out of Shonn Greene. Mr. Greene rushed for 1850 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, however this season he has moved on to the New York Jets. Jewel Hampton has a cool name and an even sweeter game. He averaged 5.1 yards a carry in relief of Greene last season and also did damage on kickoff returns. Hampton has been banged up this offseason, and Hawkeye message boards have run rampant with rumors of torn ACLs and lost seasons. I don't expect Hampton to miss any time, but just in case he does, redshirt freshman Jeff Brinson and highly touted Iowa native Brandon Wegher will get the call. I like Wegher's game a lot, but you just never know with true freshman. Fullback Brett Morse, who is rarely called on to touch the ball, also returns. This is a solid group and if Hampton is good to go a strength of the team.
Receivers: This is a position that the Hawkeyes have had issues with recently. Early on in Ferentz' tenure, guys like CJ Jones, Moe Brown, and Ed Hinkel made play after play for the Hawkeyes, but that hasn't been the case recently. The position has been beset by injuries, arrests, and embarrassing dismissals like promising freshman Dominique Douglas' a few seasons back. This year, the starters will be Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (DJK for short, thank god) and Trey Stross. DJK is a big time talent who in my opinion is poised for a breakout season. Stross is a guy that I have always considered more of a mouthy douche than anything else, but when he is healthy he is another outstanding target. Previously mentioned McNutt provides size, and I look for true freshman Keenan Davis to make a splash, although maybe not in time to face the Wildcats. At tight end, former US Army All American (and Creed teammate) Tony Moeaki gets one last chance to make good on his enormous talents. Moeaki has a chance to be a first day draft pick with a good season, and Ferentz loves his tight ends(Dallas Clark, Erik Jensen, Brandon Myers. If DJK plays to his enormous potential, and Stross keeps a muzzle on his mouth I like this group, but a game breaker needs to step up and they cannot afford even a single injury here. This group gets an above average score from me with the potential for a good score. History has shown that Iowa will not finish the season with the same starters as opening night.
Offensive Line: This is a worry area for many of the Hawkeye faithful. It has nothing to do with talent, rather depth and injury concerns. My probable starters here are C Rafael Eubanks, a 3 year starter, G Andy Kuempel and Julian Vandervelde, and T Dace Richardson and Bryan Bulaga. Vandervelde and Bulaga are two guys that coaches and fans have to feel good about, but in my opinion the rest of these guys are iffy. Dace is another high school teammate of Creeds who came in highly touted and hasn't done a thing to back up his legacy. The only reason he is starting is the unclear status of Kyle Calloway, who drove drunk several weeks back and may not be available. Kuempel is competing with Dan Doering, a Chicagoland kid who has not lived up to the 5 star hype (read my previous entry). This group has potential, and the left side is awesome, but there are too many questions here. I will say that the talent is there to get it done and be outstanding this season if the unit can jell.
Defensive Line: My favorite college player of the last 10 years played defensive end here. Miami Dolphin Matt Roth had a great, underappreciated career for the Hawkeyes that included standing over Carson Palmer and celebrating with the Heisman pose, and blowing up guys like Craig Krenzel and Bryan Cupito for years. The names change here, but the attitude is the same. This is a blue collar, lunch pail group of guys who simply get it done. The midwest is the breeding ground of great college linemen (part of the reason I love Arizona's current recruiting trend). The starters here are Christian Ballard, Adrian Clayborn, and Mike Daniels and Karl Klug. Klug is a Minnesota native who no one else had even heard of prior to his Hawkeye commitment. I think the Cats can run on these guys, but aside from USC I don't see a more talented group of lineman on the schedule.
Linebacker: Iowa returns 3 starters here. Jeremiha Hunter, leading tackler Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds. These guys don't have the physical talent of USC's guys last season, but they are aggressive, athletic guys who have no trouble taking on blockers. Edds will draw the assignment of Rob Gronkowski and while I don't think he has the speed to cover Robbie, he will make things quite difficult. Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin will have a tough time against this unit.
Defensive Backs: I think this is the (relatively) weakest unit on the team. Amari Spievey returns at one corner, and Brett Greenwood and Tyler Sash man the safety spots. Competing for the other spot is 4 star junior Jordan Bernstine and Shaun Prater. Sash had 5 interceptions last year, and these guys are not bums, but I think that they are drawing difficult assignments with Terrell Turner, Delashaun Dean, Bug Wright, and Juron Criner on the other side. If the Wildcats have any chance, they must isolate Sash and avoid him, as the sophomore will make any quarterback pay.
Special Teams: The Hawkeyes return all important specialists. The most important ones are Daniel Murray and Trent Mossbrucker, two outstanding kickers. Hampton handled returns but I wouldn't be shocked to see Keenan Davis or Jordan Bernstine back there in his place.
Season Outlook: The more I look at this team, the more I like them in the Big Ten. They return all but one piece to the puzzle, and in an overrated league are legit Rose Bowl contenders. I think that at a minimum we will see the Hawkeyes win 9 games this season, with 10 a possibility. This is the darkhorse of the Big Ten.
How can the Wildcats Win? The 'Cats will need to rally around a new quarterback early. This will be a game where the offense plays patient. Look for both Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin to see the ball a lot, and both Gronkowski's will figure prominently in the equation. What I like about the Hawks is that of their BCS conference wins, they only blew out mediocre to bad teams, like Indiana. Even if the Hawkeyes lead in the second half, and they will be favored, Arizona will always be in striking distance. On defense, stay home, take on blockers, and play loose. Sterling Lewis and Vuna Tuihalamaka will be absolutely critical in this game at linebacker. I would put Robert Golden up in the box, and keep Cam Nelson over the top here. Corners Ross and Wade (or Benjamin) should be ok on the outside, so I think the main thing is playing assignment football near the line of scrimmage. One X factor that most experts will not mention is Arizona's DT depth. Look for 6 or 7 guys to rotate inside all game, which in the second half may prevent Hampton from long, backbreaking gains. Remember, Coach Stoops played here back in the '80s, so Arizona will be ready to play. With that said, I cannot confidently say that the Wildcats will win, but expect a battle right down to the wire, and potentially, a Rose Bowl Rematch in January :)
Always real. More next week
No comments:
Post a Comment