The only changes are at 15-19, where I remembered Texas has a quarterback who is named like a cowboy played by Dean Martin and, if Tulsa is the new Hawaii, then Hawaii sucked.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	25
2	Southern Cal	24
3	Georgia	23
4	Oklahoma	22
5	Missouri	21
6	Florida	20
7	Auburn	19
8	Texas Tech	18
9	South Florida	17
10	Penn State	16
11	Clemson	15
12	LSU	14
13	Arizona State	13
14	West Virginia	12
15	Wisconsin	11
16	Texas	10
17	Tennessee	9
18	Virginia Tech	8
19	Tulsa	7
20	Utah	6
21	Miami (Florida)	5
22	Central Michigan	4
23	California	3
24	Brigham Young	2
25	Iowa	1

Dropped Out:

NOTE: Typically, I'll post a preliminary Blogpoll ballot on Sunday night and leave you to notify me of my EPIC FAIL give me comments.  This is a little early, as the preseason blogpolls are due on Mondays.  Criticism is welcome in the comments section or at hawkeyestatebhgp@gmail.com.

It's about that time.  For the next month, BHGP will be previewing this year's Iowa Hawkeyes, position-by-position.  Naturally, as the earth revolves around the sun, things will change.  Therefore, we're starting with the position we are most certain of, and ending with running back the position of which we are least certain.  To date:

1. Defensive Tackle
2. Tight End
3. Safety
4. Center
5. Defensive End
6. Wide Receiver
7. Linebacker
8. Special Teams
9. Quarterback

Today: Cornerback

The bad news: Charles Godfrey is gone.

The good news: So is Adam Shada.

The Possible Starters

Jordan Bernstine (5'11", 200, Soph.) - The top in-state recruit in 2007, Bernstine is probably the most likely starter at corner.  Bernstine played safety at Des Moines Lincoln High.  He was named first-team all-state twice and a unanimous 4-star selection by the recruiting services.  He played from day one, returning kicks and filling in on defense.  It wasn't a great season, but it was certainly sufficient for a true freshman.

Bernstine underwent shoulder surgery over the offseason and missed spring practice in its entirety.  The post-spring depth chart listed him behind senior Drew Gardner, but make no mistake: Bernstine will win that battle (in fact, the most recent depth chart lists him ahead of Gardner).  Ferentz has said the shoulder is fine.  It's a good thing, too: After 4 years of Adam Shada, a little athleticism goes a long way.

Bradley Fletcher (6'2", 200, Sr.) - You have to give Bradley Fletcher this: He's the only returning corner with serious experience.  Fletcher is one of those guys who feels like he's been on this team forever - he's played sporadically for three seasons - but he's only started in a handful of games.  Another unheralded Ohio product, Fletcher got his first start against Northwestern in 2006 (that will be the last time we ever mention that game).  He started against Minnesota two weeks later (same for this game).  He started a few games last season when Shada and Godfrey went down injured.  He has size, and he has experience, and both are desperately needed.

Here's the problem: He has an incredible number of tackles for a corner.  Tackles by a cornerback translate to completed passes; tackles are bad.  Fletcher racks up tackles like a linebacker.  He had 13 tackles against Michigan State last season, 12 against Northwestern (in a game he didn't even start), and 13 more against Western Michigan.  Corners with double-digit tackle numbers are getting picked apart, and not even Tim Dodge got beaten this often.

Amari Spievey (6'0", 190, Soph.) - Here's the biggest wild card on the entire roster.  Spievey initially came to Iowa in 2006, fresh off being named the Connecticut player of the year.  He received an offer from Rutgers and interest from Penn State and Wisconsin before choosing Iowa.  He had a little trouble with the adjustment, and was farmed out to the Clinton Solomon Memorial Grade Resuscitation Program at Iowa Central Community College.  Not only did he get his grades in line, but he dominated the junior circuit: seven picks (two for touchdowns), two kickoff returns for touchdowns and four blocked punts.  Yeah, you read that right.  Spievey finished the year by being named an all-American.

It remains to be seen how that kind of performance will translate to Big Ten play, but it's promising.  In fact, secondary coach Phil Parker has mentioned Spievey repeatedly as a bona fide contributor.  More important that the sheer numbers is the attitude; by all accounts, Spievey was in agony at ICCC (have you ever spent time in Fort Dodge?) and is absolutely dedicated to staying in the good graces of the staff and the university. Let's all hope he's successful.  We need the help.

