Players who have seen the field consistently were able to do less hitting and take strain off their shoulders and necks. They did some lifting and some work on stretching and rehab.
These next two weeks IU will play host to two teams IU Coach Kevin Wilson considers to be strong, run-oriented teams: Iowa and Michigan. The first of these physical contests comes 3:30 p.m. Saturday when the undefeated No. 9 Hawkeyes come to Bloomington.
“Big Ten football in the month of November is physical football,” Wilson said. “So we’ll see if we’ve got the toughness and mental maturity to play tougher down the stretch.”
This is an Iowa offense that pounds the ball on the ground consistently yet still does it efficiently. The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten in rushing attempts and fourth in yards per carry. They may not put the ball in quarterback C.J. Beathard’s hands to pass a lot — Iowa has the fewest pass attempts in the conference — but he still does it efficiently.
Beathard ranks highly in quarterback rating, yards per attempt and completion percentage. He also has yet to lose as the starting quarterback. He is now 9-0 dating back to his one start last season against Purdue.
He is currently dealing with a groin injury, so Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz has said he is working backup quarterback Tyler Wiegers with the first team to be prepared.
When Wilson talks about the Iowa offense, he talks about how the crew complements each other. The first thing mentioned is usually Iowa’s old-school power run attack.
“That goes back to the O-line, which Coach Kirk and his son Brian, and the job they do,” he said. “His son Brian does a heck of a job with the line.”
At the same time, Wilson said he doesn’t know if it’s a great offensive line group, but they are better together than they are independently. He said the tight ends complement the offensive line well and then the “hard-running running backs” come down with one-on-one opportunities.
That sets up Beathard for play action pass opportunities he can take advantage of.
The running game faltered last week against Maryland, though. Much like junior running back Jordan Howard, Iowa leading rusher Jordan Canzeri suffered an ankle injury Oct. 17 against Northwestern and has not played since. Ferentz has said he has been happy with performances from other backs in rotation, yet Iowa only ran for 110 yards on 44 attempts in the aforementioned Maryland game.
While the IU defense has struggled as of late, Ferentz said he had respect for the Hoosier front seven as he pointed out the big, physical players IU trots out.
“These guys, they move a lot, they’ve got a lot of different looks, things they’ll throw at you,” he said. “We have to be really on top of our game.”
During a time in which IU football has been receiving more time on national TV, Wilson has spoken fondly of how it has helped recruiting and added exposure. That exposure only means so much to him.
“We need to get W’s, though,” Wilson said. “I can guarantee you that.”
