2011 B1G: Returning Starters

I am starting to do a little analysis on the B1G teams for 2011. Ultimately I'd like to have enough information to make some solid predictions about how the conference title race is going to shake out. My plan is to look at the players returning, recruiting, strength of schedule, and 2010 performance. I might throw a few other things in there as well.

First up is returning starters. (This information is from the 2011 Big Ten Football Spring Prospectus)
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Adrian Clayborn to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Congratulations to Adrian Clayborn on being selected in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft as the 20th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! Clayborn was the 8th defensive linemen drafted this year and the first Hawkeye. This marks the second year in a row that Iowa has had a first round draft pick. Last year Bryan Bulaga was taken as the 23rd pick by Green Bay. Bulaga started in and won the Super Bowl.

Some think that Clayborn is kind of a gamble because of his Erb's Palsy and a less production senior season, but if he can get back in his 2009 form, he should have a nice NFL career.

Links For Iowa needs more time to tailgate

An hour later

Jim Delany wants to push kickoff times an hour back to noon and 3:30. Of course it's not really his decision to make. Sure the Big Ten Network will air games whenever the Delany wants them, but it's the ABC/ESPN deal that could get in the way. It would take an across the board shift to make it work. We can't have B1G games at noon bleeding into the first half of a 2:30 SEC game. Delany might just be powerful enough to start this movement though.

Mike Hlas asks the obvious question: which do you prefer--11 and 2:30 or 12 and 3:30? Personally I'd love a 2:30 start every week as it perfectly nests between my ideal travel/meal schedule for game days. Though, 3:30 would be just fine by me. The games would end a little bit late for my liking, but not bad. And, a 12:00 kick is preferable to an hour earlier. That would everyone some extra time in the morning to travel or tailgate. The only issue I would have with the proposed time changes is if the night games also got pushed back. After the late game in Arizona last year, I don't need any more games lasting past midnight. If I want to watch football that late at night I'll turn on a Hawaii game from the comfort of my own couch.

DJK's Road to Redemption

DJK is everywhere these days. I think the post-Michigan-game interview is probably the only chance to talk that he has ever declined. In a move to tell his story, redeem his image, stroke his own ego, and just to talk (a lot) DJK has been busy doing interviews.
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2011 Predictions: Game Times

The schedule for the night games are just starting to trickle in for the B1G this fall. Nebraska and Wisconsin just announced that the Huskers' introduction to the conference would be played under the lights. Iowa's home slate on the schedule doesn't look like it has a night game on it, and Gary Barta agrees: "We haven’t yet been asked to play a night game so they still have a couple of weeks to still be determined. It doesn’t look like there would be one, but they still have an opportunity to pick us over the next couple of weeks."

So before any game times come out, I thought I'd take a shot at predicting the kickoff time and TV coverage for every game this year.

Tennessee Tech | 09/03/11 | Home
Prediction: 11:00 AM, BTN
Early home game against a FCS school...enough said.

Iowa State| 09/10/11 | Away
Prediction: 11:00 AM, FSN
This game has garnered a little more attention the past couple of years and was actually a 2:30 regional ABC game last year. However, I think this falls back to the early time slot this year.
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Links For Iowa welcomes Plewa and Anderson

Macon Plewa and Kyle Anderson to walk on

Despite the nasty weather last weekend, Saturday turned out to be a good day for Iowa in terms of recruiting. After visiting Iowa City during spring practice, two players have decided to walk on this fall. HawkeyeReport.com is the only one who has been finding these walk-ons lately and again has the scoop on linebacker Macon Plewa and quarterback Kyle Anderson.

Plewa is familiar with another incoming Hawkeye, Melvin Gordon. The two squared off this past season in Wisconsin. Plewa had the game-sealing interception while covering Gordon. He also racked up some pretty decent stats this past year with 131 tackles, 22 TFLs, and 5 INTs. Here's his highlight video.

