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No. 9 — DE Dominic Alvis | TheGazette
Alvis needs to have a big year for the Hawkeyes. I expect he'll have a better season than he did one year ago and possibly a much better season. This is a player who Norm Parker thought was going to be the next 'extra heartbeat' DL, ala Mitch King. While he never told me he thought he was the next Mitch King, the dinner he and I shared a few years back when Dom was younger led me to believe that was the path he was on. Dom got hurt late in Iowa's game against Michigan in 2011 and tore his ACL. He was back playing on it last year and just didn't have the same 'go'. This year, I think he'll have that back and look for his senior year to be the one that pays for all.
No. 10 — K Mike Meyer | TheGazette
Morehouse continues his breakdown of individual players and says if there is an 'all timer' on Iowa's roster, it might be Mike Meyer. I hadn't thought about it in that light, but when I read that Meyer needs 22 field goals at Iowa to break Kaeding's record, that surprised me. Meyer made 17 a year ago, so it's not impossible. As for an all timer, he's definitely behind Nate the Great, as most everyone will be who comes after. But he's pretty salty and is likely the second best PK in the Ferentz era and one of the four or five best since Hayden arrived.
No. 12 — QB Cody Sokol | TheGazette
Here's Morehouse's writeup on Sokol, with some of his opinions. If I had to wager on the Iowa quarterback battle, I say Rudock will start but I'd lay even money on Sokol winning the job by the time October rolls around. That's based on nothing other than 'a feel' right now. I think Sokol is more of a playmaker and Iowa needs plays. Having watched a great deal of Sokol's Juco highlights, he has that knack. In the few glimpses we've had of Rudock, he is the safer pick and is also very robotic. But the last look I had was in April and young players can grow a lot.
Iowa football: An analysis of the offensive line | Hawk Central
There is depth here. It's not proven depth and one position I don't think we've talked about enough is center, as James Ferentz was more than just a serviceable center for Iowa these past three years. That's a big position of change so Iowa has its work cut out there. On the whole this is a group that has talent and could develop into something good, with perhaps the best pair of tackles in the Big Ten.
Iowa football: An analysis of the defensive line | Hawk Central
This is still sooooo much betting on the come that I've written and said all that I can on the topic. They are green and unproven and Iowa needs some break out stories here if they are going to improve on their 4-8 record from one year ago.
Brian Ferentz puts emphasis on proven skill, character | Hawk Central
Brian's still the best quote in the program, for now.
Coach says Iowa LB corps ‘undervalued’ | TheGazette
Wait, this can't be; all three Iowa linebackers could be drafted next spring? That wouldn't line up with some conventional wisdom around Hawkeye fandom
The reality is pretty simple; Iowa's defensive line was at a low point last year. The linebackers had a lot more traffic to deal with as the line was not occupying the blockers the way Mitch King, Matt Kroul, Adrian Clayborn, et al used to do. That's a big deal. Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge didn't stand out in 2005 the way they did in 2004; that's because King and Kroul were freshmen and Bryan Mattison and Ken Iweebema were sophs that year. Iowa's linebackers can more than hold their own and if they get solid play fro the DL this year, the LB play will look better.
Season preview: A look at Northern Illinois, Iowa’s season-opening foe | Hawk Central
This is an AP snapshot look at Northern Illinois. Jordan Lynch is still their QB and the only player in NCAA history to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,500 yards. Back in 2010, the nation went crazy over Michigan QB Denard Robinson breaking the all time record for an NCAA QB in rushing yards. He finished that season with 1,702. Last year, Lynch went for 1,772; he's now the NCAA record holder. It's a good team but their defense is going to look a lot different. That was one of the big strengths of that team; the nimble and effective defensive line.
IOWA V NOTRE DAME TIP: 8:15pm, December 3rd. That's a rough time slot and the students are going to have to help fill the arena that night. Also, the game is on ESPN2 with Michigan v Duke on ESPN.
