The Quickest Slants: 10 takeaways from Tuesday

10 Takeaways from Talking Tuesday

1. Do we buy that there's no plan?

— That's what Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. Beyond junior Jake Rudock starting this weekend against Indiana, he said there's no plan or only a slight hint of one, but sophomore C.J. Beathard will play. Remember, there's the gamesmanship factor. Yes, Indiana coach Kevin Wilson is well aware that there are two QBs for Iowa. No, he doesn't see a lot of difference. That said, I'm guessing there's more of a plan. Does the fact that Rudock took all the snaps with the 1s last week say anything? Probably, maybe? Rudock also was hurt and missed a lot of practice going into Purdue.

2. This is a results-driven activity

— This quote from Ferentz struck me, it's in answer to a question of how much Rudock's experience in 2013 and this season count in his favor: 'Every player to me has a resume, whether it be what they're doing on the field, their academic work, their citizenship, and we keep close track of that from start to finish, yet this is a results-driven activity. So it's about what

you're doing and what you're projected to do. But based on what you've done in the past helps predict those kinds of things.'

3. Demeanor check

— Rudock was feisty Tuesday. I asked if it was a relief pitcher type-of-deal and immediately knew I tee'd it up for Rudock. 'Relief pitchers can't go back into the game,' he said. 'That's how baseball works.' I knew that was coming. Gotta be sharper. I'll learn from this in video review.

4. But seriously, this is a challenge to Rudock

— Ferentz has gone out of his way to not make any declarations. The fact that it's hanging open is a challenge to Rudock. 'Yeah, that's how you have to [look at it],' Rudock said. 'You can't make it more than it is. Just go out there and do what you do every day.'

5. Beathard has been a good soldier, too

— The only time I ever sensed Beathard started to kind of dislike being the backup was last spring. I asked him about that again today, 'You don't come to school to be the backup quarterback,' he said. 'That's my role on the team right now until I can make a move or whatever. You have to accept your role and be positive.'

6. No, RB Jordan Canzeri hasn't been healthy

— It started in August with a knee injury. He suffered a heel injury against Ball State. He hasn't been the same player who wowed at the end of 2013. A question on his health came up Tuesday: 'I hope he is [100 percent]. And I agree with you, I just don't think he's been a 100% there all season, starting with camp. So for him to get back full speed would really help us. And hopefully he's feeling a little better now, but time will tell.'

7. This week's coaching point

— The Louis Trinca-Pasat bow sack celebration vs. Purdue was mentioned in a lighthearted manner by coaches. Yes, the staff showed the team the celebration video from the Oregon-Arizona game, when an Oregon defender was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike and handed Arizona a first down and subsequent TD. It happened to be the same exact pose that LTP did at Purdue. There were differences. The Oregon player did it several seconds after the play and closer to the middle of the field. It's safe to say, however, that you won't see it again.

8. This week's theme paper is media closing in on the lockerroom environment

— You've seen more and more lockerroom celebrations leak into the mainstream. Mostly, it's from school media, Big Ten Network, ESPN, made-for-TV moments. Ferentz is not down with those, as you might've expected.

'Otherwise, to me, not everything in life has to be public. That is probably one of the reasons I don't tweet or whatever else they do. But I don't think everything has to be public. Football is a pretty intimate deal, activity. So that's what makes it fun.'

If it is mandated, however, Ferentz understands that and would however reluctantly comply.

9. Oh yeah, halftime interviews suck

— That's across the board. Coaches don't like them. They is never anything meaningful communicated, but there they are.

Ferentz said, why yes, there is universal dislike of the halftime interview: I would imagine that's probably unanimous [among other coaches]. It's probably people agreeing about grandkids being great.'

10. And here's me fishing

— I should probably know better, but I just wanted to see if there was any personnel movement during the bye week. That 3.5 yards a carry is a stat that has to grind everyone in the building. I wondered if they didn't give personnel a serious once-over. They did, apparently. Will it lead to any changes? I don't know. Sounds as though it's a thought at least.

'Yeah, we spent a lot of time talking about that Monday, talking about what we want to try to do to move forward and be a little more intelligent about how we're using guys. Hopefully in the next couple weeks we'll make some progress.'

Videos and transcript here now.

A little more on QB .

. . Coaches who preside over QB controversies always seem to be trying to convince themselves that it's a positive. It's using two good players. It's the natural course of things.

We all know that's not true. It's OK to believe it and maybe even have that vision for your team, but it rarely goes down that way.

Quarterback is a singular position. That's by design. One brain doing most of the thinking for 10 other offensive players who need and, probably, crave the direction. That's how football works. Tell me where to go, quarterback, I'll know the technique and I will do my job when I get there, but, please, give me the outline.

