The Indiana Hoosier will be coming to Iowa City on Halloween. The last time Kinnick hosted a game on Halloween was in 1987 against (you guessed it…) Indiana. Iowa won that game 29-21 on the way to a 10-3 season that included a Holiday Bowl win. The 1987 Indiana team was good and finished with a 8-4 record. The 2009 Indiana team will likely not repeat that kind of success this year. Though they return almost the entire starting lineup, they are coming off a 3-9 season (1-7 in the Big 10). Indiana struggled on offense and defense last year. The Hoosier only averaged 20.5 points per game (10th in the Big 10) while giving up over 35 (last in the Big 10, 109th in the country).
Offense: Key Returning Players
The Hoosier have installed a new Pistol offense and it will rely on QB Ben Chappell. Chappell started 3 games in 2008, though was generally in the backup role. However he threw for over 1000 yards and was a key part in the team’s victory over Northwestern. Also returning is WR Terrance Turner who was 3rd on the team with 29 receptions. The entire offensive line returns as well.
Offense: Key Losses
The biggest loss (by far) is Kellen Lewis. Lewis was kicked off the team this spring after moving from QB to wide receiver. He was expected to be a major contributor this fall at his new position after leading Indiana in passing last year. Indiana also loses its leading rusher, Marcus Thigpen. Thigpen ran for 631 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2008 and was used a lot in the passing game as well. Yet another statistical leader, WR Andrew Means who had a team leading 450 receiving yards, is gone too.
Defense: Key Returning Players
One of the bright spots on Indiana’s defense last year was DE Jammie Kirlew. Kirlew will return after recording 19.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2008. Joining Kirlew on the line are DE Greg Middleton and DT Deonte Mack. Two linebackers are returning, Will Patterson and Matt Mayberry. Mayberry was the team’s leading tackler with 89. In the secondary CB Chris Adkins, SS Austin Thomas, and FS Nick Polk all return, and Ray Fisher, who led the team with 42 receptions and was very good returning punts and kickoffs, moves over from WR to play cornerback this year.
Defense: Key Losses
The Hoosiers don’t lose a lot on defense, but must replace Geno Johnson at linebacker and 4-year starter Greg Brown at tackle. Both were solid for Indiana last year with 50 and 37 tackles respectively.
Spring media guide: http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/09-spring-media-guide.html
ESPN spring wrap: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-365/Indiana-spring-wrap.html
Archive page 142
Kinnick FieldTurf Update
The official site has some more photos of the FieldTurf installation from yesterday. It looks like the bottom layers are about finished. Marc Morehouse's blog, On Iowa has a pretty good picture taken today.
Also, check out the Kinnick FieldTurf puzzle on the official site. They are slowly revealing what the new field will look like. There has been a lot of speculation about what will be in the middle and what the endzone will look like. I'm guessing a block I in the middle and black endzones with gold IOWA and HAWKEYES. Who knows though...I'll be keeping an eye on that puzzle.
UPDATE: The second piece has been removed and more of the field is revealed. It doesn't really show anything new, but it makes it look less likely that there is anything at midfield.
UPDATE 2: The third piece is now gone and revealed the middle of the field...and nothing. I really thought they would add something, but oh well.
UPDATE 3: We can now see an endzone! It will be a black background with gold lettering. I think it looks pretty good.
Also, check out the Kinnick FieldTurf puzzle on the official site. They are slowly revealing what the new field will look like. There has been a lot of speculation about what will be in the middle and what the endzone will look like. I'm guessing a block I in the middle and black endzones with gold IOWA and HAWKEYES. Who knows though...I'll be keeping an eye on that puzzle.
UPDATE: The second piece has been removed and more of the field is revealed. It doesn't really show anything new, but it makes it look less likely that there is anything at midfield.
UPDATE 2: The third piece is now gone and revealed the middle of the field...and nothing. I really thought they would add something, but oh well.
UPDATE 3: We can now see an endzone! It will be a black background with gold lettering. I think it looks pretty good.
