Following the bouncing Beathard

LOS ANGELES — No one has had a better read on the C.J. Beathard toughness-o-meter than Tyler Wiegers.

Time and time again during the Hawkeyes' season, Wiegers, a 6-4, 224-pound redshirt freshman, would see the Iowa quarterback take a nasty hit. A few times, Wiegers actually reached for his helmet. Every time, Beathard bounced off the turf and stayed in the game.

'He's not the biggest guy or the strongest guy, but he's tough as nails,' Wiegers said during Rose Bowl media day on Tuesday. 'He goes in there, takes shots, gets back up and throws a laser for a touchdown.'

It's been a learning year for Wiegers, who's thrown four passes this season as Iowa's No. 2 quarterback. Wiegers went into the season knowing he probably wouldn't see much time. Beathard set a tone with his toughness and that's been a valuable lesson, Wiegers said.

'There have been times where C.J. has taken a hit and I'm grabbing my helmet and I'm like, 'Is he going to get up?'' Wiegers said. 'He pops right back up. That's something the guys rally around. We all see that. It's a great quality to have as a leader. That's something I'd like to hopefully have going forward.'

For a three-week stretch this season, Wiegers was Iowa's No. 1 practice quarterback. Beathard said Tuesday that the hip/groin issues he faced this season really began after taking a hit on a short TD run against Pitt. There were weeks when Beathard didn't practice until Thursday, leaving No. 1 and No. 2 snaps to Wiegers.

'Getting in with the first group, it's a little bit different tempo,' he said. 'It made me speed up and play at a little higher level. You try to prepare as the starter all of the time, but when you do go out there and take all of the starting reps, there is a little more intensity. It's helped me grow and made me feel ready.'

When a QB doesn't play, he's not just standing there. All three of Iowa's backups — Wiegers with true freshmen Ryan Boyle and Drew Cook — signal plays in and provide general support for Beathard.

'He's a great support system for me. All the quarterbacks are,' Beathard said. 'He does a good job of letting me know, when I come off the field, like if I have a question, he pays attention. I ask him questions as well, and he does a good job with it. He's a very good support system for me, as are Ryan and Drew and the others as well. We have a good family, and they do a good job.'

On a side note with Wiegers, he owns one of the most interesting bio items maybe in college football. In high school at Detroit (Mich.) Country Day, Wiegers was a Silver Medal winner and was Magna Cum Laude winner on the National Latin exam.

'I can read it (Latin), but I don't know how well I could read it now, it's been two years,' Wiegers said. 'All through middle school and high school, I took Latin. I was home schooled in middle school and it was offered in high school and I just went with it.'

The National Latin exam is sent to high schools across the country. Teachers proctor the exam and send it back for scoring.

'I did pretty well, I guess,' Wiegers said with a laugh.

Looking for a practical use for Latin? Wiegers is a pre-med/human physiology major at Iowa. A lot of medical terms are based in Latin, so he said that knowledge has been useful.

Did you know Beathard has a tattoo?

— One thing that hasn't been mentioned a lot this season is Beathard's deep spirituality. Tuesday, he was asked what his motivation and inspiration is as a person and a player.

'I get inspiration from God,' he said. 'I pray a lot and talk to him about stuff. Whenever they're in trouble or going through stressful times, I pray, and I talk to my dad and grandpa about stuff as well. They help coach me forward, and they're very positive influences in my life.'

Beathard has Psalm 27:1 tattooed on his chest. It reads 'The Lord is my light and salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?'

'That's my favorite verse,' he said.

No news on Ott and medical hardship waiver

— Iowa defensive end Drew Ott, who was knocked out for the season with a torn ACL on Oct. 10, said Tuesday that there was no news on his appeal for a medical hardship waiver. He hasn't been given a deadline on it, but hopes to hear soon.

NCAA rules allow players to receive a medical hardship waiver if they fail to complete 30 percent of the season before the season's halfway point. The Big Ten's six-member academics and eligibility subcommittee decides Ott's case. The subcommittee next is scheduled to meet Feb. 22-23, 2016 in Rosemont, Ill.

If the Big Ten's subcommittee denies Ott's request, he can appeal the decision to the NCAA's committee on student-athlete reinstatement.

'I think it would just give me more experience and I think it would help me out in the long run and just be nice to get a senior year here,' Ott said.

Iowa players give their coach a special mention

— After Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz was named Big Ten coach of the year, his players made a point to show some appreciation in the practices before the Big Ten championship game.

When practice ended that day, during the announcement portion, senior center Austin Blythe stood up and said some kind words to the team about his head coach.

'As teammates and just a group of guys that cares for a coach, we wanted to recognize him for what he's done and just to be able to do that for him is really special just because of the way he cares for his players,' Blythe said. 'You can really tell that he cares and he's invested in us as players and people, and to be able to do that for him was really special.'

About a week before the Hawkeyes left Iowa City for California, Ferentz was named the Eddie Robinson national coach of the year by the Football Writers Association of America. So ...

'That's a good point,' Blythe said. 'We need to bring something together for our banquet in February, whenever it is, to really recognize what he's done, and it's well deserved.'

Derrick Mitchell the reporter

— Sophomore running back Derrick Mitchell roamed around Rose Bowl media day acting as a reporter and unearthed a few funny exchanges from teammates.

Mitchell: 'So what do you think the keys are to win the game this week?'

Blythe: 'Not getting Derrick Mitchell the ball.'

Mitchell: 'Going to get the ball to LeShun (Daniels)?

Blythe: 'Yeah.'

Mitchell: 'What about me in particular, how do you like Derrick Mitchell as a third-down back?'

Blythe: 'He's the best one we've got.'

And only. Mitchell is the only third-down back Iowa has.

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