Linebacker is a thinker position. This year, Quinton Alston has a lot of help with that. He regularly leans on a highly engaged defensive line that collectively buried its nose into game video after a 2012 in which it was pushed around. Safety is a thinker position. Iowa has made strides there and has shown, perhaps, more improvement there than at any other position since week 1's David Johnson extravaganza.

Here's where QB sits going into Indiana: You know a little bit more about Jake Rudock than you do C.J. Beathard.

I seem to remember a lot of you loving Rudock last season when he led fourth-quarter comebacks against Michigan and Northwestern. The TD pass to win it against the Wildcats came with two NU defenders bearing down on him full speed. The Michigan comeback wasn't all Rudock, but he did throw two TD passes in a victory that helped make the 2013 season.

Rudock has three career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime (Michigan and Northwestern in 2013, Ball State in 2014). Only five active quarterbacks in NCAA have more game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Yes, needing two TDs in the fourth quarter to beat Ball State, which is 1-4 now, is troubling. A team-wide kind of thing, not just the quarterback.

But that's not why this is where it is. Rudock was injured halfway through the Pitt game. In the lead up to Pitt, Ferentz covered the top of Beathard, who did come in for one series against Ball State, playing in nine words. On his Wednesday night radio show leading up to the Pitt game, he seemed irritated by the question and offered up a 'no' with no room for interpretation.

Beathard came in and spun a comeback victory of his own. The next week, he opened eyes at Purdue, playing through a pick six and showing a QB Zen and that 'fastest release in the west.'

And now it's a conversation. Or controversy. Or whatever. Ferentz said last week Rudock will start, Beathard will play and then they'll figure it out as it goes.

Ferentz says he has two good players. He believes it can work. He also adds 'we'll figure it out from there,' so maybe he's not totally convinced.

Beathard has the shiny arm. Rudock has won the job through practice, going back to last August. The clock, however, didn't stop for Beathard, who seems to runs Iowa's offense through the same machinations that Rudock runs it through. He's improved. Rudock has improved. (And, no, it's not OK to dump on Rudock if you want Beathard to start. It's not, you know it's not. I'm only speaking to the minority that I hear from an awful lot. Process this in a fit manner.)

It's time to let this thing play out. What we have here is not a quarterback controversy but a quarterback sequence, 1 and 1A, all equal, all necessary. Perhaps it works that way. It might be the first, so, sure, this could be history.

Better to have a problem over who helped you win than over who made you lose. Time to let it play out. There will be more words today on it, but what happens next on the field is the more important for both QBs than anything said today.

Today's schedule

... Kirk Ferentz speaks on the Big Ten teleconference at 11:40. I'll have the paraphrased version here, maybe some transcription.

Ferentz's main news conference starts between 12:45 and 1 p.m. I'll have the transcript and some choice videos here. The players talk from 1 to about 2. I'll have videos on other posts. I'll also have another QB story with what KF says about it later today.

Check back in a few.

KF on the Big Ten teleconference

. . . And it begins.

Opener

— Coming off a bye week. Watched everyone else play. Rested up. Week went well. Eager to get back into game routine today.

O-line coach question, what do you look at if OL has a bad game?

— It's true at every position. Usually it goes back to getting grip on fundamentals, going back to what it is you are and who you are. Bad things happen in football. My instincts have always been to get back to who you are and do what you are.

On Tevin Coleman, IU running back

— Look at the top three rushers in the B1G, all three are outstanding football players. Coleman is right in there. I don't know what else is out there in the country, but those guys can play anywhere.

IU has been effective, during those moments what are they doing well

— I suggest longer than just the season. Wilson has done a great job getting them up running. A casual fan might look at spread-passing attack. They run the ball extremely well. They're getting a lot of yards, points. Lots of good players. Strategy that's tough to defend. -- Run to set up pass -- That's fair.

Postgame speeches by coaches making it to the net

— The locker room and bathroom are the two places I'd rather not have exposed to the public at this point. We're not overly big on that. Football is an intimate experience sometimes. It's nice to have some intimate moments. Network has asked. My talks aren't great. I'd put them right to sleep. I think there are some places that should remain sacred.

Bullock, Rudock and MVB

— Bullock has a chance. -- Jake is pretty good. Practiced and looked good Sunday.

First five games

— You're never happy. There are things you could've done better. We're doing a lot of things well. Part of my job is to look at what we're not doing well. You don't get prizes for after four or five games. It matters what you do now.

On Indiana

— Veteran team playing well. Offensively, the running backs run very, very well. Whoever is in there runs well. Their line is key to whole thing. Seven or eight with starting experience. They make you work for it against their defense.

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