SB Nation - Travis Meade

Assume The Position 2009: Defensive Tackle

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:55:51 -0000

It's about that time again. For the next three weeks, 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
8. Special Teams
9. Cornerback

Today: Defensive Tackle

Hung. Like. This.

Well, that's that, isn't it? With the moderately unsurprising shift of Christian Ballard to defensive tackle--and really, it was either him or Clayborn, we just weren't sure who it'd be--the 2-deep on the interior defensive line shifted into place quite nicely. Let's do this.

The Definite Starter

Christian Ballard (#46, 6'5", 290, Junior) - Ballard appears to be the best suited to move to the inside, so that's where the man goes. We have a few concerns with how high he tends to play, but that's based on his body of work at DE, where it's more beneficial to play upright. No doubt, the coaches will be working on him getting lower when he's got A Gap responsibilities.

As for production, well, we'll see. Between Ballard's 2008 numbers (40 tackles, 3.5 TFL) and Kroul's numbers in the gap-stuffer DT role (57 tackles, 6.5 TFL), we expect Ballard to register something in the middle: 50 tackles, 5 TFL, ~3 sacks sounds right.

The Probable Starter

Karl Klug (#95, 6'4", 258, Junior) - If Klug's at or near 260 pounds, that's a positive development, because he's going to need all the size he can get against the road graders of the Big Ten. Still, in his limited play last season, he was a terrorforce, earning BXI DPOTW honors against FIU and making a couple big red-zone tackles against Penn State. Yes, fully half of his 18 tackles came against FIU, but registering 5 TFLs in 18 total tackles speaks volumes about Klug's disruptive abilities.

The Ballard move should benefit Klug the most. Teams will probably be much less likely to single-up on Ballard than Daniels, even if for no other reason than respect for Ballard's superior size. Three blockers can run right over Daniels and Klug. With Ballard and Klug, it's probably a fairer fight. So if Klug can keep from being buried on the interior and log about 60 snaps per game, Iowa's in good shape.

Should See the Field

Mike Daniels (#93, 6'1", 267, Sophomore) - Was atop the depth chart before Ballard made the shift, even though we all sort of knew that he wasn't actually going to get the lion's share of snaps at DT when the Hawks got down to business. Granted, the people in front of him on the depth chart in 2008 commanded the vast majority of the snaps, but it didn't seem like they put him on the field in a grooming role as much as you'd expect for a player who was bound to start the next season.

As a matter of fact, the only time we really heard about Daniels was when he momentarily collapsed on the Kinnick field after the Indiana game, but the chatter's a lot better now (not hard to do better than "scared us into thinking that he was dying," of course). Morehouse mentioned that Daniels had "the pad level of an armadillo" and there were other reports that Daniels was making the OL look silly in practice. Got to think he's the first man in for Klug on rotation duty, right?

Cody Hundertmark (#64, 6'4", 280, Sophomore) - Even if Hundertmark's healthy these days, he missed so much time with a shoulder injury that his development has to have been stunted quite a bit, and that's probably going to cost him a substantial amount of snaps this season. It's a shame, really, since if he'd kept bulking up and getting stronger (the latter's a little hard to do with a bum shoulder), he'd have been able to step up into the Kroul-esque role of a big gap-stuffer who keeps blockers off the LBs. Well, he's still only a sophomore.

Steve Bigach (#54, 6'3", 270, Freshman (RS)) - He's probably a year away from really making an impact, but he's already on the 2-deeps, so perhaps he's pushing the issue in his favor already. Bigach played basketball, track, and lacrosse in high school, so he's probably got good enough footwork for the trenches.

His highlight reel, which might not even be on GoHawks.com anymore (and we just can't be bothered to check, you see), indicated some of that athleticism - though he was hardly fluid, he moved efficiently--and hit harder than the death of a childhood pet. He's probably a 4-letter winner in the making.

Mop-Up Duty

Travis Meade (#61, 6'0", 285, Junior) - Oh yeah, this guy. Was entrusted with the starting LG job in 2007 for some reason, a disappointment that may very well scare Ferentz off from ever letting Meade on the field in a halfway-meaningful situation ever again.

But perhaps "Mop-Up Duty" is a bit harsh; Meade is stout enough that if Iowa needs a bowling ball in the middle to plug up a gap inside the 10 yard line, he might get a look. He's not on the 2-deeps and probably won't be making an appearance there barring disastrous circumstances, but of the mop-up crew, he's probably first in line.

Joe Forgy (#97, 6'4", 250, Sophomore) - A preferred walk-on from Ellsworth CC, and a native of Dows, IA. Dows is a horrible town that should be razed. Still, he was an honorable mention All-American for Ellsworth and he's got a big frame. Maybe he can put some pounds on and win a Next Man In award a couple years from now. Needs a damn haircut.

Luke Halstad (#90, 6'3", 265, Sophomore) - Slightly undersized kid from nearby. Iowa was only BCS school to offer, but coaches seemed high on him a couple years ago. Recruited as a LB/TE, but moved inside during redshirt year. Probably a year or two (and 20 pounds) away, but could see some goal-line duty. Classically trained cellist.

Thomas Nardo (#87, 6'3", 270, Sophomore) - A preferred walk-on who has seen no action thus far. But more importantly, his name is Thomas Nardo, a.k.a. Nard-Dog. He goes to Iowa; perhaps you've heard of it.

