Archive page 36

Quick thoughts on the press conference

The press conference of doom turned out to be less gloomy than expected. There are no more suspension for the bowl game at this time and aren't expected to be any more (pending someone doing something stupid in the next two weeks). Jewel Hampton's transfer and Adam Robinson's suspension are in no way related to DJK's arrest. And, yes there were drug tests done recently, but it was nothing out of the ordinary and they did not involve the entire team. That's about it. The rest mostly dealt with Iowa's drug testing program, which goes above and beyond what is required. There are some flaws with the program, which they admitted to, but I thought it sounded for the most part reasonable. If you're interested in everything that was said, here is the transcript of the press conference.

I hope this puts all the rumors to rest. It was getting kind of ridiculous the last couple of days. Ferentz said media members were calling players' parents trying to get information; there were plenty of baseless rumors flying around on message boards, Twitter, and just about everywhere; even some sports radio hosts were throwing players under the bus with nothing to back it up. I think it's time to drop it. (I still may write a little more if people don't drop it, but would prefer to move on to the Insight Bowl and Missouri.)

Robinson out for bowl, Hampton gone...

Yesterday was crazy. Iowa leaked to the media that there was going to be a press release at 3:00 that would address Jewel Hampton's status. Well, 3:00 turned into 5:30 when the official statement was actually released. For those 2 and a half hours, the Hawkeye fanbase waited anxiously expecting the worst. The release itself was rather bland though. Jewel Hampton has decided to transfer, which had already been assumed, and Adam Robinson will not practice for or play in the Insight Bowl. The Robinson story is new, but given some of the rumors, not a surprise. He has the option to rejoin the team when the spring semester starts.

Here's the actual release:

IOWA CITY, IA – Sophomore running back Jewel Hampton has decided to leave the University of Iowa. And, sophomore running back Adam Robinson will not be part of the Hawkeye team that makes the trip to Arizona for the Insight Bowl. The announcement was made today by Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz.

"Jewel Hampton has decided to leave the team and plans to transfer to another school to complete his degree and finish his career. We wish him the best of success in the future," said Ferentz.

"While Adam has been cleared medically, he will not be participating in the upcoming Insight Bowl game as a result of failing to comply with team expectations and policies. Adam will have the option to rejoin the team when classes resume in January."

Hampton, a 5-9, 210-pounder from Indianapolis, IN, has been plagued by injury problems during his three years at Iowa. He has rushed for 577 yards and scored eight touchdowns as a Hawkeye. He was injured in the Arizona game earlier this season and was lost for the season following surgery.

Robinson, a 5-9, 205-pound back from Des Moines, IA, led the team in rushing with 941 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

The big news, however, may be that Ferentz and AD Gary Barta are holding a press conference today at 10:00 a.m. to "discuss running back Jewel Hampton's transfer and the status of running back Adam Robinson." Iowa is saying this is essentially a Q&A opportunity, but rumors are saying it is something more. We will see.

Wegher and Hampton to transfer

Let's just keep it simple this morning. For one, my laptop is down again (I think/hope that it's just the power cord) so I am somewhat limited to what I can do on my iPod. Also, yes, I've read the rumors and yes, they are bad. But we'll have to play the wait-and-see game and wait for something more official, or ya know, a Facebook stays change.

One thing we know for sure, though, is that Brandon Wegher is transferring. He was released from his scholarship with the stipulation that he doesn't play on scholarship for another Big Ten school. Thus news isn't too surprising since Wegher left the team before the season started and everything pointed towards a departure. But we all still kind of hoped he would return considering the woes Iowa had with running back injuries this year.

The other departure at least semi-confirmed is of Jewel Hampton who posted on Facebook that he is a "former Hawkeye." There were already plenty of rumors on the message boards that were circling around Hampton's status. I'm not going to guess the circumstances of his transfer at this point. I will say though, that he's had a couple of tough years here at Iowa with two season ending injuries. If a change of scenery is what he needs, then I'm okay with that.

This has already been a crazy month, but depending on the validity of some of the rumors, this could go down as on of the craziest months in Iowa football history. If Coach Ferentz can somehow get the troops to rally to beat a good 10-2 Missouri team despite all these distractions, then I'm calling for a revote on Coach of the Year.

A long week

It has been a rough week for Iowa football fans...a rough month really. The week started off Sunday when it was announced that Iowa would play Missouri in the Insight Bowl. There is nothing wrong with Missouri or the Insight Bowl, but when playing Nebraska was a "sure thing" it is kind of disappointing that we'll have to wait another year to begin the rivalry.

Then there was the whole DJK thing. I've already written about how I feel about DJK, but didn't really mention the impacts it would have to the team for the bowl game. My hope is that mentally, it won't have an effect on the team. It's just one player that won't be there. Maybe it'll actually have a positive effect as I suspect (as do many others) that perhaps DJK wasn't the best of teammates in the locker-room. There's no denying however, that DJK was a play-maker on the field and other plays are going to need to step up.
Sandeman will most likely be the starter opposite of McNutt. He has had a nice career at Iowa, but has had a few injuries slow him down. Last year he had an excellent showing in the Orange Bowl and another big day in a bowl would be a great way for a senior to go out. Keenan Davis has mostly played behind McNutt, but could see some time in DJK vacant spot. He will also likely be the number 1 kick returner. I'm not sure who else fills in there...maybe Paul Chaney.

The last piece of bad news Iowa fans got this week was that Christian French committed to Oregon yesterday. French was one of the more highly-touted recruits out of the state of Iowa this year. He went to Cedar Rapids Kennedy but is not originally from Iowa so didn't grow up a Hawkeye fan. Still he had Iowa on his list and it's not often that an instate kid slips out of Iowa's grasp unless he grew up a Cyclone fan.

So now it's time to move on. There is still a chance to finish this season on a positive note with a bowl win over a ranked, 10-2, Missouri team. There are still some more recruits out there with Iowa on their radar. And, there isn't much reason to worry about DJK ever again.

Hawkeye Recruit Roundup: Week 15

Jacob Rudock
Playoffs, Regional Finals W Boyd Anderson 6 - St. Thomas Aquinas 46 | (13-0)
Aquinas was stifling on defense and held Boyd Anderson to -26 yards rushing on 28 attempts and just 86 yards of total offense. The only time Boyd Anderson was able to move the ball was late in teh fourth quarter when the game was out of reach and they connected on a 58 yard TD pass. On the other side of the ball, Rudock and the offense (who had amazing field position all day) scored 7 TDs and added a FG. Rudock didn't have his best day going 10/17 for 116 with 1 TD and 1 INT, but did more than enough to get the win.

Next Game: vs. Bradenton Manatee - 12/10 (Playoffs, State Semifinals)

Austin Vincent
Playoffs, Quarterfinals: L Stony Point 72 - DeSoto 48 | (11-3)
Apparently they don't play much defense in Texas because it's not often that you can score 48 poinst and still lose by 24. The big difference is the game was the second quarter as DeSoto was outscored 0-21. It was a similar outcome when the teams met earlier this year, but this time it eliminates DeSoto from the playoffs.

Season Over
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