Anderson was the quarterback for Ames High School last year. He is more of a dual-threat spread quarterback than pro-style and his film shows a lot of run plays. I don't think he will be challenging Vandenberg for the starting spot, but looks like a good athlete that could potentially help out at another position. Or, as a dual-threat guy he could be a good player to have running the scout team to emulate all the running quarterbacks that the Hawkeyes will have to face this year in the B1G.
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Spring Game Review: Special Teams

Kickers

Mike Meyer earned a scholarship after handling the placekicking duties for the Hawkeyes last year. The starting spot is still an open competition though and both Meyer and Trent Mossbrucker are battling for it. During the practice, Mossbrucker ended up being the more accurate kicker connected on 3/4 field goals from 36 yards and making both from 42. Meyer was just 4/7 on the day missing 1 from 36, 42, and 52.

However, I wouldn't be handing the job over to Mossbrucker just yet. His kicks were consistently very low and often just cleared the crossbar. He's had this problem in the past and it's what led to the blocked PAT that should have tied the game in the 4th quarter against Arizona last year. The line-drives may have helped in the windy conditions Saturday, but they won't be helpful when the opposition is going full out to try to block the kick.

Meyer's kicks looked much better, even though he missed 3 (none were off by much though the 52-yarder was quite a bit short). He appears to have the stronger leg than Mossbrucker, so I would bet he will at least be handling kick offs again.

An area of slight concern from practice was the snap for field goals. Iowa's long-snapper the past couple of season, Andrew Schulze, was a good one. I can only remember one bad snap in his 4 years. In practice on Saturday one snap was really low and Wienke (who's the holder) actually picked it up and looked to throw. Another snap was a little off and Wienke got it down in time but Meyer missed the field goal.
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2010 Highlight Video

Iowa's video coordinator Matt Engelbert, who was just named the 2011 Collegiate Sports Video Association’s Big Ten Conference Video Coordinator of the Year, posted a highlight video of the Hawkeyes' 2010 season on his blog tonight. Give it a watch or two.

Spring Game Review: Defense

Secondary

I'll start off with the good news first. Despite losing both starting safeties, Iowa's defensive backfield looks pretty strong. Prater looked good in practice. I only remember one time any quarterback throwing in his direction and he had great coverage but Keenan Davis made an even greater catch. I think Prater pretty much looked down his side of the field otherwise.

The opposite starting corner was Greg Castillo. It has been a long time since Castillo saw significant game time (the start of the 2009 season when Prater was suspended), but he played well on Saturday. He had a near pick off of a poor throw into traffic from Vandenberg. And then followed it up just 3 plays later with an INT.

The other corners that saw time were B.J. Lowery and Jordan Bernstine. Lowery had an interception of his own (which I guess has been a common thing this spring according to Norm Parker [pdf]). I think he has a little bit of work to do still if he wants to challenge for a starting spot. Steven Staggs was getting open a lot on Lowery's side of the field.

I think Bernstine will finally get on the field this year and see significant minutes. The coaches just need to figure out where he fits. He played pretty well backing up Prater at corner and also looked good at safety. There was one rushing play that stuck in my head where he flew down to the line of scrimmage and laid a good hit on the running back. I think safety, but we'll see.

As for the other safeties...Hyde seemed decent back at free safety. I never saw him way out of position or anything but don't recall him making any big plays. Similarly Collin Sleeper looked decent as well, but didn't stand out to me at all.
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Spring Game Review: Offense

Quarterbacks

As expected Vandenberg is the clear starter at this point. Even in the simple passing drills he looked head and shoulders better than Wienke and Derby. He struggled a little going up against the first team defense though, especially when they blitzed. He got more comfortable as practice went on, and was really picking the 2nd team defense apart before a tipped ball ended in an interception and ended practice.

The pleasant surprise of the day at QB was that Derby has really taken a big step forward since we saw him last. Though Ferentz said that Derby and Wienke are even at this point , Derby looked much better in practice. During the situation scrimmage portion Derby was 5/7 for 73 yards. His only incompletions were a throw away and a catch out of bounds.

