Iowa tight ends falling off opponents' radar

The clamps have come down on Iowa tight ends.

Tony Moeaki and Allen Reisner have caught three passes total in the last three games. Both were shut out against Northwestern. Moeaki, tied for third in receiving for the Hawkeyes with 23 catches for 274 yards, caught one against Michigan State, two against Indiana and was targeted three times against Northwestern.

Reisner, 13 catches for 134 yards this season, hasn't caught a pass since Wisconsin.

In the two games before the cold streak, Moeaki was a major target in Iowa's offense, catching nine passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns in victories over Michigan and Wisconsin.

“Yeah, if you're playing us, that's what you do. You start right there,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Me and my big mouth saying he's a pretty good football player. But I think everybody's figured that out.

“Tony is an excellent player. So, he's going to draw attention. We just have to find ways to do a better job of maybe getting him open and also maybe go to other spots on the field if they're giving him some attention.”

This might also be a product of max protection, when one or both tight ends block instead of going into route. Iowa went to that a lot when freshman quarterback James Vandenberg replaced injured Ricky Stanzi in the second quarter against Northwestern.

“It's a little frustrating,” Moeaki said. “But if it helps the team, that's fine.”

Touchy subject

Ferentz got wind of some fan complaints about the number of practice repetitions Vandenberg had going into his appearance against Northwestern. The answer is few to none.

That's how Ferentz and, he said, most rational football coaches run the show.

“I'll throw this out there because one of my friends called me over the weekend. He had heard it in one of those meetings rooms on the Web sites or talk shows or whatever the hell it is,” Ferentz said. “Word out there is about Vandenberg not getting snaps.

“I don't know how long I've been coaching, but I've been here for a while. I worked under Jackie Sherill, Hayden Fry, Bill Belichick, and Ted Marchibroda. I've seen a lot of practices including Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher. I've never seen a No. 2 quarterback get as many reps as the ones. I've never heard of that. So, supposedly that was out there this weekend. Just a little one for the record to educate the crowd.”