Brian Heinemann, who covers Iowa football for the Herald, previews this week's game.
IOWA CITY ––––– Their own lack of discipline in coverage allowed Iowa State and Arizona to gash them.
Now, injuries have started gutting the Iowa Hawkeyes’ special teams unit. Iowa took quite a hit in last weekends loss to Arizona when both Paki O’Meara and Bruce Davis, standouts on kick coverage, went down to injury.
O’Meara may be back for the beginning of Big Ten play next weekend. Davis, who started the season opener at middle linebacker, is done for the year with a knee injury.
The unit needs to rebound fast, because things aren’t going to get any easier from here on out.
“Not to beat a dead horse, but our special teams leave a lot to be desired right now,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “And any time that you give plays up that are unearned, what I would categorize as unearned, it makes it really difficult to win against anybody and particularly against a team that’s favored to beat you.”
Ball State (1-2) doesn’t exactly fit into that “favored to beat you” category, but they have one of the most explosive kick returners in the country in running back Eric Williams. And though Iowa may be heavy favorites, they can’t afford to give up the big plays on special teams and let the Cardinals hang around.
So, how do the No. 18 Hawkeyes (2-1) fix the problem? Strong safety Tyler Sash has volunteered himself for the kick coverage unit several times, and while his name may not be called, the sentiment of having some more experienced players or starters on the unit is exactly what Ferentz is looking for.
“Two things have to happen,” Ferentz said. “Either way we have to mix in some veteran guys that have done it. That’s one option. Another is some guys have to step up and grow up a little bit, and historically we have had a tradition of that.”
Special teams isn’t the only place Iowa is in desperate need for somebody to step up at. Jewel Hampton’s season is over after tearing an ACL for the second straight season, and coupled with Brandon Wegher’s departure from the team in camp, the Hawkeyes have gone from a glut of quality running backs to Adam Robinson and not much else.
The door has prematurely swung open for two true freshman, Marcus Coker and De’Andre Johnson. Coker is likely the next man in at running back and figures to get a solid look on Saturday.
He’ll need it, because before this week, Coker had just one full week of practice as a Hawkeye after being plagued by a shoulder injury.
Both Coker and Johnson bring something a little different to the Iowa running game, at least from what one of the guys paving the way for them has seen in spring and summer.
“I think that both De’Andre and Marcus have great vision,” guard Julian Vandervelde said. “I think that they have a tempo to their running that really lends itself well to a zone scheme, so I think it’ll add another dimension to the offense.”
Iowa needs something to spark the running game after gaining a paltry 1.1 yards per carry against the Wildcats. Whether that spark comes from Robinson, one of the freshman backs, or the offensive line remains to be seen.
The line knows it needs to be better in all facets. They stood out like a sore thumb for their failures on Iowa’s final drive against the Wildcats, as quarterback Ricky Stanzi was sacked three times in a row officially, with a fourth negated by a penalty.
“When Rick’s got to be looking over his shoulder all the time, he’s feeling the pressure from five different directions, there’s no way that he can be comfortable,” Vandervelde said. “That’s something that we as an offensive line have to come together, we have to focus on and fix this week.”
This is Iowa’s chance, because after Ball State – a team that has lost to Liberty and Purdue – Penn State rolls into town to start Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes are a team known for having tunnel vision, not looking ahead, keeping their focus where it needs to be.
That’s exactly what they need to do Saturday, because Iowa has one week, one chance, to figure out how to fix what went wrong in Arizona before those kinds of mistakes start digging them holes that can’t dig out of again.
Who: No. 18 Iowa (2-1) vs. Ball State (1-2)
When: 11:00 a.m. Saturday
Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City
The series: Iowa leads 1-0
Last meeting: In their only previous meeting, Iowa beat Ball State 56-0 in 2005 at Kinnick Stadium
This week's challenge: Bouncing back. Iowa had a rough time out west in Arizona and has a lot to clean up before conference play starts next week. The challenge this week will be in how Iowa reacts after a disappointing loss and how they respond to key injuries. The offensive line was much maligned and the pass defense was nonexistent a week ago, both things Iowa needs to correct quickly.
To pull off an upset: Ball State is a huge underdog, and will need a lot to go right to topple the Hawkeyes. Special teams are where the Cardinals could do just that, as running back Eric Williams is one of the nation’s best kick returners so far this season at 36.1 yards per return. The Cardinals need their defensive line to do what Arizona did to the Hawkeyes offense on the final drive last Saturday night, pressuring Stanzi into sacks and mistakes, and the Ball State offense needs to find ways to score plenty of points and control the clock against the stalwart Iowa defense.
Players to watch: For Ball State, keep your eyes on the aforementioned Williams at running back and kick returns, and free safety Sean Baker, who leads the team with three interceptions in three games. For Iowa, most eyes will be squarely on special teams and the offensive line, but pay attention to whoever backs up Adam Robinson at running back, likely Marcus Coker. Coker is bigger than Iowa’s other backs and brings a different style, and this game presents an opportunity to get him solid playing time and experience before the brutal Big Ten slate begins.
Gettin' down with Brian (four keys for Saturday):
First down — Tightened special teams. Although Ball State is the weakest opponent Iowa will face the rest of the way, they have one of the better kick return units. Iowa’s coverage squads have to prove they can get the job done after two abysmal weeks in a row.
Second down — Domination from the offensive line. Despite what it looked like to outsiders, both Kirk Ferentz and Ricky Stanzi said the offensive line was pretty good against Arizona. They need to get back to doing what they did the first two weeks against Ball State though, opening gaping holes for Robinson and keeping Stanzi upright.
Third down — Putting the loss behind them. If Iowa plays hesitant or unsure because of the mistakes made in Arizona, the Cardinals could give them problems. While they don’t want to completely forget last week’s game, the way the team responds could be a defining moment for the rest of the season.
Fourth down — Holding coverage. Iowa’s defensive line hasn’t been the force it was expected to be this year, and the reason is simple – the corners aren’t holding coverage long enough. The line consistently gets pressure and gets close to making plays but is struggling to finish off quarterbacks for sacks. The corners need to hold longer against Ball State, letting Adrian Clayborn and company punish the Cardinals’ quarterback duo.
Trivial tidbit: For just the second time in team history, the Iowa Hawkeyes will be wearing throwback uniforms. The first was in 2004, when Iowa wore 1939 uniforms and defeated Kent State 39-7. Iowa will don 1960-era uniforms against Ball State in recognition of Iowa’s 1958 Big Ten championship and 1959 Rose Bowl victory.
Did you hear?: Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker has been in the hospital for several weeks now, and likely won’t be back with the team until the bye week heading into the Michigan games. That means that Hawkeyes will have been without him for Iowa State, Arizona, Ball State, and Penn State next weekend.
Bottom line: This is a game that should resemble Iowa’s first two wins of the season, not last week’s loss. Ball State simply isn’t a good team right now, and Iowa is going to be looking to bounce back in a big way. The defense needs to make a statement after Arizona passed all over it, and the offense should come out slinging the ball around to try to limit Robinson’s running load. Look for Iowa to open a big first half lead, allowing younger players to take over in the second half.
Final score: Iowa 42, Ball State 3
No comments:
Post a Comment