SB Nation - Trent Mossbrucker

It's Not Plagiarism If You Link To It Is Talking About Practice. Not a Game. Practice.

Hawkeye State — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:19:26 -0000

Because Every Day is Kids Day. Some significant news out of Saturday's "Kids Day" open practice:

The Walking Wounded. Brace yourselves: Jewel Hampton's knee is bothering him again. Hampton didn't practice Saturday and, while he was in attendance and walking the sidelines with nothing more than a sleeve on the knee, Morehouse notes he wasn't moving well. We have yet to hear anyone claim Hampton will miss any playing time as a result of the injury, but this is the third time in 6 months that he's injured the same knee and missed practice time.

Now that you are sitting down, it's time for part 2: Bryan Bulaga didn't practice either (though he ran sprints), and Kyle Calloway didn't scrimmage (though he took part in pre-scrimmage drills). Bulaga hurt his knee earlier in the week, though it doesn't sound serious. Calloway has been out through most of camp with runner's knee; again, the injury probably isn't any more a threat to his playing time than a 6-pack and a scooter.

As if that wasn't enough, Brandon Wegher, Colin Sandeman, Chris Rowell, Steve Bigach, Marty Hopkins, Conor Boffeli, and Scott Covert didn't suit up. The first four of those are expected to play (Wegher is unofficially the frontrunner for kick and punt returner). The others aren't likely to factor into this season. Of course, one of the many things Kirk Ferentz took from his days with Belichick is notorious secrecy on the injury front; there isn't much information on any of these.

Fun With Depth Charts. Well, that was inevitable: Christian Ballard has moved to defensive tackle, making way for Broderick Binns to start at defensive end. This would be wholly unsurprising if defensive line coach Rick "Here Comes The Polish Cavalry" Kascenski hadn't lied to everyone for 6 months about the possibility of moving a defensive end to tackle. Expect the press to have a field day with this one, and by that I mean the press will participate in a 100-yard dash, then drink juice boxes provided by the coaching staff and watch Schoolhouse Rock until they can go home at 3:00.

In other news, Morehouse is declaring the backup quarterback battle over, with James Vandenberg as the winner:

Vandenberg is the No. 2 QB. During the two-minute drill, the No. 2 unit flopped badly. Vandenberg was given a second chance to make something happen, showing the reps aren’t even with him and Wienke.

As an untrained observer, I though Vandenberg looked far more game-ready, though both he and Wienke spent most of their time running from defensive linemen who had broken through the makeshift second-team offensive line. Also, despite a clear improvement in leg strength by Trent Mossbrucker, it looks like Daniel Murray's inexplicable Svengali-like hold on the placekicking job has held up through the summer. Ferentz mentioned after the practice that Mossbrucker might redshirt if he doesn't win the job, which would be smart.

Miscellaneous, et cetera, other. Dochterman provides some video (I took some pictures from the stands, but there's a reason why I'm not a photojournalist; my pictures show nothing). Bohnenkamp finds that the players are getting used to the field turf (which looks great). Amari Spievey is a sure thing. The other corner spot? Not so much. Jeremiha Hunter might as well be 40, because he's certainly a man.

Alcohol Fascism, Thy Name is Goldy. Minnesota really knows how to build atmosphere: Students with an alcohol-related offense will be Breathalyzed before being allowed into Legendary Historic TCF Bank Stadium (and, yeah, that's what we're going to call it from now on):

When the TCF Bank Stadium opens in less than two months, the University of Minnesota plans to implement a system to deter alcohol-related problems by administering breathalyzers to prior offenders.

The program, called "Check BAC" - as in blood alcohol content - is just one of the many steps the University and police are taking to prepare for the inevitable trouble that will come with bringing football back to campus. University police have been travelling around the Big Ten looking for advice on alcohol enforcement and traffic control to get ready.

Check BAC is modeled after a University of Wisconsin-Madison program. If a student is caught for underage consumption or ejected from the stadium for public intoxication, they are automatically enrolled in the program. If the student comes back to a game that same season, they will be required to provide a breath sample on a portable breath tester.

If they are underage and have alcohol in their system, they will not be allowed entry into the game. Even if they are of age, depending on their level on intoxication, they might not be admitted into the stadium.

As if it weren't enough, UM will also build gameday atmosphere by cracking down on the one thing that didn't exist at the Metrodome: tailgating. Fortunately, the Minnesota legislature (motto: "Thank God we got rid of Ventura") made sure they didn't go overboard:

The University has also created specific tailgating rules that outline where and how tailgating will be acceptable. Earlier this year the University went to the state Legislature hoping to gain authority to create and enforce their own criminal ordinances, which would allow University police to create specific laws that pertain to tailgating.

The bill was not passed, so any violations of the University's tailgating rules will be a civil matter and will involve the Office for Student Conduct and Academic Integrity for University students.

Of course, these Draconian measures only apply to students attending Minnesota games. I'm sure both of them will be royally pissed.

Footnotes:

We aren't the only team with injuries: PSU wideout linebacker Pat Mike Mauti tore his ACL, leaving the Lions even lighter at receiver linebacker. Also, OSU-nee-Michigan lineman/resident crybaby douchebag Justin Boren was injured when he tried to force his giant neck into an undersized shirt and was struck in the eye by the flying top button (OK, I made the last part up, but he's hurt and that picture is ridiculous).
Clone Chronicles makes its predictions for the upcoming season. The conclusion?

But what do you expect when your "first opponent is a 1-AA cupcake" analysis draws HEY WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE YOU'RE IOWA STATE responses from the thriving North Dakota State online community?

