Good news, hopeful news

We've been funnin' with the practice photos all week, but tonight's shots contained a little bit of real news.

He's in the blurry background of photo 26, but OL Bryan Bulaga (No. 79) was at least dressed for Friday night's full scrimmage. It doesn't look as if he played (no sweat and it doesn't look like he's wearing those knee contraptions), but he's dressed and must be making some progress from the leg injury that sidelined him last Saturday. But dressed is good. Dressed is better than shorts and a T-shirt, like last Saturday.

Lots of Paul Chaney Jr., Allen Reisner and Micah Hyde (appears to be running with the No. 2s)  in these photos. RB Adam Robinson also appears to break a long run. A few pix of WR Keenan Davis, too.

Bulaga dressed is the good news.

The hopeful news comes from Columbus radio. (This is a link to the podcast. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is on at the 27-minute mark.)

Friday, Ferentz talked with Bruce Hooley and Chris Spielman on 97.1 The Fan.

Ferentz said there were a lot of injuries and the O-line has been particularly hard hit through fall camp. "Constantly in rotation" is how he put it.

QB Ricky Stanzi struggled in the early part of camp, Ferentz said. "He probably threw more interceptions in three days than he did all of last year."

Now for the "hopeful."

Ferentz was asked about RB Jewel Hampton. Here's what he said:

"We had high hopes for Jewel this year. He suffered a knee injury in the end of June, right before the Fourth of July break. Came back from that. Had a good month of July. Had a really good first part of camp and then re-injured a little bit about a week ago. We've held him out. We're hoping to get him back out on the field this coming week and, I guess, like all of us, it's touch and go. We're hoping we can get him back out there, but at this point, we certainly have to prepare like there's a possibility like he might not be there, too."

It's not positive. It's hopeful.

Ferentz also talked about how TE Tony Moeaki is tuned up and how he likes the D-line (calling DE Christian Ballard "pretty effective" inside as a DT).