Not Out of the Question

Drew Gardner (5'10", 175, Sr.) - He doesn't have size.  He doesn't have experience.  He was completely unheard of when he joined the program.  This shouldn't work.

And yet, every time you review a new depth chart or hear one of the Parkers speak, Drew Gardner is in the mix.  Nothing about his story computes: A South Jersey player stuck on a horrible team, Gardner spent high school getting pwn3d by Al Young (who ran for over 25 yards per carry on 12 carries against Gardner's high school team) and Harold Dalton.  He wasn't recruited by anyone of consequence.  In fact, he spent his freshman season at Widener (that's a D-III school in Delaware), but decided to follow those other New Jersey boys out to Iowa.  He walked on as a sophomore.  Despite playing on special teams, he didn't receive a scholarship as a junior.  Others would be discouraged; Gardner was motivated.  He made the final tackle in last year's win over Michigan State, and stood out enough in limited action to take the top line at cornerback in spring practice.  He's still on the two-deep, and he's still collecting accolades from the staff for his hard work and perseverance.

Bernstine's athleticism will likely win out, and Gardner will likely finish his time at Iowa as a backup.  Still, it's an impressive feat for a guy who started at Widener.

Should See the Field

Chris Rowell (6'1", 200, Jr.) - A former 3-star safety, Rowell was converted to corner after his redshirt freshman season.  He played rarely on special teams as a freshman, and didn't play at all last season.  While listed as second-team right corner entering fall practice, he's rarely mentioned by the staff.  Things aren't looking up for Rowell.

Shaun Prater (6'1", 175, Fr.) - Ferentz has repeatedly indicated freshmen are going to play at corner, and nobody is receiving more attention from the staff than Shaun Prater.  The first of the Prater brothers to commit to Iowa, Shaun turned down an offer from Nebraska to join the Hawks.  That's good enough in my book.  He's been the first name mentioned by nearly every coach when discussing the freshmen defensive backs.  If any freshmen see playing time at corner, Prater will be the first one in.

Willie Lowe (5'9", 165, Fr.) - Lowe, a true freshman, played for Ted Ginn Sr. at Glenville High of Cleveland, Ohio.  He was a man without a position to many teams; Rivals had him as a corner, while Scout ranked him as a running back.  He doesn't yet have the speed to play full-time at the corner, but Phil Parker praised his intelligence and put him high on the list of incoming freshmen who might have a chance to play.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

When we last left our hero...

The Chaiwman didn't say you courd hatch any prans, Coach. As rong as we're got the guns, you wirr do as Mao terrs you to--

Two reports of a silenced gun ring out, and the armed guards slump to the ground.

They're dead! But... but...

You heard him say something about red flags. That wasn't just a warning; that was a clue. Where are the most red flags in the world?

OJ Mayo's scouting report?

Past that.

Gasp!

That's right... we're going to Tiennamen Square right now.

But the money...!

No. Listen closely. He can't get that money or that soda.

I don't know, Mello Yello is pretty awful. What's the worst that could happen?

For one, I won't pretend like I like Mello Yello or drink it on a regular basis; I don't. it's a bunch of sugar. But it's also highly radioactive and easily refined into weapons-grade plutonium. If he gets his tiny Chinese hands

Yeah, what's up with Chinese peoples' hands?

No idea, they're like baby hands. If he gets those baby hands on enough Mello Yello, though, we're all doomed. He could wipe out the western hemisphere--and anything that touches it.

So we have to...

Yes.

We have to save the motherfucking world.

And now, BHGP Films proudly presents the culmination of the J Leman Saves the World saga...

The semi-regular feature breaking down the most recent Kirk Ferentz press conference...

"My love...there's only you in my life..."

After nearly five months without a significant athletic activity, we've finally exited Dark Territory.  Information is slowly creeping out  First, we had Ferentz's press conference at Big Ten media day, but that presser was monopolized by Michigan bloggers and that obnoxious Purdue guy who kept asking everyone what Joe Tiller meant to them.  Ferentz walked to the podium with a karaoke machine in tow, belted out "Rosanna" by Toto, and hit the road.

Iowa media day, however, gave the always-dedicated Iowa sportswriting corps a chance to ask in-depth questions of Coach Ferentz.  As usual, the sportswriters generally failed in that modest task (someone actually asked, "Is Mitch King an elite player?").  That's not to say there wasn't any important information, only that it's buried in monologues on Andre Tippett.