Assume the Position 2009: Special Teams

Hawkeye State — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:25:52 -0000

It's about that time again. For the next three 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 where we are most certain, and ending with the position of which we are least certain. To date:

1. Quarterback
2. Offensive Tackle
3. Safety
4. Linebacker
5. Tight End
6. Running Back
7. Defensive End

Tonight: Special Teams

What did you expect, a punt?

In this space last year, we lamented the apparent downfall of Iowa special teams, which had devolved from "game-changing" to "barely mentionable" over the past 3 seasons. Gone were players like Sean Considine and Ed Hinkel, guaranteed to provide a spark on special teams when necesary. Consistency in the kicking game had long since left the station, slowly eroded over the course of Kyle Schlicher's career and hitting bottom with the two-headed Murray/Signor terrormonster in 2007. We hoped special teams would improve, if only because they couldn't possibly get worse.

Turns out the Reneissance was here, and we didn't even see it coming.

Two special teams plays set the tone for the 2008 season. Andy Brodell's punt return touchdown againt Iowa State announced the resurrection of the punt return team and ensured Iowa wouldn't endure another early-season hiccup against the Cyclones. Daniel Murray's field goal clinched the biggest Iowa win in over a decade and set off a string of wins that built confidence for 2009. It was the beginning of the resurrection; hopefully, it continues this year.

The Punter

Ryan Donahue (#5, 6'3", 180, Junior) - It's too bad Donahue doesn't have a name like a space alien; he might actually get the respect he deserves. No offense to Mesko, who is quite good, but Donahue's numbers compare favorably with the Space Emperor: Fifty punts for an average of 41.6 yards, 19 downed inside the 20 to 7 touchbacks, and improving consistency. Those statistics (aside from the number of punts, which is out of the punter's hands) are nearly identical to Mesko's numbers as a sophomore. He's improved drastically over his first two years, from shankapotomus as a freshman to all-conference as a sophomore. Two more years of improvement and a name change, and we might have something.

The Kickers

Daniel Murray (#1, 5'10", 185, Junior) - If you were within a mile of Kinnick Stadium or a block of a pro-Hawkeye household on November 8, you probably heard screaming. No, not after the field goal (though there certainly was screaming after the field goal). The screaming began before the field goal, when Ferentz benched a kicker who was 13/15 for the season in favor of a walk-on who missed a 35-yard attempt against Pitt and hadn't kicked a field goal since. Five minutes later, all was forgotten in a soccer slide and a sea of humanity, and the oft-maligned Murray entered the Rob Houghlin wing of the Iowa football hall of fame.

There is no denying Murray has the stronger leg. He handled the kickoffs throughout the season, and kicked every long field goal Iowa attempted. In fact, despite beating out Murray for the placekicking spot by week 5, Mossbrucker didn't attempt a field goal over 39 yards last season, and Murray repeatedly showed he had the leg - if not the accuracy - to get the ball to the goalposts from over 50 yards. If that range outweighs his long-documented placement problems, Murray will probably retain the top line.

Trent Mossbrucker (#8, 6'0", 220, Sophomore) - How Mossbrucker lost the starting job last season remains a mystery. When he split field goal duties with Murray early in the season, Mossbrucker proved to be more consistent than his competitor. After Murray's miss against Pitt, the race was effectively over. Mossbrucker made 8 of 9 attempts in his 5 weeks as the undisputed starter. The longest of these field goals was just 35 yards, however, and a shank from 30 yards against Illinois eventually cost Iowa a road win. We're left to wonder if the coaches' lack of confidence in Mossbrucker's leg led to the ill-fated 4th and 2 from the Michigan State 21 that cost Iowa another.

As we said last season, Ferentz would not have burned a scholarship on Mossbrucker if he was confident in Murray, and there is still a chance that Mossbrucker takes the top line eventually. Building a little leg strength over the offseason would certainly go a long way toward that goal.

The Punt Returner

Colin Sandeman - When Brodell went down injured four games into the 2007 season, Sandeman assumed the duties as punt returner. He filled in during garbage time last season, as well. His experience dictates his position here. His stats leave us hoping the position goes to someone else. Sandeman averaged only 7.7 yards per return as a freshman, and an even more benign 6.0 last year. There has been talk from the staff of the need for more yardage from the kick return team. If Sandeman eventually is the punt returner, let's only hope the staff's focus extends to the punt returner, as well.

The Kick Returners, We Think (Actually, We Have No Idea)

Paki O'Meara - He returned two kicks last season for a total of 31 yards, but he's sitting at the top of the most recent depth chart. PAKIBOMB is a special teams dynamo, but probably not the answer for a better kick return game.

Paul Chaney, Jr. - Returned kicks as a freshman to mixed results. Didn't do much of anything as a sophomore, either as a receiver or a returner. I would normally believe he's on his way out, but Ferentz has repeatedly praised the leap forward his sprinter made during spring track. If his newfound commitment extends to the football field, he's too fast to not find a spot. With receiver stacked, the most likely place would be as a kick returner.

Brandon Wegher - Has been told by the coaches he could well be returning kicks this season. Given that statement, the lack of returners on the returning roster, and the hype surrounding the Sioux City Heelan product, that's probably enough to make him a favorite.

Jewel Hampton - He's on top of the depth chart right now, but (unless the staff is completely comfortable with Jeff Brinson at halfback) it would be suicide to send your starting halfback - the only player on your team with significant experience in the backfield - to get speared by kamikaze kickoff teams filled with underclassmen looking to make a name for themselves and get some playing time. Quite frankly, Ferentz is nowhere near that crazy.