Iowa notes: Fullback, kickoffs and tattoos

IOWA CITY - John Kenny never played fullback in high school. So the Iowa red-shirt freshman never gave much consideration to moving from linebacker to blocking back, even as the injuries mounted in training camp.

But when Adam Cox suffered a season-ending ACL tear, linebackers coach Jim Reid mentioned to Kenny a move was possible. After talking with running backs coach Chris White, Kenny gave it a shot on an audition basis.

'If I didn't perform well, they were going to move me right back to linebacker and try to find someone else,” Kenny said. 'I guess they like what they saw, and I'm staying there.”

It's uncertain whether it's a permanent or temporary move for Kenny, but for now he's on offense. With fullback Macon Plewa out with an injury, Kenny has become the team's exclusive fullback the last two games. At Pittsburgh, Kenny participated in 30 of Iowa's 53 offensive plays. He caught a pass in the fourth quarter for five yards and helped spring Mark Weisman to an 88-yard rushing day.

'He's really adapted to it pretty quickly and really bailed us out and given us an ability to keep a personnel group out there that there are a couple personnel groups we think are important,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'He's done a really good job, and doing a good job on special teams, too.”

Purdue offered Kenny a scholarship, but the Carmel, Ind., product picked Iowa. On Saturday, he'll not only go against his home-state Boilermakers; he'll have a chance to hit former high school teammate Jimmy Herman, a starting outside linebacker.

Kenny (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) always played linebacker in high school so shifting to fullback is a mental adjustment, too. As for next year, well, he's more focused on the present.

'I like tackling, but I like hitting people and open up the lane, too,” Kenny said. 'Whatever we can do to succeed. I'm willing to go back to linebacker. Who knows what the future holds? For this season, as far as I know right now, I'm a fullback.”

Kicking it

Purdue boasts one of college football's most explosive players in running back Raheem Mostert. He ranks second in Big Ten kick return average at 27.2 yards per return. Mostert, a senior, won the Big Ten track title in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and finished as a second-team All-American. He was named the Big Ten male track athlete of the year at the Big Ten championships.

Iowa counters with the national leader in touchbacks. Junior kicker Marshall Koehn has sent 16 of his 19 kickoffs out of the end zone.

If we can kick it out, we'll do that,” Ferentz said.

Tattoo you

A photo went viral on Monday of a fan with a tattoo of Ferentz on his right calf. The tattoo even included Ferentz's autograph. Ferentz kind of laughed and said he had heard about the tattoo but had not seen it.

'I think he probably needs a hobby or two would be my guess,” Ferentz said. 'I don't know.”

'There are a lot of people really enthused about our football team and we really appreciate that. But I'm not sure I'd recommend going to that extreme. But I did hear about that one, actually.”

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