It is with great pleasure that I give you Ferentz: Interpreted.

1. Shonn Greene is back, and KF is doing naked cartwheels over that fact.

One quick rule of reading the Ferentz tea leaves: If it's positive, specific to a player, and part of the opening statement, it's important.

From Ferentz's opening statement:

Everybody wants to know who the hot recruits are.  And to get Andy Brodell, Tony Moeaki and Shonn Greene back in the line-up, we're really excited about that.  With all due respect to any of our first-year guys, but these are guys we've seen play for us and we think they have a great opportunity to impact our offensive football team...

Right now [the running back position is] a jump ball in all regards.  We've got Paki O'Meara and Jayme Murphy, both did a good job in the spring.  Nate Guillory looked like a new player in the spring, was lost most of the time.  The good news is I think his last week was his best week.  Then certainly Shonn Greene, getting him back and running will be good.  And we're anxious to look at our first-year players as well.  I think there might be some opportunity there for those guys.

Later, when asked about whether he wants a true #1 running back:

I'm not concerned about it.  I'm hoping they will all do well.  That will work itself out.  I'm not too concerned about it.  I hope all the parties are healthy in practice and playing well.

Again, probably the biggest variable will be the guys we haven't seen much of.  I feel pretty comfortable about knowing who Shonn Greene is, Paki O'Meara and Jayme Murphy.  Other guys, we have ideas who they are, but don't know until we get through camp.

Finally, while not directly Greene-related, his comment on the possibility of playing a freshman at halfback:

[Running back is] a position,  If you look around the country, freshmen do play at the running back position and play well.  First thing is don't hurt the team, don't screw the team up.  And for a running back, that means hanging on to the football and knowing what the protections are and being able to protect.

It's not exactly as if Ferentz said, "Thank God we found an experieced running back, because 'Paki O'Meara' is Irish for 'update your resume,'" but the fact that he would lump Greene's return in with Brodell and Moeaki indicates how important he thinks Shonn might be this season.

Further, the emphasis on knowing protection schemes is obvious.  Given Guillory's difficulties in learning protection packages this spring (that "looked like a new player" quote above isn't good) and the other running backs' lack of experience and/or talent, I'd expect Greene to hold the top line and get the majority of snaps at least through September.

Continue reading this post »

It's about that time.  For the next month, BHGP will be previewing this year's Iowa Hawkeyes, position-by-position.  Naturally, as the earth revolves around the sun, things will change.  Therefore, we're starting with the position we are most certain of, and ending with running back the position of which we are least certain.  To date:

1. Defensive Tackle
2. Tight End
3. Safety
4. Center
5. Defensive End
6. Wide Receiver
7. Linebacker
8. Special Teams

Today: Quarterback

OK, let's do it.

The Starter, For Now

Jake Christensen (6'1", 215, Jr.) - There are certainly differing viewpoints on how tenuous Christensen's grasp on the top line is, but let's not confuse conflict with uncertainty:  JC6 will start the season as the first-team quarterback.

Jake was one of the crown jewels of the vaunted - and now oft-maligned - 2005 Iowa recruiting class.  He was one of the best high school quarterbacks in the country, lauded for his sound mechanics, throwing accuracy, and ability to scramble (he was considered a "dual-threat" quarterback; all the talk of Christensen as a Chandler-like pocket passer are patently false).  He played in the U.S. Army All-American Game with Richardson, Stross, Doering, Moeaki, and Blum.  He was, by all accounts, the heir apparent to Drew Tate.  He redshirted, then saw limited action in his second season, primarily in lieu of an injured Tate against Northern Illinois (the infamous "kinda gay" game).  He looked about as good as you'd expect from a freshman, completing 65% of his passes but throwing a couple of bad picks (especially against Minnesota) and exhibiting a bad tendency to hold onto the ball too long.

