The 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes were one of the surprises of the season. Typically a strong program, Kirk Ferentz’s team had a breakthrough year and were 1 injury away (QB Ricky Stanzi) from possibly running the table and playing for a National Championship. Still, 2009 can be considered a great success for the Hawkeyes and they now enter 2010 as the top contender to dethrone Ohio State as the Big Ten Champs.
Iowa has a lot of skill position players returning on offense, highlighted by their signal caller Ricky Stanzi. The Senior QB finished 2009 with 2,417 yards passing and 17 TDs last year. Although his 15 INTs are cause for concern, the hope is that he will bring a different level of decision making maturity to the field as a veteran. Stanzi’s performance and consistency will hold the key to success of their 2010 offensive efforts.
In the backfield, Iowa is stacked. Rising Sophomore Adam Robinson had a breakout Freshman campaign tallying 834 yards on 181 carries. His growth, along with that of backup RB Brandon Wegher (630 yards and 8 TDs in ’09) could give Iowa the top rushing attack in the Big Ten Conference.
One area of great concern for Iowa is the Offensive-Line. They return only 2 starters to the unit. The Hawkeyes certainly have the talent on the roster to replenish the position, but there is no substitute for game-experience. Having to replace 3 starters in the trenches is sure to keep Coach Ferentz up at night during August’s Pre-season camp.
Not normally known for their talent at WR, the Hawkeyes had a few surprises in 2009. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos grabbed 45 passes and Marvin McNutt snagged another 34. Both return and their ability to stretch the defense and keep teams from stacking the line of scrimmage (i.e. putting an extra safety in the box) will really help out the running game in 2010. Expect Stanzi to have much better rapport with his wideouts this season and Iowa’s passing game will be the best it’s been in years.
Believe it or not, the Iowa defense, who only allowed 15 points per game in 2009, will be MUCH improved in 2010. Iowa got a huge boost from the return of All-Conference DE Adrian Clayborn. All 3 of the other defensive line starters will return as well, giving Iowa one of the best DL units in the country. Adding to the plethora of talent returning on defense are All-Conference Safeties Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood. CB Shaun Prater also returns to take over the #1 CB spot vacated by early NFL entrant Amari Spivey. The Iowa defense will be the best unit in the Big Ten.
Iowa has the toughest in-conference schedule in the Big Ten as they face every conference team that made a bowl game in 2009. Their Week 2 annual rivalry game against Iowa State wont be as easy as in previous years as the Cyclones are coming off their first bowl win in 5 years and it came against a Big Ten team (Minnesota) nonetheless. Week 3 provides one of their toughest tests of the year in a road trip to Arizona to face the upstart Wildcats. After a short reprieve vs. Ball State, the Big Ten schedule starts with 4 straight games against Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Michigan State… an October gauntlet that would scare any team in America. They finish with 3 of their last 4 games being on the road.
The talent and experience on the roster spells BCS Bowl and possible Big Ten championship… but their schedule may spell Big Ten Mediocrity.
Key Returning Players:
QB Ricky Stanzi
RB Adam Robinson
WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos
DE Adrian Clayborn
SS Tyler Sash
FS Brett Greenwood
Key Games:
Sept 18 - @ Arizona
Oct 2 - Penn State
Oct 16 - @ Michigan
Oct 23 - Wisconsin
Oct 30 - Michigan State
Nov 20 - Ohio State
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