Iowa plays on 4 stops of the "ultimate Big Ten road trip"
Adam Rittenberg has it all planned out...the ultimate Big Ten road trip for the upcoming 2009 football season. Iowa appears on his list of games 4 times: Sept. 26 at Penn State, Oct. 17 at Wisconsin, Oct. 24 at Michigan State (as the second part of a double header), and finally Nov. 14 at Ohio State. These are all great games that I'd love to go to, but Adam, why no trip to Kinnick? Iowa will be debuting its new FieldTurf this season, and has some okay home games on the schedule (Michigan, Northwestern are not great, but okay.
Online Sport Fanatic has listed the top 60 games of next year. Iowa has made the list at 15 (vs. OSU) and at 53 (vs. PSU). It is overall a pretty good list, but I don't really believe the Ohio State is that much better than the Penn State game. I might even rank the Penn State game high since it is going to be a "white out" and in prime time...plus that whole revenge factor.
One more list...Iowa vs. Arizona was named the 15th most intriguing non-conference match up by NBC Sports.
Online Sport Fanatic has listed the top 60 games of next year. Iowa has made the list at 15 (vs. OSU) and at 53 (vs. PSU). It is overall a pretty good list, but I don't really believe the Ohio State is that much better than the Penn State game. I might even rank the Penn State game high since it is going to be a "white out" and in prime time...plus that whole revenge factor.
One more list...Iowa vs. Arizona was named the 15th most intriguing non-conference match up by NBC Sports.
A very early look at Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans are Iowa's 8th opponent of the upcoming season. The two teams had identical records (9-4) in 2008, though Michigan State won the head-to-head 16-13. They also had two of the best running backs in the nation with Shonn Greene and Javon Ringer, who both must be replaced. Even with the loss of Ringer, the Spartans do return a lot of talent on both sides of the ball with 7 offensive starters and 8 defensive starters coming back.
Offense: Key Returning Players
The Spartans should have a talented set of players catching passes this fall. The top 4 in receiving yards, WR Blair White, WR B.J. Cummingham, WR Mark Dell, and TE Charlie Gantt all return. Together, these 4 players combined for 78% of Michigan State's 2773 receiving yards. Also returning the the left side of the offensive line with LT Rocco Cironi, LG Joel Foreman, and C Joel Nitchman.
Offense: Key Losses
Though Michigan State only loses a few players on offense, the losses account for 4041 of the 4465 yards of total offense and 32 of the 35 touchdowns scored in 2008. Javon Ringer carried the team on his back running the ball 30 times a game. No other back even carried the bal 30 times over the entire season for the Spartans. Ringer was 1st team All-Big Ten. Brian Hoyer was not the most loved quarterback but was servicable in Michigan State's offense and provided experience. He threw for 2404 yard and 9 touchdowns in 2008 and did a good job handing the ball off to Ringer.
Defense: Key Returning Players
Michigan State's defense was very average last year giving up 22.1 points and 356 yards per game. They were right in the middle in basically every statistical category expect 4th down defense (as we sadly found out last year when Greene was stopped at the end of the game), which they were first in the country only giving up a 1st down 17.6% of the time. Though average last year, the defense will have lots of experience this year and should be better. Leading tackler, LB Greg Jones returns. Jones had 127 tackles with 14 of those for loss which earned him 2nd team All-Big Ten honors. The other 2 linebackers, Adam Decker and Eric Gordon, are also back. On the line, Trevor Anderson was a pass rush specialist and had 8 sacks in 2008. Anderson will return along side DT Oren Wilson. Also returning are FS Danny Fortener, CB Ross Weaver, and CB Chris Rucker in the secondary.
Defense: Key Losses
Like the Hawkeyes, the Spartans lose two starters from the defensive line and one from the secondary. SS Otis Wiley was the star of the secondary in 2008 leading the team with 4 interceptions, 1 returned for a touchdown. He also had 78 tackles and returned punts. The two linemen gone are Justin Kershaw and Brandon Long. Kershaw and Long both had good careers at Michigan State. Kershaw was a 3 year starter and had 8 tackles for loss in 2008.