Last season?  Well, as OPS has said, you could write 1500 words about Christensen's 2007 campaign and not even scratch the surface.  There were a multitude of reasons why it might have been such a struggle, many of which were out of his control:

• Injuries/suspensions/attrition in the receiver corps - Christensen entered fall camp with Brodell and Douglas at receiver (with Stross as the third option) and Moeaki at tight end.  By the end of week 4, he had Cleveland and DJK at receiver (with a rotation of Chaney/Sandeman/Nelson(?)/Stross in there, as well), and Myers at tight end.  Not one of those players (save for the injury-plagued Stross) had any serious experience.  It certainly didn't help Christensen.  There were repeated subtle hints that the receivers had no idea what they were doing and could not run precise routes.  If true, it makes sense.
• Position flux and youth in the offensive line - The following players played on the offensive line during 2007: Richardson, Calloway, Kuempel, Doering, Eubanks, Bruggeman, Aeschliman, Meade, Vandervelde, Olsen, Blum, Koeppel, Bulaga.  That's 13 different offensive linemen who saw action.  That's amazing in and of itself, but it doesn't even factor in position changes (I'm pretty sure Olsen played in three different positions over the course of last season).  Two of those players had ever started before.  None of them graduated (though Richardson's career is apparently over due to injury).  That lack of experience led to confusion in the running game (zone blocking is unconventional and requires some smarts, and experience is absolutely essential) and routine breakdowns in pass protection.  Christensen was sacked 46 times last season.  That number is completely unacceptable, and is probably 75% due to offensive line play.
• Playcalling - FIRE KOK.  All right, I won't start just yet, but the playcalling was atrocious.  Part of it was certainly due to O'Keefe's dedication to the Lloyd Carr offensive system, but MUAK made a valid point not that long ago: KOK probably looked at his offense - particularly his passing offense - with a young quarterback, young line, and young receivers, and cut the playbook down considerably.  With a handful of experienced receivers at his disposal, possibly including one of the best tight ends in the country and a couple of bona fide deep threats on the outside, maybe things will open up.  Then again, it's KOK, so don't hold your breath.

Those things are all important, but they still don't entirely explain away a season in which a quarterback with renowned accuracy completed 53.5% of his passes and averaged only 6.13 yards per attempt.  JC might have thrown for 2200 yards, but he was over 200 yards only 4 times in 12 games.  He might have only thrown 6 picks, but an incredible number of passes were so far off-target that nobody from either team had a chance to catch them.  He might have been sacked 46 times, but a significant portion of those were a result of Christensen holding the ball too long.  The point is this:  Even if everything listed above is true, and even if all those things had their greatest possible effect, Christensen should still have been better than he was.

Barring another parade of arrests and injuries, there's no excuse this season.  The receiver rotation is fairly concrete, and all receivers have significant experience.  Moeaki is back.  The offensive line should be more solidified and also picked up much-needed experience.  KOK is still there, but might open up the offense more, especially given the fact he doesn't have a returning running back.  It's time for this offense in general, where 9 (effectively 10, given last season's criminal non-use of Tom Busch) starters are back, to make a big move forward.  That's going to depend on Christensen.

Ferentz has repeatedly compared Christensen to Matt Rodgers, who went 5-6 as a sophomore starter in 1989 before taking Iowa to the Rose Bown in 1990.  The comparison is somewhat suspect.  The 1989 Hawkeyes had no running game whatsoever; the passing offense was actually pretty good.  Rodgers was #2 in the Big Ten in passing in his first season as a starter and was named honorable mention all-conference.  He went 29-41 against Michigan that season, threw for nearly 300 yards against Illinois (who had the best pass defense in the country), and was almost perfect against Northwestern.  Aside from the Syracuse game (23-32, 278 yards, 4 TD's), has Christensen ever played anything resembling those games?  There were signs of life, to be sure (the second half of the Northwestern game comes to mind), but we have yet to see it for four consecutive quarters.  If Christensen has a sophomore-to-junior-season jump akin to Rodgers, he's probably playing like Brian Hoyer at MSU.  That's not great, but it's probably enough to get 8 wins.

The Backup, For Now

Rick(y) Stanzi (6'4", 225, Soph.) - Hayden Fry once said the best player in the Big Ten, year in and year out, was the backup quarterback at Iowa.  If you had any doubts, just ask an Iowa fan, who would bench the starter yesterday.

Rick(y) Stanzi is the heir to the backup quarterback throne and, if you ask many Iowa fans, should be the starter.  He wasn't highly regarded or heavily recruited out of high school, but received offers from Purdue, Miami (OH), and Toledo before choosing the Hawks.  At 6'4", he has ideal size.  He's not quite as fast as Christensen, but by all accounts has some mobility.  He was buried behind classmate Arvell Nelson last season.  The inside word was that, despite Christensen's problems, the staff had no faith in either of its backups (Stanzi was raw, and Nelson was apparently stoned).  Christensen was the quarterback, no matter what happened.

