The Red Zone Report

Last season started off well for Iowa, as the Hawkeyes won their first two games of the season. However, the season took a negative turn when they lost their next four games, including their first three Big Ten contests.

However, Iowa rallied to win four of their last five Big Ten games, and entered their regular-season finale at home against Western Michigan at 6-5 and with a chance to nail down a winning record and a bowl bid. But, the Hawkeyes couldn’t come through, surprisingly falling to the Broncos, and their run of six straight bowl trips ended.

With several returning starters on both sides of the ball, can Iowa make a return to the postseason, or is another mediocre year in store?

Iowa Hawkeyes

Coach: Kirk Ferentz (10th season at Iowa, 61-49 record, 73-70 overall)

2007 Record: 6-6 (4-4 Big Ten), did not receive a bowl bid

Starters Returning: 14 (7 offense, 5 defense, kicker, punter)

Key Returnees: QB Jake Christensen, WR Andy Brodell, WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, TE Tony Moeaki, RT Kyle Calloway, RG Seth Olsen, C Rafael Eubanks, DE Mitch King, DT Mike Kroul, LB A.J. Edds, CB Bradley Fletcher, FS Brett Greenwood, SS Harold Dalton, K Daniel Murray, P Ryan Donahue

Key Losses: RB Albert Young, DE Bryan Mattison, DE Kenny Iwebema, LB Mike Humpal, LB Mike Klinkenborg, CB Charles Godfrey, CB Adam Shada, OT Dace Richardson

2008 Schedule

8/30 vs. Maine
9/6 vs. Florida International
9/13 vs. Iowa State
9/20 at Pittsburgh
9/27 vs. Northwestern
10/04 at Michigan State
10/11 at Indiana
10/18 vs. Wisconsin
11/1 at Illinois
11/8 vs. Penn State
11/15 vs. Purdue
11/22 at Minnesota

Key Game: 9/20 at Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh is getting a lot of hype this season as a potential contender in the Big East, and both teams should be unbeaten heading into this one. A road win at Heinz Field could equate to a 5-0 start, provided they can beat Northwestern in their Big Ten opener the following week.

2008 Outlook

Consistency. With it, you stand a chance to have a pretty solid team. That was Iowa from 2002 to 2004, when they were one of the top teams in the Big Ten and won ten games for three straight years.

Without it, you stand a chance of being mediocre. That’s what Iowa’s been over the last three seasons, as shown by their 7-5, 6-7, and 6-6 records, the last of which saw them miss the postseason.

Potential. Iowa has it, and needs it to translate into consistency, to avoid that dread ‘m’ word that I just mentioned.

The search for consistency starts on offense, where Iowa wasn’t particularly good last season. The Hawkeyes averaged only 18.5 points per game and 316.5 yards per game, and while the offense was pretty mistake-free, that was one of few real bright spots.

It all starts with junior quarterback Jake Christensen. On the surface, 2,269 yards, 17 touchdowns, only six interceptions. Sounds like good numbers, right? They weren’t bad numbers, but they could’ve been better, as he completed only 53.5% of his passes. He completed more than 60% of his passes in only two games, a 17 for 25 (68%) performance in a 10-6 win over Illinois, and a 23 for 32 (71.9%) day in a 35-0 win over Syracuse.

To be fair to Christensen, he was without two of his top receiving options, WR Andy Brodell (only played four games) and TE Tony Moeaki (only played four games as well) for much of the season, and when you’re a first-year starter, not having some of your top guys can hurt.

But, both Brodell and Moeaki are healthy heading into this season, and they should provide a couple of reliable targets for Christensen. Also returning is last year’s leading receiver, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (38 catches, 482 yards, 2 TD), along with backup TE Brandon Myers, who led the team in touchdown catches with five, Paul Chaney, Jr. (19 catches, 210 yards, TD), and Trey Stross (16 catches, 272 yards, 4 TD), who led the team in yards per catch.

So, provided Christensen is a much more accurate passer than he was last season, the stage is set for him to have a very productive season. First though, he does have to beat out sophomore Ricky Stanzi for the starting job, and while he has a leg up, nothing is assured. However, he might have a leg and a half up for now, as Stanzi’s currently sidelined due to a shoulder injury that will likely keep him out until next week.