Wienke was okay on Saturday, but seemed to be affected by the wind more than the others. He was badly overthrowing receivers early in the practice, but got better towards the end. He was also the 3rd string punter and the holder for field goals. His punts actually looked kind of decent. The first one only went about 35 yards, but his second was a solid 45-yarder. He may be a good option for a pooch punter. It seems completely un-Ferentz like, but maybe he could come in as the punter and throw it on a fake in one of the early games just to keep teams honest the rest of the season.
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Stats from the Spring Game

I have plenty of thoughts to share on the spring game, but for now here are all the statistics I gathered from today. My notes were kind of hard to read and I struggled a little to get accurate stats while trying to enjoy watching the team, take photos, and not freeze...but they should be pretty close. Here's what I got:

7-on-7 (I didn't get yardage on these plays...the majority were short, check-down passes)

Passing:

• Vandenberg - 4/5 (the 1 miss was a drop by Fiedorowicz)
• Wienke - 4/5 (Had one nice 35-yard pass to Davis who made a diving catch)
• Derby - 2/5 (Tried to go deep a couple of times and overthrew his receivers)

Receiving:

• Coker - 1 reception
• White - 1 reception
• Gimm - 1 reception
• Meyers - 1 reception
• Binns - 2 receptions
• Staggs - 1 reception (nice route up the seam)
• Johnson - 1 reception
• Davis - 1 reception (the 35-yard pass from Weinke)
• Derby - 1 reception (nice little short route by Derby)

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2011 Spring Update 3

One last reminder: the spring game/scrimmage/open practice is tomorrow at noon. Doors open at 10:30 and remember to bring a canned good.

Norm and KOK speak

It's not too often that we get to hear from the coordinators, but when we do it is always enjoyable. Ken O'Keefe, who I know is not always the favorite, is absolutely fascinating to listen to. He is a little more candid that Ferentz and drops a lot of knowledge and insight into how he works with his offensive players, particularly the quarterbacks. Plus he is a pretty funny dude.

Some highlights from the pressers:

Parker (Full Transcript [pdf])

• "Wow" players - B.J. Lowery, Christian Kirksey, Anthony Hitchens, and James Morris
• Carl Davis - A 300 pound dude that can dunk a basketball but can't dance. (He hurt his knee during Dance Marathon).
• Hyde to FS - The move is necessarily permanent and Tanner Miller was the original thought at free safety. Miller's out after undergoing shoulder surgery, so in comes Hyde. They at least want his as Miller's backup if not the starter.
• Offensive standouts - C.J. Fiedorowicz, Keenan Davis, and Don Shumpert
• Vandenberg - O'Keefe talked a lot about Vandenberg. He knows the system, studies film, corrects mistakes, is a good leader, etc... A lot of good praise from the QB coach.

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2011 Predictions: Special Teams Breakout Player

Micah Hyde

The past few years Iowa has used a receiver as the primary punt returner. Andy Brodell and Colin Sandeman had some success at the position, didn't really make mistakes, but other than Brodell's game clinching TD against Iowa State neither were too flashy. Micah Hyde has a chance to change that.

As a defensive back, Hyde hasn't had the chance to get the ball in his hands very often. But when he did, good things happened. None was bigger than his fourth quarter interception against Missouri in the Insight Bowl. After the pick, he weaved his way through the Tigers and returned the ball 72 yards for the winning score.
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Dan Heiar Hospitalized

I wish I had more information here, but all that I know was from the very short release from Iowa. It's not rhabdo, if that's the first thing that you were thinking. Heiar was in a single car accident this weekend.

Here's the full release (via HawkeyeNation):

The following comment was released this afternoon by University of Iowa Football Coach Kirk Ferentz, in regard to offensive lineman Dan Heiar, who was involved in a single vehicle accident over the weekend:

"Dan Heiar was in an accident this weekend and is currently hospitalized. Our only concerns right now are Dan’s well-being and recovery."

Ferentz said more details will be released when appropriate. Heiar joined the Hawkeye program this spring after attending Iowa Western Community College. Heiar is a native of Charlotte, Iowa and attended Northeast Goose Lake High School as a prep.

Hopefully everything is okay and not too serious. Heiar was predicted to compete for a spot on the depth chart at guard. Kirk Ferentz and Co. don't usually bring in JUCO guys to ride the bench. We should get an update soon I would guess as Norm Parker and Ken O'Keefe have press conferences schedule for Wednesday.

2011 Spring Update 2

Lowe may not transfer after all

Less than a week ago it was reported that Willie Lowe had asked to be released from his scholarship at Iowa. The way the original Joe Shad story made it sound was that Lowe was unhappy at Iowa after his bout with rhabdo.

