Four Downs — Iowa's 2016 defensive line

QUICK LOOK BACK: Iowa's rush defense improved greatly from 2014 to 2015. In '14, the Hawkeyes allowed 168.15 rushing yards a game and finished 66th in the nation, including 19 rushing TDs allowed. Those are average numbers, but far from winning for Iowa. (And, actually, the 2014 rush defense ended up allowing 2,188 yards, the third most in Kirk Ferentz's 17 seasons as head coach, ahead of only the 2000 and 1999 rebuilds.)

Everything the rush defense wasn't in 2014, it was last season.

The Hawkeyes finished 15th in the nation in rush defense (121.4 yards a game). They allowed just 11 rush TDs (second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State). The big 'oh, wow' number was vs. Power 5 schools. In 2014, Iowa allowed 188.45 rush yards vs. Power 5 teams. Last season, that number was shaved to 123.5. That's No. 68 in the country to No. 18.

Is that the number that was worth five more wins? Or is it muted by the fact that Iowa faced just five of the B1G's top 10 rushers in 2015 compared to seven of the 10 in 2014, which also included NFL draft picks Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman, Ameer Abdullah and David Cobb?

You play what is scheduled and the Hawkeyes' front seven took care of business in 2015.

Iowa didn't have great depth on the defensive line last season. That eventually caught up with the Hawkeyes.

Defensive end Drew Ott was knocked out for the season with a torn ACL in game 6 against Illinois. The Iowa D-line's disruption numbers took a tumble. In their first eight games, the Hawkeyes had 45 tackles for loss and 24 sacks. In the final six, those numbers dropped to 17 TFL and six sacks.

As the snap counts piled up for starters, the rush numbers grew for opponents. In the first eight games, Iowa held opponents to 686 rush yards (85.75 a game); during the final six, that grew to 1,014 yards (169.0 per game). Oh goodness, yes, the quality of opponent shot through the roof. The first eight included Illinois State, Iowa State before Mike Warren and Wisconsin after Corey Clement. The last six offered Indiana's Jordan Howard (1,213 yards), Michigan State and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, a comic-book super hero.

The thing with 2015? Iowa saw its first 14-game season and now it knows how that goes and it can adjust snap counts accordingly (if the depth is there, of course).

SPRING DEPTH CHART

Left end: Matt Nelson, Sam Brincks

Left tackle: Jaleel Johnson, Faith Ekakitie

Right tackle: Nathan Bazata, Kyle Terlouw

Right end: Parker Hesse, Anthony Nelson

4th Down — Critical Questions

Where's the pass rush going to come from?

We've been over Ott's status. We could hear later this week but more likely next on his bid for a medical hardship waiver and a fifth year of eligibility. His return will help. Of course, here's your reminder that he's also recovering from Tommy John surgery on his elbow and ACL surgery on his knee. Where he'll be physically is up in the air. Where he'll be physically (Iowa or elsewhere) also is up in the air.

More: Big Ten sends Ott case to NCAA

He returns, he's got a great chance to help push the pass rush forward. Let's examine the knowns.

Ott had 5.0 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in six games last season. So, if he does return, he's the returning leader in those categories and he played in just six games.

Beyond Ott, sacks on the defensive line went defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson with 3.5 (a nice number for a DT, high end would be Louis Trinca-Pasat with 6.5 in 2014 and Mike Daniels with 7.0 in 2011) and then DT Nathan Bazata with 2.0, defensive end Parker Hesse with 2.0, defensive end Matt Nelson with .5 and defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie with .5.

Tackles for loss on the D-line: Johnson 5.5, Bazata 5.0, Hesse 3.0, Nelson 1.5 and Ekakitie 1.5.

Don't expect changes to scheme and probably don't expect any proclamations this spring from defensive coordinator Phil Parker (blitzing is a case-by-case basis and absolutely situational and subject to change and, basically, one of those things that goes on feel and happens 20 percent of the time on the high side for Iowa).

Hesse and Nelson will be third-year sophomores. How big is that third year? It's an all-important year of maturity for scrimmage players that you just can't get out of a microwave. I think you can expect an uptick from both in pass rush, but also, how will they be used? What will they be asked to do in the 2016 iteration of Iowa's defense?

Defensive end depth will come from . . . According to the spring depth chart, it's walk-on sophomore Sam Brincks (I think he played some special teams last season) and redshirt freshman Anthony Nelson (a 6-7, 220-pounder and one of just three redshirt freshmen on the two deeps this spring). This spring, they're really the only other defensive ends on the roster, along with redshirt freshman Brady Reiff.