Whoever starts under center, one thing that would greatly help their cause is if Iowa can have a solid running game, and that wasn’t really the case last season, even with Albert Young running for nearly 1,000 yards as a senior.

This season, the responsibilities could fall to any of several candidates, from junior Shonn Greene, who returns after academics kept him out last season, to sophomore Paki O’Meara, who was a special teams star last year, to JC transfer Nate Guillory, who tore it up for two seasons at Coffeyville C.C. in Kansas. Whoever does carry the ball, whether it’s one person or four, needs to do better than the 3.5 yards per carry that Iowa averaged on the ground last season.

Fortunately for both the running game and passing game, the offensive line is secure, with three 12-game starters from last season returning in Kyle Calloway, Rafael Eubanks, and Seth Olsen, and two others in left tackle Bryan Bulaga and left guard Dan Doering who were in the starting lineup at the end of the season. Unfortunately, former elite recruit Dace Richardson, whose collegiate career has been plagued by injuries, won’t be among the bunch after having another knee surgery, which could very well see a promising career come to an end.

Provided that the offense takes care of business, then it comes down to the defense, which will be breaking in several new starters.

There will be two new starters at the defensive end spots, but that doesn’t mean alarm bells are going off, even though Bryan Matttison and Kenny Iwebema will certainly be missed. Sophomores Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard both got significant playing time as freshman and impressed, and they should thrive in a starting role this season.

As if those two won’t provide enough to worry about, Iowa has one of the best tackle duos you’ll find anywhere in seniors Mitch King (58 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) and Matt Kroul (74 tackles, two TFL). They’re a good reason why Iowa gave up only 122 yards per game on the ground, and why the run defense should be very good once again.

There’s also some reloading to do at linebacker, where Mike Humpal (123 tackles, 3 INT) and Mike Klinkenborg (79 tackles) are gone, leaving junior A.J. Edds (80 tackles, 3.5 for loss) as the only returning starter in the linebacking corps and the team’s leading returning tackler. Taking over for Humpal on the weak side looks to be sophomore Jeff Tarpinian, who had 13 tackles in a reserve role last season. Opposite him looks to be another sophomore, Jacody Coleman, who had 24 tackles (4 for loss) as a true freshman last year. Also in the rotation at linebacker looks to be sophomores Dezman Moses and Jeremiha Hunter, redshirt freshman Tyler Nielsen, and junior Pat Angerer, and 2008 recruit Brad Herman could make an immediate impact as well.

The secondary, just like the other units, has to replace some starters in cornerbacks Charles Godfrey and Adam Shada. However, ‘new’ starting left corner Bradley Fletcher started four games last year and posted 53 tackles and two interceptions. At right corner, the man atop the depth chart looks to be senior Drew Gardner, who had a game-saving tackle to secure a double-overtime victory over Michigan State last season. Watch out for sophomore Jordan Bernstine, one of Iowa’s top recruits in the 2007 class, who saw playing time as a true freshman last year and could be ready for a breakout season this year.

Manning the safety positions will be two returning starters in free safety Brett Greenwood and strong safety Harold Dalton. Dalton started all 12 games last season and recorded 49 tackles, while Greenwood registered 45 tackles and two picks in seven starts, so all in all, the secondary should be very solid.

Special teams returns both starting kickers, in sophomore kicker Daniel Murray, who made 7 of 10 field goals as a freshman, and sophomore punter Ryan Donahue, who averaged 41.1 yards per punt last season. Both players earned Freshman All-Big Ten honors last season, and should contend for conference honors this season.

With a great deal of returning talent, Iowa has the potential to be a very good team and to avoid being near the bottom of the Big Ten, but potential and production are two completely different things.

The Hawkeyes don’t have to play Ohio State, and they also get Wisconsin and Penn State at home. Also, there’s a good chance they could get off to a 4-1 or 5-0 start before getting into the meat of their conference schedule.

If all of the pieces that they have can come together, there’s no reason why Iowa can’t win at least seven or eight games, make a return to the postseason, and at least break even in the Big Ten.

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