On Iowa with Marc Morehouse

One is done

Some final thoughts from Lake Michigan: The most troubling part about Jake Christensen's performance was the missed receivers. He admitted after the game his ball placement wasn't what it needed to be. It was perfect on the eight drops, though. But the most troubling part is the most fixable, for JC and the receivers. The O-line that showed up today doesn't compare to the wobbly unit that showed up for the kids' day scrimmage. It was like NIU had never seen a zone blocking scheme before. The O-line dominated, but give credit to the backs, Albert Young and Damian Sims. They ran the zone game to perfection, allowing blocks to set up and then going where the defense cracked. As the kicking game stands today, it will cost Iowa a game somewhere down the road. Iowa will be a team that needs 45-yard field goals. That wasn't there Saturday. Punter Ryan Donahue rebounded nicely from his 17-yard shank; kicker Austin Signor said he's struggling with the mental part. I think Mitch King is part grizzly bear. I think Charles Godfrey looks like an NFL corner. On his first pick today, he baited the NIU QB into making an awful throw into coverage. That takes talent, brains and speed. I'm not sure where I'd put the over-under on true freshmen playing. Let's say eight. I think more DBs will get in. The redshirt is off OL Bryan Bulaga. They must have a set amount of snaps in mind for him. I like AJ Edds' aggressiveness. It cost him a pair of penalties, but we were writing the same thing about Matt Roth a few years ago. James Cleveland was, maybe, the most featured wideout Saturday. They ran a reverse to him and tried to find him on several other plays. They want to get the ball into his hands. Tony Moeaki is still a young-ish player. He didn't let the drops affect the way he blocked Saturday. Running backs cut around his block more than a few times. He needs to catch the ball. He knows that. If Albert Young were a car, he'd be . . . a 700 class BMW. Faster than you think, thrives in heavy traffic. If Damian Sims were a car, he'd be . . . a Porsche Boxster. Zero to 60 and has some weave. Andy Brodell just needs to concentrate. He's got all the other tools.

King is back

He's on the sideline ready to come in.

King?

Not seeing him on the sidelines. Might be dehydrated.

Haltime quick impressions . . .

This spring, I wrote for Lindy's preseason pub. In the preview, I was asked to name an MVP. My pick was Mitch King, so I'm looking pretty good about now. On the contrary, I said Dominique Douglas was an emerging star. OK, 1-for-2. King had the sack and another tackle for loss for minus-15. He also drew a holding call that helped raise the degree of difficulty on NIU's missed field goal. NIU lost its punter after two punts. Dittbenner got hurt on Andy Brodell's 56-yard punt return. Kicker Chris Nendick stepped in nicely, averaging 50.5 on two punts. Jake recovered well from a shaky start. At one point he was 2-for-9 and had an ugly scramble for zero and then was sacked for minus-6. Brodell's punt return, seven straight carries by Albert Young (for 47 yards) gave Jake a chance to catch his breath. Masterful call by Off Cord Ken O'Keefe on the 40-yard pass to James Cleveland, setting up Jake's 5-yard TD pass to Brandon Myers, capping 95-yard drive. NIU blitzed, Jake faked a handoff to Damian Sims and put it on Cleveland, who outjumped Melvin Rice. They didn't sustain the mo' and NIU got three on teh board. Overall, it was about what you expected.

Lloyd, Lloyd all null and void . . .

The movie "Say Anything," with Jon Cusack came out when I was in or just out of college. There's a scene outside the convenience store where Cusack's character, Lloyd, is lamenting the lost love of Ione Skye. One of Lloyd's buddies pipes up with an impromptu rap, "Lloyd, Lloyd, all null and void." That's probably pretty close to what they're feeling up in Ann Arbor, where basketball season just started.

Turf report . . .

From radio sideline reporter Rob Brooks, a helluva golfer and sideline reporter, he says the field is hard and fast and cutting will be a pain in the plantar fascitis (sp?), which might be the problem with Raf Eubanks foot.

Kicker

Austin Signor got the one rep. Looks like he's the guy.

Your starting left guard is . . .

Travis Meade. The former walk-on from Iowa City West will get the first shot today, with sophomores Andy Kuempel and Dan Doering behind him. BTW, Meade is a former walk-on. He is on scholarship now. I'm not sure why Iowa is coy with that info, but they are. I know that Wes Aeschliman and Bret Greenwood are also on scholarship. These are good stories, self-made players seeing a reward for their hard work.

True freshmen

All the freshmen who I thought would dress are dressed. Coleman is running drills with the LBs. I thought maybe he was a D-line guy now, but no. They look like they belong.

Tyler Blum

The former tight end is out catching passes with the receivers. I imagine he could see some time as a third TE in short-yardage situations. I thought AJ Edds would be a good fit there. Still could, we'll see. Iowa AD Gary Barta just said on the Iowa radio broadcast that the school remains behind suspended players Dominique Douglas and Anthony Bowman. After the legal process, he said they would revisit their status. That's enough of that deal. That's eaten up way more ink than it should have. In the big picture of team, they are just two players.

Turf deal

It sounds like the turf will be replaced tomorrow.{p} That's not great timing for Iowa.

Turf explanation

I just heard here that the field is going to be replaced . . . tomorrow.{p} So prepare for big chunks of turf flying up in the air.

Here's how this will work, at least for today

I'm here in historic Soldier Field. The last time I was here Brett Favre threw a 99-yard TD pass to Robert Brooks and some drunk guy jumped out of the stands and caught an extra point in midair.[p] Enough about me. I will post all the news updates I gather pre-kickoff. There might be some roster surprises. We'll see which combination starts on the O-line. And whatever else. I'm thinking Iowa and NIU are at least talking about doing the Soldier Field thing again in '09 or '10, when Iowa has open dates. Gary Barta said as much in today's story on the cover of GameDay.[p] FWIW, the field looks like a dog's lunch. There must be a kink in the hose because it looks awfully yellow.[p]

Iowa leads the Big Ten in . . .

Fans hopping out of taxi cabs with cases of Bud and/or Busch Light on their shoulders. Outstanding!