The Walk Through

Wear your boots and a snow suit. The bleachers are buried.

I think I counted 18 cars in the ditch from CR to I-80. 80 Westbound around Durant was closed. Down to one lane around Tiffin east bound. In Iowa City, things are fairly smooth.

Hawkeyes are on the field.

- RB Jordan Canzeri is wearing a mask to keep his face warm, but he also is wearing a sleeveless Nike Dri-fit. WR Jacob Hillyer also is in a sleeveless Nike Dri-Fit. QB CJ Beathard is in a touque and sweatpants.

Most of the players are wearing stocking caps. Jake Duzey, who hails from somewhere in Michigan, also is sleeveless.

- The field: The UI facilities staff worked on plowing it all night and Kinnick's FieldTurf is plowed off. There are only a few streaks of snow left. The surface will be wet, but it won't be snowy. Right now, a grounds crew member is leaf-blowing the concentrated bits of black rubber that make up a FieldTurf surface.

- I talked to UI facilities officials on Thursday evening. They said you're feet will be in snow. I'm here to tell you, you're feet and butt will be in snow. The bleachers have been untouched. Just FYI. I asked if they did like Lambeau and paid folks $10 an hour to shovel the bleachers. That's a no. Probably insurance stuff.

- The team is back in the lockerroom warming up.

- There's a wind here. I don't think it's terrible. I've heard it's from the north and gusting to 25 mph. I don't think it's that bad.

- Purdue brought its semi-tractor trailer and a little version of the Choo-Choo train.

- Kickers are on the field. I don't see any slipping, but this isn't the game. We'll see on that. I think it will be slick.

- The officil snow total for Kinnick Stadium is nine inches. The snow has stopped. People are starting to come in and dig out their seats.

- The wind isn't bad. K Marshall Koehn launched a 52-yarder that looked a little short left, but reached the snowy bleachers.

- Oh course, the Hawkeyes could win a share of the West Division title today. It's a share, but the victory would clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Dec. 5. With a victory, Iowa would carry a share of the Big Ten West title to Lincoln for its game with Nebraska next Friday. It would need to beat the Huskers or it would need the Wisconsin Badgers to lose one of its last two games (Northwestern and Minnesota) for the outright championship.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz stated clearly this week that is the goal.

- The sun is starting to come out here. It's like that movie 'The Day Before the End of the World of Tomorrow.”

- Dolph is talking to KF right now:

- Iowa played in record cold at Kinnick vs. Michigan a few years ago. It's just another element.

- Iowa is trying to finish 7-0 in Kinnick for the second time in stadium history (I think that's right). I remember after last year's Nebraska game, Iowa had a Kinnick record since 2012 of 10-11. That one kind of hit home with a lot of you.

- Dolph asked: How do you decide at RB? LeShun Daniels and Jordan Canzeri will tandem. Derrick Mitchell is third down. Akrum Wadley is situational.

- Dolph asked how much of a game manager CJB is. KF kind of laughed. That's usually what you say about a QB when you don't know what to say about a QB.

On our #oniowapod On Iowa podcast, I suggested the term QB mechanic. CJB gets under the hood, diagnoses what the offense needs and then makes the fix, whatever that might be.

- 'Hopefully, today they see history. That's our job to make that happen for the fans.”

- KF said he's not sure he can remember a better crowd than the one that showed for the Gophers game last week. He said he even noticed the cell phone show.

- Iowa radio sideline reporter Rob Brooks talked hip pointers with UI team physican Brian Wolf in the radio pregame. Hmm, do we know any reason why they would talk hip pointers? Oh yeah, Beathard.

Wolf didn't address Beathard directly. He did say that a hip pointer is a painful injury with a helmet or a shoulder pad slamming the area where muscles and bones intersect. It's not a matter of degree, but how broad it goes. He added that players can get better quickly and compared the healing to that of a deep bruise. He mentioned extra pads.

That injury last week was the only one that left Beathard on the turf.

- Purdue LT David Hedelin is out with concussion symptoms. Cameron Cermin will slide over to the left. Redshirt freshman Martesse Patterson will play RT.

- During team, all Iowa starters were in place. Junior Cole Croston is still at RT. Ike Boettger is available today, but is running the the No. 2s. He still hasn't played since suffering a high-ankle sprain against Illinois on Oct. 10.

- The No. 2 O-line from left to right: Dalton Ferguson (he seems settling in there, still a walk-on), James Daniels, Eric Simmons, Keegan Render and Boettger.

- The wind has picked up, BTW. Maybe 20 ish.

- Backup defense is: DL - Bed Spears, Faith Ekakitie, Kyle Terlouw, Matt Nelson. LBs - Aaron Mends, Travis Perry, Bo Bower. Safeties - Kevin Ward, Anthony Gair. CBs - Joshua Jackson and Maurice Fleming.

- As a lot of you know, I'm a Packers fan. I hold a life-long dream of shoveling out Lambeau Field the night before a game. I think the Packers pay $10 for your troubles.

I put the question to Iowa fans on Twitter. Unless you're lying, the answer for Iowa fans is a resounding yes. And I put the question in as a 'volunteer” effort.

Results so far: 620 votes - 64 are yes, they would help shovel the bleachers out on Friday night and 36 percent no.

Again, you guys could be fibbing.

- The weather is really getting kind of seasonal, which is to say almost nice. The sun is out. It's a little windy. There's zero snow on the field.

Enjoy the spectacle.

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