Turns out, that's not really the case. Lowe's uncle told Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register, that Lowe is still considering staying at Iowa and that he doesn't "have any ill will about Iowa at all." Basically Lowe is still feeling the effects from the rhabdo and wants to take the year off so he's leaving his options open.

Iowa spring game/open practice this weekend

Just a reminder, the Iowa spring game is this Saturday. The early forecast is not too good...chance of rain and a high of only 49. Still, it's the first opportunity to see the 2011 version of the team. I'll be there.

When: April 16, 2011 - 12:00 pm
Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA

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2012 Commit: Mitchell Keppy

The Iowa Hawkeyes added their first commit for 2012 yesterday. Mitchell Keppy has had Iowa high on his list since at least February (as tweeted by @ColoradoHawkeye). And it makes a lot of sense why Keppy would like Iowa. His father, Myron, was a defensive lineman who played for Hayden Fry back in the 80s. Plus, Keppy lives right outside the Quad Cities...he's just on the wrong side of the river.

Keppy visited a few other schools around the Midwest and recently visited Iowa. The Hawkeyes were the first to offer Keppy and when offered he quickly accepted becoming the first in 2012 recruiting class. Like his father, Keppy is a lineman and plays both sides for Riverdale High School. He is being brought on as an offensive lineman for Iowa.
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2011 Predictions: Offensive Breakout Player

C.J. Fiedorowicz

The second tight end spot isn't the most glamorous position on the football field. If you were watching almost any other team in the country, you probably wouldn't ever see the second tight end except maybe in goal-line. But at Iowa it is an important position. Last year, Brad Herman was number two and finished the year with 9 catches for 154 yards. The year before that it was Allen Reisner was 14 catches for 143 yards and a TD. I think you can expect an even greater contribution from the second tight end this year. Currently there is nobody healthy on Iowa's roster with any experience at fullback. Hopefully Brad Rogers will be back, but he still hasn't been cleared to practice after failing a cardio test before the bowl game. With a lack of a solid fullback, the two tight end set may be even more prevalent. Also, there is a major lack of experience at receiver besides Marvin McNutt, so the pass game might flow be a little more in the direction of the tight ends.
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Willie Lowe to Transfer--Rhabdo Related

It has been rumored for some time that Willie Lowe was no longer part of the Iowa Football program after being absent from last Wednesday's practice that was open (at least for a little while) to the media. News finally broke last night as ESPN's Joe Shad reported that Lowe has indeed requested to be released from his scholarship in order to transfer.

Lowe was one of the Rhabdo13 and has still not fully recovered. Lowe told ESPN, "I would like to be able to sit out a year, regain my strength, feel fine and play again. But I don't know. I am still down 20 pounds and I am having headaches every few days." This comes just a week after Shaun Prater spoke publicly about his bout with rhabdo and how he has moved on. According to Marc Morehouse on twitter, "Not all the rhadbo players were practicing last week. Different guys at different stages."

We were told by Coach Ferentz at the beginning of spring practice that all 13 players had been cleared medically to play and that they'd be eased back into practice over the course of a week or so. It sounds like, while they may have been cleared, that at least some of the guys are still not fully healthy. In fact, Lowe said, "Only a few players are back to full speed that I know of. Some said this wasn't a big deal. But this was a big deal to me."

This story doesn't seem to be as over as I thought it was a week ago.

Links For Iowa welcomes walk-on Adam Cox

Adam Cox to walk on

Last week, when it was reported that Gavin Smith is joining the Hawkeyes, I kind of breezed over a new name: Adam Cox. I had seen his name tied to the program in a couple of places, so I went ahead and included it in the list of current walk-ons. HawkeyeReport has since reported that Adam Cox is indeed walking on and will play fullback.

Cox was the fullback in a flexbone triple-option attack in high school. A fullback in a flexbone offense is not really the same as a fullback that Iowa typically uses. The flexbone fullback gets a lot of carries and is usually the best runner on the team. If you're familiar with Georgia Tech's offense from a few years ago when Iowa played them in the Orange Bowl, this was the "A back" position.

So Cox hasn't really had a ton of experience being a lead blocker, but can run the ball. As a senior he amassed 1782 yards and 34 touchdowns on 215 carries.
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