Coker debuts with a boom

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Marcus Coker is one of those players who chooses to let his play do his talking for him.

Yes, Iowa's true freshmen aren't allowed to speak to the media, but, from all accounts, Coker just doesn't say much.

"I don't know, he's quiet," Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi said when asked about Coker's personality. "He doesn't talk. He doesn't talk at all. That's how you like your freshmen. That's how they should be. He does a great job, so everybody respects him a ton because of how he plays."

That respect grew in leaps and bounds during the No. 15 Hawkeyes' 18-13 victory over Indiana.

With sophomore Adam Robinson out because of a concussion, Coker, a 6-foot, 230-pounder, rushed for 129 yards on 22 carries. Coker rushed for 60 yards against Ball State and then sat for three weeks before getting 16 carries for 40 yards in last week's victory over Michigan State.

Robinson, Iowa's leading rusher with 803 yards and the Big Ten leader with 172 carries, suffered a concussion on his first carry of the fourth quarter last week and didn't make the trip to Indiana. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz expects Robinson to be back at practice on Tuesday.

"He's doing fine," Ferentz said. "The silver lining is he's well, rested and he hasn't been hit in a week. He should be ready to go for the last three games."

This was Coker's chance to show something and he came through, putting up career bests across the board. He averaged a sterling 5.9 yards a carry with a long run of 20 yards.

At halftime, Coker already had 102 yards.

"He stepped up big for us," Ferentz said. "He really carried more than his share of the load. This was the first extended time he's had. He's impressive."

Did Robinson's absence contribute to Iowa's red zone futility? The Hawkeyes went into Saturday's game fourth in the Big Ten in red zone -- inside the opponent's 20-yard line -- offense with 25 TDs. Against Indiana, Iowa failed to score touchdowns and ended up 3 of 4 with three Mike Meyer field goals.

Robinson has been a closer for the Hawkeyes this season, scoring a career-high 10 TDs.

"We missed him everywhere," Ferentz said. "Adam is an outstanding player, in my opinion. He's so good in so many ways. He blocks well, he's extremely tough. He's good in the passing game. When you lose a good player, it hurts."

Coker seemed gassed at times in the first half, but he finished the game strong, rushing four times for 24 yards during a fourth-quarter drive that set up Meyer's 42-yard field goal.

Coker, whose development was hindered by a broken collarbone suffered in camp, became the third straight true freshman to rush for 100 yards against Indiana. In 2008, Jewel Hampton rushed 22 times for 114 yards. Last season in Kinnick, Brandon Wegher had 118 yards on 25 carries.

"Marcus more than filled the void," Ferentz said. "Looking forward, I think we've got two guys who are capable."