2010 NCAA Football Preview: Iowa
Since the turn of the millennium, the Iowa Hawkeyes have been playing some pretty good football. The team has finished the season playing in a bowl game in all but two of the last 10 seasons, winning five of eight including a 24-14 victory over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl last season.
The AP Poll and Coaches Poll has seen fit to recognize the team when it has done well. In the last decade the Hawkeyes finished the season ranked eighth in both polls three years in a row (2002-2004). After finishing the 2008 season with a 9-4 record they were ranked 20th. Last season’s ending rank of seventh was the best that an Iowa football team has done since 1960.
After finishing the season on such a high note, the Hawkeyes are excited to come back in 2010 and do even better. With six players returning on the offensive side of the ball it may be up to the tough defense of the Hawkeyes to keep Iowa in some of the early games (the defense is returning eight players).
Offence
Assuming the Hawkeyes can find a new set of blockers, the offence should be better than ever in 2010. Their passing offence was average, being ranked 55th overall; and the rushing offence was not as good at 99th. Overall they were ranked 89th in offense and still won 11 games.
The offensive line will be the key to their success. Only two starters return, guards Riley Reiff and Julian Vandervelde. Adam Gettis is listed as a back-up guard and is the only other player to have really gotten much time.
Without sufficient blockers it will not matter how good the skill players are. However, if the line ends up being pretty good then the Hawkeye offense should see some good numbers on the scoreboard. Quarterback Ricky Stanzis will want better than the numbers he has posted the last two years. His running backs are all good (starter Adam Robinson and back-ups Brandon Wegher and p**i O’Meara).
All conference wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos comes back after posting 45 receptions and 750 yards a year earlier. Sophomore Keenan Davis could end up stepping into the starting spot opposite of him; expect Marvin McNutt and Colin Sandeman to see a lot of time on the field as well.
Defence
Like for so many teams, the defense is what carries the Hawkeyes to success. In the Orange Bowl last year it was all-conference defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn that almost single handedly shut down the Georgia Tech offense. During his career at Iowa he has made 132 tackles and 15 sacks, 63 tackles and 11 sacks coming last season.
Clayborn will be rejoined by seniors Karl Klug and Christian Ballard along with junior Broderick Binns at the other end. Together they anchored the 34th ranked rush defense and ranked 32nd in sacks.
Where this defense really shined was in pass defence; it was good enough to vault the unit into the 10th best in the nation last year. The secondary led the defense to become the 4th best in the nation last season. Even though they lost Amari Spievey to the NFL, they still return two all-conference selections in Tyler Sash and Brent Greenwood.
Sash is likely to be even better this year. In his two years as a starter he improved his production from 53 tackles and five interceptions in 2008 to 84 tackles and six interceptions in 2009. Shaun Prater returns at the cornerback position where he made 39 tackles and two interceptions last season. Ready to join him will be either Greg Castillo or William Lowe Jr.
The inexperience at linebacker will be the only drawback to an extremely tough defense. However, when you have one as good as the Hawkeyes do, the new guys will have time to get up to speed before they play the real meat of their schedule. It would be shocking if the defence did not lead the Hawkeyes to another 10+ win season and a BCS bowl game.
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