Alvis needs to have a big year for the Hawkeyes. I expect he'll have a better season than he did one year ago and possibly a much better season. This is a player who Norm Parker thought was going to be the next 'extra heartbeat' DL, ala Mitch King. While he never told me he thought he was the next Mitch King, the dinner he and I shared a few years back when Dom was younger led me to believe that was the path he was on. Dom got hurt late in Iowa's game against Michigan in 2011 and tore his ACL. He was back playing on it last year and just didn't have the same 'go'. This year, I think he'll have that back and look for his senior year to be the one that pays for all.
No. 10 — K Mike Meyer | TheGazette
Morehouse continues his breakdown of individual players and says if there is an 'all timer' on Iowa's roster, it might be Mike Meyer. I hadn't thought about it in that light, but when I read that Meyer needs 22 field goals at Iowa to break Kaeding's record, that surprised me. Meyer made 17 a year ago, so it's not impossible. As for an all timer, he's definitely behind Nate the Great, as most everyone will be who comes after. But he's pretty salty and is likely the second best PK in the Ferentz era and one of the four or five best since Hayden arrived.
No. 12 — QB Cody Sokol | TheGazette
Here's Morehouse's writeup on Sokol, with some of his opinions. If I had to wager on the Iowa quarterback battle, I say Rudock will start but I'd lay even money on Sokol winning the job by the time October rolls around. That's based on nothing other than 'a feel' right now. I think Sokol is more of a playmaker and Iowa needs plays. Having watched a great deal of Sokol's Juco highlights, he has that knack. In the few glimpses we've had of Rudock, he is the safer pick and is also very robotic. But the last look I had was in April and young players can grow a lot.
Iowa football: An analysis of the offensive line | Hawk Central
There is depth here. It's not proven depth and one position I don't think we've talked about enough is center, as James Ferentz was more than just a serviceable center for Iowa these past three years. That's a big position of change so Iowa has its work cut out there. On the whole this is a group that has talent and could develop into something good, with perhaps the best pair of tackles in the Big Ten.
Iowa football: An analysis of the defensive line | Hawk Central
This is still sooooo much betting on the come that I've written and said all that I can on the topic. They are green and unproven and Iowa needs some break out stories here if they are going to improve on their 4-8 record from one year ago.
Brian Ferentz puts emphasis on proven skill, character | Hawk Central
Brian's still the best quote in the program, for now.
Coach says Iowa LB corps ‘undervalued’ | TheGazette
Wait, this can't be; all three Iowa linebackers could be drafted next spring? That wouldn't line up with some conventional wisdom around Hawkeye fandom
The reality is pretty simple; Iowa's defensive line was at a low point last year. The linebackers had a lot more traffic to deal with as the line was not occupying the blockers the way Mitch King, Matt Kroul, Adrian Clayborn, et al used to do. That's a big deal. Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge didn't stand out in 2005 the way they did in 2004; that's because King and Kroul were freshmen and Bryan Mattison and Ken Iweebema were sophs that year. Iowa's linebackers can more than hold their own and if they get solid play fro the DL this year, the LB play will look better.Season preview: A look at Northern Illinois, Iowa’s season-opening foe | Hawk Central
This is an AP snapshot look at Northern Illinois. Jordan Lynch is still their QB and the only player in NCAA history to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,500 yards. Back in 2010, the nation went crazy over Michigan QB Denard Robinson breaking the all time record for an NCAA QB in rushing yards. He finished that season with 1,702. Last year, Lynch went for 1,772; he's now the NCAA record holder. It's a good team but their defense is going to look a lot different. That was one of the big strengths of that team; the nimble and effective defensive line.
IOWA V NOTRE DAME TIP: 8:15pm, December 3rd. That's a rough time slot and the students are going to have to help fill the arena that night. Also, the game is on ESPN2 with Michigan v Duke on ESPN.