A lot of times we all kind of shrug at depth charts, and this one is, after all, the spring depth chart, but do they ever really change that much? Not really. The only way I see this position changing all that much is if an incoming freshman pours gas on it with obvious pass-rush skills in August camp.

Unless, of course, there's a position change. Or . . . wait, I'm think I'm forgetting . . . oh yeah, if Ott returns. That could happen.

SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS

Seniors: T Jaleel Johnson (6-4, 310), T Faith Ekakitie (6-3, 290), (and provisionally) Drew Ott (6-4, 272)

Juniors: T Nathan Bazata (6-2, 284), T Brant Gressel (6-2, 280)

Sophomores: E Parker Hesse (6-3, 240), E Matt Nelson (6-8, 270)

Redshirt freshmen: E Anthony Nelson (6-7, 220), E/T Michael Slater (6-2, 265), T Garret Jansen (6-2, 255), E Brady Reiff (6-3, 225)

True freshmen: E Chauncey Golston (6-5, 227), E Cedrick Lattimore (6-5, 260), E Romeo McKnight (6-5, 235), T Austin Schulte (6-4, 250), E Brandon Simon (6-1, 236)

PROMINENT WALK-ONS

Senior: T Kyle Terlouw (6-4, 288)

Juniors: T Daniel Gaffey (6-2, 260), T Jake Hulett (6-3, 265)

Sophomore: E Sam Brincks (6-5, 260)

Redshirt freshman: Jacob Giese (6-3, 270)

3rd Down — Additions/Subtractions

Ott. We'll just leave him here, totally undefined.

Iowa will lose a lot in defensive end Nate Meier. He led the Hawkeyes in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (6.5) in 2015. He applied pressure, held an edge when it was his job and pretty much won the Wisconsin game last fall with his play from the nose guard position on the goal line that caused the big fumble.

You're going to have to indulge me this next thought. I don't do this very often, but . . .

In my 17-plus years covering Iowa football, I'm not sure I've seen a player pull more out of his body and his talent than Nate Meier. The guy was maybe a sliver over 6-0 and was asked to play DE when he weighed maybe 225. He ended up being a warrior and a banner carrier. In my opinion, he epitomizes what Ferentz Iowa is and absolutely needs to be. (An aside, Ferentz Iowa isn't all that different from Fry Iowa, in that great line play and defense served as spines for what Iowa was and is and has to be). Meier and other players who fit this bill — there are hundreds — are the wire brush that cleans the carburetor and keeps everything Iowa on the road.

So, yeah, Iowa will be missing a lot with Meier's departure.

Just by depth chart, it looks like Anthony Nelson has done some things during his redshirt year. Seinfeld observation: What's the deal with all the 6-7 defensive ends? I don't know. I think probably the best recruits available at those positions (Matt Nelson had offers from Arkansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Stanford; Anthony Nelson didn't have that offer list, but he committed to Iowa State early before switching to Iowa — I hate the word 'flip,' but the cows are in the corn on that). I don't see it as recruiting pieces to fit a new idea or system on defense. Just by dimension and athleticism, yes, Iowa might be able to credibly zone blitz, but I don't see Iowa recruiting personnel to run a blitz. Does that sound like Iowa? No, it doesn't.

I think best athletes. And, yeah, it probably takes a little longer for a 6-7 D-end to develop the functional strength to hang on the line of scrimmage, but if you can eventually have a 6-7, 290-pound DE, that's an awfully big and strong condor to try to game on the edge.

Four Downs: Iowa's 2016 offensive line

Fellow redshirt freshmen Reiff, DT Garret Jansen and DE Michael Slater might have a chance to see some time this season. Slater is interesting. He was listed as a DE for the Rose Bowl, but at 6-2, 265 he probably has more of a tackle body. Iowa's tackle depth chart is a gold doubloon for 2016, with three seniors and a junior. So, there's going to be a trough of opportunity in 2017. That's probably Slater's quickest route to PT.

I want to mention one walk-on here. DT Jacob Giese (West Branch) is a 6-3, 270-pounder. He seemed to be around a lot last fall and during bowl prep. Maybe he can carve something out as a redshirt freshman this year.

Iowa has five incoming frosh D-linemen — DE Chauncey Golston, DE Cedrick Lattimore, DE Romeo McKnight, DT Austin Schulte, DE Brandon Simon. I could see one of these prospects playing in a 'raider' package, kind of like Reggie Spearman did in 2013, if they show pass rush is their strength. Other than that, I think it's a year of weightroom and conditioning.

