Hawkeyes, Beathard survive spring practice

IOWA CITY — Sometime Wednesday morning, the Iowa Hawkeyes' 2016 season endured a near-death experience.

Quarterback C.J. Beathard took an inadvertent shot in practice and suffered an injured shoulder. Before you decide to go bungee jumping without the bungee, Beathard met with reporters after Saturday's spring game and said everything is fine and it's just a bruise.

Still, the injury called for an MRI and made pretty much everyone swallow their tongues.

'It was quiet,' tight end George Kittle said. 'I just stopped my route and was like, 'Ughhhhh.' That's about all you can really do.'

It did shake Beathard.

'I was nervous, I was scared,' said Beathard, who'll rest his shoulder but expects to be ready for summer drills on June 6. 'I did a lot of praying and it (the MRI) showed up negative, so that's good.'

Did they shoot into space whoever hit Beathard?

'No, no, no, they didn't,' Beathard said with a laugh. And later added, 'I'm not going to throw anybody under the bus ... When I was sleeping last night, someone came into my room. I don't know who it was.'

OK, it's OK to laugh. Near-death experience for Iowa 2016 averted.

Saturday's scrimmage ended up being a look into a possible sudden-change moment. Sophomore Tyler Wiegers quarterbacked the first team and tried to force a few things. He had a big panic moment fielding a low snap from backup center Lucas LeGrand in his own end zone. Wiegers scrambled and put a pop-fly in the air that redshirt freshman cornerback Michael Ojemudia snared and returned for a 17-yard TD.

This was enough for the defense to scratch out a 20-18 victory over the offense in a modified scoring system before 18,460 fans at Kinnick Stadium.

HLAS: This spring everything was sunny in Kinnick

Wiegers finished 14-for-28 for 100 yards with two interceptions, with senior cornerback Desmond King snaring the other interception. Iowa's first-team offensive line was without junior center Sean Welsh, who was out with a minor ankle injury, and sophomore Keegan Render and that did factor. Senior defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson worked against sophomore LeGrand and piled up a sack and a few pressures.

'I took our depth chart yesterday and just looked at it and considered where a lot of our players were in August as to where they are now, and there's a lot of growth and improvement,' head coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'Again, that's going to be critical. We have a lot more to go if we are going to develop into a good football team.'

Iowa's first offense had a field goal drive that sophomore Miguel Recinos finished with a 40-yarder. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Cook hit junior wide receiver Connor Keane for a 24-yard TD.

The last score was a 6-yard TD pass from walk-on QB Ryan Schmidt to it-looks-like-now-former QB Ryan Boyle.

That was perhaps the big news of the day, beyond the Beathard scare. Boyle, a redshirt freshman, trotted down the Kinnick steps in a black jersey and played wide receiver. He came to Iowa as a QB. This spring, he worked on kick coverage and in the last three practices moved to wide receiver.

Ferentz said Boyle, who caught two passes for 44 yards with the TD, wants to get on the field. Beathard has 2016 locked down. Wiegers probably has the upper hand for 2017-18. Beyond that Cook and incoming freshman Nathan Stanley also are on scholarship. Quarterback was crowded and Iowa needs wide receivers.

'I think we are pretty well set in our 1s and 2s right now (at quarterback),' Ferentz said. 'I think he kind of liked the idea of maybe catching a couple balls. If it does happen, it's not a permanent move necessarily, it's just a chance to maybe get him on the field and fortify our team.'

Beathard and Kittle have liked what they've seen from Boyle in the three practices he's had at wide receiver.

'Boyle is a crazy athlete who's going to succeed wherever you put him,' Kittle said. 'He's just that type of guy. It was fun to see him to really well today.'

Wiegers' numbers were stung by three dropped passes, including what would've been a 31-yard TD to wide receiver Riley McCarron.

'It was good for Tyler to have to go out there and operate today as the starting quarterback,' Ferentz said. 'He'll learn from that.'

Cook finished 8 of 13 for 116 yards and the TD. Schmidt, a former Linn-Mar prep, finished 3-for-4 for 52 yards and a TD. Cook, a former Iowa City Regina all-stater, looked as crisp and confident since he arrived at Iowa.

'He's a really intriguing guy,' Ferentz said. 'From the first time we saw him, which I think was after his 10th grade year, when he was a really skinny kid, he keeps growing and has a lot of upside. We really like him.'

Junior Akrum Wadley led the Hawkeyes with 33 yards on nine carries. Redshirt freshman Eric Graham had the long carry of the day, going 16 yards to set up the TD pass to Boyle.

GAME REPORT: Iowa Spring Edition

Ferentz said all of the spring injuries were minor and he expects everyone back for summer conditioning. This statement also covered Beathard and the near-death shoulder experience.

'It's a bruise and he'll be fine,' Ferentz said.

The other issue with Beathard was the sports hernia he suffered last fall and had surgically repaired in January. He expects to be 100 percent after rest in the next month.

'The good news is his groin is feeling much, much better,' Ferentz said. 'When we get going June 6, he'll be going full speed that way. He'll be throwing the ball before then, I'm sure, but the big news is, the best thing is when we get going in June, he'll be full speed.'

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