Redshirt Fodder

Scott Covert (6'2", 240, Freshman) - Not expected to play as he adds size and weight.

Tyler Harrell (6'3", 230, Freshman) - See Covert.

2009 Spring Preview Series - Iowa Hawkeyes

Bama Hawkeye — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:00:00 -0000

Better, But So What?

When he was the coach of the Chiefs in the first half of this decade, Dick Vermeil made a comment about good football teams that many in the media took to be a joke. "If you want to be a good football team, don't play good football teams," he said. He was serious, and it explained the 9-0 start his 2003 Kansas City squad experienced on its way to 13-3 and the division title. Truth be told, the following year's team may have been better. Unfortunately for them, they played a much harder schedule and didn't even make the playoffs.

Last year, Iowa went 9-4 with an Outback Bowl victory while not playing Ohio State. The schedule also sent Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa State to Iowa City. This year's Iowa team may well be better than last year's squad. Ricky Stanzi has nailed down the QB position. The defense returns 8 starters. The offense returns 6, with experienced backups at the other five positions. But...Iowa will play road games in Columbus (last win in the ‘Shoe - 1991), State College (think Penn State has revenge on its mind?), Madison (stop your damn jumping already), East Lansing (the home team has won each game in this series since 1995), and Ames (where I am embarrassed to say that Iowa has won only one of the last five games). Being better is good, but it might not be good enough to prevent four losses again. Add in the fact that the Michigan State and Penn State games are played after dark, and the level of difficulty just went up. Still, if you are looking for the Big Ten champion to come from a school other than Ohio State and Michigan Penn State, you could do worse than to pick the Hawkeyes.

Done Going Greene

It says here that Iowa won't actually miss Shonn Greene that much. Yes, Greene had an amazing season. Every running back has different talents; Greene's was the ability to turn the ordinary three yard run into an eight yard run. He embarrassed defenders, and he'll likely have a solid NFL career. That said, Jewel Hampton and Jeff Brinson seem to be positioned to give the Hawkeyes a Davis & Blanchard styled attack. I'm not saying that either of them will ever have that kind of acclaim, but the production can be filled.

Iowa's offense has keyed off the run for all but one of Kirk Ferentz's years with the Hawkeyes. The success of the offense has had less to do with the running back and much more to do with the offensive line. Bryan Bulaga leads what may end up being the best line in the conference. The holes will be there.

Four Year Starters

Who does that? Seriously, how often do you see someone who is good enough to start as a Freshman at a BCS school? When it happens, it's rare to see them stick around for their Senior season. The Hawkeyes lose two four year starters on defense. More amazing, they played next to each other for those four years. To put it in perspective, the last season in which the Hawkeyes didn't start Mitch King and Matt Kroul at DT, John Kerry was running for President.

Just as the Hawkeye offense has always started with the run, the Hawkeye defense has always declared stopping the run as goal one. When the D-Line is stout, the schemes work well. When they get pushed around, Iowa loses. Karl Klug, Mike Daniels, and Travis Meade will take the first shot at filling the four-year old footprints.

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

One of the constant refrains from Kirk Ferentz is that Iowa isn't a sexy program. This cuts two ways: 1) Iowa takes pride in seeing lesser-recruited athletes blossom from hard work and dedication; and 2) Iowa doesn't do those "sexy" things like change defensive schemes or use the wildcat formation. At times it's maddening. At times it's a source of pride. As long as the team is winning, it's acceptable. Truth be told, this is Iowa's sexiest team since 2006. If it wasn't for the brutal road schedule, I think we'd be hearing them in the same breath as Ole Miss - a team that could surprise us with a conference title.

2009-2010 Schedule
9/5/09	Northern Iowa	Iowa City, IA
9/12/09	Iowa State	Ames, IA
9/19/09	Arizona	Iowa City, IA
9/26/09	Penn State	State College, PA
10/3/09	Arkansas State	Iowa City, IA
10/10/09	Michigan	Iowa City, IA
10/17/09	Wisconsin	Madison, WI
10/24/09	Michigan State	East Lansing, MI
10/31/09	Indiana	Iowa City, IA
11/07/09	Northwestern	Iowa City, IA
11/14/09	Ohio State	Columbus, OH
11/21/09	Minnesota	Iowa City, IA

Must Win Game

@ Wiscoinsin (10/17/09)

If Iowa wants to have any shot at a conference title, they need to sweep the home slate. All won't be lost if the Hawks fall in Happy Valley. The key games will be the back-to-back trips to Madison and East Lansing. Champions win those games. Good teams split them. Also-rans drop them both. Wisconsin comes first, so it's the game that the Hawkeyes must win if they hope to become a champion.

Rivalry Comment

Kirk Ferentz coached his first game at Iowa in 1999. His Defensive Coordinator was Norm Parker. His offensive coordinator was Ken O'Keefe. On September 5, 2009, Kirk Ferentz will begin his 11th Season as Iowa's head coach. His Defensive Coordinator will be Norm Parker. His Offensive Coordinator will be Ken O'Keefe.

Predicted Finish: 9-3 (5-3)

2009 Esquire Rating: 4 out of 5 Cigars