Not anymore.  After two series of the spring game in which Christensen threw an interception and a Tacopants overthrow, Stanzi took the reins and looked pretty good (the staff said JC was injured, but he wasn't hit and actually played significant time later; we're gullible, but not that gullible).  He threw a bomb to Stross and exhibited the feel for touch passes not often seen from JC last year.  Of couse, he also threw a pick and a number of incompletions.  Nevertheless, he was arguably better than Christensen and certainly better than McNutt.  He was the co-first team starter after spring, and may well have won the starting job had he not sustained a shoulder injury.  Word is he will be back in mid-August, but the damage is probably done.  Stanzi will enter the fall at #2.  How long he stays there is up to Christensen.

The Wild Card

Marvin McNutt (6'4", 210, Fr. (RS)) - Last year, we heard a lot about McNutt.  We heard he had a Howitzer for an arm.  We heard he could scramble for yardage like Brad Banks.  We heard he helps old women cross the street and, in his spare time, solves crimes.  If you sat in the stands of Kinnick or the parking lots of Melrose Avenue last fall, you could have walked away thinking McNutt was the second coming. 

McNutt, a St. Louis native, received offers from just about every program in the region (Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota) by the end of his junior year.  He was redshirted last season, but nevertheless dominated conversations on potential replacements at quarterback.  We heard he was getting a lot of snaps in the week of post-season practice Iowa conducted as the bowl situation worked itself out.

Spring?  Eh...it wasn't pretty.  Marvin's footwork wasn't good and his accuracy was lacking.  Maybe it was just a bad day, and maybe it was a function of working with the second-team offense, but he did not look ready for prime time.  His position on the post-spring depth chart, firmly behind Christensen and Stanzi, only reinforced that view.  That said, with Stanzi's shoulder injury, McNutt might have a chance to move up the depth chart this fall and get himself into position to take over.  Nevertheless, expect to see him in garbage time, especially in the first 2-3 weeks of the season.

Could See the Field

James Vandenberg (6'3", 195, Fr.) - If Stanzi comes back in mid-August at full health, I would expect all three of Iowa's incoming freshman quarterbacks to redshirt.  However, it's not out of the question that one sees some playing time due to injury.  If it happens, my money's on Vandenberg, a Keokuk native who threw for 3700 yards and 49(!) touchdowns as a senior in leading Keokuk to the 3A state championship.  He's quick enough to avoid pressure and has been running a wide-open offense for two seasons.  Obviously, you don't plan on using a true freshman at quarterback, but you could do worse.

John Wienke (6'5", 225, Fr.) - Wienke was initially a Michigan commit who changed his mind at the 11th hour, probably because he's not exactly the prototypical spread option quarterback.  That being said, he's giant and has a great throwing arm.

 NOTE: Background here.

SpartyMSU's Brew Crew assembled (It's not Really a Brew Crew, because Drinking Beer might get uis included in the "Party School' List...And We know wE don't want THAT...)...Lets...get this party STARTED!!!!1!  On the discussion board is: The impending Martian invasion of Earth.

Found this Pic on the InterNet...Don't know who she is Talking too...But it looks HOT!!!

For the rest of Planet Earth...It's a Day of Death and Destruction.....but For Sparty....it's A Day For Tail Gate PARTEYS and Another Victory...........

Sparty Should be UNdefeated when The Martians invade...Theyre Victories Include Florida Atlantic...Eastern Muchigan...Iowa...Minnesota...scUM (YEAH!!!!!).....Cleveland Browns....1985 Chicago Bears....Al-Qaeda.....Soviet Russia.......and The Persians at Thermopylae (We ARE SpARTA!!!!!!!!!!!).....!!!..........

Last time The MArtians Invased....We Didnt no What two do...Tom Crews Ran away from teh Alien Invaders....for To Hours......until...they....got sick and Died!!!  The MARTUANS who Survived Were Arrested and THROWN IN JAIL!!!...LOL FULLMER CUP......

For This Invasion...the Key Player is Clearly Emperor Zornok....He is the Cheif Military GenEral for the Martins...If Sparty stops Him...They Stop teh INVASION..............

Zornok will Probably...Use His Foot soldiers too attack teh Countryside...and save...his Spacecrafts...For teh Cities.....We Should take to the Hills like the Wolverines...WOLVERINES!!!!!!!(They should have been Spartans I hate teh Wolverines scUM)........