2nd Down — Battles Brewing

Ott.

Iowa is set at tackle. Johnson (6-4, 310) put it together last season and became a pillar for Iowa's defense. He earned honorable mention all-Big Ten in a year that was pretty great for B1G defensive linemen (Joey Bosa, Carl Nassib, Yannick Ngakoue, Shilique Calhoun were the first team, all defensive ends). Johnson, a senior, is the fulcrum for what Iowa wants to be against the run in 2016.

Junior Nathan Bazata put up disruptive numbers (5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks) in his first season as a starter. The backups will be seniors Ekakitie (6-3, 290) and Kyle Terlouw (6-4, 288).

If Ott's not around, there really won't be a race for starters at DE. Hesse started nine games as a redshirt freshman. He's installed. Nelson has worked his way up to this and did end up playing quite a bit late last season.

The battle at tackle is positioning yourself the best way possible for 2017. Slater, Jansen and Giese can send messages with practice/weightroom effort. Schulte and, maybe, Lattimore will have a chance to come on line as redshirts in '17 and mix it up for playing time.

Maybe the same holds true at DE, but that position is so much younger and has a wave of youth headed its way.

Man, a D-line of Ott (even 85 or 90 percent), Johnson, Bazata and Hesse/Nelson would be formidable.

1st Down — In Summary

Five finishing thoughts on what needs to happen for the best-case scenario.

1 Ott

It's just a helluva deal, isn't it? Again, I expect the answer to likely come next week. I also think it will be yes (the NCAA doesn't often overturn a decision the conference passes on to it — and the Big Ten did have to send the NCAA a case it felt was sound).

And then, it's the mystery of the body and the healing process.

Ott returning to Iowa's D-line would certainly be best-case scenario.

2 Developing suddenness

That's what it's all about this winter, spring and summer. Pass rush is 'suddenness.' It's a D-linemen getting his hands on an O-linemen first and forcing the O-linemen off balance and contorting his body into an open door.

Early last season, we saw Ott show that skill over and over. That will be the goal for all D-linemen, or is the goal for all D-linemen. And it's everyone. Everyone will be responsible for pass rush.

3 Without Ott

The positive scenario here would be for Anthony Nelson or Brincks to take to the water like ducks. Just get in and know what to do.

Spring football is the teaser, but for players like those two, it's also an opportunity to make a statement.

4 Find the 3s

This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the No. 3, but finding the third DE and settling on a third DT might be interesting. I think Ekakitie is the No. 3 DT. He was most of last season. I'm not sure on DE, unless, you know.

Finding a No. 3 goes to how healthy the rotation is and how healthy the rotation is will be key to keeping this group explosive in November and beyond. 5.

5 Ott II

I'm sorry, it's pretty hard to get past this one.

If anyone's got a better No. 5, I'll hang up and listen.

Ranking Ferentz era rush defenses

1. 2002 — 416 carries for 1,065 yards, 81.9

per game, 2.56 per carry

2. 2004 — 392 carries for 1,110 yards, 92.5 per game, 2.83 per carry

3. 2003 — 480 carries for 1,205 yards, 92.7 per game, 2.51

per carry

4. 2008 — 397 carries for 1,222 yards, 94.0 per game, 3.07 per carry

5. 2010 — 407 carries for 1,320 yards, 101.5 per game, 3.24 per carry

6. 2001 — 437 carries for 1,405 yards, 117.1 per game, 3.21 per carry

7. 2007 — 454 carries for 1,464 yards, 122.0 per game, 3.22 per carry

8. 2005 — 470 carries for 1,512 yards, 126.0 per game, 3.21 per carry

9. 2009 — 285

carries for 1,607 yards, 123.6 per game, 5.63 per carry

10. 2013 — 466 carries for 1,669 yards, 128.4 per game, 3.58 per carry

11. 2015 — 469 carries for 1,700 yards, 121.4 per game, 3.62 per carry

12. 2006 — 480 carries for 1,737 yards, 133.6 per game, 3.61 per carry

13. 2012 — 473 carries for 1,945 yards, 162.1 per game, 4.11 per carry

14. 2011 — 549

carries for 2,028 yards, 156.0 per game, 3.69 per carry

15. 2014 — 495 carries for 2,188 yards, 168.3 per game, 4.42 per carry

16. 2000 — 521 carries for 2,331 yards, 194.3 per game, 4.47 per carry

17. 1999 — 545 carries for 2,698 yards, 245.3 per game, 4.95

per carry

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com