Iowa Hawkeyes (West Division)
Location: Iowa City, IA
Stadium: Nile Kinnick Stadium (70,585)
Coach: Kirk Ferentz (18th year): 127-87 at Iowa/139-108 overall,
76-60 v B1G
2015 Iowa Hawkeyes (12-2)(8-1) 2016
Iowa Hawkeyes
31 Illinois State 14 S3 Miami University (OH)
31 at Iowa State 17 S10 Iowa State
27 Pittsburgh 24 S17 North Dakota State
62 North Texas 16 S24 at Rutgers
10 at Wisconsin 6 O1 Northwestern
29 Illinois 20 O8 at Minnesota
40 at Northwestern 10 O15 at Purdue
31 Maryland 15 O22 Wisconsin
35 at Indiana 27 O29
40 Minnesota 35 N5 at Penn State
40 Purdue 20 N12 Michigan
28 at Nebraska 20 N19 at Illinois
13 Michigan State 16 N25 Nebraska
(B1G Championship)
16 Stanford 45
(Rose Bowl)
The dean of
the conference coaches showed last year he still has it, as Coach Kirk Ferentz
guided the Iowa Hawkeyes to their best season ever, winning their first 12
games and coming within a whisker of the playoffs. Tied with Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops as the
longest tenured coach in the FBS, Ferentz will have the Hawkeyes back in the
hunt again to get to the B1G Championship Game.
The
offensive backfield is one of the strengths of this team, starting with senior
quarterback C.J. Beathard, who gives the Hawkeyes a sense of stability at that
position. Beathard completed 61.6 percent
of his passes with 17 touchdowns against only five interceptions last season
and he flashed an uncanny ability to escape trouble with 237 rushing yards and
six touchdowns. Senior RB LeShun Daniels
Jr returns after gaining 646 yards and eight scores in backup duty to the
departed Jordan Canzeri. Look for
Daniels to figure a bit in the passing game as well; the Iowa offensive
coaching staff liked throwing to Canzeri out of the backfield quite a bit, so
look for this to continue with Daniels.
Junior Akrum Wadley will be right behind Daniels and figures to get more
involved this year as he averaged over six yards per carry when he got chances
with the ball last year. Running back is
a position of strength for Iowa. Ranking
second in the conference with 35 rushing touchdowns in 2015, they figure to try
to pound the ball even more in 2016. The
Hawkeyes will have to replace big-play wideout Tevaun Smith, but the good news
is senior WR Matt Vandeberg returns. He
was their leading receiver a year ago with 65 receptions for 703 yards and four
touchdowns. A cast of young receivers
will be vying for playing time at the other spots, including sophomores
Jerminic Smith, Jay Scheel, and senior Riley McCarron. Smith appeared to have the edge as the
Hawkeyes closed out spring practice, but the spot opposite Vandeberg still
appears to be wide open. Dependable
senior George Kittle returns at TE, and like most TEs on a Kirk Ferentz team,
can catch and block with equal ability.
He was fourth on the team in receiving with 20 receptions for 290 yards
and six touchdowns. Replacing center
Austin Blythe is the biggest concern for the offensive line, but the Hawkeyes
appear to have two capable backups ready to step in. Sophomore James Daniels appeared to have the
edge in the spring, but right on his heels is senior Steve Ferentz, the coach’s
son. The rest of the line features some
experience, but there appears to be a concerning lack of depth behind the
projected starters. Senior Cole Croston
and junior Ike Boettger were very productive during spring ball and have earned
starting roles at left and right tackle respectively. Also impressive in spring practice were juniors
Boone Myers and Sean Welsh, who figure to take over at left and right guard
respectively.
The Iowa
defense was very tough to run, allowing only 11 rushing TDs, and that included
just one through the first eight games.
The Hawkeyes hope for a repeat performance, despite question marks on
the defensive line. Drew Ott’s request
for a sixth year of eligibility, after suffering a torn ACL last season ,was
denied. With Ott’s departure, the
leadership of the unit would seem to fall to senior DT Jaleel Johnson who
turned in an outstanding performance last year with 45 tackles 5.5 tackles for
loss, and 3.5 sacks. Right beside him
figures to be junior Nathan Bazata, who was just as impressive last year, with
42 tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks. Sophomores Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse
appeared to have locked down the DE positions.
Nelson played well in a backup role with 14 tackles, while Hesse
garnered 45. The linebackers are led by
leading tackler Josey Jewell in the middle with 126 tackles last year to go
along with 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and four interceptions. Flanking him will be two promising prospects
in junior Ben Niemann and sophomore Aaron Mends. Niemann saw quite a bit of action and was very
adept on blitzes, garnering 45 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three
sacks. Mends will transition to his
first action as a starter, getting four tackles in limited backup action a year
ago. The secondary got a big boost when
All-American senior cornerback Desmond King decided to return. King ranked second in the nation with eight
interceptions in 2015 to go along with 72 tackles. He’ll be a first-round NFL draft pick if he
continues that production for the Hawkeyes this year. On the other side is senior CB Greg
Mabin. Overshadowed by King, Mabin is no
slouch, garnering 54 tackles, two picks and breaking up eight passes. Junior Miles Taylor and sophomore Brandon
Snyder will take over at FS and SS respectively. Taylor has shown he can cover deep as well as
play good run support, picking up 69 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss. Snyder picked up 11 tackles in somewhat
limited playing time as a backup.
Both of the
kicking specialists that appeared to win starting jobs have not made a kick in
a game yet. Sophomore Miguel Recinos
appeared to have the edge at place kicker, while freshman Colten Rastetter
should be the punter.
Iowa
benefits from not having Michigan State or Ohio State on the schedule and
Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin have to come there. The road trips to Minnesota and Penn State
could be a bit dicey. As long as they
get steady play from Beathard and can play the run defense they did last year,
another season of double-digit wins and a return trip to Indianapolis for the
B1G Championship Game, is within reach.
PROJECTION: 10-2 (7-1) 1st
in Western Division
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