Our military will Be no Match for The Martians in the Cities....There Flying Saucers Have Force Fields.....two Protect Them...The war Will Be one or loss in EL...where Sparty will fite a Gorilla War Fair!!!We will bee The Only SURVIVORS of This Battle...because Or Gorilla Tack Ticks will Force The Aliens to Make a Truce or Face Am-Bush every day.....................Eventually We Will "B" SLAVES of the Martians...

I WelcomE Our New MARTIAN OVERLORDS!!!  I Was Giddy to get a Picture With Zornok.....Can U Say Man Crush???.....You Can See Where I Spilled My Beer (YEAH RIGHT IT WAS SKIM MILK) Trying to Get teh Picture...This Martian Is Freek In Awesome!!!!!!!! I hope i Become his Slave...

ZORNOK will give a Speech in a PAcked Spartan Stadium...It will feel Like Home-coming....Sparty Gets a Late Field Goal and remains un-defeated...

Spartans 657 - Martians 0

Sparty On!!!!

It's about that time.  For the next two months, BHGP will be previewing this year's Iowa Hawkeyes, position-by-position.  Naturally, as the earth revolves around the sun, things will change.  Therefore, we're starting with the position we are most certain of, and ending with running back the position of which we are least certain.  To date:

1. Defensive Tackle
2. Tight End
3. Safety
4. Center
5. Defensive End
6. Wide Receiver
7. Linebacker

Today: Special Teams

You can't talk about Iowa special teams without asking the question: What the hell happened to Iowa's special teams?  At the end of 2004, after two blocked punts played a large part in the Citrus Bowl win over LSU, Iowa's special teams were being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Virginia Tech.  Nate Keading won the Groza Award once, and should have won it again.  Gone are those halcyon days, replaced by abject mediocrity.  Nowhere was the downfall of Iowa's special teams more evident than last season's embarassing loss to Indiana, where Iowa's placekicking tandem of Austin Signor and Daniel Murray missed 2 field goals (one from 42, one a chip shot) and a momentum-killing extra point.  With that said, the special teams came through with blocked kicks against Northwestern and WMU, and all the key players are back.

The thrill is gone.  It's time to get it back.

Punter

Ryan Donahue (6'3", 180, Soph.) - In a Jekyll-and-Hyde first season as the starting punter, Donahue was bad early and great late.  He was prone to the occasional shank early in the year.  Never was this more evident than against Wisconsin, where Iowa bled field position in one of those hideously ugly three-and-out battle royals you occasionally get in the Big Ten.  Somewhere around Penn State week, however, things began to click for young Donahue, and he was competent bordering or downright great for the remainder of the season.  He looks to be a good pooch punter, which is always helpful.  He was also the most overworked Iowa punter since Jason Baker's ill-fated Heisman Trophy campaign in 1999.  By the end of the year, he was honorable mention all-conference.  Not bad for a guy who had a 12-yard punt against Iowa State.

Donahue was thought to be really damn good in high school (U.S. Army All-American Game participant; 4 stars from Scout), and he looks like he might be really damn good in college.  Let's just hope we don't use him quite so much this year.

Kicker

I knew this was whole "positions we don't know about go last" thing was a good idea.  What was a toss-up position last week is much more clear-cut today.  Hooray transfers! 

Daniel Murray (5'10", 185, Soph.) - Murray entered last season ostensibly tied with Austin Signor, but Signor was taking all the kicks through the first three weeks of the season.  Murray took all the kicks during the Wisconsin game, the two split field goal duty against Indiana (which was a horrible idea, especially given that both kickers had struggled and obviously had little more than a shred of confidence left), and Murray took every kick from that point on.  Much like Donahue, he showed improvement as the season progressed.  In September, Ferentz wouldn't even consider sending Murray on the field from 40+ yards; less that 2 months later, he was knocking a 47-yard field goal through the uprights to take the lead over Michigan State.

Then came the Western Michigan game.  Murray missed two extra point attempts and looked horrible.  Maybe it was the cold weather.  Maybe it was the end of a long freshman season.  Maybe it was simply a side effect of the general malaise that had afflicted that team on that day.  It doesn't matter; it was an enormous step back for a player who had taken a siginficant step forward in the prior 11 games.

Austin Signor transferred to Eastern Illinois last week, which would generally leave the position for Murray.  However, there are still questions about Murray's leg strength and general competence.  The sheer number of points given up in missed kicks last season by Iowa's placekickers - especially in close losses to Iowa State, Wisconsin, and WMU - was staggering.  Ferentz will be looking for consistency and competence; if Murray doen't show either, he'll be replaced fast.

