Tarpinian vows return to lineup

PHOENIX -- Jeff Tarpinian swears it's not a "senior, last game, gotta play" kind of a thing.

Iowa's senior linebacker said Friday that he's healthy for the first time since maybe September and plans to play in Tuesday's Insight Bowl marchup against Missouri.

"I'm feeling good to go," said Tarpinian, who hasn't been a full-time player since suffering a neck/shoulder stinger against Ball State in September. "I fully expecting to play. I'm feeling good out there and I'm excited."

Seriously. This isn't a senior who's facing the possibility of his last game talking.

"I feel a lot stronger," he said. "I'm feeling good to go."

Tarpinian, who didn't go through tackling drills at the beginning of practice, could help the Hawkeyes' ailing linebacker corps. The group has been rocked by injury this season, with starters Tarpinian and junior outside linebacker Tyler Nielsen (broken vertebrae) missing major amounts of time.

"I thought Tarpinian was playing very well before he got hurt," Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker said. "He was the starting middle linebacker. Tarpinian got hurt and [junior] Bruce Davis got hurt, and then all of the sudden it's 'James [Morris] get in there.'"

This might be Tarpinian's last football game and it might not.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder is thinking about trying to keep his career going in the NFL, but this is a man who might have some options. He's an academic all-Big Ten pick as an accounting major.

"I'll sit down and talk to my family and the coaches to see what my options might be," Tarpinian said.

The Omaha, Neb., native said he'd consider following his dad, Jeff, into the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Shock at MVP

When Iowa had its awards banquet on Dec. 10, defensive tackle Karl Klug didn't expect a whole lot when it came time for Iowa's MVP to be announced.

"I was just sitting back in my chair waiting for Adrian's [Clayborn] name to be called or someone else's name," Klug said. "It was a shocker."

Klug shared the Roy J. Carver MVP Award with quarterback Ricky Stanzi.

Klug has 135 career tackles and 29 tackles for loss (minus-117 yards). He was a second-team all-Big Ten pick this season.

Quick slants

Former Iowa D-line coach

Ron Aiken visited Iowa's practice on Friday. Aiken left the Hawkeyes in 2007 and is in his fourth season as D-line coach for the Arizona Cardinals. . . .

Tarpinian and senior linebacker

Lance Tillison wore red jerseys to practice on Friday, meaning "no contact" for them. . . . Players not participating in practice included wide receiver

Jordan Cotton (ankle), defensive tackle

Thomas Nardo, defensive end

Dominic Alvis and defensive lineman

Louis Trinca-Pasat. . . . Fullback Brad Rogers was at practice, but Iowa announced Friday that he would miss the bowl game after something came up on a cardiology test.