10 things to watch for - Ball State

Hopefully all Iowa fans have stepped away from the ledge after last Saturday's loss.  Ball State is coming to town and they should be the best medicine for an Iowa team that is bruised and battered.  Ten things to look for tomorrow:

1.  Who plays running back.  Obviously with the news coming out the week the Jewel Hampton will be lost for the season, the number one thing to look for this week will be who plays.  Jewel was suspended for the opener this year and Adam Robinson took the bulk of the carries, with Paki O'Meara and Jason White also getting carries in mop up duty.  This week both O'Meara and White are inactive due to injuries.  That leaves Iowa with one true running back with game experience.  Look for true freshman Marcus Coker and De'Andre Johnson to be the leading candidates to get carries.  Neither one has played yet this season, so playing would mean losing their redshirt year for the season.  Another player to look for is Brad Rodgers, he played running back last season and this year has been the #2 fullback, however, he knows the plays and could easily step in and give some carries.  We found out this week that true freshman Anthony Hitchens has moved from defensive back to running back, but my feeling is that this is merely to give warm bodies at running back and he won't get any playing time, unless in an emergency situation.

2.  The kickoff team.  We all saw the return last week for a touchdown and the two long returns the week before against Iowa State.  This is a unit that as a whole needs to right the ship, I am sure that this week in practice they got plenty of reps and will be disciplined in their lane responsibilities.  From the opening game, Iowa has lost at least three players that were on this squad to injury, Bruce Davis, O'Mears, and White.  Whether the coaches go to an extreme and put some starters out there to shore it up or pull redshirts off freshman remains to be seen.  Whatever they do, I am sure that the fact that Ball State is #7 nationally at 31 yards per return will be a point of emphasis this week in practice.  Hopefully Michael Meyer can keep kicking it out of the endzone to ensure no big plays.

3.  How will Iowa bounce back?  Last season this team didn't have to deal with losses much, so it will remains to be seen how the react after one.  One of two things will happen, this squad will get that chip back on their shoulder and take care of business in the first quarter like they did against Eastern Illinois or they could come out flat and leave a team in the game, like Western Michigan a few years ago.  With the leadership on this team I see the former happening, but watch out for the later.

4.  Will the OL regain their swagger?  After the Iowa State game, all doubts had basically been cast out the window about the play of the offensive line.  After the Arizona game, all of a sudden fans see a glaring weakness.  Last Saturday it was a collective fail across the offensive line, not just one guy had a poor game, they all did.  Look for Ball State to blitz as much as possible, once they start the game tape from last week they would be foolish not to.  The front five have got to open up some holes for Robinson to run the ball and give Ricky time to complete the play action passes that this defense is susceptible to.

5.  After three games we still don't know who the kicker is.  Iowa has attempted exactly 0 field goals so far this season, so it remains to be seen how Mossbrucker will do.  Last week he had an extra point blocked, never a good thing when you aren't getting enough air under your PAT's that it gets blocked.  If he struggles and Murray isn't available look for Michael Meyer, the kickoff specialist now, to get a shot at the field goals.

6.  Special team as a whole.  Last week the were an unmitigated disaster, this week they are without at least three regular special teamers in David, O'Meara, and White.  Look for Iowa to replenish these teams with a sprinkling of starters that have excelled in the past.  Tyler Nielsen, Micah Hyde, and Tyler Sash to name a few.

7.  How will Stanzi rebound after the beating he took.  Everyone remembers Jake Christiansen and how his footwork went to pot once he took a few sacks.  Last week Stanzi seemed like a pinata he was hit so much.  Watch on the first drive to see how his footwork is in the pocket, if he is calm and comfortable back in the pocket, he has the opportunity to have a huge game against a shaky defense.  If he has the Christiansen "happy feet" in the pocket he will begin to miss his target and Iowa fans could be in for a long day.

8.  Keeping Adam Robinson healthy.  Last year Robinson was dinged up most of the season, this year that luxury has gone out the window with Hampton's injury.  If Iowa wants any shot at making a BCS bowl again this year they had better keep Robinson relatively healthy and on the field.  If he goes down for any length of time, Iowa has no proven backup on the team and the road to the BCS would become a lot rougher.

9.  Will mother nature show herself on Saturday.  Forecast is for a 60% chance of rain, some place say the game will be wet others say it will wait until after the game to really rain.  If the game gets wet, it actually helps Ball State, their pass defense is suspect and a slippery field and wet ball may neutralize Iowa's aerial attack.  Ball State on the other hand would rather run the ball and rain doesn't effect them as much.

10.  Will the real Adrian Clayborn please step up?  A lot has been said about Adrian's dip in numbers through the early part of the season.  Looking back at last year however, through three games he had 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.  This season he has 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0 sacks.  So he has 3 less tackles and 1 less sack through three games, hardly falling off the face of the earth totals.  Also if you look at the teams that Iowa has played this year, they are quick pass teams that don't give up many sacks and their whole game plan is to get the ball out of the quarterback's hands quickly.  Watching the first three games for Iowa, you can see a concentrated effort by opposing coaches to double and chip block Adrian almost every pass play, that in turn has opened things up for the other defensive lineman who have responded well.