Trent Mossbrucker (6'0", 190, Fr.) - If Ferentz were convinced Daniel Murray was the answer, would he have used a scholarship on Mossbrucker, a 2-star kicker from Mooresville, Indiana?  The Mossbrucker articles are virtually identical: Iowa's not getting a kicker; it's getting an athlete.  Mossbrucker was a high school quarterback, and a damn good one at that.  He set Mooresville High records for career completions (529) and yards (4,208).  ""If he were 6-3 or 6-4, there's no doubt in my mind," said his high school coach, "he would have been recruited heavily as a quarterback."  A kicker who can run and throw?  Someone dig up the Hayden Fry Book o' Exotics!

Oh, by the way, he can kick.  He was 8/11 on field goals (his Rivals.com highlight reel shows some from over 40 yards) and 47/48 on PAT attempts.  He also put more than 2/3 of his kickoffs in the end zone.  There's no telling exactly how this competition will play out, but Murray is far from a certainty.

Ryan Donahue - Given Murray's lack of leg strength and Mossbrucker's inexperience, Donahue will almost certainly handle kickoffs.  That being said, Donahue is curiously listed as "punter/placekicker" on the newest roster, and the recruiting sites loved his high school placekicking numbers.  Ferentz has never had a punter/placekicker for any extended period of time, but it's not out of the question.

Kick Returners

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (6'1", 205, Soph.) - He did it last year (22 returns, 23.7 YPR).  He's back this year.  He's fast and elusive.  Good enough for me.  He could get moved out if he becomes too important to the offense, but there's a far smaller chance of getting killed when returning kicks than when returning punts.

Paul Chaney, Jr. (5'9", 170, Soph.) - See DJK, only he's smaller and faster.  Last year, he returned 13 kicks for an average of 18.0 YPR.

Punt Returners

Colin Sandeman (6'1", 200, Soph.) - Again, he did it last season (12 returns, 7.7 YPR).  He's got some speed.  He's far enough down the depth chart to avoid short-circuiting the offense when he's inevitably crushed on a would-be fair catch.  Seriously, I don't know how punt returners do it.

Andy Brodell (6'3", 200, Sr.) - He did it for 2+ seasons and did it well (career average of 12.6 YPR), but now he might be too valuable to make into a human missile target.

NOTE:  I Fan(!)Post(!)ed (TM) this one, because we said we're not going to talk about this for a while.  Yes, it might be BHGP Reloaded, but for fuck's sake, someone's got to start actually paying attention to what's coming out of the mouths of the administration.  If the media won't do it, I guess we will.

Also, please pardon the language.  It's 4:30 in the morning and I can't sleep.  Mom, don't read this.  I hear Oprah's website is very nice.

You are WRONG!

You know, it was less than a week ago that, after getting more or less bitch slapped by the Board of Regents for failing to turn over documents considered essential to the Board's investigation of what was either a fuck-up or a cover-up, Gary Barta told us how "challenging" it had been not to tell his story and how, after meeting with the Board, he was going to tell us all just what had happened.

Turns out, neither he nor any other member of the University administration decided to wait.

The University took its lumps in the emergency meeting last Tuesday, but was spinning like a top by the end of the week.  Now, a look back at the bullshit, speculation, and baldfaced lies given to you by the UI:

First, a complete fabrication by Sally Mason.  From her interview in the wake of the Regents meeting:

The mother had claimed that UI athletics officials failed to alert Phillip Jones, vice president for student services, about the alleged assault.

Jones would have been alerted, Mason said, if the internal reports prepared by the athletic department and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity on the alleged assault hadn't been put under seal by a judge because of the criminal investigation.

WRONG! 

While it's questionable whether the athletic department's internal reports and the EOD investigation were subject to the seal, the timeline simply does not corroborate Mason's tale.  According to the mother (and in one of the few points not being argued by the UI), she first made contact with Jones on November 15; in fact, she did so at the request of the general counsel.  Judge Potterfield did not seal any records in this case until the next day.  At no point prior to November 16 was there any order demanding the university withhold anything.  By that time, Jones had been notified.  Oh, and the "informal" procedure so conveniently implemented by the university?  It required Jones be notified, so that any potential issues involving housing (like the alleged perpetrator LIVING THREE ROOMS AWAY) could be fixed.  This, my friends, is a lie.  There is no other way of characterizing this statement.