Spring Prospectus: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/Prospectus09Spring.pdf
ESPN Wrap: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-362/Michigan-State-spring-wrap.html
Offense: Key Returning Players
The Spartans should have a talented set of players catching passes this fall. The top 4 in receiving yards, WR Blair White, WR B.J. Cummingham, WR Mark Dell, and TE Charlie Gantt all return. Together, these 4 players combined for 78% of Michigan State's 2773 receiving yards. Also returning the the left side of the offensive line with LT Rocco Cironi, LG Joel Foreman, and C Joel Nitchman.
Offense: Key Losses
Though Michigan State only loses a few players on offense, the losses account for 4041 of the 4465 yards of total offense and 32 of the 35 touchdowns scored in 2008. Javon Ringer carried the team on his back running the ball 30 times a game. No other back even carried the bal 30 times over the entire season for the Spartans. Ringer was 1st team All-Big Ten. Brian Hoyer was not the most loved quarterback but was servicable in Michigan State's offense and provided experience. He threw for 2404 yard and 9 touchdowns in 2008 and did a good job handing the ball off to Ringer.
Defense: Key Returning Players
Michigan State's defense was very average last year giving up 22.1 points and 356 yards per game. They were right in the middle in basically every statistical category expect 4th down defense (as we sadly found out last year when Greene was stopped at the end of the game), which they were first in the country only giving up a 1st down 17.6% of the time. Though average last year, the defense will have lots of experience this year and should be better. Leading tackler, LB Greg Jones returns. Jones had 127 tackles with 14 of those for loss which earned him 2nd team All-Big Ten honors. The other 2 linebackers, Adam Decker and Eric Gordon, are also back. On the line, Trevor Anderson was a pass rush specialist and had 8 sacks in 2008. Anderson will return along side DT Oren Wilson. Also returning are FS Danny Fortener, CB Ross Weaver, and CB Chris Rucker in the secondary.
Defense: Key Losses
Like the Hawkeyes, the Spartans lose two starters from the defensive line and one from the secondary. SS Otis Wiley was the star of the secondary in 2008 leading the team with 4 interceptions, 1 returned for a touchdown. He also had 78 tackles and returned punts. The two linemen gone are Justin Kershaw and Brandon Long. Kershaw and Long both had good careers at Michigan State. Kershaw was a 3 year starter and had 8 tackles for loss in 2008.
Spring Prospectus: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/Prospectus09Spring.pdf
ESPN Wrap: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-362/Michigan-State-spring-wrap.html
Penn State - Iowa Game a White Out
Check out the 2009 Theme Days video on Penn State's Football site. The Penn State - Iowa game is officially the "Whitehouse" game. This was apparently announced the PSU's spring game, but this is the first official information I could find on the game. Iowa and Penn State are schedule to kick off in prime time, 7:00 PM (CST) on September 26th. The Nittany Lion's will be looking for revenge as Iowa ruined their perfect season last year with a 24-23 victory on a Daniel Murray field goal with 0:01 remaining. The match up with be highly anticipated as both teams are expected to challenge for the Big Ten title. Penn State must replace some high performers at receiver, the offense line, and in the defensive secondary, but should field a strong team this fall.
When the two teams met in 2004, the Penn State "white out" was in effect. In one of the sloppiest games I've ever seen, Iowa was up 6-2 on 2 Kyle Schlicher field goals and time was running out. Instead of punting, Kirk Ferentz elected to take an intentional safety in favor of field position and with a strong confidence in the Hawkeye defense. The defense held and Iowa won 6-4.
When the two teams met in 2004, the Penn State "white out" was in effect. In one of the sloppiest games I've ever seen, Iowa was up 6-2 on 2 Kyle Schlicher field goals and time was running out. Instead of punting, Kirk Ferentz elected to take an intentional safety in favor of field position and with a strong confidence in the Hawkeye defense. The defense held and Iowa won 6-4.