3 and Out: Any hope Scherff plays?

1) Scherff? No? Yes? Maybe? No?

- Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said preseason all-American offensive tackle Brandon Scherff was at practice on Wednesday night. Ferentz said there was still 48-plus hours until kickoff. He hadn't given up, but he did add that if Scherff isn't there, they will still play the game.

Scherff had arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday morning. He told KCRG-TV9 that he hoped to be back for Iowa's game at Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, but definitely targeted Iowa's Big Ten opener the next week at Purdue.

Tuesday, offensive tackle Andrew Donnal and quarterback Jake Rudock said Scherff was out this week. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Ike Boettger replaced Scherff for two series and one play against Ball State after Scherff left the game in the first half. Boettger is expected to get the start.

Is this gamesmanship or is this real? Or is this Ferentz just really sticking to not talking about a player's injury? On Wednesday night, Ferentz left the door open to speculation.

On defensive end Drew Ott, who suffered minor injuries after he was hit while driving his scooter Monday morning in Iowa City: Ferentz said Wednesday that he's 'not out of the woods,” but does expect him to play.

2) The spy vs. spy on audibles

- There's a theory that when Iowa QB Jake Rudock calls an audible in the running game, the play always goes to the side that he talks to first. He is conscious of this, he does give defenses some credit.

'I always go left and then right,” Rudock said. 'You don't watch much film, do you? I always go left and then right. You have to keep it consistent. Defenses can tip things, too. It's the same basic thing.”

The question came up because, you know, Iowa's running game has yet to find any traction in the first two weeks. Teams are jumping the run with their first step. So, you wonder if there's a tip somewhere. If there is, it's probably not the audible, or fake audible, from Rudock.

'You don't want to go to the side you're checking to every single time,” he said. 'So, if I go left one play, and we're running left. The next time, I go right and we're running right. Guys are smart. They're going to pick up on that.”

3) Pretty boring week on vitriol patrol

- Iowa linebacker Quinton Alston went maybe a little edgy. He walked media through the kickoff meeting for Iowa State week.

'Coach Ferentz sits down and he says, ‘This is Iowa State, they don't like us,'” Alston said. '. . . You watch their film and see how they interact on the sideline, how they interact with our players. They talk so much. It doesn't take long to get used to the rivalry.”

It's too bad that Alston's thoughts there, about ISU talking smack on the field, will be overheated throughout the week. He was being honest. Isn't that what we all want? And, really, look at what he said. Iowa State doesn't like Iowa. ISU players talk trash. Dog bites man. Man eats pizza. It's not exactly earth-shattering. You're smart enough to have filled in those blanks for yourself.

Otherwise, pretty quiet week.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@sourcemedia.net