That wasn't Mason's only fib this week.  As you know, the University initially argued that the mom's letter was protected by FERPA, and therefore was not disclosed to the Board of Regents.  This is a legal absurdity along the lines of "waterboarding isn't torture," and Marc Mills is an embarassment to the legal profession for even attempting to justify such a withholding.  Good thing it only took the Sally Mason spin machine 48 hours to understand that fact. 

Mason told the board the UI administration, based on legal interpretation from its counsel, Marcus Mills, thought that FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal statute that protects the privacy of student records, prevented the university from sharing the letters with the board.

Mason admitted to the board the university's interpretation was wrong.

"There is no excuse for the failure to turn over those letters as part of the investigation that you directed the Board of Regents office to conduct in the wake of the report of the assault," she said.

Of course, that's all well and good if the letters are the only things withheld, right?  Um, Sally?  WRONG!

Letters from the mother of an alleged sexual assault victim were not the only documents the University of Iowa failed to turn over to the Iowa state Board of Regents during the initial investigation of how the assault report was handled, UI President Sally Mason said.

Among documents withheld from the regents were letters from UI officials to football players implicated in the assault telling them not to retaliate against the alleged victim, a student-athlete, Mason said Thursday.

The documents, which amounted to a "small box," according to UI General Counsel Marc Mills, previously were concealed from regents based on an inaccurate interpretation of a federal student privacy law, Mason said. Those materials have now been turned over to the regents, who have opened a second investigation into how the UI dealt with the high-profile case.

Wow, there must have been a lot of letters to those football players, considering they filled a "small box."  Any bets as to what else was in the box?  Were the only documents initially produced for the Board of Regents a copy of KOK's one-page playbook and an IHOP placemat colored by Gary Barta?

Finally, a nuanced finagling of the truth by Mr. Integrity himself.  When asked point blank at BXI Media Day whether he had removed Everson and Satterfield from the squad by the next game after the alleged assault (Purdue, 10/20), Ferentz first refused to answer the question, then gave us this gem:

I can’t think of an instance where I kicked anyone off immediately. They were suspended immediately. As the week went on, and my conversations with parties involved were ongoing, I finished on Thursday (four days after the alleged incident), 6 or 6:30 on Thursday it was my last information gathering conversation. I made the decision at that point where we were going. It’s not as simple as saying you are off the team. To remove a player from school, I don’t have that power to remove a player from scholarship immediately.

WRONG!

Let's take a look back at exactly what the head ball coach said in the days following his revelatory investigation into this incident.  In the wake of the October 20 shitkicking at the hands of Purdue, Ferentz was asked why Everson didn't make the trip.  His response?

"He came up short in a couple of departments last week and we opted not to bring him," Ferentz said. He was then asked if the problems were on the field or off.

"That's a matter between (them)," Ferentz said. "It was my choice not to bring him. We'll see how it goes."

So...Everson is still on the team?  And what the fuck are the "couple of departments" where he came up short?  The "not raping women" department?  The "successfully avoiding getting your coach into a year-long investigation of what the hell is going on in his program" department?  The "not losing in-state offensive line recruits to Michigan Fucking State because they have more 'discipline and structure'" department?

No answers there.  How about three days later, at his weekly press conference?

Q: Is Cedric Everson in good standing?

KF: Well, that's pretty much about where he was Saturday, I guess.  That's probably the best answer I could give you.  He wasn't with us Saturday.  Things haven't changed an awful lot.

Q: Is he practicing?

KF: No, huh-uh.  Didn't last week.  I guess Thursday would have been his last day.  He's not in good standing.

Q: Is he off the team?

KF: He's not in good standing.

So...Everson "is not in good standing"?  Is he suspended?  Dismissed?  None of the above?  It wasn't until November 13, with the criminal investigation underway, that Ferentz formally announced Everson and Satterfield were suspended.  Maybe it's a game of symantics, but take another look at those two statements.  The word "suspended" is never used, though God knows he could have added it at any given point.  Those aren't statements made to warn of a future dismissal; those are "Cedric missed 2 classes this week" statements.  There is only one conclusion: HE CLEARLY EXPECTED TO GET THESE GUYS BACK ON THE TEAM.  To say now that they were immediately suspended is fudging the truth at the best and lying at the worst.

I have to wonder if the administration has purchased their Olympics tickets yet.  They've already dug themselves halfway to China.